There have been many extremely talented French Formula 1 drivers, but remarkably only one has ever claimed the Formula 1 World Championship. Alain Prost won the title four times during a glittering Grand Prix career.
Early French Formula 1 Drivers
Raymond Sommer was almost 50 years old by the time of the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship in 1950. Sommer had already led quite a life, being a successful racer before the war (including two Le Mans victories) before serving in the French Resistance. During 1950 he finished fourth at Monaco and led at Spa in an unfancied Talbot-Lago. He died in an accident shortly after during a non-championship Grand Prix at Cadours.
Sommer's natural successor was the apparently fearless Jean Behra. He upheld French pride throughout the 1950s driving for Gordini, Maserati, Ferrari and BRM. Behra managed to defeat Ferrari with his tiny Gordini at Reims in 1952. Later he was famously fired by Ferrari for punching team manager Romolo Tavoni during a disagreement. Behra perished at Avus in 1959 when his Porsche sports car went over the top of the banking, throwing the driver into a flagpole.
Maurice Trintignant was another great French Formula 1 driver of the era, claiming two Monaco Grand Prix victories. He was the first Frenchman ever to win World Championship race. The debonair Trintignant retired from racing in the early 1960s and eventually became mayor of his local town.
French Formula 1 Drivers of the 1960s and 1970s
The 1960s were a lean time for French Formula 1 talent. Towards the end of the decade Johnny Servoz-Gavin began attracting attention. He eventually landed a drive with Tyrrell and showed great promise, only to suddenly walk away from the sport. Frenchman Jo Schlesser started his one and only Grand Prix in a Formula 1 car in 1968, driving an experimental Honda. Tragically, he was killed when the car crashed and burst into flames.
The French oil company Elf started a programme to find and nurture home grown talent during the 1960s. This paid dividends in the 1970s, when there was a wealth of French Formula 1 talent. The handsome and charismatic Francois Cevert led the way at the start of the decade. Sadly, just as he appeared on the verge of becoming a genuine title challenger Cevert was killed at Watkins Glen in 1973, with just a single Formula 1 victory to his name.
Cevert's brother-in-law Jean-Pierre Beltoise also raced in Formula 1, but a serious arm injury hampered his performance. In the rain it was less of an issue and he scored his only victory with a brilliant drive during a downpour at Monaco in 1972.
Other exciting French Formula 1 drivers who emerged during the decade included Patrick Depailler, Jacques Laffite, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay, Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Between them they scored many victories, apart from the luckless Jarier. Depailler died in a testing crash at Hockenheim in 1980, while Pironi suffered a career-ending shunt at the same circuit two years later. He vowed to return to Formula 1 racing but never did. Pironi perished in a powerboat accident during the summer of 1986.
French F1 Drivers of the 1980s and 1990s
The two leading French Formula 1 drivers of the early 1980s were Arnoux and Alain Prost. The diminutive Arnoux was a master of the powerful turbo cars but never claimed the title. Prost claimed his first World Championship in 1985 and went on to win three more. He remains the only French Formula 1 driver to win the World Championship.
In 1989 another exciting French Formula 1 talent made his Grand Prix debut. Jean Alesi drove for the small Tyrrell team but soon made a name for himself as a spectacular and aggressive driver. In 1991 he moved to Ferrari, fulfilling a boyhood ambition. It was a terrible career move, as Alesi could have gone to Williams. While Williams romped to numerous titles Alesi could only manage a solitary Grand Prix win, at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix.
The only other French Formula 1 driver to win a Grand Prix during the 1990s was Olivier Panis, who produced a shock result to win the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix for Ligier. Panis is also the last Frenchman to win a World Championship Formula 1 race.
 |
 |
 |
