Jean-Pierre Jarier

Jean-Pierre Jarier was a French racing driver who competed in Formula 1 from 1971 to 1983, a fast and versatile competitor whose career is often remembered for its bad luck as much as its talent. Quick in a wide variety of machinery, he raced for a long list of teams across more than a decade but never quite found the consistent reliability needed to convert his speed into the wins his pace deserved.

Jarier drove for teams including March, Shadow, Penske, Tyrrell, ATS, Ligier, Lotus and Osella, scoring 3 pole positions, 3 podium finishes and 32 points across 138 starts. His standout moments came at the end of 1978, when he stepped into Lotus following the death of Ronnie Peterson and dominated both the Canadian and United States Grands Prix from the front, only for mechanical failures to deny him victory on each occasion. Earlier, in 1975, he had shown blistering pace with Shadow, taking pole positions and leading races before retirements intervened.

Despite never winning a Grand Prix, Jarier was widely regarded as one of the more naturally gifted drivers of his generation. After his Formula 1 career he continued to compete successfully in sports cars and touring cars for many years.

Jarier was a quick and adaptable driver, capable of spectacular pace on his day but repeatedly let down by unreliable machinery at crucial moments. His commanding 1978 drives for Lotus, leading comfortably only to be denied by mechanical trouble, came to symbolise a career rich in potential but short on luck. Nicknamed "Godasse de Plomb" for his heavy right foot, he is remembered as one of the fastest French drivers never to win a Grand Prix.