Sir Jackie Stewart

Three titles in eight seasons: Sir Jackie Stewart is rightly considered one of the greatest names in British racing history. The Scottish-born driver claimed a title every other year during his career, with his first coming in 1969. By that time, Stewart had already built up a solid reputation, crowned by his success in Formula 1.

Beating none other than Bruce McLaren in Formula 3 while driving identical machinery made it clear that Jackie Stewart knew how to race. He impressed at a young age and was offered a seat at Tyrrell's Formula 3 team. With Tyrrell, the Scot raced to the title but did not rush into Formula 1. Instead, he patiently took the Formula 2 route. His first taste of an F1 car came in 1965 as a substitute for Jim Clark, though that race wasn’t part of the official championship. Stewart’s actual F1 debut came shortly after in South Africa, where he finished sixth.

In his rookie F1 season, Stewart ended third in the championship, claiming his first win on Italian soil. He narrowly missed out on victory in the Netherlands and came close again in Belgium and France. Still, it would take a bit more time before he could regularly reach the top step of the podium.

Thanks to Stewart Driving for Matra in 1968, Stewart came very close to winning the title, with three victories (including Zandvoort) proving just short. The following year, however, he sealed the deal with the same team, winning six races and securing his first championship. In 1970, after moving to Tyrrell, he won only one race as Lotus dominated that season.

But in 1971, Tyrrell bounced back with a strong car, enabling Stewart to capture his second championship. The 1972 season was another near miss, but he came back even stronger in 1973 to dominate and claim his third title in five years.

Stewart retired from racing before reaching 100 Grand Prix starts. However, he returned to the grid in 1997—not as a driver but as the team owner of Stewart GP. Under his leadership, Rubens Barrichello claimed a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing second.

With increased success in 1999, the team caught the attention of Ford, who took over and rebranded the outfit as Jaguar. A few years later, in 2005, Red Bull Racing was born from that same foundation after stepping in to save the team from financial troubles.

Having turned 80 in 2019, the legendary Flying Scot still frequently appears in the F1 paddock, always wearing his iconic cap. In tribute to his 80th birthday, all team principals posed for a photo wearing replicas of his signature cap during the French Grand Prix weekend.