Sir Jackie Stewart is one of the greatest racing drivers who ever lived — a three-time Formula One world champion from the western edge of Glasgow who then became the sport’s conscience. As a boy he was written off at school, undiagnosed dyslexia leaving him feeling a failure; as a man he conquered the most glamorous and most lethal sport on earth, and then risked his popularity to make it safe, saving the lives of countless drivers who came after him. His has been a life of triumph over odds, on the track and off it.
This page follows his story: his Clydeside boyhood, his rise to three world titles, his lonely crusade for safety, and the causes he has championed since.
A garage boy on the Clyde
John Young Stewart was born in 1939 at Milton, near Dumbarton, where the River Clyde broadens towards the sea on the western fringe of the Glasgow area. His family ran a garage and motor business, and it was there, rather than at school, that the young Jackie found his feet. Undiagnosed dyslexia made the classroom a place of misery and humiliation, and he left it early feeling a failure — a wound that shaped him deeply, and a condition he would only understand many years later, as an adult.
From shooting to racing
Stewart’s first sporting success came not on four wheels but with a shotgun: he became a champion clay-pigeon shooter, good enough to come close to Olympic selection. But the family garage drew him towards motor sport, and his natural talent behind the wheel was quickly obvious. He progressed rapidly through the ranks of racing, and by the mid-1960s the young Scot had earned a place in Formula One, the pinnacle of the sport, where his gifts would soon make him a star.
The Flying Scot
Racing mainly for BRM and then for Tyrrell, Stewart became the outstanding driver of his generation. Between 1965 and 1973 he won the Formula One World Championship three times — in 1969, 1971 and 1973 — and took twenty-seven Grand Prix victories, a record that stood for many years. Stylish, articulate and fiercely competitive, he was known the world over as ‘the Flying Scot’, and became one of the most famous sportsmen of his day, at home in the glamour of the international circuit.
Retirement
Stewart had quietly decided that the 1973 season would be his last, planning to bow out after a hundredth and final Grand Prix. But tragedy intervened: his young Tyrrell team-mate François Cevert was killed during practice for that very race, and a grieving Stewart withdrew, retiring one race short of the milestone. He walked away at the very top of the sport, world champion once more — and turned his formidable energy to a cause that mattered even more to him than winning.
The safety crusade
That cause was safety. In the era when Stewart raced, motor sport was horrifyingly dangerous, and drivers were killed with grim regularity. After his own near-fatal crash, trapped in a petrol-soaked car, he became the leading campaigner for change — demanding seatbelts, proper barriers, run-off areas, medical teams and fire crews. His crusade made him unpopular with many who thought danger part of the sport’s appeal, but he was utterly vindicated: the reforms he fought for have saved a great many lives, and transformed racing for good.
Business & beyond
Retirement from driving was only the start of another career. Stewart became a hugely successful businessman, ambassador and broadcaster, and in the late 1990s even returned to Formula One as a team owner, founding Stewart Grand Prix — the outfit that would later grow into a world-championship-winning team. Knighted for his services to the sport, he remained one of its most respected elder figures, as recognisable in the paddock in his tartan cap as he had ever been at the wheel.
Race Against Dementia
In later life Stewart took up his most personal cause of all. After his wife of many years, Lady Helen, was diagnosed with dementia, he founded the charity Race Against Dementia in 2016, applying the innovation and urgency of Formula One to the search for a cure. He has spoken with great candour about caring for Helen, and remains tirelessly active in the cause well into his eighties. A lifelong champion for dyslexia awareness too, the Flying Scot has never stopped racing for the things he believes in.
At a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 June 1939, Milton, Dunbartonshire |
| Overcame | Undiagnosed dyslexia |
| World titles | F1 champion 1969, 1971, 1973 |
| Grand Prix wins | Twenty-seven |
| His crusade | Motor-racing safety |
| Later founded | Race Against Dementia, 2016 |
| Known as | ‘The Flying Scot’ |
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sir Jackie Stewart?
Sir Jackie Stewart (born 1939) is a Scottish former racing driver, a three-time Formula One world champion widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He is also celebrated as a pioneering campaigner for safety in motor sport.
Where is Jackie Stewart from?
He was born in 1939 at Milton, near Dumbarton in Dunbartonshire, on the western edge of the Glasgow area where the Clyde widens towards the sea. His family ran a garage and motor business there.
How many F1 titles did Jackie Stewart win?
He won the Formula One World Championship three times, in 1969, 1971 and 1973, and took twenty-seven Grand Prix victories — a record number of wins that stood for many years after his retirement.
Why is Jackie Stewart important to motor-racing safety?
Racing in an exceptionally dangerous era, he led the campaign for seatbelts, barriers, run-off areas and proper medical provision. Though controversial at the time, his reforms transformed the sport and are credited with saving many lives.
Why is he called ‘The Flying Scot’?
The nickname reflected both his nationality and his speed at the height of his Formula One career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he was the dominant driver of his generation.
What is Race Against Dementia?
It is the charity Stewart founded in 2016, after his wife Lady Helen was diagnosed with dementia, to fund research towards a cure using the innovative, fast-moving methods of Formula One. It has become a major focus of his later life.
Did Jackie Stewart have dyslexia?
Yes. His dyslexia went undiagnosed throughout his schooldays, making the classroom a source of humiliation and leaving him feeling a failure. He was only diagnosed as an adult, and has since been a prominent campaigner for dyslexia awareness.