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The 1970 Formula One season was the 24th season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 21st World Championship of Drivers and the 13th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers. Thirteen races were held between 7 March 1970 and 25 October 1970, with the Drivers' Championship won by Jochen Rindt and the Constructors' title by Lotus. Rindt died four races before the end of the season, but had earned just enough World Championship points that no other driver managed to surpass his total by the end of the season. It is the only season to date in which the World Drivers' Championship title had been awarded posthumously. Jacky Ickx driving for Ferrari finished the season strongly, but his low 4th-place finish in the penultimate round ensured that Rindt's title lead would stand. In the end, all of Rindt's 45 points came from his five wins in the season.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Rnd	Race	Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Constructor	Tyre	Report
1	South African Grand Prix	Kyalami	7 March	Jackie Stewart	Jack Brabham John Surtees	Jack Brabham	Brabham-Ford	G	Report
2	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	19 April	Jack Brabham	Jack Brabham	Jackie Stewart	March-Ford	D	Report
3	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco	10 May	Jackie Stewart	Jochen Rindt	Jochen Rindt	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
4	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps	7 June	Jackie Stewart	Chris Amon	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	D	Report
5	Dutch Grand Prix	Zandvoort	21 June	Jochen Rindt	Jacky Ickx	Jochen Rindt	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
6	French Grand Prix	Charade	5 July	Jacky Ickx	Jack Brabham	Jochen Rindt	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
7	British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch	18 July	Jochen Rindt	Jack Brabham	Jochen Rindt	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
8	German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	2 August	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Jochen Rindt	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring	16 August	Jochen Rindt	Jacky Ickx Clay Regazzoni	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	F	Report
10	Italian Grand Prix	Monza	6 September	Jacky Ickx	Clay Regazzoni	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	F	Report
11	Canadian Grand Prix	Mont-Tremblant	20 September	Jackie Stewart	Clay Regazzoni	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	F	Report
12	United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen	4 October	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
13	Mexican Grand Prix	Magdalena Mixhuca	25 October	Clay Regazzoni	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	F	Report

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1970 World Championship.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Tyrrell Racing Organisation	Tyrrell-Ford	001	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	D	Jackie Stewart	11–13
	March-Ford	701				1–10
					Johnny Servoz-Gavin	1–3
					François Cevert	5–13
Equipe Matra Elf	Matra	MS120	Matra MS12 3.0 V12	G	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	All
					Henri Pescarolo	All
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren-Ford	M14A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Bruce McLaren	1–3
					Denny Hulme	1–3, 6–13
					Peter Gethin	5, 8–13
					Dan Gurney	5–7
	McLaren-Alfa Romeo	M7D M14D	Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8		Andrea de Adamich	2–3, 5–12
					Nanni Galli	10
Team Surtees	McLaren-Ford	M7C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	John Surtees	1–3, 5
	Surtees-Ford	TS7				7–13
					Derek Bell	12
STP Corporation	March-Ford	701	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Mario Andretti	1–2, 7–9
Gold Leaf Team Lotus Garvey Team Lotus World Wide Racing	Lotus-Ford	49C 72B 72C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Jochen Rindt	1–10
					John Miles	1–10
					Alex Soler-Roig	2, 4, 6
					Emerson Fittipaldi	7–10, 12–13
					Reine Wisell	12–13
Rob Walker Racing Team Brooke Bond Oxo Racing – Rob Walker	Lotus-Ford	49C 72C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Graham Hill	1–8, 10–13
Motor Racing Developments Ltd Auto Motor und Sport	Brabham-Ford	BT33	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jack Brabham	All
					Rolf Stommelen	All
March Engineering	March-Ford	701	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Chris Amon	All
					Jo Siffert	All
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	312B	Ferrari 001 3.0 F12	F	Jacky Ickx	All
					Ignazio Giunti	4, 6, 9–10
					Clay Regazzoni	5, 7–13
Owen Racing Organisation Yardley Team BRM	BRM	P153 P139	BRM P142 3.0 V12	D	Jackie Oliver	All
					Pedro Rodríguez	All
					George Eaton	1–3, 5–7, 9–12
					Peter Westbury	12
Frank Williams Racing Cars	De Tomaso-Ford	505/38	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	D	Piers Courage	1–5
					Brian Redman	7–8
					Tim Schenken	9–12
Team Gunston	Lotus-Ford	49	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	D	John Love	1
	Brabham-Ford	BT26A		G	Peter de Klerk	1
Scuderia Scribante	Lotus-Ford	49C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Dave Charlton	1
Antique Automobiles Racing Team Colin Crabbe Racing	March-Ford	701	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Ronnie Peterson	3–8, 10–12
Tom Wheatcroft Racing	Brabham-Ford	BT26A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Derek Bell	4
Silvio Moser Racing Team	Bellasi-Ford	F1 70	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Silvio Moser	5–6, 8–10
Pete Lovely Volkswagen Inc.	Lotus-Ford	49B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Pete Lovely	5–7, 12
Hubert Hahne	March-Ford	701	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Hubert Hahne	8
Ecurie Bonnier	McLaren-Ford	M7C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Joakim Bonnier	10, 12
Gus Hutchison	Brabham-Ford	BT26A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Gus Hutchison	12

