Sir Jackie Stewart secured a glittering and unique legacy in Formula 1 by the time of his retirement at the age of 34. He won three World Championships, held the record for most Grand Prix wins for almost a quarter of a century, and above all, campaigned fervently and unabashedly for improving safety in the sport. The legacy those achievements earned him was as timeless and seamless as the way he wore his shirts and Rolex watches.
However, many might forget that, almost another quarter of a century after hanging up his helmet, he took a risk on all that to put his name to what was his own eponymous Grand Prix team. The story of Stewart Grand Prix begins in the late 1980s, and not through Sir Jackie Stewart himself, but rather his son, Paul. Initially opposing the ambition of Paul wanting to go racing himself, Stewart decided to support his son, and with that, formed Paul Stewart Racing that eventually competed in Formula 3000, British Formula 3 and Formula Ford 2000.
Paul continued to run the team after abandoning his own racing ambitions, and with some success following, naturally, the topic of entering an F1 team was floated, but initially rejected. Across a six-year period, beginning in 1989, no fewer than 17 teams came about and folded, but a link to Sir Jackie Stewart’s own success behind the wheel changed the landscape as reported by Motorsport Week.
All three of Stewart’s Drivers’ titles were won in cars powered by Ford, the success forming a close bond between the American marque and Ken Tyrrell. Ford gave Stewart a five-year deal to help make the team a factory one, and thus, the seeds were sewn. With a plain white colour scheme, interwoven with the Stewart family’s own tartan pattern, the unique identity for the team was now in place, and with additional funding from the Malaysian government, the lineup puzzle for the 1997 debut season began to take shape.
Jan Magnussen was signed, the Dane having already gained one race of Grand Prix experience as a stand-in for Mika Hakkinen at McLaren in 1995. But a more experienced wheelsmith was also required. One bold move was to try and convince the soon-to-be World Champion Damon Hill to join, having been informed by Williams that he would not be retained for the upcoming season, leveraging historical ties from the past.
Baca Juga
Christian Horner terima pesangon fantastis lebih dari £100 juta dari Red Bull Racing usai pemecatannya tahun lalu. Simak rincian finansial lengkapnya.
Mengulas kembali sejarah pendirian tim Stewart Grand Prix di Formula 1 oleh legenda balap Sir Jackie Stewart bersama putranya, Paul Stewart.
Kekacauan layanan bus antar-jemput di Sepang International Circuit cederai kembalinya Formula 1, penonton harus antre berjam-jam.
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