The 10 greatest races from Britain's best F1 driver

As a triple Formula 1 world champion and 27-time grand prix winner, Jackie Stewart is one of motorsport's true legends.

Autosport recently sat down with the man himself to choose his best 10 F1 performances and get his insight on them.

The conversation was fascinating and produced some unexpected suggestions. Here is the result.

10. 1965 Belgian GP

BRM P261
Started: 3rd
Result: 2nd

This appallingly wet grand prix was the scene of one of rainmaster Jim Clark's masterclasses. The Lotus driver scored his fourth consecutive Belgian Grand Prix victory, but Stewart - who was only starting his third world championship F1 race - picks it out as one of his best.

Both men were beaten to the dry pole by a sensational time from Stewart's BRM team-mate Graham Hill, with Clark second and Stewart a fine third on his Spa debut, completing the front row.

Stewart briefly fell to fifth at the start, but was back in third - behind leader Clark and Hill - by the end of the opening tour. As conditions worsened, Hill waved Stewart by on lap four, but Clark was already 25 seconds clear.

Although the gap continued to rise, Stewart was the only driver to get anywhere near the leader's lap times in the ever-changing conditions. Clark's lead hit a high of around 1m20s before eventually coming down to 44.8s at the finish. Everyone else was lapped.

"We were a huge amount ahead of everyone else and it was some of the worst rain I've driven in, for the whole race," recalls Stewart.

"When we got out of the car Jim asked if I was alright - he was worried about me!

"He had opened up a gap and then I more or less kept up with him. To this day I am sure he backed off because he thought I was overdriving.

"By then we were very good friends and I was so inexperienced. To drive Spa like that in the wet and to finish second to Jimmy was a big deal."

9. 1971 Monaco GP

Tyrrell 003
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

This is not one of Stewart's favourites, but the circumstances surrounding one of his most famous wins earns it a place on this list.

Much of practice was wet, but in the half-dry session Stewart managed a time 1.2s faster than anyone else. Pole was comfortably his, despite a quick spin climbing the hill to Casino Square.

After a delayed start, Stewart held the lead, but already he knew he had a problem.

"It happened on the warm-up lap and they couldn't fix it," recalls Stewart of realising he had no rear brakes. "I told them there was something wrong at the back end and it was, 'Oh, sorry, there's nothing we can do'. But because I made a clean start we were quick enough to do the job."

And 'doing the job' doesn't mean holding the field at bay. Stewart simply drove off into the distance in what Autosport's Patrick McNally described as "a masterly demonstration of skill".

While Jo Siffert's BRM battled Jacky Ickx's Ferrari for second and Ronnie Peterson began a charge that would eventually net him the runner-up spot for March, Stewart started building a lead that would reach 35s. He even managed to set a new lap record, 0.8s faster than anyone else.

Stewart was also sick into his helmet in the closing stages due to cockpit fumes. And yet the man himself is surprisingly nonplussed by this drive against adversity.

"I don't think it's that difficult to win Monaco - if you qualify well and you don't make mistakes you can win Monaco," reckons Stewart. "You can't say it was on the limit in 1971, but it was obviously a good win."

8. 1967 Belgian GP

BRM P83
Started: 6th
Result: 2nd

Just a year after suffering the terrifying crash that helped kick-start his safety campaign, Stewart returned to the old Spa and manhandled the recalcitrant H16-engined BRM to within striking distance of victory.

Clark's Lotus 49, fresh from its win first time out at the Dutch GP, dominated practice and took pole by 3.1s. Even taking Clark's remarkable time into account, the BRM did not seem competitive, Stewart qualifying 6.7s down in sixth.

Hill's Lotus was removed from contention with clutch problems and Dan Gurney's Eagle got too much wheelspin at the start. Stewart therefore reached Eau Rouge in third, behind Clark and Jochen Rindt's Cooper, and had snatched second before the end of the lap.

