Jacques Laffite

Interesting facts

Jacques Laffite began at the Winfield racing school in 1968 and made his F1 debut in 1974 at the German Grand Prix with Frank Williams's team. He joined Ligier in 1976, becoming the team's most successful driver, taking his first win at the 1977 Swedish Grand Prix in Anderstorp. In 1979 he won the first two races of the season and fought for the title until the final rounds, finishing fourth; he repeated that fourth place in 1980 and 1981, the latter year losing the title to Nelson Piquet by just six points. By his retirement he had tied Graham Hill's then-record of 176 Grand Prix starts. His career ended after a severe multi-car crash at the 1986 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch that broke both his legs. After recovering he raced touring cars and became a commentator for French broadcaster TF1, famously reacting emotionally on air to the 1997 Schumacher-Villeneuve incident. Jacques Laffite made his Formula 1 debut in 1974 and raced until 1986, 13 seasons in total as a French driver. He scored a total of 228 championship points over his career.