Belgian Grand Prix

Spa-Francorchamps, 7 Jun 1970

All cars are 3-litre F1 unless noted.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

3-litre Formula 1 World Championship events 1966-1985

These 1966 to 1985 results were initially compiled by Allen Brown, but these were in the very basic form required to track individual car histories. Since then further details, such as laps completed, qualifying times and so on, have been added from Rob Ryder's extensive database.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can help with our research.

Individual sources for this event

Autosport 11 Jun 1970 pp10-17 (report by Patrick McNally). Motor Sport July 1970 pp714-716,720 (report by DSJ). Motoring News 11 Jun 1970 pp14,16-17,27 (report by MGD, Mike Doodson, Andrew Marriott having taken a job running the Petonyer-Team March F3 team, and Doodson being promoted from F2 reporter, where his place was taken by 22-year-old Alan Henry). Sport Auto Julliet 1970 pp68-73, including 'Les Voitures en Course' (by Gérard "Jabby" Crombac). Motor 13 Jun 1970 pp48-52 (by Michael Bowler). Autocar 11 Jun 1970 pp18-21 (by Ray Hutton). The Motor Racing Year No 2 p56-63 (by Anthony Pritchard). Autocar gave full chassis numbers on the grid for the first time.

The McLaren team were absent due to the recent death of Bruce McLaren in a testing accident, so the works teams were the two Brabham BT33s, two Lotus 72s for Rindt and Miles plus a Lotus 49C for Soler-Roig, just one Tyrrell entry for Stewart following Servoz-Gavin's shock retirement although the Scot had two 701s to choose from, two works March 701s, two Matra MS120s, three Ferraris for two drivers as Giunti was joining Ickx, just two BRM P153s as George Eaton had a clashing Can-Am engagement, and the singleton Williams entry but Piers Courage also had a second De Tomaso. To these 15 entries and 18 cars were added private entries from Rob Walker, Colin Crabbe and Tom Wheatcroft. John Surtees withdrew due to a lack of engines, and Silvio Moser did not arrive with his new Bellasi.

Autosport noted that Beltoise' MS120/3 was the same car as at Monte Carlo, that the Ferrari 312B-002 was a replacement car for the Spanish GP car, and that Amon's March 701 was a brand new chassis but carrying the same chassis number as before, 701-1. Sport Auto only noticed the new Ferrari. Motor Sport had an unusual "Team Boss Man" column to the entry list, which gave Tim Parnell for BRM, Phil Kerr for McLaren, Frank Williams, Tom Wheatcroft, Alan Rees for March, Ken Tyrrell, Colin Crabbe, Ron Tauranac for Brabham, Colin Chapman for Lotus, Rob Walker, Jean Hébert for Matra and Franco Gozzi for Ferrari.

There was a new chicane at Malmedy corner, which Jenks was most unhappy about, referring to Jackie Stewart as a "pious little Scot" and the "GPDA milk-and-water brigade". Jenkinson was then aged only 49, compared with Crombac at 40, McNally at 38, Pritchard at 31, Doodson at 29 and Stappert at 27, and Pritchard was the only one to take Jenks' tack on the issue. The race was held only five days after Bruce McLaren's death testing at Goodwood, just two weeks before Piers Courage's death at Zandvoort, less than three months before Jochen Rindt would die at Monza, and on a circuit which had claimed the lives of six competitors in the preceding three seasons.