Jean-Pierre Beltoise, prince of rain in Monaco, would have celebrated his 87th birthday

By leading the legendary Monegasque round from start to finish, evolving under the whims of the sky, in the middle of traffic as intense as it was refractory, Jean-Pierre Beltoise scored his only victory in 1972 and showed himself to be the equal of the greatest, offering BRM the last great success in its history. This April 26, 2024, he would have celebrated his 87th birthday.

Published on 26/04/2024 à 10:42

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Jean-Pierre Beltoise, prince of rain in Monaco, would have celebrated his 87th birthday

For 80 laps, Jean-Pierre Beltoise avoided all the traps at the wheel of his BRM P160 © DPPI

When in October 1971, François Cevert won the United States GP at Watkins Glen (see Ah n°2331), thirteen years after Maurice Trintignant's victory in Monaco, many fans felt a feeling of injustice. Because since the mid-60s, the French revival had another face: that of Jean-Pierre Beltoise. At a time when his young brother-in-law was triumphant (Jean-Pierre having married Jacqueline Cevert), he was finishing the most disastrous season of his career. Started with the tragedy of the 1000 km of Buenos Aires which cost the life of Ignazio Giunti, followed by various controversies and license suspensions (see Ah n°2293), his year 1971 could not be saved by its results due to a Matra MS120 with irregular potential. At Matra, his No. 1 role was now occupied by Chris Amon. Disappointed by the