Albert François Cevert (; 25 February 1944 – 6 October 1973) was a French
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, who competed in
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
from to . Cevert won the
1971 United States Grand Prix with
Tyrrell.
Cevert competed in Formula One for
Tecno and
Tyrrell, finishing third in the
World Drivers' Championship
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...
in .
During qualifying for the
1973 United States Grand Prix, Cevert was killed when he crashed his
Tyrrell 006 in an attempt at his maiden
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
.
Family background
Cevert was the son of Charles Goldenberg (1901–1985), a
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
ian jeweller, and Huguette Cevert. Charles was a
Russian-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...
émigré brought to France as a young boy by his parents, to escape the persecution of the Jews under the
Tsarist autocracy
Tsarist autocracy (), also called Tsarism, was an autocracy, a form of absolute monarchy in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire. In it, the Tsar possessed in principle authority an ...
. During World War II, under the
Nazi occupation of France
The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
, Goldenberg joined the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
to avoid forced deportation to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, as he was a registered
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
. In order not to draw further attention, Charles and Huguette's four children were all registered with her surname (Cevert) rather than his. Some years after the
liberation of France
The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance.
Nazi Germany in ...
, Cevert's father wanted to rename his children back to Goldenberg, but they decided not to as by now they had become used to be known as Cevert.
Cevert's sister would marry fellow Grand Prix driver
Jean-Pierre Beltoise.
Career
Early career
When he was 16, François Cevert began his motorsport career on two wheels, rather than four, initially racing his mother's
Vespa
Vespa () is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy, to a ...
scooter against friends, before graduating to his own
Norton at the age of 19. After completing his
National Service
National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
, Cevert switched his attention to cars. In 1966 he completed a training course at the
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
school, before enrolling
Winfield Racing School at the
Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nièvre Departments of France, department in central France.
It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous Motorsport#Motor racing, motor racing circuit (whose name is o ...
racing school. At Winfield, he won the Volant Shell scholarship as the top finisher among the students. The prize was an
Alpine Formula Three
Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers.
History
Formula Three (adop ...
.
His first season in F3, at the wheel of his prize Alpine, did not go well. He lacked the funds and experience to properly set up and maintain his car. After finding sponsorship for the 1968 season, Cevert traded in his Alpine for a more competitive
Tecno car. With his new mount Cevert finally started to win races, and by the end of the season he was French Formula 3 Champion, just ahead of
Jean-Pierre Jabouille.
After winning the French Formula 3 Championship, Cevert joined the works Tecno
Formula Two
Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
team in 1969, and finished third overall, as well as driving in the F2 class of the
1969 German Grand Prix
The 1969 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 3 August 1969. It was race 7 of 11 in both the 1969 World Championship of Drivers and the 1969 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Twelve Formula Two c ...
. At the time, Formula Two was an ideal training ground for ambitious drivers, as many top Grand Prix drivers also competed in the F2 class, when their
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
schedules permitted. When
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British former racing driver, sports broadcasting, broadcaster and motorsport executive from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Scottish people, Scot" ...
had a hard time getting around Cevert in an F2 race at
Crystal Palace the same year, Stewart told his team manager
Ken Tyrrell
Robert Kenneth Tyrrell (3 May 1924 – 25 August 2001) was a British Formula Two racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor.Setright, L. J. K. "Tyrrell: A Shrewd Talent-spotter", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automo ...
to keep an eye on the young Frenchman. This personal recommendation was to pay off in 1970, as when Tyrrell needed a new driver at short notice Stewart's recommendation was still in his mind. Tyrrell later commented on the reason for Cevert's appointment to the Formula One team that "everybody said it was (French oil company and Tyrrell sponsor)
Elf
An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
, but it was really what Jackie said about him."
[Cooper, A. 1998. ''A Date With Destiny?'' Motor Sport, LXXIV/11 (November 1998), 66–73.]
Formula One
When
Johnny Servoz-Gavin suddenly retired from the
Tyrrell Formula One team three races into the 1970 season, Tyrrell called upon Cevert to be his number two driver, alongside defending World Champion Stewart. Over the next four seasons, Cevert became the veteran Stewart's devoted protégé. After making his debut at the
Dutch Grand Prix
The Dutch Grand Prix () is an annual Formula One World Championship auto racing event, held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 through 1985, and after a 35 year hiatus, from 2021 to 2026.
It has been a part of the ...
at
Zandvoort
Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...
in Tyrrell's second customer
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
-
Ford, he increased his pace and closed the gap to Stewart with virtually every race. He earned his first World Championship point by finishing sixth in the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...
at
Monza
Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
.
In 1971, with the Tyrrell team now building their own cars, Cevert finished second in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, both times behind team leader Stewart. Then, in the season-ending
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
at the newly extended
Watkins Glen race course, the Frenchman earned his first and only Grand Prix win.
