THE MOTOR SPORT INTERVIEW Jackie Stewart
ON THE 1973 SEASON
The three-time Formula 1 world champion recalls the joy and tragedy behind his final title victory while driving for Tyrrell in ’73
INTERVIEW: ROB WIDDOWS
JEAN MICHEL LE MEUR/DPPI
I’s been 50 years since Jackie Stewart’s last – and for many greatest – season. Since then he has moved from driver to team owner, knight of the realm and latterly charity campaigner. Along the way he’s become one of the first sporting ‘brand ambassadors’ as the face of Rolex, a paddock fixer instrumental in getting F1 commercial deals across the line, TV commentator and most recently bodyguard to Martin Brundle whose honour he defended at the Miami GP and in so doing becoming, at 83, a social media sensation. He is also the oldest living F1 race winner.
To celebrate that final 1973 championship year, his best of times worst of times season, JYS sits down with Motor Sport and casts his mind back half a century...
Motor Sport:
At the end of 1972 you said you would focus entirely on Formula 1 for ’73, the stress of competing in so many other categories having taken its toll.
JYS: Yes, that’s true, I was exhausted, burned out by all the travelling, doing so many races as well as the world championship. At that time grand prix drivers weren’t paid a lot of money so, to make real money, we had to race in Can-Am, sports cars, touring cars, GT or Indianapolis. I crossed the Atlantic 68 times in one season to fit all these races in as well as Formula 1. Denny Hulme was doing the same thing. We never travelled first class. Denny was pretty tight and I was a Scot... We’d be first in line to get on the plane, put our luggage on as many seats as possible, so we could lie flat and sleep, especially on the way home. Other guys slept on the floor, but Denny and I preferred the softer seats. I’d had a duodenal ulcer, I’d had mononucleosis, and I thought, this was not for me any longer. I was simply burned out.