Sunday 13th February 2005

Maurice Trintignant (87), a very versatile driver with Gordini and then Ferrari, winning the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours race with partner Froilan Gonzalez, died. 1954 was also the year of his debut in Formula 1 and taking the checkered flag in Monaco in 1st place in 1955, he became the first Frenchman to win a World Championship Grand Prix. But he’d have a rather unsettled career in F1, changing teams quite often. Bugatti, Vanwall, Ferrari again for 1957, BRM, Rob Walker’s team, for which he won the Monaco Grand Pri9x a second time, Aston Martin, Scuderia Centro Sud and again a short ñ and final ñ stint with Rob Walker after Stirling Moss’ accident in 1962. After retiring from racing, Maurice Trintignant took over the family vineyard near his home town of Vergeze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, where he produced a wine called ‘Le Petoulet’ and was elected the local mayor for a period.