Stewart had no answer for the pace of Clark's Lotus, but he kept the difficult H16-engined BRM in second place while Gurney started his recovery drive.

On lap 13 of 28, the electrode blew out of a spark plug on the leading Lotus and Clark had to pit. Gurney also had a brief stop to complain of fluctuating fuel pressure, but soon after that Stewart started suffering with gearbox problems and had to hold the gear-lever to prevent it from jumping out.

"It was unsatisfying with the problem with the gearbox, and the car was a monster," says Stewart, still clearly not a fan of BRM's complex and unreliable H16.

"That thing carried more petrol, water and oil than the Queen Mary! The H16 was a mistake. But because it was Spa and it was so demanding it was easier to do quite well. The easier the circuit the less skill is required."

Nevertheless, Gurney's pursuing Eagle got faster and faster, and closed in. He swept by into the lead on lap 21, leaving Stewart to battle an increasingly recalcitrant gearbox.

But he (literally) held on, giving the H16 engine its best result in the back of a BRM.

7. 1971 German GP

Tyrrell 003
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

"You've got to win your own grand prix, you've got to win Monaco, and you had to win at the Nurburgring," asserts JYS about the three most important races on the calendar.

"An F1 car round the 'Ring was a monster - you were travelling so fast and you took off something like 13 times, and it was narrower than today.

"It was definitely the daddy of them all, there was no racetrack in the world that was even close."

The German GP returned to a revised 14.2-mile Nurburgring for 1971, following a year at Hockenheim due to safety concerns, and Stewart was on top form. Arriving for round seven of 11, Stewart had more than twice as many points as second-placed Ickx.

Stewart's Tyrrell had tweaked rear-suspension pick-up points to increase ground clearance around the bumpy circuit and he dominated qualifying. But a big effort from Nordschleife specialist Ickx got him within 0.2s around the seven-minute lap.

"You've got to win your own grand prix, you've got to win Monaco, and you had to win at the Nurburgring. It was definitely the daddy of them all, there was no racetrack in the world that was even close" Jackie Stewart

Ickx's Ferrari grabbed the lead down the inside into the first corner, but the Tyrrell dived back by into the North Turn left-hander behind the pits.

Ickx was just three seconds behind Stewart at the end of the first lap, but the Ferrari went off at the Wippermann on lap two, putting him out and forcing team-mate Clay Regazzoni into a spin.

That left the runaway championship leader 16s ahead of Siffert's BRM. "It was all over already," reckoned McNally.

Siffert and Regazzoni battled for second before Francois Cevert overcame both in his Tyrrell. Cevert broke the lap record, but by then Stewart had already extended his lead to nearly 40s.

He finally came home 30.1s clear of his team-mate and the world title was all but won.

6. 1971 Spanish GP

Tyrrell 003
Started: 4th
Result: 1st

The V12-powered cars of Ferrari, Matra and BRM appeared to have an advantage over the V8 Cosworth DFV runners around the Montjuich street circuit in 1971. The Ferraris of Ickx and Regazzoni qualified first and second and there was only one DFV in the top six.

Come the end of the race there were still only two DFVs in the top half-dozen, but one of them was first. Predictably, that was a car driven by Stewart, who gave Tyrrell its first win as a constructor.

Stewart burst ahead of two of the three front-row men, Regazzoni and Chris Amon (Matra) at the start to chase Ickx. Stewart shadowed the Ferrari, while Amon made it three for the lead after passing Regazzoni.

On lap six of 75, Stewart slipped ahead and started to edge away while Ickx battled Amon. The top three gradually spread out until Ickx started a charge in the final third of the race.

"The Ferrari appeared to handle a lot better than the Tyrrell on the exit of the fast right-hander just before the pits," said McNally. "Apparently Jackie was having some minor braking problems and was having to drive with this in mind.

"The last few laps were absolutely fantastic, with both Stewart and Ickx driving absolutely 10-10ths."

