Jo Siffert, first Swiss to win in the F1 World Championship

This October 24, 1971 was to be a celebration. The Mexican GP having been canceled following the disappearance of Pedro Rodriguez (see Ah n°2319), Brands Hatch (United Kingdom) hosted a race of F1 non-championship, intended to celebrate Jackie Stewart's second world title. The British teams and their drivers had naturally played the game, even if some felt a little tired after a very busy season. Jo Siffert was one of them, having already competed in around forty races, F1, F2, Sport and Can-Am combined. However, the Swiss loved running more than anything. Since that day in 1948 when his father took him to see the Swiss GP in Bremgarten. From his childhood, “Seppi” (German short for Joseph) also retained a singular gait, the result of a malformation of his right foot that required two operations. This did not prevent him from speeding up, perhaps to better forget the sarcasm of his school teacher, who nicknamed him “the snail”.

Brands Hatch 1968 : Sur sa Lotus 49B aux couleurs de Rob Walker, Siffert résistera jusqu’au bout aux assauts de