1968 Season

The 1968 season is the 22nd running of the Formula One World Championship, contested over twelve races from New Year’s Day in South Africa through to November in Mexico. Denny Hulme defends the Drivers’ title he won for Brabham in 1967; Brabham also hold the Constructors’ Cup. Both titles are up for grabs in a significantly reshuffled field.

Driver changes

Jochen Rindt, after receiving offers from every team bar two, signs with the reigning champion Brabham team. The move is a direct consequence of Denny Hulme’s departure: the New Zealander joins Bruce McLaren’s team, with whom he already races in Can-Am, and McLaren simultaneously drops their BRM contract in favour of the Ford Cosworth DFV engine.

Ferrari ran Chris Amon as their sole full-time driver in 1967 but have recruited Jacky Ickx for this season alongside him.

The biggest structural change is Ken Tyrrell’s entry into Formula One through Matra International, a joint venture with French car manufacturer Matra. Tyrrell signs Jackie Stewart, who leaves BRM for the new team. BRM replaces him with Pedro Rodríguez.

Cooper lose their entire 1967 driver roster. Their replacements are Formula Two driver Brian Redman and long-time Ferrari employee Ludovico Scarfiotti. Cooper also switch engine suppliers, dropping the Maserati V12 for a BRM unit, taking over the contract McLaren have just vacated.

Team changes

Ken Tyrrell’s Matra International is a new entry as a constructor in its own right, running the Matra MS10 chassis with Cosworth DFV power and fielding Stewart. Matra also continue to run their own factory team — entirely separately — powered by their own V12 engines. The two Matra operations compete independently.

Calendar

Twelve races run from 1 January (South Africa) to 3 November (Mexico). The most significant calendar change is the return of the Spanish Grand Prix after a fourteen-year absence, to be held at the new Jarama circuit near Madrid. The Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix swap their traditional order, with Spa-Francorchamps hosting the round before Zandvoort this year. The French Grand Prix returns to Rouen-Les-Essarts after four years, replacing the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans. The British Grand Prix leaves Silverstone for Brands Hatch, the two circuits sharing the event under a rotation agreement. The Canadian Grand Prix moves from Mosport Park to the new Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, and is repositioned in the calendar to September, running after the Italian Grand Prix.

Regulation changes

All cars must now be fitted with a rollbar extending at least 5 cm above the driver’s helmet, an electrical circuit breaker, an oil catch tank, and a reverse gear. Cockpits must also be designed to allow easy evacuation.

The FIA lifts all restrictions on commercial sponsorship on the cars. The withdrawal of support from automotive-related firms — including BP, Shell, and Firestone — has prompted the change, opening Formula One to sponsors from any industry. The consequences will be visible from the very first race.