Ickx set the fastest lap - 0.5s faster than Stewart's best - on lap 69, but the Tyrrell held on to win by 3.4s. The next DFV-engined car, Denny Hulme's McLaren, was nearly a minute and a half behind in fifth.

"Ickx forced Stewart to drive right on the limit - it must have been one of his hardest races," added McNally.

5. 1969 British GP

Matra MS80
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

"Heroic Stewart/Rindt battle at Silverstone," said Autosport magazine's cover after the two friends engaged in a wheel-to-wheel fight in the British GP.

Following a lurid off in practice, Stewart had to switch to the Matra originally intended for team-mate Jean-Pierre Beltoise. Stewart didn't fit the car perfectly and felt the DFV was not as strong as his own, but he still qualified second to Rindt's Lotus 49 - albeit 0.6s slower than he had managed in his car.

The duo headed off into a race of their own from the very start, second man Stewart crossing the line 3.3s clear of the rest at the end of lap one.

The two then put on a display that impressed Autosport: "The leading battle was tremendous stuff - the two fastest men in grand prix racing fighting it out wheel to wheel."

"It was great because of Jochen," recalls Stewart, who drove most of the race with a clutchless Matra. "By that time we were really good friends and spent a lot of time together, and the respect we had for each other was so big that nobody ever did anything wrong.

"We had so many lead changes at Silverstone. Down Hangar Straight you'd definitely get past, you'd point to which side you wanted the other to pass on. If he passed me down Hangar, I'd pass him before we got to Woodcote. We were so far ahead of everyone else because we were slipstreaming each other."

Rindt managed to edge away at half-distance, helped by traffic, but a sequence of lap records brought Stewart back towards the Lotus. He grabbed the lead again on lap 62 of 84.

Sadly, the duel wasn't to last. One of the Lotus 49's rear-wing endplates had come loose and was dangling over the rear wheel.

"I was sure it was going to blow a tyre so I passed him and pointed," recalls Stewart. "He then saw it in the mirror and went in [to the pits]. And then they didn't have enough fuel in the car..."

Stewart therefore went on to take victory by a lap from the Brabham of Ickx, with Rindt recovering to fourth. Just 0.1s separated the fastest laps of JYS and Rindt, with the next best being another 1.6s slower.

Interestingly, particularly given his approach to that year's Italian GP, Stewart is adamant he hadn't come up with a plan for what could have been the crucial last few laps against Rindt: "I didn't have one - we weren't far enough into the race yet.

"You'd have thought about that in the last five laps. It would have been an issue, obviously!"

"It was very sad that we did not see a fair fight between Stewart and Rindt right to the flag, for the result would have been difficult to predict," concluded Autosport. "But with the leading battle and the dices lower in the field the spectators had certainly had their money's worth."

4. 1973 South African GP

Tyrrell 006
Started: 16th
Result: 1st

The 1973 South African GP at Kyalami is probably most famous as the race in which Mike Hailwood helped save Regazzoni from his burning BRM after a multi-car crash. But it should also be remembered as one of Stewart's most impressive victories.

During practice, Stewart suffered brake failure at the fastest part of the circuit, approaching Crowthorne Corner.

"I had a long time to think about it - we were doing about 180mph - and I came out of my body and I saw myself in the cockpit," remembers Stewart. "I'll never forget it.

"There was a concrete wall all around there, but I'd insisted on chain-link fencing. It was a huge accident and the chain-link fencing did a fantastic job - I was right up against the wall and I didn't know whether I was alive or dead. I couldn't understand why I was looking at white, I was completely disorientated."

With his own car damaged, Stewart had to qualify team-mate Cevert's car and struggled: "He was a lot taller than I was and it was very uncomfortable and I didn't do a decent lap."

"The accident didn't affect me and I had a good race - though I don't remember much about it..."
Jackie Stewart

Stewart was still unhappy with the car in warm-up - causing Tyrrell to change the entire rear suspension - and had to start from an unfamiliar 16th on the grid, but he made rapid progress.

