Race and classic pictures

Rindt: Blindingly fast with intimidating skills

The great Jochen Rindt was born on this day in 1942.

The Austrian is the only driver to have won the F1 world championship posthumously, but he was also set apart by his intimidating skills, his speed and aggression, and his unquenchable will to win. Simply put, Rindt was a natural-born racer.

His outstanding talent coupled with the genius of Colin Chapman and the Lotus 72 was an almost impossible challenge to surmount for his rivals in 1970.

Unfortunately, it would all go terribly wrong that fateful year at Monza when Rindt, running a wingless set-up on his Lotus in qualifying to improve straight line speed, swerved left and off-track on the approach to the Parabolica, and hit the guard rail practically head-on.

© F1-Photo.com / Cahier Archive

Prior to Monza, Rindt had taken victories in five of the nine races so far that season. Based on the points he had already amassed up to that point, Rindt won the 1970 world championship with 45 points, just 5 points ahead of Ferrari's Jacky Ickx.

The Belgian would later declare that he had felt a sense of relief when his retirement in the penultimate round of the championship at Watkins Glen sealed Rindt's posthumous title. For he would not have wanted to conquer the crown to the detriment of an absent rival.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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