The 1968 Formula One season marked a turning point in motorsport safety and technology, seeing four driver fatalities and the introduction of aerodynamic wings.
Key Facts
- Championship races
- 12 races between 1 Jan and 3 Nov 1968
- Drivers' Champion
- Graham Hill (Lotus-Ford Cosworth)
- Manufacturers' Cup winner
- Lotus (third time)
- Fatal crashes
- 4 drivers: Clark, Spence, Schlesser, Scarfiotti
- Season number
- 22nd FIA Formula One season
- Key innovation
- Aerodynamic wings introduced by Lotus's Colin Chapman
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Growing competition between constructors using the Cosworth DFV engine and rivals such as Repco-Brabham prompted teams to seek performance advantages. Meanwhile, circuits in this era operated with minimal safety infrastructure, leaving drivers highly exposed to the consequences of mechanical failure or driver error.
The 1968 Formula One World Championship was contested over twelve rounds. Graham Hill claimed his second Drivers' title driving for Lotus, while Lotus also secured the Manufacturers' Cup. The season was defined by the deaths of four drivers and the rapid proliferation of aerodynamic wings pioneered by Colin Chapman at Lotus.
The deaths of four Grand Prix drivers in 1968 accelerated calls for circuit safety reform, marking the final season in which races were held on tracks with virtually no safety modifications. The widespread adoption of aerodynamic wings by season's end fundamentally changed Formula One car design and set the direction for decades of aerodynamic development.