Remarkably, he was in the lead by the end of lap seven - having swerved to avoid the multi-car accident - and won the 79-lapper by nearly 25s. And this in a car that had been 4mph down on poleman Hulme's McLaren M23 on the main straight in practice.

The M23 might have been able to put up more of a fight, but a puncture delayed Hulme while he was leading on lap five and at no time did anyone challenge Stewart's lead once the Tyrrell had hit the front.

"The accident didn't affect me and I had a good race, though I don't remember much about it," admits JYS. "[Team boss] Ken Tyrrell kept me well informed - he knew when to tell you things. Not everyone knows - they give you too much information or too little."

Nevertheless, there was some controversy. McLaren made a protest, arguing Stewart had overtaken Peter Revson under yellows.

Initially, the Scot was reprimanded, but after a hearing that decision was rescinded - Stewart argued he had completed the manoeuvre before they reached the flags.

In Autosport's report, Pete Lyons wrote: "There is no doubt that there was no need for him to take advantage of any yellow flags, he would have been able to pass anyone at any time he wished."

3. 1969 Italian GP

Matra MS80
Started: 3rd
Result: 1st

"That's the only time I can think of in my career where we did something where we took the whole of practice to get one thing right," says Stewart of his approach to the 1969 Italian GP.

"Ken Tyrrell never thought pole was important and we spent the whole time trying to stop having to change gear before you got to the line."

That work during the six hours of Monza practice paid off in what Autosport described as "one of the closest-fought and most exciting grands prix ever" and the "slipstreaming epic of motor racing history".

Although he only started third, Stewart made a gap for himself between Rindt's Lotus and the McLaren of Hulme to snatch the lead. Stewart and Rindt started another one of their battles, but this time they could not break away from the field.

"Round the back of the circuit Rindt was regularly ahead, but Stewart would slip ahead before the Parabolica every time," wrote McNally in Autosport's report. "In one great multi-coloured swarm came seven cars behind them, and they were not to be shaken off."

Rindt managed to lead across the line on lap seven of 68, and Hulme the next time through. Piers Courage also achieved the feat on two occasions in his Frank Williams-run Brabham, but generally Stewart had his nose ahead across the line, helped by Rindt's Lotus being undergeared.

After 22 laps, the top eight were still only covered by four seconds, but the lead pack lost Hulme when he hit brake trouble. Then Siffert's Rob Walker-run Lotus started to suffer engine issues.

"It was still very much anybody's race, and any one of the leading six stood an equal chance, yet somehow Stewart managed to dominate," said McNally.

Stewart had, of course, loaded the dice in his favour with the longer fourth gear, and knew where he needed to place the Matra.

Courage started suffering from low oil pressure in the closing stages and Hill's Lotus, which had moved up to second to challenge Stewart, broke a driveshaft. That left Stewart leading Rindt, the second Matra of Beltoise and Bruce McLaren's M7C.

Rindt made another bid on the final lap, snatching the lead at Lesmo. But Stewart was still well placed, even as team-mate Beltoise overtook both the leaders heading into the final corner.

He slid wide and Stewart dived back ahead and held off the trio behind on the run to the line, pipping Rindt by 0.08s. Just 0.19s covered the top four.

Despite the excitement, Stewart had in fact led across the line for all but 10 of the 68 laps. He had made sure he was quick enough in the most important place.

The victory - his sixth of the year - also meant Stewart clinched his first world title with three of the 11 rounds still to go.

2. 1968 German GP

Matra MS10
Started: 6th
Result: 1st

This would be many people's choice for Stewart's best drive of all. It was one of the all-time greatest drives in the rain, around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Stewart lined up on row three after a disjointed and delayed practice during which few drivers set representative times due to the wet and foggy conditions, and electrical problems on the Matra. But he stormed up to third at the start.

"I went down the concrete pitlane - there was more grip than on the Tarmac and I had hardly any wheelspin at all," recalls Stewart.

