Jackie Stewart has always been a champion both on and off the track. He was among the first to call for a safer sport, at a time when thrill and danger were considered the most important parts of being a driver. But when a person loses one friend after another because of speed, and sees accidents that could have been avoided, it becomes impossible to remain indifferent. “Formula 1 has always been glamorous, colourful, and exciting, but the safety factor didn’t exist—not even for spectators. It’s incredible to think so many of us survived. Now it’s much better, but I lost many friends on track. I went to many more funerals than most people did at the time,” said the champion bitterly.
The most important moment in his career as president of the GPDA came when he called for the closure of the Nurburgring circuit, probably one of the most iconic tracks in the world, which, however, was known for its frequent accidents—some of which even involved the public. “We had nobody—no marshals, no doctors. In Germany there was the Nurburgring, the most beautiful track in the world, and I got it shut down because we couldn’t have spectators freely standing at the roadside. Niki Lauda had an accident there that nearly killed him. There was no one to help him—other drivers had to stop to pull him out. I received death threats for shutting it down. People resisted—they believed that removing danger also meant removing the essence of the sport,” Jackie Stewart explained on the F1 Explains podcast.
The driver is now satisfied with the current state of safety and the measures taken to protect drivers’ health: “There was no protection in the cockpit, the fuel tank was placed between the legs and the back, and it could explode in any crash. Now there’s a survival cell. Trackside, there are doctors from various specialities who know how to handle emergencies, and advanced systems. When I had a crash at Spa, the medical centre was disgusting. Safety has never been better, also thanks to the talent we’ve attracted.”
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