1969 Formula One season


The 1969 Formula One season was the 23rd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 20th World Championship of Drivers and the 12th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which commenced on 1 March 1969 and ended on 19 October after eleven races. The season also included four non-championship races.

Championship summary

, which had entered Formula One the previous year, withdrew their works team from the 1969 championship and focused on their partnership with Ken Tyrrell. Stewart won the 1969 title easily with the new Matra MS80, which corrected most of the weaknesses of the MS10. Stewart's title was the first won by a French chassis, and the only one won by a chassis built in France. It would also be the only time a constructor won in Formula One without fielding a works team.
Jacky Ickx had a strong second half to the season for Brabham, winning in Germany and Canada, after Jack Brabham was sidelined by a testing accident. Ickx finished second in the Drivers' Championship, with 37 points to Jackie Stewart's 63.
The season was the second to see the use of add-on aerodynamic devices, which were experimented with by some teams in the 1968 season. After several incidents in which wings, struts, or the suspension collapsed, wings were banned from Monaco 1969. They were reintroduced later in the season but were to be restricted in size and height, and attached directly to the chassis in a fixed position.
1969 also saw a brief resurgence of interest in four wheel drive following a number of wet races the previous year. Four such cars were entered for the British Grand Prix, and Johnny Servoz-Gavin became the one and only driver to score a point with a 4WD, finishing sixth with the Matra MS84 at the Canadian Grand Prix. At the same race, Al Pease made history by being the only driver disqualified from a World Championship event for being too slow. Wide tyres and downforce quickly proved to be superior means of increasing grip, and the technology was largely abandoned, although Lotus continued to experiment with the idea for a few more years. Bruce McLaren described the handling of his M9 as being like trying to sign an autograph while someone was jogging his elbow; Cosworth discovered that their car handled better with more power directed to the rear wheels.
1969 was the first year in which genuine safety measures were implemented at circuits. The cars were going far faster over time, particularly with the increased engine capacity rules for 1966 onwards from 1.5 litres uncompressed to 3 litres uncompressed or 1.5 litres compressed, and the role that manipulated aerodynamics began to play in the cars' performance. The Montjuic circuit in Barcelona was a first in Grand Prix racing- the circuit was completely Armco-lined. Although safety measures in 1969 were still nearly non-existent compared to today's modern safety standards, these measures were a new step forward to protect drivers from further harm. About half the circuits in Formula One at this time had some safety standards, such as Silverstone, Magdalena Mixhuca in Mexico City and Monaco; although other circuits were nearly unchanged from previous years, such as the Nürburgring in Germany and the Clermont-Ferrand circuit in France; both were twisty mountain road circuits with all kinds of unprotected drop offs and solid obstacles on the sides of both circuits. Another example was the feared Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, an extremely fast public road circuit which was located in a similar area and had similar dangers to the Nürburgring and Clermont-Ferrand, such as unprotected drop offs and solid obstacles on the side of the track. The Belgian Grand Prix there was boycotted by many of the drivers because of the extreme danger of the track after an overall inspection of Spa by Jackie Stewart, who was responsible for most of the activities in Formula One to try to make it safer. He demanded changes to the circuit that the track owners did not want to pay for, so the race was boycotted and eventually cancelled. Spa was included in 1970 after Armco was added to some parts of the track.

