Jochen Mass

Interesting facts

Jochen Mass took an unusual path into racing, working in the merchant navy after school before apprenticing at an Alfa Romeo dealership in Mannheim, where the owner spotted his talent. His sole F1 win came at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, halted after leader Rolf Stommelen's car flew into the crowd after hitting a barrier, killing four spectators; it remained the last German win until Michael Schumacher's in Belgium in 1992. On May 8, 1982, during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, Gilles Villeneuve attempted to pass Mass late in the session; as Mass moved right to let him through, their wheels touched, launching Villeneuve's car into a series of violent cartwheels; Mass stopped immediately and ran to the wreckage, and Villeneuve was taken off life support that evening. In sportscar racing he won the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Sauber-Mercedes C9, having previously finished runner-up there twice. After retiring he mentored young drivers including Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Sauber, played himself in Ron Howard's 2013 film Rush, and died in May 2025 at age 78. Jochen Mass raced in Formula 1 from 1973 to 1982, across 9 seasons as a German driver. He scored a total of 71 championship points over his career.