©CahierArchive
9. Jean-Pierre Jarier
Active years: 1971 - 1983
134 GPs - 3 podiums
Jean-Pierre Jarier hauled himself onto the F1 grid with a private March in 1971 before fine-tuning his talent in F2 and giving the big time another try in 1973, this time as a factory March driver.
The Frenchman's undeniable speed earned him early on the nickname 'Godasse de plomb' which translates quite literally as 'lead shoe', an attribute many - including Enzo Ferrari - felt was well deserved.
The Commendatore short-listed Jarier for a drive with the Scuderia in 1974. But March's Max Mosley blocked the move, which allowed Niki Lauda to move to Maranello and write a story that could have perhaps been authored by the Frenchman.
©WRI2
From 1974, Jarier honed his talent at Shadow, securing the following year a pole in Brazil where he had the race bagged until a metering unit failure stopped him in his winning tracks.
A move to ATS in 1977 kept him on the grid but only as lowly mid-field contender. In 1978, Colin Chapman called upon Jarier to fill the void left by the unfortunate Ronnie Peterson for the season ending North American races.
At Watkins Glen, he got acquainted with the Lotus 79's ground effects and was tracking a podium finish - after pitting for a tyre change - when he ran out of fuel just a handful of laps from the checkered flag.
But in Canada, he duly outpaced world champion Mario Andretti in qualifying and stuck the Lotus on pole. The next day, Jarier was head and shoulders above the opposition, leading the 70-lap race by a comfortable margin when a brake failure forced him into retirement with 20 laps to go.
Jarier's outstanding performance that day was an equivocal statement, but one which unfortunately fell on blind eyes and deaf ears. A couple of podium finishes came his way at Tyrrell in 1979, but the Frenchman reverted to also-ran status during his remaining three seasons in F1. His talent unfulfilled but very real.
