Jo Siffert

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Siffert initially made his name on two wheels, winning the Swiss 350 cc motorcycle championship in 1959. He switched to four wheels with a Formula Junior Stanguellini and graduated to Formula One as a privateer in 1962 driving a four-cylinder Lotus-Climax. His early successes included victories in the 1964 and 1965 Mediterranean Grands Prix non-Championship races, where he beat Jim Clark by narrow margins. In 1968, Siffert drove into history by winning the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch for Rob Walker Racing Team's Lotus 49B, beating Chris Amon's Ferrari after a race-long battle; this is regarded as the last GP victory by a genuine privateer. His sports car fame came with Porsche, where he and Hans Herrmann won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1969, driving a Porsche 908. Later, his displays in the Porsche 917 earned him several major wins in Europe.

In Their Own Story

In 1970, Siffert teamed up with Brian Redman to drive a Porsche 908/3 to victory at the Targa Florio. That same year, Porsche bankrolled his seat in a works March Engineering F1 car because the German company did not wish to lose him to rival Ferrari. His association with March was disastrous, leading him to join Pedro Rodriguez at BRM for the following season. At BRM, Siffert scored his second Formula One Championship race victory at the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix held at the Österreichring. He also helped launch Porsche's CanAm development programme in 1969, driving a Porsche 917PA spyder and finishing fourth in the championship despite few entries. Other major wins included the 1000 km of Nürburgring in 1968 and 1969, the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps in 1969 and 1970, and the 1000 km of Zeltweg in 1968, 1969, and 1970.

Reader's Guide

Siffert's racing career was defined by his ability to succeed as a privateer before moving to factory teams. He won two World Championship races: one for Rob Walker Racing Team and one for BRM. In sports cars, he secured first-place finishes in the Targa Florio (1970), Coppa Cittá di Enna (1968), 12 Hours of Sebring (1968), 24 Hours of Daytona (1968), 1000 km of Nürburgring (1968, 1969), 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps (1969, 1970), 1000 km of Zeltweg (1968, 1969, 1970), 1000 km of Monza (1969), 1000 km of Buenos Aires (1971), 6 Hours of Watkins Glen (1969), and the 1000 km of Brands Hatch (1968). His career ended on 24 October 1971 at the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. The suspension of his BRM had been damaged in a lap one incident with Ronnie Peterson, causing it to break later. The car crashed and caught fire; Siffert could not free himself. An investigation revealed he suffered only a leg fracture initially but died of smoke inhalation because three fire extinguishers failed to work properly, delaying rescue by five minutes.

Did You Know?

• Siffert was affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends.
• He won the Swiss 350 cc motorcycle championship in 1959 before switching to four wheels.
• The 1968 British Grand Prix victory is regarded as the last GP win by a genuine privateer.
• Siffert died after being trapped under a burning vehicle at Brands Hatch; the role of fire extinguisher failure in the tragedy remains disputed.
• His funeral in Switzerland was attended by 50,000 people, with a Gulf-Porsche 917 leading the hearse.