He then passed Amon's Ferrari at Adenau - "I don't think he expected that one" - and overcame the Lotus of Hill to lead by eight seconds at the end of the first lap.

"By the second lap Stewart had pulled a further 25s ahead, the blue Matra looking solitary but secure at the head of the field," said Autosport's report, which also described the conditions as "unbelievably bad" and "probably the worst at the 'Ring since before the war".

On lap eight Stewart set what would be the race's fastest lap - 9m36s, which was a full 15s faster than anyone else managed for the 14-lapper. In the closing stages, second-placed Hill spun and stalled before recovering, increasing Stewart's advantage yet further. The final winning margin was 4m03.2s.

If that gap seems unnecessarily big given the fragility of the era's machinery, Stewart points out that he was comfortable at that pace and couldn't be sure of the gap: "The lap was so long you couldn't risk backing off, you were only finding out [gap information] every 10 minutes. And you couldn't see anything behind you.

"I made one mistake, just after the Karussell. It was so wet the rivers weren't the same every lap and I hit one. I didn't go round it but I went real slow."

As if the conditions weren't challenging enough, Stewart was driving with his right wrist in a plastic support, having broken his scaphoid in a Formula 2 accident at Jarama three months before.

"I went around the world trying to find it - I went to Muhammad Ali's doctor, I can't tell you how many - and in the end Bernie [Ecclestone]'s lawyer's father made it [the support]," explains Stewart, who was forced to miss the Spanish and Monaco GPs that year.

"If it had been a dry race I wouldn't have won. It might have been too much for me, but in the wet it didn't really worry me at all.

"The Dunlops were good and the Matra was a good little car. I could have won the world championship in that car, but I ran into a fuel pick-up problem in [the final round in] Mexico."

1. 1973 Italian GP

Tyrrell 006
Started: 6th
Result: 4th

Stewart's own choice for his greatest drive is not his famous wet victory at the Nurburgring. In fact, it's a race in which he didn't even finish on the podium. But his comeback charge at Monza, which also clinched his third world title, clearly means something special to him.

As Lyons outlined in Autosport's report, the weekend did not start well for Stewart: "He started practice with a headache from his cholera immunisation and carried on with an influenza infection that gave pains across his chest. His car was just plain slow through practice and on race morning his engine dropped a valve."

The race didn't go according to plan either. While Lotus started its domination of the event with Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi, Stewart initially jumped from sixth to fourth. But he soon found the Tyrrell's handling wayward and had to pit with a rear puncture, dropping him to the back.

He now put in a recovery performance reminiscent of Clark's 1967 drive at Monza, only without the significant machinery advantage.

Stewart picked off car after car, consistently the fastest man on track. Into the top 10 after 21 of the 55 laps, he overtook Carlos Reutemann's Brabham for sixth with 13 tours to go.

He then caught team-mate Cevert, who allowed him by, and Stewart fell just 4.4s short of catching Revson's McLaren, which completed the podium.

"Stewart's incredible drive saw the lap record smashed time and time again, and convinced those that did not already believe it that he is undoubtedly the best driver in the world"
Autosport's report

Not only did he set the fastest lap by 0.6s and break the lap record, he also beat his own qualifying time. And, with Peterson staying ahead of title-contending team-mate Fittipaldi to win, fourth place was enough to secure the world championship.

"I did not know that if I finished fourth I'd win the championship," says Stewart. "It was the joy of being able to do whatever I wanted to do with no pressure because I was way behind. I was able to pick people off - they weren't grouped."

Stewart also rates the drive because, whereas at the Nurburgring or old Spa only a handful of drivers could master the circuit, the relatively straightforward Monza circuit meant gaining time on other racers was tough. Consistent and precise laps were required to make progress.

"I was driving in a manner that was the quickest way, not being disturbed by anybody," he adds. "That was one of the most satisfying races."

