Jacky Ickx emerged as an exceptional driver on the F1 circus, blending Jochen Rindt’s passion with Jackie Stewart’s meticulous precision and excelling in wet conditions. His natural talent suggested a future World Championship was inevitable, yet his dream remained unfulfilled due to progressively less competitive cars. Son of a renowned motorsport journalist and a three-time Belgian motorbike trials champion, Ickx dominated in his Lotus Cortina, winning the national saloon car championship in 1965.
| Nationality | Belgian |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri Ickx 1 January 1945 Brussels, Belgium |
At just 21, he moved to Formula 2 in 1966 under Ken Tyrrell’s mentorship, showcasing his potential. By next year’s German Grand Prix, the young Ickx made headlines by qualifying third fastest in a Matra despite starting from the back. He climed to fourth before a suspension failure ended his race. His performance caught the attention of Cooper, where he earned his first championship point at Monza, leading to a contract with Ferrari in 1968. His first significant victory came shortly after, mastering the wet conditions at Rouen.
Despite a competitive streak that kept him in the title race until an accident in Canada, Ickx was already a top contender in sports car racing, winning multiple events. In 1969, he joined Brabham, scoring a victory over Jackie Stewart at the German GP and later securing a dramatic win at Le Mans. Returning to Ferrari in 1970, he narrowly missed beating Jochen Rindt to the title despite winning three Grands Prix. His subsequent seasons included wins in both Formula 1 and sports car races across the globe, but consistent success eluded him, leading to his departure from Ferrari in 1973. Ickx’s later years in Formula 1 saw diminishing returns, but he excelled in sports car racing, achieving three consecutive Le Mans victories and winning the World Championship of Makes.
Ickx briefly returned to Formula 1 in 1979, but his style clashed with the era’s technological demands. He then shifted focus to endurance racing, claiming more victories and a record sixth Le Mans win, culminating in a triumphant retirement in 1985.
Jacky Ickx Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1966–1979 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Cooper, Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren, Lotus, Wolf–Williams, Ensign, Ligier |
| Entries | 122 (116 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Podiums | 25 |
| Career points | 181 |
| Pole positions | 13 |
| Fastest laps | 14 |
| First entry | 1966 German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1968 French Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1972 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1979 United States Grand Prix |
Jacky Ickx Teammates
| 21 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jochen Rindt | 2 | 1967 | |
| Chris Amon | 10 | 1968 | |
| Andrea de Adamich | 1 | 1968 | |
| Derek Bell | 1 | 1968 | |
| Jack Brabham | 9 | 1969 | |
| Dan Gurney | 1 | 1969 | |
| Ignazio Giunti | 6 | 1970 | |
| Clay Regazzoni | 32 | 1970 | 1977 |
| Mario Andretti | 18 | 1971 | 1972 |
| Nanni Galli | 1 | 1972 | |
| Arturo Merzario | 14 | 1972 | 1973 |
| Peter Revson | 1 | 1973 | |
| Denny Hulme | 1 | 1973 | |
| Tom Belso | 1 | 1973 | |
| Howden Ganley | 1 | 1973 | |
| Ronnie Peterson | 24 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Tim Schenken | 1 | 1974 | |
| Renzo Zorzi | 1 | 1976 | |
| Michel Leclere | 6 | 1976 | |
| Bernard de Dryver | 1 | 1978 | |
| Jacques Laffite | 8 | 1979 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1968 French Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1969 German Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1969 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1970 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1970 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1970 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 7 | 1971 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 8 | 1972 German Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Tyrrell Racing Organisation | Matra MS5 (F2) | Ford Cosworth SCA 1.0 L4 | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | NED | GER Ret | ITA | USA | MEX | NC | 0 | ||||||||
| 1967 | Tyrrell Racing Organisation | Matra MS5 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | RSA | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret | CAN | 21st | 1 | |||||||||
| Cooper Car Company | Cooper T81B | Maserati 10/F1 3.0 V12 | ITA 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cooper T86 | Maserati 10/F1 3.0 V12 | USA Ret | MEX | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312/67 | Ferrari 242 3.0 V12 | RSA Ret | 4th | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ferrari 312/68 | Ferrari 242C 3.0 V12 | ESP Ret | MON | NED 4 | FRA 1 | GBR 3 | GER 4 | ITA 3 | CAN DNS | USA | ||||||||||||
| Ferrari 312/67/68 | Ferrari 242 3.0 V12 | BEL 3 | MEX Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1969 | Motor Racing Developments Ltd | Brabham BT26A | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA Ret | ESP 6 | MON Ret | NED 5 | FRA 3 | GBR 2 | GER 1 | ITA 10 | CAN 1 | USA Ret | MEX 2 | 2nd | 37 | ||||||
| 1970 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B | Ferrari 001 3.0 F12 | RSA Ret | ESP Ret | MON Ret | BEL 8 | NED 3 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER 2 | AUT 1 | ITA Ret | CAN 1 | USA 4 | MEX 1 | 2nd | 40 | ||||
| 1971 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B | Ferrari 001 3.0 F12 | RSA 8 | ESP 2 | ITA Ret | USA Ret | 4th | 19 | |||||||||||||
| 1971 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B2 | Ferrari 001/1 3.0 F12 | MON 3 | NED 1 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT Ret | CAN 8 | 4th | 19 | ||||||||||
| 1972 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B2 | Ferrari 001/1 3.0 F12 | ARG 3 | RSA 8 | ESP 2 | MON 2 | BEL Ret | FRA 11 | GBR Ret | GER 1 | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | CAN 12 | USA 5 | 4th | 27 | |||||
| 1973 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B2 | Ferrari 001/1 3.0 F12 | ARG 4 | BRA 5 | RSA Ret | 9th | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| Ferrari 312B3 | Ferrari 001/11 3.0 F12 | ESP 12 | BEL Ret | MON Ret | SWE 6 | FRA 5 | GBR 8 | NED | ITA 8 | CAN | ||||||||||||
| Yardley Team McLaren | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | GER 3 | AUT | ||||||||||||||||||
| Frank Williams Racing Cars | Iso–Marlboro IR | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USA 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1974 | John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72E | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | BRA 3 | MON Ret | SWE Ret | NED 11 | FRA 5 | GBR 3 | GER 5 | CAN 13 | USA Ret | 10th | 12 | |||||||
| Lotus 76 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA Ret | ESP Ret | BEL Ret | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| 1975 | John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72E | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 8 | BRA 9 | RSA 12 | ESP 2 | MON 8 | BEL Ret | SWE 15 | NED Ret | FRA Ret | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA | 16th | 3 | |||
| 1976 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Wolf–Williams FW05 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA 8 | RSA 16 | USW DNQ | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Wolf Racing | Wolf–Williams FW05 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP 7 | BEL DNQ | MON DNQ | SWE | FRA 10 | GBR DNQ | GER | AUT | ||||||||||||
| Team Tissot Ensign | Ensign N176 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | NED Ret | ITA 10 | CAN 13 | USA Ret | JPN | |||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Team Tissot Ensign with Castrol | Ensign N177 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | MON 10 | BEL | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | JPN | NC | 0 |
| 1978 | Team Tissot Ensign | Ensign N177 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | MON Ret | BEL 12 | ESP Ret | SWE DNQ | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | NC | 0 | |
| 1979 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS11 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | FRA Ret | GBR 6 | GER Ret | AUT Ret | NED 5 | ITA Ret | CAN Ret | USA Ret | 16th | 3 |
Sources: Wikipedia.com and historicracing.com
