zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Both American F1 Champions Won Their Title Under Tragic Conditions
Both American F1 Champions Won Their Title Under Tragic Conditions-January 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:48

The start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix; Ronnie Peterson’s accident turned out to be fatal.

has only seen two World Champions in its lengthy history — but both of those Champions share a strange commonality. Both and clinched their title in the at Monza where their teammates and title rivals were tragically killed.

While I’ve known the stories of both and Wolfgang von Trips’ tragic deaths, I never quite put together that both men were killed at the same track — Autodromo Nazionale Monza — during the event that ultimately rewarded their American driver with a Championship after a season-long title fight until I was running through some of the most iconic moments in the . Only then did it dawn on me that America’s World Championship history is marred in tragedy.

In 1961, Ferrari teammates during the eight-race F1 season. Both drivers were highly competitive, racking up wins, podiums, and points-scoring positions in every event but one, leading up to that season’s Italian Grand Prix, the penultimate event of the season. Hill had 29 points to von Trips’ 33; a win for either driver would be critical at Monza.

, but only after one of the worst accidents in Formula 1 history. At the end of lap two, von Trips collided with the Lotus of Jim Clark and lost control of his Ferrari. Unfortunately, his car crashed directly into a fence lined with spectators. Von Trips was ejected from the car and killed, and the impact of his Ferrari killed an additional 15 spectators. The race continued; it’s alleged that rescue workers wanted to keep other fans entertained and prevent them leaving the track and clogging the roadways, enabling emergency personnel to more quickly transport injured spectators to the hospital.

With his win, Phil Hill also took home the World Drivers Championship, and Ferrari was able to also bag the Constructor Championship. With no need to compete, Ferrari did not attend the final race of the season at Watkins Glen. Hill ended the season with 34 points. Von Trips scored 33.

An American wouldn’t enter significant title contention again until the 1978 Formula 1 season — and . Heading into the Italian Grand Prix, only three races separated the Lotus team from the end of the season. Andretti led the standings with 63 points to Peterson’s 51, but a few good results could have put the Swedish driver ahead. The Italian Grand Prix would be integral to closing that gap.

But the start was a disaster. The starter turned on the green lights before all the cars had fully gridded up, so the slowing midfield cars were able to get a jump on the leaders who had already stopped. Cars bunched up as they headed to the first chicane, and James Hunt veered into Peterson while trying to avoid being struck by Ricardo Patrese. That contact ended up collecting seven additional cars, but Peterson ultimately had the worst contact; after hitting Hunt, he crashed into the barriers and the car burst into flames.

Thankfully, Hunt, Clay Regazzoni, and Patrick Depailler were able to pull Peterson from the wreck. His minor burns and severe leg injures were admittedly concerning, and it took 20 minutes for medical aid to arrive, but Peterson wasn’t expected to die. Sid Watkins, recently appointed medical director of F1, was prevented from attending to the driver by a wall of Italian police; he revealed in his autobiography Life at the Limit that Peterson had 27 fractures in both legs and quickly went into surgery to operate.

During the night, Peterson’s condition quickly destabilized, and he was diagnosed with a fat embolism. By the morning, his kidneys had failed. He was declared dead at 9:55 the morning after the race.

When Andretti received the news that his teammate had died, he also learned that no other driver would be able to overtake him in points; Andretti was World Champion — but like Phil Hill, tragedy meant he was unable to celebrate.

Since then, no American driver has come near a World Championship, meaning that no one has had a chance to break the painful cycle of death leading to victory.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Jan 30, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Jan 30, 2025
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Jan 30, 2025
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Jan 30, 2025
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Jan 30, 2025
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Jan 30, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved