Photo by Raimund Kommer, taken at the 1973 German Grand Prix practice session. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photo by Raimund Kommer, taken at the 1973 German Grand Prix practice session. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Remembering F1’s brightest star of 1973, the man who had to continue what Jackie Stewart did in F1.
Cevert’s story is one of raw talent, rapid rise, and a promise that was never fulfilled, he was not just another driver filling a seat, he was the heir apparent, the man who was meant to lead F1 into a new chapter.
A Protégé of Jackie Stewart
Cevert entered F1 at a time when survival was not guaranteed. Cars were brutally fast, circuits were unforgiving and safety standards were far from today’s expectations.
Yet Cevert had something rare, a calm composure mixed with pure speed, he caught the attention of three-time world champion, Jackie Stewart, who became both his mentor and his teammate at Tyrrell, they were close friends at the time.
Stewart often spoke about how he had taken Cevert under his wing, teaching him everything he knew about racecraft, discipline and the mindset to win titles.
In fact, Stewart once admitted that he had groomed Cevert to succeed him when he eventually stepped away from the cockpit.
This relationship was no small detail, Stewart was one of the greatest drivers of his generation, and if he believed Cevert had the qualities of a champion, it meant the young Frenchman truly was something special!
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Rising Star of the 1970s
By 1971, Cevert started to show his best, he claimed his first and only F1 victory at Watkins Glen, the very same circuit where his life would later be cut short.
The win made him only the second Frenchman ever to win a Grand Prix and it fueled the hopes of nation hungry motorsport glory.
Finishing third in 1971 in the championship showed that Cevert was already a future champion, two years later he reached his peak in 1973, with seven podiums in 14 races.
In the last race of the season in the same circuit where he won his first Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Cevert lost his life.
It is important to remember that Stewart had already decided, in secret, that 1973 would be his final season, and he planned to retire after United States GP, leaving Cevert become Tyrrell’s number-one driver in 1974.
With Tyrrell’s competitive cars and Cevert’s growing maturity, everything was set for him to step into the role of team leader and, very possibly, future champion.
The French Hero in Waiting
Beyond his results on track, Cevert carried the hopes of France on his shoulders. Motorsport fans in his homeland saw him as the man destined to deliver their first F1 title. His charm, looks, and confidence made him a media favorite as well, helping him become a symbol of French pride in international motorsport.
At the time, France had produced talented drivers but none who could truly break through and dominate the way Britain, Germany, or Italy had managed. Cevert was seen as that driver, the one who would finally put France on the map as a Formula 1 powerhouse.
The Day of the Crash
Qualifying for the 1973 United States GP was meant to be the final step in Stewart’s illustrious career and the beginning of Cevert’s era. But sadly, became a day of heartbreak, F1 lost the brightest star.
At Watkins Glen, he lost control of his car crashed at the fast Esses section of the circuit, he couldn’t survive.
News spread quickly, and the paddock was shaken to its core. Stewart, who had been preparing for his own farewell, was devastated.
He retired immediately, choosing not to start what would have been his 100th and final Grand Prix. For him, the loss of Cevert was not just the loss of a teammate but of a younger brother figure he had nurtured for years.
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A Legacy of “What If”
The death of François Cevert was not only a personal tragedy but also a turning point for the sport. His crash highlighted once again the dangers of Formula 1, and it pushed Stewart even further into his mission to campaign for safety improvements.
Watkins Glen itself was forced to implement changes after Cevert’s accident, and the sport gradually began to realize that talent and promise could not be the only legacies left behind by fallen drivers.
Today, when fans look back at the golden but dangerous era of the early 1970s, Cevert’s name always comes up. He is remembered not just as a driver who was lost too soon but as the “future champion who never got his chance.”
His elegance behind the wheel, his close bond with Stewart, and his growing list of achievements made him stand out in a field of giants.
Had fate been kinder, François Cevert might have become the first French World Champion long before Alain Prost took that honor in 1985. Instead, his story remains one of unrealized potential—an eternal reminder of the fragility of greatness in Formula 1.
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I was there with Francois Sicard and Paul Newman , Francois had been Ceverr’s CanAm mechanic and was now working for me . I was hosting a Ferrari Club event . We were located at the esses and when the crash happened , we knew it was fatal . Sad day for for f-1 and those who knew Francois !