"Having started from fifth spot, Cevert took the lead from Stewart on lap 14 as the Scot's tires began to go off in the 100° heat. At about half-distance, Cevert finally began to struggle with the same understeer that had plagued Stewart much earlier. Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Ickx twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in and , and won eig ...
was closing, and his Firestones were getting better as the race went on. On lap 43, Ickx set the fastest lap of the race, and the gap was down to 2.2 seconds. Then, on lap 49, the alternator on Ickx's Ferrari fell off, punching a hole in the gearbox and spilling oil all over the track! Denny Hulme
Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992) was a New Zealand racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Bear", Hulme won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Brabham, and won eight Grands Pri ...
's McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
hit the oil and spun into the barrier, bending his front suspension. Hulme was standing beside the track when Cevert came by and also slid off and hit the barrier, but he kept going, now 29 seconds in the lead! Cevert coasted home, taking both hands off the wheel to wave as he crossed the line."
Cevert became only the second Frenchman to win a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix (
Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (; 30 October 1917 – 13 February 2005) was a French racing driver and winemaker, who competed in Formula One from to . Trintignant won two Formula One Grands Prix across 15 seasons. In endurance raci ...
won at
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
in 1955 and 1958), and received 50,000 U.S. dollars as award. It was the high point of his career, helping him take third place in the 1971 Drivers' Championship behind Stewart and
Ronnie Peterson.
Great expectations for Cevert, Stewart and Tyrrell were not fulfilled in 1972, Cevert finished in the points only three times, with second places in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and in the
USA, and a fourth at his home race in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
at the
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...
circuit. One bright spot in a disappointing year for Cevert was his second-place finish at the
24 hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
, driving a
Matra
Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a major French industrial Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Its business activities covered a wide range of industries, notably aerospace manufacturer, aerospace, defence industry, def ...
-Simca 670 with New Zealand's
Howden Ganley.
Death
In 1973, the Tyrrell team was back on top in Formula One and Cevert showed he was capable of running with Stewart at almost every race. He finished second six times, three times behind Stewart, who acknowledged that at times the Frenchman had been a very "obedient" teammate. As Cevert began to draw even with Stewart's driving abilities, the Scot was secretly planning to retire after the last race of the season in the United States. For the 1974 season, Cevert would be Tyrrell's team leader.
At
Watkins Glen, with Stewart having already clinched his third World Championship, Cevert was killed during Saturday morning qualifying, while battling for pole position with
Ronnie Peterson. In the fast right-left uphill combination called "The Esses", Cevert's car was a little too far over towards the left side of the track, getting a bump from the kerbs. This made it swerve towards the right-hand side of the track, where it touched the track's signature powder blue safety barriers causing it to spin and crash into the barriers on the other side of the track at a near 90° angle, uprooting and lifting the barrier. Cevert died instantly of massive injuries inflicted by the barrier, which cut his body in half between his neck and hip.
Stewart said that "Cevert had crashed violently in the uphill Esses heading onto the back of the circuit. Fighting the car as he went up the hill, he brushed the curb on the left, whipped across the track and hit the guardrail on the right. The car began to spin, and he swerved back across the track at 150 mph and hit the outside guardrail almost head-on." Stewart was one of the last on the scene of Cevert's accident and later said: "They
marshals
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...
] had left him [in the car], because he was so clearly dead." Stewart immediately left the scene of the accident and returned to the pits.
Word of the severity of the crash gradually reached the pit area. Footage shows track personnel and members of other teams, including Lotus owner
Colin Chapman heading for the Tyrrell pit where Stewart parked his car. Chapman was told by Lotus team manager Peter Warr that Cevert was the driver involved and that it was "very bad". When Stewart exited his car, Chapman apparently deduced simply from his expression that it was a fatal accident. The Lotus team boss shook his head and stated mournfully, "Cevert... bloody hell." He then sighed and started walking slowly back to the Lotus pits.
Peterson returned to the pits and Team Lotus boss Peter Warr asked him about Cevert's crash. Peterson's response was "I have never seen anything like it". He was later interviewed about the crash in 1975 in SVT, the Swedish television broadcaster in a documentary about Ronnie. He explained about the terrible sight of Cevert's body when he found him lying scattered in pieces of the wreckage. Peterson was still visibly shaken when talking about the accident and he also said that Cevert was his closest friend in F1.
Wilson Fittipaldi said he talked to Cevert earlier, wishing him good luck. After Cevert crashed, Wilson was still oblivious as to why all cars were returning to the pits, and why the crowd was silent. He then noticed that only Jackie Stewart's Tyrrell returned and not Cevert's. He talked with his race engineer, asking what happened. After the engineer confirmed Cevert's death, and being told the qualifying session would restart, Wilson got out of his car and furiously called the decision "bullshit", as he sat on top of the pit wall and refused to go back.