Season report

This section reads like a review rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve this article to make it neutral in tone and meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (January 2017)

For the 1970 Formula One season, following an agreement with Simca, Tyrrell were asked by Matra to use their V12 rather than the Cosworth. Stewart tested the Matra V12 and found it inferior to the DFV. As a large part of the Tyrrell budget was provided by Ford, and another significant element came from French state-owned petroleum company Elf (which had an agreement with Renault that precluded supporting a Simca partner), Ken Tyrrell had little alternative (due to clashing sponsorship deals) but to buy the March 701 chassis as an interim solution while developing his own car in secret with the first Tyrrell bearing a substantial resemblance to the MS80.

The new wedge-shaped Lotus 72 had very innovative car design, featuring torsion bar suspension, hip-mounted radiators, inboard front brakes and an overhanging rear wing. The 72 originally had suspension problems, but when dive and squat were designed out of the suspension the car quickly showed its superiority. Lotus's new leader, the Austrian Jochen Rindt, dominated the championship until he was killed at Monza when he crashed into some poorly installed crash barriers right before the Parabolica corner. He took the 1970 title posthumously for Lotus. Jacky Ickx won the Austrian, Canadian and Mexican Grands Prix to come second in the Drivers' Championship, having re-joined Ferrari from Brabham. Had he won the United States Grand Prix instead of Brazilian newcomer Emerson Fittipaldi, Ickx would have been crowned champion.

The 1970 season was one of the most tragic in Formula One history. Before Rindt's death at Monza, New Zealander Bruce McLaren was killed testing a McLaren Can-Am car at the Goodwood Circuit in England, and Briton Piers Courage was killed at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, driving a Frank Williams-entered De Tomaso.

1970 saw the introduction of slick tyres by Goodyear.

After a Formula One career which began at the 1955 British Grand Prix, triple World Champion Jack Brabham retired at the end of the year.

Race 1: South Africa

The first round was the South Africa Grand Prix held at the Kyalami circuit between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Jack Brabham won the race in a Brabham BT33.^[1]

Race 2: Spain

The Spanish Grand Prix took place on the Jarama circuit. The defending champion Jackie Stewart won in a March 701.^[2]

Race 3: Monaco

The Monaco Grand Prix ended in a close finish. At the last corner of the last lap, Jack Brabham skidded off the track, allowing Austrian Jochen Rindt in a Lotus 49 to pass and win the race.^[3]

