Editing Jacky Ickx (section)

==Formula One career==

===Debut and early career (1966–1967)===
Ickx entered his first Grand Prix at the [[1966 German Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] in 1966, driving a [[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]] [[Matra MS5|MS5]]-[[Cosworth]] one-litre [[Formula Two]] (F2) car, entered by [[Ken Tyrrell]].<ref name ="ReferenceA"/> However, a first lap collision with [[John Taylor (racing driver)|John Taylor]] at Flugplatz caused both cars to retire<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Prix results: German GP, 1966|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr147.html|website=grandprix.com|access-date= 14 September 2016}}</ref> and Taylor later died as a result of burns received in the accident, after his car caught fire. In 1967, Ickx again drove at the Nurburgring, with an F2 [[Matra MS7]]-Cosworth 1.6-litre, also entered by Tyrrell.<ref name ="ReferenceA"/> Despite the greater power of the Formula One cars, only two drivers qualified with a faster time than Ickx: [[Denny Hulme]] and [[Jim Clark]]. As Ickx was racing in the separate F2 class, he started the race behind all of the Formula One cars, but within four laps of the 28&nbsp;km circuit he was up to fifth place, having overtaken 12 Formula One cars. He was forced to retire after 12 laps with a broken front suspension, but set the fastest lap of the F2 runners.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|author=Steve Small|year=1994 |page=196|publisher=Guinness |isbn=0851127029}}</ref>

At [[1967 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]] in 1967, he made his Formula One debut in a [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] [[Cooper T81|T81B]]-[[Maserati#Formula One|Maserati]], finishing sixth, despite suffering a puncture on the last lap. He also drove for Cooper in the [[1967 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] but retired on lap 45 with overheating.<ref name ="ReferenceA"/>

===Ferrari (1968)===
[[File:Ickx at 1968 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg|thumb|right|Ickx at the [[1968 Dutch Grand Prix]].]]
In 1968 Ickx drove in Formula 1 for [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. He retired from his first two races, but at his home race at [[1968 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa-Francorchamps]] he started from the front row and finished third. In the [[1968 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] at [[Rouen-Les-Essarts|Rouen]] he took his first win, in heavy rain. Ickx also finished third at [[1968 British Grand Prix|Brands Hatch]] and fourth at the [[1968 German Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] after driving almost the entire race in heavy rain without his helmet visor. At [[1968 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]] he finished the race in third position. In [[1968 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] he crashed and broke his left leg during practice, thus did not start and also missed the subsequent [[1968 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]].<ref name ="ReferenceA"/> He returned in time for the final race of the season in [[1968 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]]. Ickx scored 27 points in the [[1968 Formula One season]] finishing in fourth place behind [[Graham Hill]], [[Jackie Stewart]] and Hulme.

===Brabham (1969)===
In [[1969 Formula One season|1969]], Ickx moved to [[Brabham]], partly at the instigation of the [[John Wyer]] team for whom he'd had considerable success in sports cars. Wyer's main sponsor, [[Gulf Oil]] were keen to ensure that they retained his services rather than possibly lose him to [[Ferrari]]'s sports car team.<ref name ="ReferenceA"/> His first results at Brabham were poor, but after [[Jack Brabham]] broke his foot in a testing accident, Ickx's results improved: [[Alan Henry]] suggests that Ickx performed better with the whole team focussed on him.<ref>Henry (1985) p.85 "Interestingly, the somewhat unpredictable Belgian rose to the occasion in superb fashion and seemed able to produce more impressive form when the effort was concentrated on him exclusively rather than being shared with the boss."</ref> Ickx finished third in [[1969 French Grand Prix|France]], second in [[1969 British Grand Prix|Great Britain]] and won in [[1969 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] and in [[1969 German Grand Prix|Germany]] at the Nürburgring, where he also took pole position and fastest lap,<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|author=Steve Small|year=1994 |page=197|publisher=Guinness |isbn=0851127029}}</ref> in the last Formula One race there before 'The Ring' was made less bumpy and dangerous. In the [[1969 Mexican Grand Prix]] Ickx finished second and ended the year as runner-up in the drivers' world championship, behind Stewart. He returned to the Ferrari team for the 1970 season, a move he had been considering since the Italian Grand Prix.<ref>Henry (1985) p.89</ref>

