Of course, Ickx was one of the great sportscar drivers of all time, but it is often forgotten what a successful F1 career he had. In the period 1968-1972 he was undoubtedly one of the men to beat, twice finishing runner-up in the World Championship.

It strikes me that his F1 career started to unravel in mid-1973 when Ferrari decided to re-group and revamp their racing programme. Even then, he could step into a third McLaren at the Nurburgring and finish on the podium, behind the dominant Tyrrells.

A move to Lotus for 1974 did not work out (his personality appeared to be incompatible with that of Colin Chapman), and after that it was a question of midfield drives at best.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Jacky Ickx, the Grand Prix driver?