1969 Season

Driver changes

Jochen Rindt joins Lotus, replacing Jackie Oliver, who moves to BRM alongside John Surtees. Surtees lost his Honda works drive after the Japanese manufacturer withdrew from Formula One entirely — the first season since 1963 without Honda on the grid.

Jacky Ickx leaves Ferrari for Brabham, taking the seat Rindt vacated. Ferrari reduces to a single-car operation for Chris Amon.

At Ken Tyrrell’s Matra International squad, Johnny Servoz-Gavin is replaced by Matra works driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise alongside Jackie Stewart.

Frank Williams makes his debut as a Formula One constructor, having bought a Brabham BT26A to run his Formula Two driver Piers Courage.

Cooper and Eagle return only through privateer entries.

Team changes

Matra is not operating a works team this season, concentrating on the collaboration with Tyrrell. Brabham switches from Repco power to Ford-Cosworth DFVs after Repco withdrew their support.

Calendar

Eleven races are scheduled, running from 1 March to 19 October. The South African Grand Prix remains the season opener but is moved from January to March.

The Spanish Grand Prix moves from the Jarama circuit to Montjuïc in Barcelona, in keeping with an event-sharing arrangement between the two venues. The British Grand Prix moves from Brands Hatch to Silverstone, and the Canadian Grand Prix moves from Circuit Mont-Tremblant to Mosport Park.

The French Grand Prix leaves Rouen-Les-Essarts for the Charade circuit near Clermont-Ferrand. The move follows the safety concerns raised by Jo Schlesser’s fatal accident at the 1968 French Grand Prix at Rouen.

The Belgian Grand Prix was scheduled for Spa-Francorchamps on 8 June, but Jackie Stewart inspected the circuit and demanded safety improvements. The track owners refused, the drivers boycotted the event, and it was cancelled from the championship calendar.

Regulation changes

Aerodynamic wings have become the defining technical battleground after their mid-season introduction in 1968. Teams arrive with elaborate high-mounted wings and movable aerofoil systems: Lotus developed wings operated by a fourth pedal at the driver’s feet; McLaren gave their drivers a hand lever to flatten the rear wing on the straight, with the brake pedal automatically restoring downforce for corners; Tyrrell Matra developed an electrically operated system that flattens the rear wing automatically when fifth gear is selected.