Jo Siffert | |
|---|---|
 Siffert in 1968 | |
| Born | Joseph Siffert (1936-07-07)7 July 1936 Fribourg, Switzerland |
| Died | 24 October 1971(1971-10-24) (aged 35) Brands Hatch,Kent, England |
| Cause of death | Smoke inhalation after a collision at the 1971 World Championship Victory Race |
| Children | 2 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Swiss |
| Active years | 1962–1971 |
| Teams | PrivateerLotus,Filipinetti,privateerBrabham,Walker,March,BRM |
| Entries | 100 (96 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Careerpoints | 68 |
| Pole positions | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| First entry | 1962 Monaco Grand Prix |
| First win | 1968 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1971 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1971 United States Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1965–1971 |
| Teams | Maserati,Porsche |
| Best finish | 4th(1966) |
| Class wins | 2(1966,1967) |
Joseph "Jo"Siffert (French pronunciation:[ʒo(zɛf)sifɛʁ]; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swissracing driver, who competed inFormula One from1962 to1971. Siffert won twoFormula One Grands Prix across 10 seasons.
Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert was born inFribourg, the son of a dairy owner. He initially made his name in racing on two wheels, winning the Swiss 350 ccmotorcycle championship in 1959, before switching to four wheels with aFormula Junior Stanguellini. Siffert graduated toFormula One as a privateer in 1962, with a four-cylinderLotus-Climax. He later moved to Swiss teamScuderia Filipinetti, and in 1964 joinedRob Walker's private BritishRob Walker Racing Team. Early successes included victories in the1964 and1965 Mediterranean Grands Prix non-Championship Formula One races, both times beatingJim Clark by a very narrow margin. He won two World Championship races, one for theRob Walker Racing Team and one forBRM. He died at the1971 World Championship Victory Race, a non-Championship Formula One race, having his car roll over after a crash caused by a mechanical failure and being caught under the burning vehicle. Siffert was married twice and to his second wife Simone during the height of his career in the late 1960s and at the time of his death. They had two children together, Véronique and Philippe.
Siffert was born in 1936 in the town ofFribourg,Switzerland, 35 km (22 mi) fromBern to a poor family. Aged 12, Siffert and his father went to Bern to see the1948 Swiss Grand Prix at theBremgarten circuit, and it was at this event where Siffert wanted to be a racing driver.[1]
In 1968, Siffert drove into the F1 history books by winning the1968 British Grand Prix atBrands Hatch inRob Walker Racing Team'sLotus 49B, beatingChris Amon'sFerrari into second place after a race-long battle. This is regarded as the last GP victory by a genuine privateer.[2] In 1971 as aBRM team driver he scored his second Formula One Championship race victory at theAustrian Grand Prix held at theÖsterreichring.[3]
While Siffert's status in F1 grew slowly, his fame came as a leading driver for the factoryPorsche effort in its quest for theWorld Sportscar Championship. In 1968, Siffert andHans Herrmann won the24 Hours of Daytona and the12 Hours of Sebring in aPorsche 907, marking the first major outright wins for the company, apart from a few earlier victories on twisty tracks.
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Later on, Siffert's driving displays in thePorsche 917 earned him several major wins in Europe. In addition, Siffert was chosen by Porsche to help launch itsCanAm development programme, driving aPorsche 917PA spyder in 1969 and finishing fourth in the championship despite few entries.
In 1970 he teamed up withBrian Redman to drive aPorsche 908/3 to victory at theTarga Florio. That same year, Porsche bankrolled Siffert's seat in a worksMarch Engineering F1 since the German company did not wish to lose one of their prize drivers to rival Ferrari. His association with March in F1 was disastrous, so he was pleased to join rival Porsche racerPedro Rodriguez atBRM the following season.
Siffert was killed in the non-championshipWorld Championship Victory Race atBrands Hatch, Kent, England, the scene of his first victory in 1968. The suspension of his BRM had been damaged in a lap one incident withRonnie Peterson, and broke later. This was not admitted by BRM until much later when it was accidentally divulged by a BRM ex-mechanic.[4] The BRM crashed and immediately caught fire. Siffert could not free himself from the burning car.
In the subsequent Royal Automobile Club (the UK organising and regulatory representative of the FIA at the time) investigation, it was discovered that Siffert had only suffered a leg fracture in the initial crash but because three fire extinguishers failed to work properly no rescuers could reach Siffert for five minutes and he died of smoke inhalation.[5] A fire marshall stated that if the fire extinguishers worked correctly then they could have reached Siffert within 20 seconds.[6]
This accident led to a rapid overhaul of safety, both in-car and on circuit. On-board fire extinguishers (using BCF—bromochlorodifluoromethane, an aircraft product) became mandatory and also piped air for the drivers, direct into their helmets.
His funeral in Switzerland was attended by 50,000 people and a Gulf-Porsche 917 of TeamJohn Wyer led the hearse and procession through the streets of Fribourg.
In the final round of the2007–08 A1GP season, atBrands Hatch, theA1 Team Switzerland car carried the messageJo 'Seppi' Siffert - 40th Anniversary - Brands Hatch. This commemorated his1968 British Grand Prix victory at Brands Hatch.
‡ Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 |  J.H. Simone |  Jochen Neerpasch | Maserati Tipo 65 | P +5.0 | 3 | DNF | DNF |
| 1966 | Porsche System Engineering |  Colin Davis | Porsche 906/6L Carrera 6 | P 2.0 | 339 | 4th | 1st |
| 1967 | Porsche System Engineering | Hans Herrmann | Porsche 907/6L | P 2.0 | 358 | 5th | 1st |
| 1968 | Porsche System Engineering | Hans Herrmann | Porsche 908 | P 3.0 | 59 | DNF | DNF |
| 1969 | Hart Ski Racing | Brian Redman | Porsche 908/2L | P 3.0 | 60 | DNF | DNF |
| 1970 | John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd. | Brian Redman | Porsche 917K | S 5.0 | 156 | DNF | DNF |
| 1971 | John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd. | Derek Bell | Porsche 917LH | S 5.0 | DNF | DNF | |
Source:[8] | |||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | BMW | LolaT100 | BMW M11 | SNE | SIL Ret | NÜR Ret | HOC | TUL | JAR | ZAN | PER | BRH | VAL 9 | NC | 0 | |
| 1968 | BMW | LolaT102 | BMW M11 | HOC | THR | JAR | PAL | TUL | ZAN | PER | HOC Ret | VAL 18 | NC | 0 | ||
| 1969 | BMW | LolaT102 | BMW M11 | THR Ret | HOC | NÜR 2 | JAR | TUL | NC | 0‡ | ||||||
| BMW 269 | PER Ret | VAL | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 | BMW | BMW 270 | BMW M11 | THR Ret | HOC | BAR | ROU 1 | PER 2 | TUL 11 | IMO Ret | HOC | NC | 0‡ | |||
| 1971 | Jo Siffert - Chevron Racing Team | Chevron B18 | Cosworth FVA | HOC | THR Ret | NÜR 10 | JAR | PAL DNQ | ROU | MAN | TUL | ALB | VAL | VAL | NC | 0 |
Source:[7] | ||||||||||||||||
‡ Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
F1 Results include information from the following sources:
| Preceded by | Formula One fatal accidents 24 October 1971 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