===Return to Ferrari (1970–1973)===
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As in 1969, Ickx had a disappointing start to the [[1970 Formula One season|1970 season]]. On the first lap of the [[1970 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]] he collided with the [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] of [[Jackie Oliver]] and his car caught fire.<ref name ="ReferenceB"/> It took at least 20 seconds for him to leave the burning car and he was hospitalized with severe burns. After 17 days he was back in his car at the [[1970 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]], where he ran fifth before retiring with a driveshaft failure.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> The car started to improve and at the [[1970 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] (held at [[Hockenheimring|Hockenheim]] as his favourite Nürburgring was boycotted for safety reasons) he fought with [[Jochen Rindt]] for the win, but finished a close second. At the [[1970 Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian Grand Prix]] it was Ickx that took the win. At [[1970 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]], Rindt died in an accident during qualifying. Ickx was the only driver with a chance to take the championship from Rindt who had already won five of nine races in that season, with four more to go. Monza saw a win by Ferrari teammate [[Clay Regazzoni]] while Ickx's car broke down. The Belgian took the win at [[1970 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] and if he could win at the remaining two events, he would overtake Rindt and win the championship. However, in the [[1970 United States Grand Prix|US Grand Prix]] at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] he only finished fourth, with Rindt's replacement [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] scoring his first career win, and thus was mathematically eliminated from the championship chase. Despite winning the last race in [[1970 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]], Ickx could not beat Rindt's points total. Ickx later stated in a 2011 article in the British magazine ''[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]'' that he was glad he did not win the 1970 World Championship.  He did not want to win against a man who could not defend his chances, referring to the deceased Rindt.<ref>{{cite web|last=Taylor |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Taylor (journalist) |title=A Lunch With... Jacky Ickx |work=MotorSport Magazine |date=October 2011 |url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/halloffame/jacky-ickx/lunch-with-jacky-ickx/ |access-date=2 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219041521/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/halloffame/jacky-ickx/lunch-with-jacky-ickx/ |archive-date=19 December 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Ferrari 312 B2.JPG|thumb|left|Jacky Ickx's [[Ferrari 312B|Ferrari 312B2]] (1971/72)]]
In 1971, Ickx and Ferrari started as favourites, but the championship went to [[Jackie Stewart]] with the new [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]. Ferrari traditionally started the season with its full attention on the sports car championship rather than Formula One, a fact that had already caused [[John Surtees]] to leave in the middle of the 1966 season.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} Ickx won at [[1971 Dutch Grand Prix|Zandvoort]] in the rain with [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]] wet tyres, while Stewart had no chance with his [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] rubber. After that, he had a lot of retirements, while Stewart took one win after the other, despite Ickx giving him a good challenge at the [[1971 German Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] once again, where both drivers shared victories from 1968 to 1973. That long and very challenging track was the favourite of Ickx, while Stewart had called it the 'Green Hell' as well as being a driving force behind the driver boycott of 1970 that urged the Germans to rework the layout of the track, which had been built in 1927. Stewart said the only thing that had changed since then were the trees growing bigger. As requested, those near the track were cut and replaced with a small run-off area, and armco. So, the Scot and the Belgian not only fought on the track, but also off the track. Stewart was constantly fighting for more safety in Formula One, while Ickx thought by doing that the challenge was taken out of the sport.
[[File:Jacky Ickx, Bestanddeelnr 924-6613.jpg|thumb|Ickx in his Ferrari at the [[1971 Dutch Grand Prix]]]]
In 1972, Ickx stayed at Ferrari and finished second in [[1972 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]] and [[1972 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]]. After that the Ferrari only got noticed for its retirements. Yet, once again it was the [[1972 German Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] where Ickx was eager to show it was his track, giving his great rival Stewart no chance at all. As for Stewart one year later, and other champions such as [[Juan Manuel Fangio]] in 1957, it turned out that the last Formula One win for Ickx came at Nürburgring, where superior driving skill could beat superior machinery.

