Formula 1 1970 Spanish GP: Fire and Drama at Jarama

The race was barely underway when disaster struck on the opening lap. Approaching the Bugatti hairpin, just north of the pits, Oliver suddenly lost control. His car failed to turn at the right-hand kink before the hairpin, ran straight across the grass and struck Ickx’s Ferrari broadside. Both machines were thrown to the outside of the corner as fuel poured onto the track, igniting almost instantly. Flames engulfed the wreckage.

Oliver escaped unharmed, but Ickx was less fortunate. Fuel had splashed onto his overalls, forcing him to run toward the inside of the circuit before collapsing face-down on the grass near a marshal post. Marshals extinguished flames on his arms, back and legs. His most serious injuries were burns to the backs of his legs, sidelining him for several months.

The fire itself became a race-long spectacle. Both cars were built largely from magnesium and lacked proper fuel cells, meaning the ruptured tanks released vast quantities of fuel. Oliver’s impact had struck the Ferrari’s left-side fuel tank directly. Once ignited, the blaze quickly reached magnesium’s combustion temperature, turning both chassis into raging infernos. Marshals initially sprayed water—an ineffective and dangerous response for magnesium fires—only intensifying the flames. A foam truck eventually arrived, but by then Ickx’s car had slowly rolled on its own toward the inside of the corner, dangerously close to passing traffic, before coming to rest on the grass, beyond the foam truck’s reach. Thick smoke and flames lingered for much of the race.

In the pits, the severity of the incident prompted BRM to withdraw Rodríguez as a precaution, fearing another stub-axle failure. Rodríguez protested strongly, but the team overruled him. Ironically, the fire destroyed the physical evidence that might have confirmed the cause. On lap two, the remaining drivers were forced to thread their way through flames and smoke, with officials largely inactive at the scene.

Up front, Stewart continued to lead as Chris Amon began suffering engine problems that pit stops failed to resolve. The order settled as Stewart led Hulme, Brabham, Henri Pescarolo and Jean-Pierre Beltoise. Brabham stayed glued to Hulme until he spun on water left at the hairpin, a mistake repeated moments later by Pescarolo, allowing Beltoise to move ahead.

Hulme’s challenge ended abruptly when his car stopped just past the pits. A broken distributor rotor was diagnosed, and after repairs he rejoined several laps down, only to retire soon after with a suspected bent rotor shaft. With Jochen Rindt already out due to ignition failure, the field was rapidly thinning.

Beltoise mounted a strong charge, overtaking Brabham for second, but Stewart remained untouchable. By lap 20, Stewart held a lead of more than ten seconds. Behind him were Beltoise, Brabham, Pescarolo, John Surtees and Bruce McLaren. Stewart had already lapped teammate François Cevert-Servoz-Gavin, who circulated alone at the back.

Mechanical attrition continued relentlessly. Beltoise slowed on lap 29 and retired with a seized engine two laps later. Pescarolo followed shortly after, his engine locking suddenly and sending him into the dirt amid a cloud of white smoke—an eerie contrast to the black plumes from the earlier fires. Rolf Stommelen retired on lap 44, while gearbox failures became increasingly common due to the circuit’s constant shifting demands.

Even Stewart was affected, allowing Brabham to close in. For more than ten laps, the two champions fought intensely for the lead, Brabham drawing alongside on several occasions but never finding a way past. The duel ended abruptly when Brabham retired on lap 61 with a broken piston.

From there, Stewart cruised comfortably, with Surtees the only driver still on the lead lap. McLaren, Graham Hill and Mario Andretti followed a lap down, all nursing gearbox issues, while Servoz-Gavin trailed two laps behind. Surtees’ gearbox then failed progressively—first second gear, then fourth—forcing him to retire on lap 76 and surrender a certain second place.

Late drama came from Andretti, who adapted to his transmission problems and passed Hill for third before chasing McLaren, only to run out of laps. In the end, just five cars reached the finish, all struggling with mechanical faults. Few were disappointed when the checkered flag finally fell on what was widely regarded as a poorly organized, hazardous and deeply unpleasant race.

By race’s end, the cars involved in the opening-lap accident had been reduced to twisted, smoldering remnants of steel, aluminum and engine blocks—a stark and sobering image that lingered long after the event itself was over.