Maurice Trintignant


Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of Formula One. During this time he also competed in sports car racing, including winning the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Following his retirement from the track Trintignant concentrated on the wine trade.
Maurice Trintignant was the brother of Bugatti race car driver Louis Trintignant — who was killed in 1933, in practice, at Péronne, Picardy — and the uncle of renowned French film actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.

Racing career

He began racing in 1938, and won the 1939 Grand Prix des Frontières, but his career was interrupted by the Second World War, during which his own Bugatti was stored in a barn. When he rebuilt it for an event of 1945, the Coupé de la Liberation, he overlooked a clogged fuel filter, which caused him to drop out of the race. It transpired that the filter was plugged with rat droppings, earning him the unenviable nickname Le Petoulet, "the rat-droppings man".
By 1950 Le Petoulet was successful enough to be offered a works drive for the Gordini team, in the newly formed Formula One World Championship racing series. He competed in Formula One every year until his retirement after the 1964 season. During this long career Trintignant scored two victories, both at the Monaco Grand Prix, in 1955 and 1958. 1954 and 1955 were his best Championship years and he finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship in both.
During the course of his career, Trintignant drove a huge variety of cars, for many different teams: both works and privateer. Unusually, at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix Trintignant shared both second and third places, a product of the Scuderia Ferrari policy of passing cars to their top drivers, should their original car break down. In 1956 he drove the Bugatti Type 251 in the French Grand Prix, becoming the last driver to represent the famed marque at a Grand Prix race. Even in his final season, driving his own BRM P57, he scored points, taking fifth place at the 1964 German Grand Prix on the intimidating Nürburgring.
Following his retirement from racing, Maurice Trintignant returned to a quiet life as a wine-grower, near the town of Vergèze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine growing region, Trintignant died, aged 87, in 2005.

Major career wins

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011Pts
1950Equipe GordiniSimca-Gordini T15Gordini 15C 1.5 L4sGBRMON
Ret		500SUIBELFRAITA
Ret		NC0
1951Equipe GordiniSimca-Gordini T15Gordini 15C 1.5 L4sSUI
DNA		500BELFRA
Ret		GBRGER
Ret		ITA
DNS		ESP
Ret		NC0
1952Ecurie RosierFerrari 166 F2Ferrari 166 2.0 V12SUI
DNS		500BEL16th2
1952Equipe GordiniSimca-Gordini T15Gordini 1500 1.5 L4FRA
5		16th2
1952Equipe GordiniGordini T16Gordini 20 2.0 L6GBR
Ret		GER
Ret		NED
6		ITA
Ret		16th2
1953Equipe GordiniGordini T16Gordini 20 2.0 L6ARG
7*		500NED
6		BEL
5		FRA
Ret		GBR
Ret		GER
Ret		SUI
Ret		ITA
5		12th4
1954Ecurie RosierFerrari 625Ferrari 625 2.5 L4ARG
4		5004th17
1954Scuderia FerrariFerrari 625Ferrari 625 2.5 L4BEL
2		FRA
Ret		GBR
5		GER
3		SUI
Ret		ITA
5		4th17
1954Scuderia FerrariFerrari 553Ferrari 554 2.5 L4ESP
Ret		4th17
1955Scuderia FerrariFerrari 625Ferrari 555 2.5 L4ARG
2+3†		MON
1		500GBR
Ret		4th11
1955Scuderia FerrariFerrari 555Ferrari 555 2.5 L4BEL
6		NED
Ret		ITA
8		4th11
1956Vandervell Products LtdVanwall VW 2Vanwall 254 2.5 L4ARGMON
Ret		500BEL
Ret		GBR
Ret		GERITA
Ret		NC0
1956Automobiles BugattiBugatti T251Bugatti 2.5 L8FRA
Ret		NC0
1957Scuderia FerrariFerrari 801Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8ARGMON
5		500FRA
Ret		GBR
4‡		GERPESITA13th5
1958R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamCooper T45Climax FPF 2.0 L4ARGMON
1		NED
9		500GER
3		ITA
Ret		MOR
Ret		7th12
1958Scuderia Centro SudMaserati 250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6BEL
7		7th12
1958Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P25BRM P25 2.5 L4FRA
Ret		7th12
1958R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamCooper T43Climax FPF 2.0 L4GBR
8		POR
8		7th12
1959R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamCooper T51Climax FPF 2.5 L4MON
3		500NED
8		FRA
11		GBR
5		GER
4		POR
4		ITA
9		USA
2		5th19
1960R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamCooper T51Climax FPF 2.5 L4ARG
3		NC0
1960Scuderia Centro SudCooper T51Maserati 250S 2.5 L4MON
Ret		500NED
Ret		BELFRA
Ret		USA
15		NC0
1960David Brown CorporationAston Martin DBR5Aston Martin RB6 2.5 L6GBR
11		PORITANC0
1961Scuderia SerenissimaCooper T51Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4MON
7		NEDBEL
Ret		FRA
13		GBRGER
Ret		ITA
9		USANC0
1962R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamLotus 24Climax FWMV 1.5 V8NED
WD		MON
Ret		BEL
8		FRA
7		GBR
WD		GER
Ret		ITA
Ret		USA
Ret		RSANC0
1963Reg Parnell RacingLola Mk4AClimax FWMV 1.5 V8MON
Ret		BELNEDNC0
1963Reg Parnell RacingLotus 24Climax FWMV 1.5 V8FRA
8		GBRGERNC0
1963Scuderia Centro SudBRM P57BRM P56 1.5 V8ITA
9		USAMEXRSANC0
1964Maurice TrintignantBRM P57BRM P56 1.5 V8MON
Ret		NEDBELFRA
11		GBR
DNQ		GER
5		AUT
DNA		ITA
Ret		USAMEX16th2

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Trivia