Championship review

Championship teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1969 FIA World Championship.
EntrantConstructorChassisEngineTyreDriverRounds
Gold Leaf Team LotusLotus-Ford49B
63		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Graham Hill1–10
Gold Leaf Team LotusLotus-Ford49B
63		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jochen Rindt1–2, 4–11
Gold Leaf Team LotusLotus-Ford49B
63		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Mario Andretti1, 7, 10
Gold Leaf Team LotusLotus-Ford49B
63		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Richard Attwood3
Gold Leaf Team LotusLotus-Ford49B
63		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 John Miles5–6, 8–9, 11
Rob Walker/Jack Durlacher Racing TeamLotus-Ford49BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jo SiffertAll
Bruce McLaren Motor RacingMcLaren-FordM7A
M7B
M7C
M9A		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Denny HulmeAll
Bruce McLaren Motor RacingMcLaren-FordM7A
M7B
M7C
M9A		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Bruce McLarenAll
Bruce McLaren Motor RacingMcLaren-FordM7A
M7B
M7C
M9A		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Derek Bell6
Matra InternationalMatra-FordMS10
MS80
MS84		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jackie StewartAll
Matra InternationalMatra-FordMS10
MS80
MS84		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jean-Pierre BeltoiseAll
Matra InternationalMatra-FordMS10
MS80
MS84		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Johnny Servoz-Gavin9–11
Matra InternationalMatra-FordMS7Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Johnny Servoz-Gavin7
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
North American Racing Team		Ferrari312/68
312/69		Ferrari 255C 3.0 V12 Chris Amon1–6
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
North American Racing Team		Ferrari312/68
312/69		Ferrari 255C 3.0 V12 Pedro Rodríguez6, 8–11
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
North American Racing Team		Ferrari312/68
312/69		Ferrari 255C 3.0 V12 Tino Brambilla8
Owen Racing OrganisationBRMP138
P133
P139		BRM P101 3.0 V12
BRM P142 3.0 V12		 John Surtees1–4, 6–11
Owen Racing OrganisationBRMP138
P133
P139		BRM P101 3.0 V12
BRM P142 3.0 V12		 Jackie Oliver1–4, 6–11
Owen Racing OrganisationBRMP138
P133
P139		BRM P101 3.0 V12
BRM P142 3.0 V12		 Bill Brack9
Owen Racing OrganisationBRMP138
P133
P139		BRM P101 3.0 V12
BRM P142 3.0 V12		 George Eaton10–11
Reg Parnell RacingBRMP126BRM P101 3.0 V12 Pedro Rodríguez1–3
Motor Racing Developments LtdBrabham-FordBT26AFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jack Brabham1–4, 8–11
Motor Racing Developments LtdBrabham-FordBT26AFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jacky IckxAll
Team GunstonLotus-Ford49Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 John Love1
Team GunstonBrabham-RepcoBT24Repco 620 3.0 V8 Sam Tingle1
Team LawsonMcLaren-FordM7AFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Basil van Rooyen1
Jack HolmeBrabham-RepcoBT20Repco 620 3.0 V8 Peter de Klerk1
Frank Williams Racing CarsBrabham-FordBT26AFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Piers Courage2–11
Frank Williams Racing CarsBrabham-FordBT30Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Richard Attwood7
Antique AutomobilesCooper-MaseratiT86Maserati 10/F1 3.0 V12 Vic Elford3
Antique AutomobilesMcLaren-FordM7BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Vic Elford4–7
Silvio Moser Racing TeamBrabham-FordBT24Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Silvio Moser3–5, 8–11
Ecurie BonnierLotus-Ford63
49B		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Jo Bonnier6–7
Ahrens Racing TeamBrabham-FordBT30Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Kurt Ahrens Jr.7
Roy Winkelmann RacingLotus-Ford59BFord Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Hans Herrmann7
Roy Winkelmann RacingLotus-Ford59BFord Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Rolf Stommelen7
Bayerische Motoren Werke AGBMW269BMW M12/1 1.6 L4 Hubert Hahne7
Bayerische Motoren Werke AGBMW269BMW M12/1 1.6 L4 Gerhard Mitter7
Bayerische Motoren Werke AGBMW269BMW M12/1 1.6 L4 Dieter Quester7
Matra SportsMatra-FordMS7Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Henri Pescarolo7
Tecno Racing TeamTecno-FordTF69Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 François Cevert7
Squadra TartarugaBrabham-FordBT23CFord Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Xavier Perrot7
Felday Engineering LtdBrabham-FordBT30Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 Peter Westbury7
Pete Lovely Volkswagen Inc.Lotus-Ford49BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Pete Lovely9–11
Paul SeitzBrabham-ClimaxBT23BClimax FPF 2.8 L4 John Cordts9
John MaryonEagle-ClimaxT1FClimax FPF 2.8 L4 Al Pease9

Points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the top six finishers at each Grand Prix. However only the best five results from the first six races and the best four results from the last five races counted towards the World Championship.
Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six finishers at each round, however only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. The best five results from the first six rounds and the best four results from the last five rounds were retained.
Pos.ManufacturerRSA
ESP
MON
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
ITA
CAN
USA
MEX
Pts.
1 Matra-Ford11Ret111214NC466
2 Brabham-FordRet62532112249
3 Lotus-Ford2Ret12644231947
4 McLaren-Ford32443345Ret138
5 BRM75Ret9RetRetNCNC367
6 FerrariRetRetRet3RetRet6Ret577
— Cooper-Maserati7WD0
— Brabham-Repco80
— Brabham-ClimaxRet0
— Eagle-ClimaxDSQ0
Pos.ManufacturerRSA
ESP
MON
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
ITA
CAN
USA
MEX
Pts.

Other Formula One races held in 1969, which did not count towards the World Championship.
Race NameCircuitDateWinning driverConstructorReport
IV Race of ChampionsBrands Hatch16 March Jackie Stewart Matra-CosworthReport
XXI BRDC International TrophySilverstone30 March Jack Brabham Brabham-CosworthReport
Madrid Grand PrixJarama13 April Keith Holland Lola-ChevroletReport
XVI International Gold CupOulton Park16 August Jacky Ickx Brabham-CosworthReport