Albert François Cévert (February 25, 1944 - October 6, 1973) was one of the most colorful racing drivers of the early 1970s. In the tumultuous, tragic arena that was Formula One racing at the time, few showed more flair and promise, and no one ended his career more heartrendingly than Cévert, the son of a Paris jeweler and brother-in-law of Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise. February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... People who have engaged in auto racing: Jean Alesi Fernando Alonso Jeff Andretti John Andretti Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Alberto Ascari Antonio Ascari Chris Amon Tommy Baldwin Sr. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is a form of formula racing and the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Jean-Pierre Beltoise (born 26 April 1937 in Paris, France) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. ...

After winning the French Formula 3 Championship in 1968, Cévert joined the Tecno Formula 2 team and finished third overall in 1969, driving in the F2 class of the German Grand Prix. When Jackie Stewart had a hard time getting around Cévert in an F2 race at Crystal Palace the same year, Stewart told his team manager Ken Tyrrell to keep an eye on the young Frenchman. 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The German Grand Prix (Großer Preis von Deutschland) is an automobile race. ... Sir John Young Stewart OBE (born June 11, 1939 in Dumbartonshire, Scotland), better known as Jackie Stewart, is a three-time Formula One racing champion representing Great Britain. ... A huge iron and glass building, The Crystal Palace was one of the wonders of, if not the world, Britain. ...

The following year, when Johnny Servoz-Gavin suddenly retired from the Tyrrell Formula One team three races into the 1970 season, Tyrrell called upon Cévert to be his number two driver, alongside defending World Champion Stewart. Over the next four seasons, Cévert became the veteran Stewart's devoted protégé. After making his debut at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in Tyrrell's second customer March-Ford, he increased his pace and closed the gap to Stewart with virtually every race. He earned his first World Championship point by finishing sixth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Georges-Francis Servoz-Gavin, better known as Johnny, was a motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters. ... Tyrrell was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founder by Ken Tyrrell. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One automobile race held at Circuit Zandvoort, from 1952 to 1985. ... Circuit Zandvoort is a motor racing circuit located near the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line. ... The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. ... The Lambro River runs through Monza. ...

In 1971, with the Tyrrell team now building their own cars, Cévert finished second in France and Germany, both times behind team leader Stewart. Then, in the season-ending United States Grand Prix at the newly-extended Watkins Glen race course, the Frenchman earned his first and only Grand Prix win: 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event which has taken place at various times since 1959 in several locations, at first as a part of the American Grand Prize series and later as a race in the Formula One World Championship. ... Watkins Glen International (nicknamed The Glen) is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. ...

Having started from fifth spot, Cévert took the lead from Stewart on lap 14 as the Scot's tires began to go off in the 100° heat. At about half-distance, Cévert finally began to struggle with the same understeer that had plagued Stewart much earlier. Jacky Ickx was closing, and his Firestones were getting better as the race went on. On lap 43, Ickx set the fastest lap of the race, and the gap was down to 2.2 seconds. Then, on lap 49, the alternator on Ickx's Ferrari fell off, punching a hole in the gearbox and spilling oil all over the track! Denny Hulme's McLaren hit the oil and spun into the barrier, bending his front suspension. Hulme was standing beside the track when Cévert came by and also slid off and hit the barrier, but he kept going, now 29 seconds in the lead! Cévert coasted home, taking both hands off the wheel to wave as he crossed the line. [1] (http://www.forix.com/asp/notes.asp?z=0&k=0&l=0&i=3582&c=6) Jacky Ickx, (born January 1, 1945 in Brussels) is a Belgian racing driver known for his success in Formula One and the 24 hours of Le Mans. ... Denis Clive Denny Hulme (June 18, 1936-October 4, 1992) was the Formula One Champion of 1967 driving for the Brabham team. ... McLaren, founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren (1937-1970), is a racing team based in Woking, England, which is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed in the Indianapolis 500, Canadian-American Challenge Cup, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. ...

Cévert became only the second Frenchman to win a Grand Prix (Maurice Trintignant won at Monaco in 1955 and 1958), and it was the high point of his career, helping him take third place in the 1971 Driver's Championship behind Stewart and Ickx. Maurice Trintignant, born October 30, 1917 in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes in the Vaucluse departement of the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Region of France, is a race car driver. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Great expectations for Cévert, Stewart and Tyrrell were not fulfilled in 1972 as Emerson Fittipaldi and Lotus won the Driver's and Constructor's Championships. Cévert finished in the points only three times, with second places at Belgium and the US, and a fourth at his home race in France at the Clermont-Ferrand circuit. One bright spot in a disappointing year for Cévert was his second place finish at the 24 hours of Le Mans, driving a Matra-Simca 670 with New Zealand's Howden Ganley. 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Emerson Fittipaldi racing in the Indianapolis 500 in 1994. ... Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars based in Hethel, Norfolk, formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. ... Clermont-Ferrand is a city of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000. ... 1952 Le Mans race, depicted on cover of Auto Sports magazine 24 hours of Le Mans (24 heures du Mans) is a famous sports car endurance race held at Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, near river La Sarthe. ... Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the Lagardère Group. ...

In 1973, the Tyrrell team was back on top in Formula One and Cévert showed he was capable of running with Stewart at almost every race. He finished second six times, three times behind Stewart, who acknowledged that, at times, the Frenchman had been a very "obedient" teammate. As Cévert began to draw even with Stewart's driving abilities, the Scot was secretly planning to retire after the last race of the season in the United States. For the 1974 season, Cévert would be Tyrrell's well deserving team leader. Tragically, at Watkins Glen, with Stewart having already clinched his third World Championship, Cévert was killed during Saturday morning practice while battling for pole position with Ronnie Peterson. He was 29 years old. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Ronnie Peterson, (February 14, 1944 - September 11, 1978) was a Swedish racing driver. ...

References

• Team Tyrrell Drivers - 1971 (http://www.teamtyrrell.com/1971/drivers/cevert.html)
• Grand Prix Encyclopedia (http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-cevfra.html)
• F1 Legend (http://www.f1-legend.com/histoire/pilotes/pil_cevert.htm)
• 8W - Tyrrell in 1973 (http://8w.forix.com/tyrrell73.html)