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...
claims he parked his car shortly thereafter and immediately got out without speaking. He later called Cevert's death "
e of the saddest
aysof my career. I asked
yself'is this what I really want?' as I was in the paddock". After the qualifying session resumed, he returned to his car, however. Because of Cevert's death, Tyrrell withdrew its entry for this GP, and Stewart did not run what had been planned to be his final, and 100th, race. Cevert was 29 years and 224 days old. He is buried in the Cimetière de Vaudelnay in the village of
Vaudelnay,
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indr ...
.
Cause of the accident analysed by Stewart
When practice resumed, Stewart went out on the track in his car on a personal fact-finding mission. His conclusion was that his own preference was to take The Esses complex in fourth gear in the Tyrrell, hence he would be at the low end of the engine's rev range, making the car more tractable and less nervous (in exchange for a bit less throttle response). Cevert, however, preferred to use third gear and be at the top end of his engine's power range: it was always something of a compromise because of the need to accelerate through the combination of corners. Stewart noted that the Tyrrell always felt jumpy through this section of the Watkins Glen track owing to its short wheelbase; he felt that this was somewhat counteracted by driving in the higher gear even though this meant a time penalty if he got his line wrong through the corner.
A film documentary of the time, shot minutes before the start of the fatal practice session, captures Stewart and Cevert in a spirited debate on exactly this point. Another accident occurred at the same circuit a year later in the 1974 USA Grand Prix when another young Formula One driver,
Helmut Koinigg
Helmut Koinigg (3 November 1948 – 6 October 1974) was an Austrian racing driver who died in a crash in the 1974 United States Grand Prix, in his second Grand Prix start.
Racing career
Koinigg was born in Vienna. Like several other Formula One ...
, died when his car went straight into the barrier at turn 7 decapitating the driver. As a response to Cevert's and Koinigg's accidents, a
chicane
A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
was added in 1975 in order to slow the cars through turns 2 to 4. That chicane was removed in 1985 after the track lost its Formula One race in 1981.
It is not to be confused with the current chicane built in 1992 before the entrance to turn 5, which was installed after another two accidents during the 1991 racing season that resulted in severe injuries to
Tommy Kendall and the death of
J.D. McDuffie in separate racing incidents.
Films
Cevert was extensively profiled and interviewed in the 1975 Formula One documentary ''
The Quick and the Dead''. The 2013 film ''
Rush'' portrays a composite of Cevert's qualifying fatal accident, combining what appears to be the remains of a blue liveried 1973
Tyrrell 006 with the configuration of
Helmut Koinigg
Helmut Koinigg (3 November 1948 – 6 October 1974) was an Austrian racing driver who died in a crash in the 1974 United States Grand Prix, in his second Grand Prix start.
Racing career
Koinigg was born in Vienna. Like several other Formula One ...
's accident while driving the
Surtees
Surtees may refer to:
People
*Surti Muslims
*Surtees (surname), an English surname
Places
*Surtees Bridge, a road bridge across the River Tees in Stockton-on-Tees
Others
*Surtees Racing Organisation, a British racing team and constructor
*Surtee ...
TS16 in the 1974 race. Also in 2013, ''
1: Life on the Limit'' documents Cevert's fatal accident in 1973.
Racing record
Career summary
Ineligible for Formula One points, because Cevert drove with a Formula Two car.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate
fastest lap
In motorsports, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. In some racing series, like NASCAR, the fastest lap award championship points for a driver or team. In Formula One and MotoGP no point is awarded for the fastest lap.
Formula O ...
)
Ineligible for Formula One points, because Cevert drove with a Formula Two car.
Non-Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
(Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
24 Hours of Le Mans results
*Winner Volant Shell 1966
*French Formula 3 Champion 1968
*Third in the Formula 2 European Championship 1969
*Third in the Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship 1971
*Second in the 24 hours of Le Mans 1972
*Winner in Donnybrook, Can-Am 1972
*Winner of 1000 km of Paris 1970
See also
*
List of select Jewish racing drivers
References
External links
*
*Hamilton, Maurice, ''Ken Tyrrell: The Authorised Biography'', HarperCollinsWillow 2002, .
Team Tyrrell Drivers – 1971Atlas F1 Bulletin Board with 3 photographs of Cevert's grave at Vaudelnay*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cevert, François
1944 births
1973 deaths
French racing drivers
French Formula One drivers
Tyrrell Formula One drivers
Formula One race winners
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
European Formula Two Championship drivers
French Formula Three Championship drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in New York (state)
French people of Russian-Jewish descent
Racing drivers from Paris