Sunday 6th October 2013 marked forty years to the day since talented Frenchman Francois Cevert was tragically killed in a horrific accident during qualifying for the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, the final race weekend of the 1973 season. His life cruelly taken before he could fully realise his true potential.
With his piercing blue eyes, thick dark locks and deep French brogue, Francois Cevert was the perfect poster boy for the glamorous World of F1. But he was much more than just a pretty face, with World champion Jackie Stewart immediately picking him out as one to watch when he came up against the young contender whilst taking part in an F2 race in Reims and again in Crystal Palace during 1969. The Scot was suitably impressed with how difficult the Frenchman had been to pass and conveyed his admiration to Ken Tyrell, his then Team Boss, telling him that the French guy was definitely worth taking a chance on.
In 1967, with barely any money to his name, a young Francois entered the French Formula 3 Championship with an outdated 1965 Alpine, which he had won during a spell at the Winfield School in Magny-Cours the year before. Times were hard for the Frenchman, with no real idea of how to set up a car for racing and without his family, who were against his decision to race, for support; he only had his speed to rely on. But he was determined to succeed and kept with it until in 1968, a year on, a fire extinguisher company saw his potential and offered him a small amount of sponsorship, enabling him to purchase a brand new Tecno to compete in going forward. It was just the boost he needed, with a fully functioning car he started to win races across Europe. Battling out the whole of the season against fellow countryman Jean-Pierre Jabouille, it was Cevert that finally emerged as French F3 champion.
He moved up to F2 with the Tecno works support team the following season (1969), and it was here that he first came up against Stewart in an F2 race at Reims. The final corner of the Reims circuit was notorious; if you went into it leading you would be on the losing end coming out due to the massive slipstream tow you could get following behind the car ahead. The two racers were side by side coming into the final bend, each waiting for the other to make a move. In the end it was Stewart that gave in first and the Frenchman duly beat the Scot that day. In August later that year, Cevert had his maiden outing in a Grand Prix, competing in the F2 class at the Nurburgring in Germany. He unfortunately had to retire due to a wheel problem, but nevertheless he was hooked. He progressed well for his first season in F2 and in 1970 was given the chance to move up to the higher ranks of Formula one. On Jackie Stewart’s recommendation, Ken Tyrell offered him a drive with his F1 outfit.
And so it came to be, that year Cevert joined Tyrell as their second driver replacing Johnny Servoz-Gavin who had suffered an eye injury and retired suddenly. Inexperienced but ever-eager, the young Frenchman would start out life in F1 on a learning curve. Both Stewart and Tyrell immediately took him under their wings, easing him into the fast paced life of F1. Tyrell even went as far as to tell their young protégé that it did not matter if he “was not great to start off with”. Both Brits believed Cevert was destined for greatness and the two of them set to priming the gifted Frenchman to be the perfect replacement to Stewart’s Tyrell throne once he retired, though Cevert was unaware that this was what the two had in mind.
His debut at Zandvoort in 1970 was a quiet and uneventful one. Following a dispute with Matra over which engine to use, Tyrell were using a March 701 as an interim measure. It was not the greatest of cars, but in Monza Cevert finally scored his first championship point, in a race that was marred by the death of Jochen Rindt. The disaster did not faze the French F3 Champion, like most Formula one driver’s he was made of sterner stuff. Cevert made his rookie debut at the same time as past masters Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni, and whilst they made the headlines he steadily got on with learning his race craft and soaking up the inside information happily conveyed to him buy Stewart, a pupll could not wish for a more accomplished teacher.
In 1971 Tyrell brought in their own chassis that had been secretly built the previous year, and it was after this change that Cevert started to make his mark on the Formula 1 World. He finished second at Paul Ricard, as well as the Nurburgring where he also attained the fastest lap. He followed this up with a close third at Monza, but it was during the final race of the season at Watkins Glen that he scored his first victory. Sadly, it was to be the only win of his short career.
The 1972 season was pretty dull in comparison and a frustrating one for Cevert. Two second place finishes at Nivelles and Watkins Glen were his only notable results; whilst teammate Stewart went on to take the Championship title. He yearned for more and greater success and in 1973 his fortunes changed. He was much closer to Stewart’s pace than he had ever been before, finishing second to the Scot’s first at Zolder, Zandvoort and Nurburgring and taking three further second places to add to his tally. Some of those second places may even have been firsts had he not dutily stayed behind his teammate, to help him on his way to a third World Championship title. The dashing Frenchman also took second place in the Le Mans 24 Hour with Howden Ganley, where he drove a Matra. He was on a roll and had started to show just what a skilled driver he was, a potential champion in the making, there was a lot more to come from the shy, Frenchman who was hungry to achieve.
But the end to his season was about to take a tragic turn. Firstly, during the penultimate race of the season at Mosport he was involved in a coming together with fellow rookie Jody Scheckter. It was a huge smash, which Cevert luckily escaped with only bruised ankles. He was unimpressed with the South African however who he felt was at fault for the accident. The final grand prix of the season was just two weeks away, as was usual for the two Tyrell teammates being so close, they spent their free time holidaying together along with their families. Cevert revealed he had received an offer from Ferrari for the 1974 season and was unsure whether to accept it or not. He kept asking Stewart, his mentor, what he should do, the Scotsman could not tell him that he would be retiring at the end of the season and that Francois would be taking over the number one role, so he instead suggested the Frenchman should stay on another year, it would be good for him.
The final Grand Prix weekend of the season soon came around, Cevert was confident he could take the victory having won at Watkins Glen previously. He set his sights firmly on claiming Pole Position; he wanted to go all out in qualifying to give himself the best chance come race day. Some say, that he had been told by Ken Tyrell that weekend that Scheckter had been signed for the 1974 season and not knowing Stewart was leaving, wanted to impress. In the beginning it was going to plan, sitting in fourth he had just achieved his two fastest laps of the session, but his next lap was to be the last he would ever make.
Reports suggest that Cevert just seemed to over-do it at the Esses, where the barriers loomed three high on either side. As the Frenchman lost it coming round the bend, he was launched into the barrier on one side, then catapulted across to the other. The car was demolished and Cevert killed instantly. Scheckter was first to find the Frenchman, the scene of total destruction forever impressed on his mind. When Stewart arrived he was unsure exactly where Cevert was, there was so much debris from the car flung all across the track. He eventually found him hung over the barrier with part of the monocoque. The Scot was distraught. Cevert had been like a younger brother to him, he could not deal with such a tragic loss of life. Stewart and Tyrell pulled out of the race the following day and although he had already decided in his own mind that he was going to retire at the end of the season, the loss of Cevert sealed it for him.
Nobody knows if the charming Frenchman would have gone on to win the title when he took over the reins from Stewart in 1974 had he survived, but he was young, fast and determined and with all Stewart’s knowledge and guidance available to him, he would certainly have been in a fantastic position to try. It is a tragic shame that he never got the chance to show just what he could do before he died.
RIP Francois…
Memory added on January 7, 2015
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