The Unforgettable Jean-Pierre Beltoise

Chain-smoking Patrick Depailler, after numerous second-place finishes, finally made it to the top step of the podium in 1978, driving for Tyrrell. The fourth French driver to win in Monaco for the first time is the subject of our story, Jean-Pierre Beltoise.

His story began in Boulogne-Billancourt, a western suburb of Paris where he was born on April 26, 1937. His father owned a boucherie, and young Beltoise’s job was to make deliveries.

Upon graduation to Formula 1, Beltoise would remark, “I could not believe my luck. My name, a meat delivery driver, would be on a Grand Prix car.”

His life in the fast lane of racing started on two wheels. In a remarkable display of talent and speed, he would take eleven French national championships. Later, as an established racer, he would help another young French motorcycle hopeful who, like Beltoise, would also take his maiden victory in Monaco, Depailler.

Between 1962 & ’64, Beltoise competed in international motorcycle racing (today's MotoGP). His best race finish was third in the 1964 French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, riding a Kreidler, and he was sixth in the championship in the 50cc class.

Beltoise was entered in the 1963 Targa Florio with Roland Charriére in a René Bonnet Djet. Their race lasted just the opening lap. At the Le Mans 24-Hour race that year, Beltoise and Claude Bobrowski finished eleventh overall in their Djet.

The following season, during the Reims 12-Hour race, Beltoise’s career almost ended. A serious accident in which his car caught fire left him with limited mobility in his left arm.

Then came the call that would change the trajectory of his career. Jean-Luc Lagardère was the CEO of Matra, an aerospace company involved in developing rockets and missiles. He wanted to enhance the image of the company and put France back on the motor racing map. He believed in Beltoise.

When the driver told his prospective employer that he was still recovering and could not drive, he was advised to start working for the team right away by answering the phone! Thus, a successful partnership began.

Beltoise won the 1965 French Formula 3 Championship over Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, driving a Matra MS1, taking victories at Reims, the scene of his accident the previous year, and at Cognac.

The highlight of the 1966 season was victory in the prestigious Monaco F3 race. He made his Formula 1 debut at the Nürburgring driving an F2 Matra MS5-Ford; he finished eighth and won the F2 class, which included Jacky Ickx and Pedro Rodriguez. In the French Formula 2 Championship he was classified fourth.

In '67, Beltoise won all four rounds of the Argentine Temporada F3 championship. In the inaugural FIA European F2 Championship, he finished third—behind champion Jacky Ickx and Australian Frank Gardner.

The following season, 1968, Beltoise won the opening round of the European F2 Championship at Hockenheimring, the race that claimed the life of Scottish legend Jim Clark, and went on to take the title over compadre and Matra teammate Henri Pescarolo.

In the F1 arena he scored a point in the season opener at Kyalami. His only podium of the year came at Zandvoort behind race winner and Matra International (run by Ken Tyrrell) pilot Jackie Stewart. Beltoise was ninth in the standings.

In the 1969 Championship he was on the podium in two of the first five races, third in the Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park in Barcelona and second in his home Grand Prix. Three other top five finishes, including third at Monza, put him in the top five of the championship.

He started the 1970 season with a fourth-place finish at Kyalami and made two appearances on the third step of the podium at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. A high number of retirements, six from thirteen races, placed him ninth in the championship.

Beltoise took part in the opening round of the 1971 World Sports Car Championship, the Buenos Aires 1000 km. On his 37th lap he ran out of fuel just before the pit lane entrance. Ignoring rules and regulations, he started to push his Matra towards the pit lane.

Ignazio Giunti, driving the new Mauro Forghieri-designed Ferrari 312P, was right behind the sister car of Mike Parkes. The English driver moved over to avoid Beltoise and his blue Matra. Sadly, the red Ferrari hit the Matra at high speed, narrowly missing Beltoise, and burst into flames, resulting in fatal injuries to the 29-year-old Roman driver.

Arturo Merzario, who was Giunti’s teammate, ran from the pits to pull him out of the burning wreckage. The Italian “Cowboy” would repeat the same heroics five years later to help save Niki Lauda’s life at the Nürburgring.

Beltoise’s racing license was suspended. After the ban was lifted, he resumed racing; his only point of the season in the Formula 1 championship came from his sixth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park. At the end of the season, he was released from his Matra contract.

In 1972, he began an association with BRM, headed by “Enzo Ferrari of England, Louis T. Stanley. This would bring the day of days for the driver and the final Grand Prix victory for the team that took Graham Hill to the world championship glory a decade earlier.

The 1972 Monaco Grand Prix was Round 4 of the season. Emerson Fittipaldi captured the first pole position of his career; Beltoise was fourth on the grid.

The 80-lap race was run in treacherous wet conditions. Beltoise grabbed the lead on the opening lap and never looked back. The only other car to complete the full race distance was the Ferrari of Jacky Ickx; he was over 38s behind him.

This amazing performance against the best Grand Prix drivers made Beltoise a one-hit wonder of Formula 1. The nine points from the victory would be his season total.

In the 1973 season he endured eight retirements from fifteen starts. His best finish was fourth in Canada; three other top five finishes placed him tenth in the championship.

Beltoise was married to the sister of another one-hit-wonder French driver, Francois Cevert. He was killed on Saturday before the season finale at Watkins Glen.

Incredibly, Beltoise took part in the Grand Prix on Sunday, stating in a 2009 interview with the F1weekly podcast, “When you are a professional driver, you have to do your job. When you put on the helmet, you forget everything.”

His final season with BRM and in Formula 1 was 1974. Second in South Africa was his best result, plus two other fifth-place finishes in the Argentine season opener and Belgium were his only points-scoring positions, placing him thirteenth in the standings.

He and teammate Jean-Pierre Jarier did help Matra win the 1974 World Sports Car Championship by taking victories at the Nürburgring, Watkins Glen, Paul Ricard, and Brands Hatch.

In 1976 & ’77, Beltoise won the French Touring Car Championship with BMW. In 1979, he won the French Rallycross Championship at the wheel of an Alpine A310. He and Henri Pescarolo were tenth at Le Mans.

In the 1980s he won several races with Peugeot in the touring car series.

Beltoise passed away at his vacation home in Dakar, Senegal, on January 5, 2015, at the age of 77. He was laid to rest in Saint-Vrain near Paris. One of his sons, Anthony, is currently racing in the GT series.