Jo Siffert, privateer winner at Brands Hatch

Joseph Siffert won the 1968 British Grand Prix for Rob Walker's private team and the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix for BRM, while starring for Porsche in sports cars.

Joseph Siffert, known as Jo, was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, on 7 July 1936. He first raced on two wheels, winning the Swiss 350cc motorcycle championship in 1959, before switching to cars in a Formula Junior Stanguellini.

He entered Formula 1 as a privateer in 1962 with a Lotus, starting at the Monaco Grand Prix, moved on to the Swiss Scuderia Filipinetti and in 1964 joined Rob Walker's private British team. Results in the World Championship came slowly, though he twice beat Jim Clark by a narrow margin in the non championship Mediterranean Grand Prix, in 1964 and 1965. His first championship podium came in 1964, with third place at the United States Grand Prix.

His breakthrough arrived at the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where he drove Walker's Lotus 49B to victory after a long fight with Chris Amon's Ferrari. Later that season he took pole position in Mexico. A second and a third place followed in 1969, and after a year with March he joined BRM for 1971, winning the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring from pole and finishing fifth in the championship.

Siffert was also a leading figure in Porsche's sports car program, winning the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring with Hans Herrmann. He died on 24 October 1971 in a crash at the non championship World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. In 96 starts he scored 2 wins, 2 pole positions, 4 fastest laps and 6 podiums.

0 world titles, 2 wins, 2 pole positions, 96 starts.

Teams

• Scuderia Filipinetti
• Siffert Racing Team
• Rob Walker Racing Team
• March Engineering
• British Racing Motors

Victories

• Austrian Grand Prix 1971
• British Grand Prix 1968