Map of the Belgian track

Race 4: Belgium

Formula One had recently lost one of its top drivers: Bruce McLaren had been killed testing a Can-Am car at the Goodwood circuit in southern England. But the F1 circus had returned to a wild and dangerous place: the notorious 14.1 kilometres (8.8 mi) ultra-fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit had returned to the calendar for the 1970 season after some safety upgrades, including steel Armco barriers now lined around the circuit. A chicane had also been inserted at the incredibly fast Malmedy corner to reduce speeds onto the Masta straight. The field only consisted of 18 entrants; Spa often had a small amount of entrants compared to other circuits because most racing drivers in Europe were frightened of the circuit and did not like racing there. Stewart took pole, followed by New Zealander Chris Amon and Rindt. Rindt took the lead going into Eau Rouge, and once the cars came back around towards La Source, Amon was leading. Then, Stewart took the lead, but then retired his March-Ford/Cosworth with engine problems. Amon took the lead, but Mexican Pedro Rodríguez in a BRM was making the most of his BRM engine's V12 power, and he and Amon battled until the 28th and last lap – and Rodriguez beat the perennially unlucky Amon to the checkered flag by a mere 1.1 seconds. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Beltoise took the final podium spot, followed by home favorite Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari. But this was the last time the old triangle-shaped Spa was to be used for Formula One – the circuit proved to be just too fast and dangerous, even with safety modifications. The Belgian Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be on the following year's calendar, but was taken off the calendar after the circuit was not up to FIA-newly mandated safety specs. The race would move to Nivelles and Zolder.

Jochen Rindt won the race in his new monocoque-chassis Lotus 72 which had only raced twice before but in a different spec

Race 5: The Netherlands

The Dutch Grand Prix of 1970 saw the revolutionary Lotus 72 stamp its authority on the Formula One scene. Although the car made its debut at Spa with John Miles, the car was still not properly finished. But for the Dutch event, it was – and Jochen Rindt dominated this weekend by taking pole and leading from start to finish on the fast, beachside Zandvoort circuit. But the race itself was marred by the fatal accident of Briton Piers Courage in a Frank Williams-entered DeTomaso-Ford/Cosworth. Courage crashed at the very fast Tunnel Oost corner, and one of the wheels hit him in the head and killed him instantly. After the car had crashed, it then caught fire, as was so common in those days. Courage's lifeless body, already covered with fuel, then burned.

The Grand Prix was held on the original Charade Circuit

Race 6: France

Formula One then went to the 5.1 mile Charade circuit, made up entirely of closed-off public roads located around an extinct volcano overlooking the small city of Clermont-Ferrand. Practice and qualifying were both eventful – in addition to Ferrari showing improved form by Jacky Ickx taking pole, the circuit was littered with rocks and Rindt – already made nauseous by the twisty and roller-coaster-type nature of the circuit – was hit in the face by a rock thrown from another car – in those days, drivers wore open-face helmets covered by a white rag to protect them from the gas fumes. Ickx took the lead from the start, but he retired with engine damage, and Frenchman Beltoise – driving an all-French Matra – was in the lead. However, due to the rocks on the track, Beltoise punctured a tire, and had to come in. This gave Rindt the lead, ahead of Chris Amon. Rindt won from Amon and Brabham.

Race 7: Great Britain

The British Grand Prix alternated between the very fast, flat, smooth Silverstone circuit and the twisty, undulating and rough Brands Hatch, just outside London. For 1970, the British GP was at Brands Hatch, and it was an exciting race – Jack Brabham was leading at the start, but he ran out of fuel at the last bend – and Rindt overtook him and won his 3rd consecutive race.

This was the first race to use this version of the Hockenheimring, used in 1970–1981

Race 8: Germany

The German Grand Prix was held at the Hockenheimring for 1970. It had originally been scheduled to be run at the very long and notoriously dangerous Nurburgring Nordschleife, but the drivers refused to race at the 'Ring in the condition it was in – unless major safety changes were made to it. There was a driver's meeting at the Dorchester Hotel in London after the memorial services for Bruce McLaren and Piers Courage, and the drivers, already under considerable pressure and motivated by a normally quiet Jack Brabham – voted not to race there after the German GP organizers responded negatively to a list of changes requested by the drivers. The Hockenheimring was very fast, and it generated a great race – Jochen Rindt and Jacky Ickx battled all throughout the race and Rindt won yet again – and it was clear at this point who the two main title contenders were going to be.

Race 9: Austria

The second Formula One Austrian Grand Prix was the first held at the fast and spectacular Österreichring – in 1964, it had been held at the unpopular Zeltweg Airfield. The year-old Styrian circuit played host to Ferrari dominance – their first victory since 1968. Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni easily finished 1–2; the Ferrari 312B had become a competitive package, although this was not done by Ickx, who did not like testing and often preferred to use his driving skill to deal with a car's shortcomings.

