Triple world champion JACKIE STEWART continues to affect Formula 1's future more than 40 years after his last grand prix victory. Stewart recently brought a new global partner to the series with Dutch brewer Heineken. Adding multinational companies like Heineken, and previously Rolex, to the sport is rewarding, Stewart said. The 77-year-old Scotsman, who also had his own F1 team, Stewart Grand Prix, before selling it to Ford, recently spoke with SBD Global about the racing series' ongoing challenges, including economics, safety, competition and sponsorship deals.
On the current state of Formula 1 ...
Jackie Stewart: The way I look at it is there are more people driving cars today than there has ever been in the history of the world. There are more drivers in India than there are in America. Therefore these new countries that are being motorized are taking a greater interest in the motor car. The love affair for the motor car for them is sharper than in countries that had motor-car availability for years. The economy at the present time, I think people are frightened they are going back to a 2008 experience. But they do have the money. They got it stashed away and they are frightened in case they get another crisis. People are shy about that. Boards are shy about it. Multinationals are more shy about it than, let’s say, young start-up companies. That’s just the tone of the global economy. ... But the highest level of technology within the automobile world is F1 and motorsport in general. … Everybody goes through ups and downs. You can’t expect to be constantly the top of the flagpole. … More than 39 percent of the American cars are bought by women, so we need more women coming to motorsports, for example, because they are going to be influential in the purchase of the car. … We are better off today for the longer-term future. Motorsport isn’t going to change because there’s no viable alternative in the foreseeable future for the motor vehicle. You’ve just got to take the good with the bad.
On safety and Jules Bianchi's deadly accident ...
Stewart: You always have to move forward. I don’t suppose there has been anybody in racing being as close to changing it, in particular, in the areas of safety as I’ve created over my period of changing the whole world of safety. … I’m sorry that his parents and family are taking this to law. I’m very sympathetic to them and their grievance must be extremely painful. But my own view of this is that the track at that time was under a double yellow. A double yellow says that you must be prepared to stop. Jules was not having the speed that would have allowed him to safely stop and he aquaplaned and he had a massive crash. And, sadly, he died. But I don’t think you can look back and say, 'I want to have a law case against this.' Because one thing was for sure, if the driver had been going a lot slower he wouldn’t have aquaplaned on that piece of water and, therefore, I’m afraid (that's) what I call a racing accident. … We do go through cycles of being able to break new ground, and I don’t discourage that. More than anyone else, I suppose, I changed the whole face of Formula 1 on the basis of track safety and the obstacles that were on these tracks that were absolutely ridiculous.
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Stewart at the 1969 Dutch Grand Prix
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On the emergence of Formula E ...
Stewart: It’s good that Formula E has arrived, but at this stage and for the next good number of years it’s not going to challenge Formula 1. It’s not going to challenge the Le Mans 24-hour race or any of the other long-distance races. But it’s a niche market of motorsport with ecological advantages that they have produced that give a not hard core motor racing enthusiast crowd a reason to go there. The crowds are not big, but they are in the middle of the cities. … I think it’s good and healthy, but I don’t think it is a challenge to Formula 1. Formula 1 is the crème de la crème. You’ll always have crème de la crèmes, and you’ll always have the others.
On what impact the Heineken deal will have on the sport ...
Stewart: The fact that Formula 1 is so global offers the opportunity for big multinationals to take advantage of it. There’s only one Formula 1 race in every single country every year, so it is a big ticket. I think they see that it allows them to get to an audience that they have never been part of, and everyone who’s motorized is going to be encouraged not to drink and drive by the people who produce the alcoholic product, i.e. Heineken beer. It’s a good message because they want to be sure that they become socially acceptable. They want safety and that is why they have taken interest in me. ... I think it’s a win-win situation for both. For Formula 1 because right now we are putting together some very good blue-chip companies. You can’t get much more blue-chip than with Emirates, Pirelli, DHL and Heineken. Very few sports can boast partnerships of that quality. That’s what I like to deal with, I like to deal with the right people, successful people. It’s always more interesting to be with people who are winners. I was more than happy to take an interest in trying to bring them into Formula 1. … The public will get closer to the grand prix drivers with Heineken than they have with any sponsor that I can think of within the last 30 or 40 years.