In 1973, the [[Ferrari 312B|Ferrari 312B3]] was no longer competitive, and Ickx only managed one fourth place at the opening Grand Prix of the season. While being successful with their sports cars, which were driven to several wins by Ickx himself, the Formula One programme of the Italians was outclassed, and they even had to skip some races, notably at the Nürburgring. This was not acceptable to Ickx, who left the team halfway through the season (after the [[1973 British Grand Prix]], where he finished eighth).<ref name ="ReferenceB"/> Instead, he competed in the [[1973 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] at the Nürburgring in a [[McLaren]], and scored a sterling third place behind the all-conquering [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrells]] of Stewart and [[François Cevert]]. Ickx returned to Ferrari for the [[1973 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] at [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] again finishing eighth but drove for [[Frank Williams Racing Cars|Williams]] in the [[1973 United States Grand Prix]] at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] finishing seventh.<ref name ="ReferenceB"/>

===Lotus (1974–1975)===
[[File:Jacky Ickx 1974 Race of Champions 3.jpg|thumb|Ickx at the [[1974 Race of Champions]]]]
When Ickx signed with [[Team Lotus]] in 1974, a difficult period awaited. Lotus had problems replacing the successful but ageing [[Lotus 72]] (which debuted in 1970) with the troublesome [[Lotus 76]] and, during the opening races of the championship, Ickx only managed a solitary third place in [[1974 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. Ickx demonstrated that he was still the Rain Master when he won the non-championship [[1974 Race of Champions|Race of Champions]] at Brands Hatch after having passed [[Niki Lauda]] on the outside at Paddock Bend. After the Brazilian Grand Prix his season deteriorated, the Lotus-Ford retiring in five consecutive races until an eleventh-place finish at [[1974 Dutch Grand Prix|Zandvoort]].<ref name="ReferenceB"/> However, in mid season Ickx recovered some form, rising through the field in the [[1974 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] to finish a strong third. Even better was his drive in the German Grand Prix. For most of the race Ickx dueled for fourth place with his teammate [[Ronnie Peterson]] who was using a Lotus 76, which had been grafted to the back end of a Lotus 72, [[Mike Hailwood]] in a [[McLaren M23]] and [[Jochen Mass]] in a [[Surtees Racing Organisation|Surtees]] running on his home circuit on Firestone tyres well suited to the circuit. It was a classic duel on the daunting circuit, which still lacked armco around half the track in 1974. Two laps from the end Hailwood crashed badly ending his World Championship career.{{cn|date=December 2024}} On the last two laps Ickx was getting close to third place [[Carlos Reutemann]], but on the final lap, Ronnie Peterson slipstreamed past to claim 4th. In Austria, Ickx, this time in the Lotus 76, moved up the field but went off while attempting to take [[Patrick Depailler|Depailler]] for second. In the last races of the year, tyre issues with Goodyears unsuitable for the Lotus 72 and 76 meant Lotus were not competitive.

[[1975 Formula One season|1975]] was even more disastrous for Lotus and Ickx left the team halfway through the season, even though he managed a second place in the chaotic [[1975 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]] which was overshadowed by accidents and stopped before half distance. Ickx was generally qualifying about 0.8 seconds slower than teammate Peterson. Ickx was stood down after the 1975 French GP with the promise that Chapman might re-employ him when a competitive new Lotus was ready to race. Ickx did not compete in Formula One for the remainder of 1975.