Unbeknown to anyone at the time, Stewart would only start one more world championship GP. Autosport's editorial comment therefore seems fitting: "Stewart's incredible drive saw the lap record smashed time and time again, and convinced those that did not already believe it that he is undoubtedly the best driver in the world."

Honourable mentions

1965 Italian GP

BRM P261
Started: 3rd
Result: 1st

Stewart's first F1 win came in his maiden season, in the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone. And his first points-paying success came just four months later at Monza after a battle with BRM team-mate Hill.

In a typical pre-chicane slipstreamer, John Surtees (Ferrari), Clark (Lotus) and the two BRMs all led the pack at various points. But when Surtees and Clark both hit car trouble, Stewart and Hill were left to exchange the lead.

An error by Hill on the final lap was enough to settle the issue, with Stewart crossing the line 3.3s clear.

1968 United States GP

Matra MS10
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

Stewart brought himself into strong contention for the 1968 world crown by dominating the penultimate round at Watkins Glen. He outqualified rival Graham Hill, just behind rookie Mario Andretti, and soon dealt with the Lotus duo in the race.

Andretti's front wing became askew and he had to pit, before the Lotus was forced out with clutch issues. Stewart built a lead of almost 40s over Hill before his DFV started to smoke. But he nursed it home to win by 24.7s and take the title fight to the Mexico City finale.

1969 French GP

Matra MS10
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

Racing doesn't get much more dominant than this. Pole by 1.8s around the three-minute Clermont-Ferrand circuit, fastest lap by 0.5s, every lap led and victory by 57.1s after 38 laps.

"The car slid beautifully through the corners and Jackie made it look oh so easy," said Autosport's report. "He drove the Matra with great style and never put a wheel wrong."

1970 Spanish GP

March 701
Started: 3rd
Result: 1st

The March 701 was not a great car, but it was not bad for a fledgling constructor and four started at Jarama (Jo Siffert failed to qualify in the fifth), with the Tyrrell-run cars of Stewart and Johnny Servoz-Gavin joined by the works version of Chris Amon and the STP/Granatelli entry for Mario Andretti.

A cracked cross-member hindered him during practice, but Stewart qualified third and was the quickest March by 0.45s. He immediately grabbed the lead at the start and, despite challenges from Hulme's McLaren, the BT33 of Jack Brabham and Beltoise's Matra, led every lap.

Before the end of the year, he would be in Tyrrell's own 001, and a 701 would never again win a world championship GP.

1971 French GP

Tyrrell 003
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

Stewart's Tyrrell had a new, more streamlined nose, which helped boost speed down the long Mistral straight at Paul Ricard. Testing at the circuit earlier in the season had also helped, and Stewart immediately set the pace in practice. He beat Regazzoni's Ferrari to pole by 0.82s.

Stewart pulled out a lead of 5.7s in the first three laps and dominated the race, eventually taking the flag 28s clear of team-mate Cevert after easing up late on.

Autosport's McNally wrote that the Tyrrells were "noticeably quicker under acceleration and in a straight line" than the other DFV-engined cars. He believed the team had special engines, something Stewart denies: "Ferrari thought we had a cheating engine. They took the whole thing to bits. It was a big deal at the time."

1971 Canadian GP

Tyrrell 003
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

The top two drivers of 1971 went up against each other in the wet at Mosport Park. Stewart qualified on pole in the dry, but in a wet race faced a tough challenge from Peterson.

Stewart's Goodyear-shod Tyrrell grabbed the lead and pulled away initially, but Peterson (with Firestones on his March) - who had reached second by the end of the opening tour - was with him by the end of lap 12 of 64, having experimented with some wide lines.

They now engaged in a fine battle, swapping places several times, and Stewart adjusted his lines to match Peterson. Stewart had just retaken the lead when the leaders came upon George Eton's BRM.

The Tyrrell made it through, but the March's nose touched one of the BRM's rear wheels. Not only did Peterson briefly stop, he picked up wing and brake damage and fell back. Stewart was left to control the race to the end.