Rindt's unique spot in F1 history, but not a happy one

©RainerSchlegilmilch

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©RainerSchlegilmilch

Jochen Rindt holds a unique position in the annals of Formula 1 - but it's not a happy one. The legendary Austrian driver, who died on this day at Monza in 1970, is the only man in the history of the sport to have been crowned World Champion posthumously.

In 1970, Rindt was driving for Team Lotus alongside John Miles. He won the Monaco Grand Prix with what his race engineer Herbie Blash called "the race of his life" after Jack Brabham crashed out on the last corner of the final lap.

Engine failure put him out of the Belgian Grand Prix, but armed with Lotus' redoubtable new wedge-shaped 72, he then took four victories back-to-back in the Netherlands, France, Britain and Germany.

When he arrived at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, Rindt was leading the championship.

Tragically, during practice, the massiveley talented 28-year-old crashed heavily on the approach to the Parabolica after his car had suffered a front brake-shaft failure.

He hit a stanchion at a very open angle, an impact that was devastating for Rindt whose safety harness did not include crotch straps, as he disliked them.

But the loosely bolted barrier likely also contributed to the severity of the Lotus driver's injuries.

There were still four races remaining in the season, with Ferrari's Jacky Ickx the only driver capable of overhauling Rindt.

The great Belgian won two of the last three races but ultimately came up short by five points in the world championship, a loss that Jacky gracefully never regretted, as he felt that defeating a deceased rival would have only delivered a world title with very little value.

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.