BEYOND THE GRID: Sir Jackie Stewart on surviving and thriving in F1’s most ferocious era

Our guest on this week’s edition of our Beyond The Grid podcast is nothing less than one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula 1.

Sir Jackie Stewart became world champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973. Fifty years since he retired after that final title, Sir Jackie is still in the top 10 for all-time F1 race wins – with 27 victories to his name.

READ MORE: Check out the full Beyond The Grid back catalogue here

He started out with the BRM team in 1965, before joining Tyrell Racing three years later. They enjoyed five years of success, in which Jackie cemented his status as a legend of the sport. The Flying Scot, as he was also known, tells Beyond The Grid Tom Clarkson that winning was all that mattered.

But for all the highs, there were also dreadful lows. Formula 1 was an extremely dangerous sport in Jackie’s era. Three of his close friends were killed in F1 races – Piers Courage, Jochen Rindt and his Tyrrell team mate, Francois Cevert. Jackie explains how he became almost desensitised to death, and how he removed all emotion from his racing to succeed.

The hectic lifestyle of a Formula 1 world champion eventually caught up with Jackie and proved to be a huge factor in his decision to retire. Much of his life after F1 was dedicated to improving the safety of the sport, and many of the changes to protect the drivers today are thanks to him.

BEYOND THE GRID: Karun Chandhok on defying the F1 odds, chaos at Lotus and designing his own racetracks

Jackie opens up about the relationship with his wife, Helen, and sons, Paul and Mark, reveals why he didn’t stop racing as Roger Williamson lost his life at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1973, and talks about why Formula 1 still means so much to him now.

To tune into Sir Jackie Stewart’s episode of Beyond The Grid, hit go in the player above – or click here to listen on your preferred podcasting platform.