[Video] Stunning trackside footage of the 1970 French Grand Prix | GRR
The early 1970s was a star-studded period for Formula 1. The grid was absolutely packed with legendary drivers racing for equally esteemed teams in beautifully memorable cars powered by iconic engines.
It takes barely a second for this video of that year’s French Grand Prix to enchant us. We see Pedro Rodriguez perched on the bodywork of his BRM, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill chilling on the barriers of the pit straight, Denny Hulme sat in the cockpit of his McLaren, Chris Amon in his March.
Then there’s the unmistakeable roar of the Ford-Cosworth DFV engines powering the likes of Lotus, Brabham, McLaren and BRM. But they’re supplemented by the utterly feverish V12s of Ferrari and Matra.
The race took place at the Circuit de Charade, one of a subsiding era of circuits that made use of public roads. An undulating eight-kilometre rollercoaster that pushed the boundaries of safety to absolute limit, so much so that it would fall off the F1 calendar for good after one final grand prix in 1972.
Largely comparable to the Nordschleife in many ways, Charade was a relentless stream of high-speed sweeping corners that wended its way through the countryside of central France. It was the ultimate recipe for some spectacular track-side footage, some of which we can enjoy in this video. Relive the romance of historic F1 racing in vibrant colour.
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