Jochen Rindt

German racing driver

The only posthumous world champion

Jochen Rindt won five of the first nine races of 1970 with Lotus and was awarded that year's title after his death at Monza.

Jochen Rindt was born in Mainz, Germany, on April 18, 1942, and was raised in Austria, racing in Formula 1 under the Austrian flag. He took up motor racing in 1961, moved to single seaters in 1963, and was soon winning in Formula Junior and Formula Two. His Formula 1 debut came at the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix in a Brabham.

Cooper signed him for a full season in 1965, the same year he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Masten Gregory in a Ferrari entered by NART. The Cooper years brought mixed results, and he spent 1968 with Brabham before joining Lotus for 1969. At Lotus he finally had a car capable of winning, and he took his first victory at the 1969 United States Grand Prix.

In 1970, driving mainly the new Lotus 72, Rindt won five of the season's first nine races. During practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix at Monza his car suffered a brake shaft failure and went into the barrier, which gave way, and he was killed. Jacky Ickx could not score enough points in the remaining rounds to overtake him, and Rindt was awarded the 1970 championship, the only time the title has been won after a driver's death.

Our record shows 60 starts, 6 wins, 10 pole positions, 3 fastest laps and 13 podiums over seven seasons, with Cooper, Brabham and Lotus. Away from the track he hosted the television program Motorama in Austria and organized a racing car exhibition in Vienna, and he worked alongside Jackie Stewart in the campaign for better safety.

1 world titles, 6 wins, 10 pole positions, 60 starts.

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