Ferrari’s
aging flat-12 powered 312 earned debutant Mario Andretti a welcome win in the
first race of the season but once ’69 World Champion Jackie Stewart found his
stride with the monocoque Tyrrell 003 it was clear the writing was on the wall
for the old-fashioned Ferrari.
As the
season progressed Stewart and Tyrrell developed a magical formula that combined
radical aerodynamics with Stewart’s sublime talent. The season wasn’t just
about drivers and cars, as this review shows. It tells the story of the
intensifying tyre-war as the first slicks hit the tarmac, the year driver
safety became a genuine concern and the year of Niki Lauda’s first Grand Prix.
Brunswick Films were pioneers in the embryonic days of Formula One production, when sponsors controlled the demand for footage, and before the era of global TV coverage began. They have skilfully combined film from their famous archive - including some previously unseen material - to create a review that captures the essence of a very special era in Grand Prix racing.
The 1971 Formula 1 season is perfectly summarised in archive footage from Brunswick Films. The review is a wonderful piece of Grand Prix nostalgia in which the brilliant driving skills of Jackie Stewart teamed up with Tyrrell to clinch the 1971 Formula One Drivers Championship.