Born in Paris, Jacques Laffite began in motorsport as a mechanic, assisting his friend Jean-Pierre Jabouille during the 1968 F3 season. This professional relationship deepened into a family connection when Laffite and Jabouille married two sisters, becoming brothers-in-law.
| Nationality | French |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacques-Henri Laffite 21 November 1943 Paris, France |
By 1972, Laffite had clinched the French Formula Renault Championship. The following year, he advanced to Formula 3 with Automobiles Martini, securing the French title and victories at the Monaco and Pau Formula 3 Grand Prix and nearly winning the British John Player title as well.
Supported by BP France, Laffite transitioned to Formula 2 in 1974, racing with a March-BMW and quickly making a mark by winning at the Salzburgring. Midway through the season, Frank Williams chose him for the F1 1974 German Grand Prix. Despite a crash ending his race, Laffite’s performance beat those of previous drivers, earning him a regular seat for the next year and a half. In 1975, amidst a challenging season for Williams, Laffite secured a pivotal second place in Germany. Meanwhile, in Formula 2, he notched up six victories with an Elf-backed Martini and won races at Dijon, Monza, and the Nurburgring with the Kauhsen/Autodelta Alfa T33.
In 1976, replacing Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Laffite joined the new Ligier-Matra team led by Guy Ligier, quickly becoming a key driver. His efforts paid off with a win at Anderstorp in 1977, although it soon became apparent that a switch to Cosworth engines was important for ongoing success. In 1979, now teamed with Patrick Depailler, Laffite triumphed in the first two Grands Prix of the season. He performed strongly, culminating in a fourth-place finish in the 1980 Drivers’ Championship. However, 1982 saw a decline in form, leading to only two-point finishes and prompting a move back to Williams for a two-year stint alongside Keke Rosberg.
Laffite’s subsequent performances varied, with non-qualifications at Monza and Brands Hatch the low points. However, he saw a resurgence in 1984, though overshadowed by Rosberg’s driving. Returning to Ligier, Laffite found renewed energy, highlighted by leading the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix briefly before a crash at Brands Hatch ended his Grand Prix career with painful injuries.
Laffite remained connected to motorsport, competing in the French touring car series and occasionally racing for fun. He also rejoined F1 in a public relations role for Ligier and worked as a television commentator.
Jacques Laffite Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1974–1986 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Iso–Marlboro, Ligier, Williams |
| Entries | 180 (176 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podiums | 32 |
| Career points | 228 |
| Pole positions | 7 |
| Fastest laps | 7 |
| First entry | 1974 German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1977 Swedish Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1981 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1986 British Grand Prix |
Jacques Laffite Teammates
| 19 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arturo Merzario | 10 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Ian Scheckter | 1 | 1975 | |
| François Migault | 1 | 1975 | |
| Ian Ashley | 2 | 1975 | |
| Jo Vonlanthen | 1 | 1975 | |
| Renzo Zorzi | 1 | 1975 | |
| Lella Lombardi | 1 | 1975 | |
| Jean-Pierre Jarier | 3 | 1977 | 1981 |
| Patrick Depailler | 7 | 1979 | |
| Jacky Ickx | 8 | 1979 | |
| Didier Pironi | 14 | 1980 | |
| Jean-Pierre Jabouille | 6 | 1981 | |
| Patrick Tambay | 8 | 1981 | |
| Eddie Cheever | 15 | 1982 | |
| Keke Rosberg | 31 | 1983 | 1984 |
| Jonathan Palmer | 1 | 1983 | |
| Andrea de Cesaris | 11 | 1985 | |
| Philippe Streiff | 4 | 1985 | |
