Opening race of the 1969 Formula One season, won by Jackie Stewart from fourth on the grid at Kyalami Circuit.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Jackie Stewart (Matra)
- Number of laps
- 80 laps
- Stewart's starting position
- 4th on the grid
- Runner-up
- Graham Hill (Lotus)
- Third place
- Denny Hulme (McLaren)
- Season race number
- 1 of 11
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1969 Formula One season began with the South African Grand Prix, the first of eleven rounds in both the World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers, bringing the top teams and drivers to the Kyalami Circuit.
On 1 March 1969, the Third AA Grand Prix of South Africa was held over 80 laps at Kyalami. Jackie Stewart, starting from fourth position, drove his Matra to victory, with Graham Hill in a Lotus finishing second and Denny Hulme in a McLaren taking third.
Stewart's victory gave Matra an early lead in the constructors' standings and set Stewart on course for the 1969 World Drivers' Championship, which he would go on to win that season.
Result
at Kyalami Circuit, South Africa