Date 1 March 1969 | Course length 4.104 km (2.550 mi) | |
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Official name XIV South African Grand Prix Location Kyalami, Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa Course Permanent racing facility Distance 80 laps, 328.320 km (204.009 mi) | ||
The 1969 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on 1 March 1969. It was the first round of the 1969 Formula One season. The 80-lap race was won by Matra driver Jackie Stewart after he started from fourth position. Graham Hill finished second for the Lotus team and McLaren driver Denny Hulme came in third.
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Background
In the weeks leading up to the first Formula One race of the 1969 season, entries were being announced for the race, with all the teams, apart from Ferrari expected to nominate two drivers for the race. Enzo Ferrari, the managing director of the team he founded, announced that Ferrari were only going to nominate one driver for the race. To most people's surprise, Ferrari at first nominated two drivers for the race without explanation. However, the decision was later changed, with only Chris Amon nominated eventually for Ferrari. Brabham, BRM, Lotus, Matra and McLaren all chose to nominate two drivers for the race meeting.