| Rene Arnoux | 9 | 1986 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1977 Swedish Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1979 Argentine Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1980 German Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1981 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1981 Canadian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Iso–Marlboro FW | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER Ret | AUT NC | ITA Ret | CAN 15 | USA Ret | NC | 0 | ||
| 1975 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Williams FW02 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | BRA 11 | RSA NC | ESP | 12th | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Williams FW04 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MON DNQ | BEL Ret | SWE | NED Ret | FRA 11 | GBR Ret | GER 2 | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | USA DNS | |||||||||||
| 1976 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS5 | Matra MS73 3.0 V12 | BRA Ret | RSA Ret | USW 4 | ESP 12 | BEL 3 | MON 12 | SWE 4 | FRA 14 | GBR DSQ | GER Ret | AUT 2 | NED Ret | ITA 3 | CAN Ret | USA Ret | JPN 7 | 7th | 20 | |
| 1977 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS7 | Matra MS76 3.0 V12 | ARG NC | BRA Ret | RSA Ret | USW 9 | ESP 7 | MON 7 | BEL Ret | SWE 1 | FRA 8 | GBR 6 | GER Ret | AUT Ret | NED 2 | ITA 8 | USA 7 | CAN Ret | JPN 5 | 10th | 18 |
| 1978 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS7 | Matra MS76 3.0 V12 | ARG 16 | BRA 9 | USW 5 | 8th | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Ligier JS7/9 | Matra MS78 3.0 V12 | RSA 5 | BEL 5 | SWE 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ligier JS9 | Matra MS78 3.0 V12 | MON Ret | ESP 3 | FRA 7 | GBR 10 | GER 3 | AUT 5 | NED 8 | ITA 4 | USA 11 | CAN Ret | |||||||||||
| 1979 | Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS11 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 1 | BRA 1 | RSA Ret | USW Ret | ESP Ret | BEL 2 | MON Ret | FRA 8 | GBR Ret | GER 3 | AUT 3 | NED 3 | ITA Ret | CAN Ret | USA Ret | 4th | 36 | ||
| 1980 | Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS11/15 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | BRA Ret | RSA 2 | USW Ret | BEL 11 | MON 2 | FRA 3 | GBR Ret | GER 1 | AUT 4 | NED 3 | ITA 9 | CAN 8 | USA 5 | 4th | 34 | |||
| 1981 | Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Talbot Ligier JS17 | Matra MS81 3.0 V12 | USW Ret | BRA 6 | ARG Ret | SMR Ret | BEL 2 | MON 3 | ESP 2 | FRA Ret | GBR 3 | GER 3 | AUT 1 | NED Ret | ITA Ret | CAN 1 | CPL 6 | 4th | 44 | ||
| 1982 | Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Talbot Ligier JS17B | Matra MS81 3.0 V12 | RSA Ret | BRA Ret | USW Ret | SMR | BEL 9 | DET 6 | CAN Ret | 17th | 5 | ||||||||||
| Talbot Ligier JS19 | Matra MS81 3.0 V12 | MON Ret | NED Ret | GBR Ret | FRA 14 | GER Ret | AUT 3 | SUI Ret | ITA Ret | CPL Ret | ||||||||||||
| 1983 | TAG Williams Team | Williams FW08C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA 4 | USW 4 | FRA 6 | SMR 7 | MON Ret | BEL 6 | DET 5 | CAN Ret | GBR 12 | GER 6 | AUT Ret | NED Ret | ITA DNQ | EUR DNQ | 11th | 11 | |||
| Williams FW09 | Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6 t | RSA Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Williams Grand Prix Engineering | Williams FW09 | Honda RA163E 1.5 V6 t | BRA Ret | RSA Ret | BEL Ret | SMR Ret | FRA 8 | MON 8 | CAN Ret | DET 5 | DAL 4 | 14th | 5 | ||||||||
| Williams FW09B | Honda RA164E 1.5 V6 t | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT Ret | NED Ret | ITA Ret | EUR Ret | POR 14 | ||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Équipe Ligier | Ligier JS25 | Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t | BRA 6 | POR Ret | SMR Ret | MON 6 | 9th | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS25 | Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t | CAN 8 | DET 12 | FRA Ret | GBR 3 | GER 3 | AUT Ret | NED Ret | ITA Ret | BEL 11 | EUR Ret | RSA | AUS 2 | ||||||||
| 1986 | Équipe Ligier | Ligier JS27 | Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t | BRA 3 | ESP Ret | SMR Ret | MON 6 | BEL 5 | CAN 7 | DET 2 | FRA 6 | GBR Ret | GER | HUN | AUT | ITA | POR | MEX | AUS | 8th | 14 |
Sources: Wikipedia.com and Historicracing.com
