Karl Jochen Rindt (18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a German-born racing driver. He was the first Austrian to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix. In 1970, he was killed during practice for the Italian Grand Prix and became the only driver to be posthumously awarded the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Overall, he competed in 62 Grands Prix, winning six and achieving 13 podium finishes.
About Jochen Rindt in brief
Karl Jochen Rindt (18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a German-born racing driver. He was the first Austrian to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix. In 1970, he was killed during practice for the Italian Grand Prix and became the only driver to be posthumously awarded the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Overall, he competed in 62 Grands Prix, winning six and achieving 13 podium finishes. He won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans paired with Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250LM. During his time in Formula One he was involved, alongside Jackie Stewart, in a campaign to improve safety in the sport. He left behind his wife, Nina, and a daughter, Natasha. He also had a half-brother, Uwe, through his mother. His grandfather chose to retain his German citizenship, but for his entire career he drove under an Austrian racing licence. In an interview, he described his heritage as a \”terrible mixture\” and, when asked if he felt more Austrian or German, said that he felt “like a European’”. He was a popular figure in Austria and his success resulted in increased interest in motorsport and Formula One in particular. He hosted a monthly television show titled Motorama and set up a successful exhibition of racing cars in Vienna. He died of severe throat injuries caused by his seat belt; he was pronounced dead while on the way to hospital. He is buried in Graz, Austria, with his wife Nina and daughter Natasha, who he also left behind.
He had a son and a son-in-law, both of whom are also racing drivers. He has a daughter and a step-son, who is also a racing driver and has a son, Michael. He competed in the German Grand Prix in 1961 and won the German Formula One Championship in 1966. He later won the 24 Hours Of Le Mans in a Ferraris. He drove his first race at the Flugplatznennen in 1961, in 1961. In 1960, he received his first car, an old Volkswagen Beetle. In 1961, he won the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring with friends, including future Formula One driver Helmut Marko. In 1962, he drove his grandmother’s Simca Simca Montlhéry in the Austrian Grand Prix, in which he was disqualified for his dangerous driving style. In 1964, he made his debut in Formula 1 at the Austrian GP, before securing a full drive with Cooper for 1965. After mixed results with the team, he moved to Brabham for 1968 and then Lotus in 1969. It was at Lotus that he found a competitive car, although he was often concerned about the safety of the notoriously unreliable Lotus vehicles. In the 1970 season, he had a very successful season, mainly racing the revolutionary Lotus 72, and won five of the first nine races. While on a skiing holiday, he broke his femoral neck, leading to several surgeries that left one leg four centimetres shorter than the other. As a result, he limped slightly for the rest of his life.
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This page is based on the article Jochen Rindt published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 07, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
