Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (30 October 1917, in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, Vaucluse – 13 February 2005, in Nîmes) was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of Formula One. During this time he also competed in sports car racing, including winning the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Following his retirement from the track Trintignant concentrated on the wine trade.
| Born | 30 October 1917 Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, Vaucluse, France |
|---|---|
| Died | 13 February 2005 (aged 87) Nîmes, Gard, France |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  French |
| Active years | 1950 – 1964 |
| Teams | Gordini, Ecurie Rosier, Ferrari inc. non-works, Vanwall, Rob Walker Racing Team, Scuderia Centro Sud, Bugatti, Aston Martin, BRM inc privateer, Scuderia Serenissima, Reg Parnell Racing |
| Entries | 84 (81 starts)[lower-alpha 1] |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 10[3] |
| Career points | 72 1⁄3 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix |
| First win | 1955 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1964 Italian Grand Prix |
Maurice Trintignant was the brother of Bugatti race car driver Louis Trintignant — who was killed in 1933, in practice, at Péronne, Picardy — and the uncle of renowned French film actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Racing career
He began racing in 1938, and won the 1939 Grand Prix des Frontières, but his career was interrupted by the Second World War, during which his own Bugatti was stored in a barn. When he rebuilt it for an event of 1945, the Coupé de la Liberation, he overlooked a clogged fuel filter, which caused him to drop out of the race. It transpired that the filter was plugged with rat droppings, earning him the unenviable nickname Le Petoulet, "the rat-droppings man".[4]
By 1950 Le Petoulet was successful enough to be offered a works drive for the Gordini team, in the newly formed Formula One World Championship racing series. He competed in Formula One every year until his retirement after the 1964 season. During this long career Trintignant scored two victories, both at the Monaco Grand Prix, in 1955 and 1958.[5] 1954 and 1955 were his best Championship years and he finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship in both.
During the course of his career, Trintignant drove a huge variety of cars, for many different teams: both works and privateer. Unusually, at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix Trintignant shared both second and third places, a product of the Scuderia Ferrari policy of passing cars to their top drivers, should their original car break down. In 1956 he drove the Bugatti Type 251 in the French Grand Prix, becoming the last driver to represent the famed marque at a Grand Prix race.[6] Even in his final season, driving his own BRM P57, he scored points, taking fifth place at the 1964 German Grand Prix on the intimidating Nürburgring. Following his retirement from racing, Maurice Trintignant returned to a quiet life as a wine-grower (naming his vintage Le Petoulet),[7] near the town of Vergèze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine growing region, Trintignant died, aged 87, in 2005.
Major career wins
- Rheinland-Pfalz Preis – 1950
- Mont Ventoux Hill Climb – 1949,1960,1964
- Buenos Aires Grand Prix – 1954, 1960
- Swedish Grand Prix – 1956
- RAC Tourist Trophy – 1954
- Circuit des Nations – 1950
- Moroccan Grand Prix – 1956
- Grand Prix Avignon – 1947
- Albi Grand Prix – 1951
- Grand Prix de Caen – 1952, 1954
- Grand Prix de Cadours – 1952, 1953
- Pau Grand Prix – 1958, 1959 (F2), 1962 (F1)
- Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts – 1954
- Grand Prix de Roubaix – 1952
- Grand Prix des Frontières – 1938, 1939, 1953
- 2 hours of Dakar – 1956
- 12 hours of Hyères – 1954
- 10 hours of Messina – 1955
- Monaco Grand Prix – 1955, 1958
- 24 Hours of Le Mans – 1953, 1954
Racing record
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
- * Indicates shared drive with Harry Schell
- † Indicates shared drives with José Froilán González and Giuseppe Farina (2nd place) & Giuseppe Farina and Umberto Maglioli (3rd place)
- ‡ Indicates shared drive with Peter Collins
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
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Trivia
- He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1960
- Was the mayor of Vergèze between 1958 and 1964.
- Was married to Louise on 10 December 1938
- Took over his father's vineyard
- On 10 October 2010 a bronze statue of a Bugatti Type 51 was unveiled in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes in his honour
Notes
- Trintignant got sick before the race at Italy in 1951, and was secretly replaced by Jean Behra. Team principal Amédée Gordini did not inform the race organizers about the switch as it would have cut the team's starting fee. Since the organizers were not informed about the driver change Trintignant was initially credited with the race start and some sources still do.[1][2]
References
- "Jean Behra - Biography". MotorSportMagazine. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- "Seasons - Italy 1951". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- Total of 10 podiums includes both 2nd and 3rd places at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix
- Michael Kettlewell, World of Automobiles (Orbis, 1974), Volume 20, p.2368
- Daily Express page 9 Monday 19 May 1958
- Mattijs Diepraam, Colombo's flawed brilliance, 8W, October 1998.
- ibid.
- No points awarded for shared drive with Stirling Moss in the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix
External links
- Mattijs Diepraam, Colombo's flawed brilliance, 8W, October 1998.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tony Rolt Duncan Hamilton |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1954 With: José Froilán González |
Succeeded by Mike Hawthorn Ivor Bueb |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Stirling Moss 67 entries, 66 starts (1951–1961) |
Most Grand Prix entries 84 entries, 82 starts (1950–1964) 68th at the 1961 French GP |
Succeeded by Jack Brabham 128 entries, 126 starts 85th at the 1966 Monaco GP |
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