Credit: Saaleha Bamjee, Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Photo by Saaleha Bamjee, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Spanish GP in 1970 at Jarama was meant to be just another race in that year’s championship battle, but for Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver, it became a dramatic test of skill and composure.
It was April 19, a warm spring day and as the race started, the grid thundered down to the first corners.
Then in a split second, chaos erupted. Jackie Oliver, who was driving for BRM, suffered a sudden stub axle failure, part of the suspension snapped at the worst possible moment.
His car veered off course, hard to control, sliding into the path of Ferrari driver Ickx.
Both cars collided, causing a fire to erupt almost instantly.
A Tale of Two Escapes
Oliver escaped quickly, leaping from the cockpit and moving to safety almost immediately.
He would walk away unharmed, though the sight of his teammate in danger was something no driver forgets.
For the Ferrari driver, Ickx, the impact left him in a perilous situation. He took a bit longer to get free, and by the time he climbed out, he had been exposed to flames briefly.
Track marshals, joined by a soldier stationed nearby, rushed in with extinguishers, helping him to safety. Even so, he sustained minor injuries to his hands and face.
And yet, we remember him as a warrior. This was not the end of his season. Just 17 days later, with bandages still covering his injuries, he was back in the cockpit for the Monaco GP.
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The Aftermath on Track
The two wrecked cars continued to burn for a time after the drivers were safe. In those days, fire-fighting equipment was minimal, and the track response felt slower compared to modern F1 standards.
Back then, the race was not stopped; today, it would have been different.
In the end, Jackie Stewart won the race driving for March 701. It was a historic day for the team, the first win in F1 and the last ever achieved by a privately entered car in the championship.
But that achievement was overshadowed for many by the dramatic events of the opening lap.
Why This Crash Mattered Beyond the Race
The Jarama fire wasn’t just another racing accident; it became a catalyst for safety reform. Officials could no longer ignore how vulnerable drivers were to fire.
Over the following seasons, F1 introduced fuel bladder tanks that could better withstand impacts, self-sealing couplings, and improvements to driver overalls.
Even so, changes took time in 1970. Fire was the biggest problem in F1, and seeing a driver in that situation was a stark reminder of the risks.
The sight of Ickx escaping the flames—thanks to quick-acting marshals—was a reminder that without better safety measures, not every story would end with survival.
A Lasting Image
Today, black-and-white photos of the incident still circulate in motorsport history books.
You can see Oliver standing safely nearby, and Ickx being assisted by marshals, with the wreckage behind him. It’s a moment frozen in time, dramatic and widely remembered.
It’s also a reminder that Formula 1’s greatest safety advances often come at the cost of dramatic, high-risk incidents.
At Jarama in 1970, the sport was lucky. Both Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver walked away. But the fire they survived lit the path to a safer future.