This was the last time the Autodromo Nazionale Monza was driven for 68 laps: from 1971 onwards, the race would have 55 laps

Race 10: Italy

Monza is known by many Formula One enthusiasts to be a bittersweet place; and this weekend was no exception. It was a weekend of highs and lows – at this rather simple, ultra-fast circuit – when it had no chicanes of any kind, Jochen Rindt was killed on the straight going into the Parabolica on his wingless Lotus 72 – and because aerodynamic downforce was not properly understood then, the car was, according to his teammate John Miles, rather unstable and difficult to drive – but in fact, it was a brake system failure that caused Rindt to spin off and crash into some poorly installed Armco barrier, and as a result of that, the car went under the barrier and rotated a few times in the sand track. Rindt was not wearing his seat belts properly, either – in addition to the belts being loose, a crotch strap part of the seat belts had been introduced recently, and Rindt wasn't wearing one. As a result, he had submarined in the car^[clarify] and the belt buckle had slit his throat. Come race day, Ferrari driver Clay Regazzoni won his first F1 race, and the overjoyed crowd ran onto the track and celebrated.

Race 11: Canada

The F1 season concluded with a 3-part North American tour, which started in Canada at the spectacular Mont-Tremblant circuit in Quebec near the town of St. Jovite – the second and last time F1 would race there. The Lotus team did not show up, and although Jackie Stewart dominated practice in his new Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth 001, he retired due to mechanical problems, and Ickx took victory in his Ferrari.

Race 12: United States

The United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen saw the return of the Lotus team, and Brazilian newcomer Emerson Fittipaldi, who had become their lead driver after Rindt's death, was competitive throughout. He was challenged by Mexican Pedro Rodriguez, wanting to win again after his Spa triumph four months earlier. Rodriguez led but ran out of fuel, and although he stormed through the track, Fittipaldi was able to hold on to win his first Formula One championship race. This was the last F1 race at the original Watkins Glen permanent race track – the circuit was rebuilt for the following year. Rindt posthumously won the Drivers' Championship at this race – Ickx needed to win to stand a chance of overtaking Rindt's points total, but finished fourth after mechanical problems.

Race 13: Mexico

The last race of the Formula One World Championship was the Mexican Grand Prix at the Magdalena Mixhuca Park in Mexico City. The event proved troublesome – some 200,000 people showed up to watch, and a number of them were actually sitting right next to the track asphalt, over the barriers. This delayed the race start for over an hour – after Rodriguez and Stewart pleaded with the crowd to move back, which they did – but not very far. The race finally got underway – and Ickx won again for Ferrari, as Stewart retired after hitting a stray dog. But the crowd's shenanigans caused by the disorganization of the event caused the Mexican Grand Prix to be cancelled for the following year, and it did not come back until 1986 to the same circuit.

World Championship of Drivers - final standings

Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six finishers at each race. The best six results from the first seven rounds and the best five results from the last six rounds were retained.

Austrian Jochen Rindt won the Drivers' Championship posthumously, the only time this has happened in Formula One history; he drove for Lotus this season

