The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Montjuïc Circuit on 4 May 1969. It was race 2 of 11 in both the 1969 World Championship of Drivers and the 1969 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
There was a small field for this race, as the famous Targa Florio sportscar race was on the same day. This is one of only two Grands Prix where the winner finished two laps ahead of the runner-up, the other occasion being the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. This was the last race of the high wing era in Formula One. Both works Lotus cars suffered massive accidents when their suspension-mounted wing supports failed. Despite the narrow confines of the Montjuïc circuit, drivers Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill both survived, Hill was injured but Rindt broke his nose and a marshall lost an eye. Dave Sims said in 2010 "We had the big wing in Barcelona and Chapman said I want to make it wider with aluminium and styrofoam and we put six inches either side and put so much downforce on it bent during the race". Chris Amon inherited the lead after Rindt's crash. Establishing a thirty-second lead, the New Zealander seemed to be on his way to his first Grand Prix victory until his engine seized on lap 56. The lead was then gifted to Jackie Stewart, who then went on to win by a margin of two laps; one of his most dominant performances, on a circuit that would become synonymous with the danger and lack of professionalism he detested.
Classification Qualifying Pos No Driver Constructor Time Gap1 2 Jochen Rindt Lotus-Ford 1:25.7—2 15 Chris Amon Ferrari 1:26.2 +0.53 1 Graham Hill Lotus-Ford 1:26.6 +0.94 7 Jackie Stewart Matra-Ford 1:26.9 +1.25 3 Jack Brabham Brabham-Ford 1:27.8 +2.16 10 Jo Siffert Lotus-Ford 1:28.2 +2.57 4 Jacky Ickx Brabham-Ford 1:28.4 +2.78 5 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 1:28.6 +2.99 14 John Surtees BRM 1:28.9 +3.210 12 Jackie Oliver BRM 1:29.2 +3.511 11 Piers Courage Brabham-Ford 1:29.3 +3.612 8 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra-Ford 1:29.5 +3.813 6 Bruce McLaren McLaren-Ford 1:29.7 +4.014 9 Pedro Rodríguez BRM 1:34.1 +8.4 Source:
Race Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 7 Jackie Stewart Matra-Ford 90 2:16:54.0 4 9 2 6 Bruce McLaren McLaren-Ford 88 + 2 laps 13 6 3 8 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra-Ford 87 + 3 laps 12 4 4 5 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 87 + 3 laps 8 3 5 14 John Surtees BRM 84 + 6 laps 9 2 6 4 Jacky Ickx Brabham-Ford 83 + 7 laps 7 1 9 Pedro Rodríguez BRM 73 Engine 14 15 Chris Amon Ferrari 56 Engine 2 3 Jack Brabham Brabham-Ford 51 Engine 5 10 Jo Siffert Lotus-Ford 30 Oil leak 6 2 Jochen Rindt Lotus-Ford 19 Accident 1 11 Piers Courage Brabham-Ford 18 Engine 11 1 Graham Hill Lotus-Ford 8 Accident 3 12 Jackie Oliver BRM 1 Oil pipe 10
Notes
This race saw the fastest lap set by Jochen Rindt and by an Austrian driver, a first for both. This was the fifth Grand Prix win for French constructor Matra. A Ford-powered car had now won the Spanish Grand Prix twice, breaking the old record set by Alfa Romeo at the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix.
Championship standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Jackie Stewart 18 3 2 Bruce McLaren 8 3 Denny Hulme 7 2 4 Graham Hill 6 1 5 Jean-Pierre Beltoise 5Source:
Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Matra-Ford 18 1 2 McLaren-Ford 10 1 3 Lotus-Ford 6 4 BRM 2 1 5 Brabham-Ford 1Source:
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
Further reading