===Later career (1976–1979)===
It seemed that the end of Ickx's career was near. After [[Emerson Fittipaldi|Fittipaldi]] left [[McLaren]], Ickx was at the "top of the list."<ref>{{Cite web |title=A tribute to John Hogan |url=https://www.mclaren.com/racing/latest-news/mclarenracing/article/john-hogan-tribute/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.mclaren.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> However, [[James Hunt]] got the drive, allegedly because McLaren's chief sponsor [[John Hogan (motorsport executive)|John Hogan]] had known Hunt for many years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-21 |title=John Hogan obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/formula-one/article/john-hogan-obituary-ppclhd9cw |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=The Times |language=en}}</ref> (After Hunt's death, Hogan claimed that he preferred Ickx but McLaren leadership wanted Hunt.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k64rod5OVSY |title=John Hogan: Motor Sport magazine podcast |date=2018-11-12 |last= |access-date=2025-01-14 |via=YouTube}} (18:24-20:55)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Medland |first=Chris |date=2021-01-04 |title=F1 sponsorship giant Hogan dies at 76 |url=https://racer.com/2021/01/04/f1-sponsorship-giant-hogan-dies-at-76/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=RACER |language=en-US}}</ref>) In [[1976 Formula One season|1976]] Ickx began the season with [[Wolf–Williams Racing]] (then entering as "Frank Williams Racing Cars"),<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|author=Steve Small|year=1994 |page=198|publisher=Guinness |isbn=0851127029}}</ref> but after three races signed with the new team of [[Walter Wolf Racing]], which had substantial financial backing from Wolf. The Wolf team were also running the [[Hesketh 308C|Wolf–Williams FW05]] which was essentially a rebadged [[Hesketh 308C]] from 1975 and was uncompetitive. However, at the [[Race of Champions (Brands Hatch)|Race of Champions]], Ickx was challenging Hunt and [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]] for the lead, when Ickx's visor ripped off. In the world championship races he failed to qualify on four occasions,<ref name="ReferenceC"/> (a first in his career) achieving a degree of respectability only with a 7th in Spain and a good drive to 10th out of 19 finishers in the French GP in a car which, in the estimate of James Hunt and [[Chris Amon]], was worse than useless. Nevertheless, for a large payment from Wolf, Amon agreed to swap drives with Ickx and Ickx raced the rest of the season in the fast and fragile Lotus styled [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]] N176, in which design Amon had suffered horrific breakages at [[1976 Belgian Grand Prix|Zolder]] and in the [[1976 Swedish Grand Prix|Swedish GP]]. For most of the Dutch GP, Ickx moved through the field, running the third fastest lap and on most laps was the fastest car in the race. With a newer [[Cosworth]] engine, Ickx probably would have won, but the under-maintained engine expired ten laps from the end. In the Italian race, Ickx drove at competitive pace in a Grand Prix for the last time, when he finished tenth, only 30 seconds behind winner [[Ronnie Peterson]], hard on the tail of [[Carlos Reutemann]] in a works [[Ferrari 312T#312T2 (1976)/312T2B (1977-1978)|Ferrari 312T2]] in ninth. After a bad crash at the United States Grand Prix at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] which he was lucky to have survived with only ankle injuries, Ickx only competed sporadically. In 1977 Ickx competed in only one Grand Prix at [[1977 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] for Ensign finishing tenth.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In 1978 he entered four Grands Prix, again for Ensign but only achieved a twelfth place at [[1978 Belgian Grand Prix|Zolder]].<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In the [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix|Swedish Grand Prix]] at [[Anderstorp Raceway|Anderstorp]] Ickx failed to qualify.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>

In 1979, he ended his career as a Grand Prix driver at [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]], standing in for the injured [[Patrick Depailler]],<ref name="ReferenceA"/> gaining a fifth and sixth, but finding the ground effect cars dangerous and disconcerting, ill-suited to his precise style. Outside of Formula One, Ickx continued to win races in various sports car series, which he had decided to concentrate on exclusively.