Pos. Driver RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX Pts.[4] 1 Jochen Rindt† 13 Ret 1 Ret 1 1 1 1 Ret DNS† 45 2 Jacky Ickx Ret Ret Ret 8 3 Ret Ret 2 1 Ret 1 4 1 40 3 Clay Regazzoni 4 4 Ret 2 1 2 13 2 33 4 Denny Hulme 2 Ret 4 4 3 3 Ret 4 Ret 7 3 27 5 Jackie Stewart 3 1 Ret Ret 2 9 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret 25 6 Jack Brabham 1 Ret 2 Ret 11 3 2 Ret 13 Ret Ret 10 Ret 25 7 Pedro Rodríguez 9 Ret 6 1 10 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 4 2 6 23 8 Chris Amon Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret 2 5 Ret 8 7 3 5 4 23 9 Jean-Pierre Beltoise 4 Ret Ret 3 5 13 Ret Ret 6 3 8 Ret 5 16 10 Emerson Fittipaldi 8 4 15 DNS 1 Ret 12 11 Rolf Stommelen Ret Ret DNQ 5 DNQ 7 DNS 5 3 5 Ret 12 Ret 10 12 Henri Pescarolo 7 Ret 3 6 8 5 Ret 6 14 Ret 7 8 9 8 13 Graham Hill 6 4 5 Ret NC 10 6 Ret DNS NC Ret Ret 7 14 Bruce McLaren Ret 2 Ret 6 15 Reine Wisell 3 NC 4 16 Mario Andretti Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret 4 17 Ignazio Giunti 4 14 7 Ret 3 18 John Surtees Ret Ret Ret 6 Ret 9 Ret Ret 5 Ret 8 3 19 John Miles 5 DNQ DNQ Ret 7 8 Ret Ret Ret DNS 2 20 Jackie Oliver Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret NC Ret 7 2 21 Johnny Servoz-Gavin Ret 5 DNQ 2 22 François Cevert Ret 11 7 7 Ret 6 9 Ret Ret 1 23 Peter Gethin Ret Ret 10 NC 6 14 Ret 1 24 Dan Gurney Ret 6 Ret 1 25 Derek Bell Ret 6 1 — Jo Siffert 10 DNQ 8 7 Ret Ret Ret 8 9 Ret Ret 9 Ret 0 — Ronnie Peterson 7 NC 9 Ret 9 Ret Ret NC 11 0 — Andrea de Adamich DNQ DNQ DNQ NC DNS DNQ 12 8 Ret DNQ 0 — John Love 8 0 — George Eaton Ret DNQ DNQ Ret 12 Ret 11 Ret 10 Ret 0 — Peter de Klerk 11 0 — Dave Charlton 12 0 — Piers Courage† Ret DNS NC Ret Ret† 0 — Tim Schenken Ret Ret NC Ret 0 — Pete Lovely DNQ DNQ NC DNQ 0 — Silvio Moser DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ 0 — Jo Bonnier DNQ Ret 0 — Gus Hutchison Ret 0 — Alex Soler-Roig DNQ DNS DNQ 0 — Brian Redman DNS DNQ 0 — Hubert Hahne DNQ 0 — Nanni Galli DNQ 0 — Peter Westbury DNQ 0 Pos. Driver RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX Pts.

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers - final standings

Lotus Ford won the International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers

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 six results from the first seven rounds and the best five results from the last six rounds were retained.

Pos.	Manufacturer	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	MEX	Pts.[5]
1	Lotus-Ford	5	4	1	Ret	1	1	1	1	15	DNS	NC	1	NC	59
2	Ferrari	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	3	14	4	2	1	1	1	(4)	1	52 (55)
3	March-Ford	3	1	7	2	2	2	5	7	8	2	3	5	4	48
4	Brabham-Ford	1	Ret	2	5	11	3	2	5	3	5	Ret	10	Ret	35
5	McLaren-Ford	2	2	4		6	4	3	3	10	4	6	7	3	35
6	BRM	9	Ret	6	1	10	12	Ret	Ret	4	Ret	4	2	6	23
7	Matra	4	Ret	3	3	5	5	Ret	6	6	3	7	8	5	23
8	Surtees-Ford							Ret	9	Ret	Ret	5	6	8	3
—	McLaren-Alfa Romeo		DNQ	DNQ		DNQ	NC	DNS	DNQ	12	8	Ret	DNQ		0
—	De Tomaso-Ford	Ret	DNS	NC	Ret	Ret		DNS	DNQ	Ret	Ret	NC	Ret		0
—	Tyrrell-Ford											Ret	Ret	Ret	0
—	Bellasi-Ford					DNQ	DNQ		DNQ	Ret	DNQ				0
Pos.	Manufacturer	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	MEX	Pts.

• 
  Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-Championship races results

Other Formula One races held in 1970, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race Name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
V Race of Champions	Brands Hatch	22 March	Jackie Stewart	March-Cosworth	Report
XXII BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	26 April	Chris Amon	March-Cosworth	Report
XVII International Gold Cup	Oulton Park	22 August	John Surtees	Surtees-Cosworth	Report

Notes

External links

• 1970 World Championship results and images from f1-facts.com