# Maurice Trintignant

Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (French pronunciation:; 30 October 1917 – 13 February 2005) was a French racing driver and winemaker, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1964. Trintignant won two Formula One Grands Prix across 15 seasons. In endurance racing, Trintignant won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1954 with Ferrari.
Trintignant competed in Formula One for 11 teams, winning two Grands Prix across 15 seasons. He finished fourth in the 1954 and 1955 World Drivers' Championships with Ferrari. He entered 15 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1950 to 1965, winning in 1954 alongside José Froilán González, driving the Ferrari 375 Plus, and finished runner-up in 1959.
After retiring from motor racing, Trintignant moved into the winemaking trade, owning a vineyard in Languedoc-Roussillon, where he named his vintage Le Petoulet. Trintignant's nephew, Jean-Louis, was a highly successful actor in post-World War II France.

## 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, from another celebrated racer, Jean-Pierre Wimille, of 'Le Petoulet, "the rat-droppings man".
In 1948, Trintignant suffered a very serious accident during a support race for the Swiss Grand Prix. He was thrown in the air, and landed in the middle of the race track. His heart stopped beating for one minute and 15 seconds at the hospital, and he was pronounced dead. However, he survived, and woke up after a week-long coma. He kept a very peculiar looking abdomen scar, as the surgeon stitching a large wound did it at a very irregular pace while his heart had stopped beating. For six months, he suffered from amnesia and a loss of motor skills, but he eventually made a near complete recovery. The corner at which he crashed was later named after him. His wife offered him a stuffed teddy bear during his recovery, and as a superstition, Trintignant kept it in his pocket while he was racing for the rest of his career. He returned to racing in 1949 and won a Formula Two race at the Circuit des Remparts that year.
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. Unusually for Monaco, both victories came from relatively far down the field, as Trintignant started those races from 9th and 5th respectively. 1954 and 1955 were his best Championship years and he finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship in both.
Trintignant won the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans with José Froilán González in a Ferrari 375 Plus, despite a seven minutes pitstop with one and a half hour to go, due to a faulty ignition wiring caused by the torrential rain.
Known for his conservative and reliable driving style, 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. Between 1959 and 1966, Trintignant held the record for most World Championship Grand Prix starts. Following his retirement from racing, Maurice Trintignant returned to a quiet life as a wine-grower (naming his vintage Le Petoulet), near the town of Vergèze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine growing region.
Trintignant competed in the 2000 Historic Grand Prix of Monaco, reunited with the Cooper T45 he had driven to victory there in 1958.
Trintignant died, aged 87, in 2005.

### Major career wins

* Rheinland-Pfalz Preis – 1950
* Mont Ventoux Hill Climb – 1949, 1960, 1964
* Buenos Aires Grand Prix – 1954, 1960
* Swedish Grand Prix – 1956
* RAC Tourist Trophy – 1954
* Circuit des Nations – 1950
* Moroccan Grand Prix – 1956
* Grand Prix Avignon – 1947
* Albi Grand Prix – 1951
* Grand Prix de Caen – 1952, 1954
* Grand Prix de Cadours – 1952, 1953
* Pau Grand Prix – 1958, 1959 (F2), 1962 (F1)
* Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts – 1954
* Grand Prix de Roubaix – 1952
* Grand Prix des Frontières – 1938, 1939, 1953
* 2 Hours of Dakar – 1956
* 12 Hours of Hyères – 1954
* 10 Hours of Messina – 1955
* Monaco Grand Prix – 1955, 1958
* 24 Hours of Le Mans – 1953, 1954

## Racing record
### Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Pts |
| 1950 | Equipe Gordini | Simca-Gordini T15 | Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s | GBR | MON Ret | 500 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA Ret | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1951 | Equipe Gordini | Simca-Gordini T15 | Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s | SUI DNA | 500 | BEL | FRA Ret | GBR | GER Ret | ITA DNS | ESP Ret | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1952 | Ecurie Rosier | Ferrari 166 F2 | Ferrari 166 2.0 V12 | SUI DNS | 500 | BEL | | | | | | | | | 16th | 2 |
| 1952 | Equipe Gordini | Simca-Gordini T15 | Gordini 1500 1.5 L4 | | | | FRA 5 | | | | | | | | 16th | 2 |
| 1952 | Equipe Gordini | Gordini T16 | Gordini 20 2.0 L6 | | | | | GBR Ret | GER Ret | NED 6 | ITA Ret | | | | 16th | 2 |
| 1953 | Equipe Gordini | Gordini T16 | Gordini 20 2.0 L6 | ARG 7* | 500 | NED 6 | BEL 5 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | SUI Ret | ITA 5 | | | 12th | 4 |
| 1954 | Ecurie Rosier | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 | ARG 4 | 500 | | | | | | | | | | 4th | 17 |
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 | | | BEL 2 | FRA Ret | GBR 5 | GER 3 | SUI Ret | ITA 5 | | | | 4th | 17 |
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 553 | Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 | | | | | | | | | ESP Ret | | | 4th | 17 |
| 1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | ARG 2+3† | MON 1 | 500 | | | GBR Ret | | | | | | 4th | 11 1⁄3 |
| 1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | | | | BEL 6 | NED Ret | | ITA 8 | | | | | 4th | 11 1⁄3 |
| 1956 | Vandervell Products Ltd | Vanwall VW 2 | Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 | ARG | MON Ret | 500 | BEL Ret | | GBR Ret | GER | ITA Ret | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1956 | Automobiles Bugatti | Bugatti T251 | Bugatti 2.5 L8 | | | | | FRA Ret | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 801 | Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 | ARG | MON 5 | 500 | FRA Ret | GBR 4‡ | GER | PES | ITA | | | | 13th | 5 |
| 1958 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Cooper T45 | Climax FPF 2.0 L4 | ARG | MON 1 | NED 9 | 500 | | | | GER 3 | | ITA Ret | MOR Ret | 7th | 12 |
| 1958 | Scuderia Centro Sud | Maserati 250F | Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 | | | | | BEL 7 | | | | | | | 7th | 12 |
| 1958 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P25 | BRM P25 2.5 L4 | | | | | | FRA Ret | | | | | | 7th | 12 |
| 1958 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Cooper T43 | Climax FPF 2.0 L4 | | | | | | | GBR 8 | | POR 8 | | | 7th | 12 |
| 1959 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Cooper T51 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | MON 3 | 500 | NED 8 | FRA 11 | GBR 5 | GER 4 | POR 4 | ITA 9 | USA 2 | | | 5th | 19 |
| 1960 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Cooper T51 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | ARG 3 | | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1960 | Scuderia Centro Sud | Cooper T51 | Maserati 250S 2.5 L4 | | MON Ret | 500 | NED Ret | BEL | FRA Ret | | | | USA 15 | | NC | 0 |
| 1960 | David Brown Corporation | Aston Martin DBR5 | Aston Martin RB6 2.5 L6 | | | | | | | GBR 11 | POR | ITA | | | NC | 0 |
| 1961 | Scuderia Serenissima | Cooper T51 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | MON 7 | NED | BEL Ret | FRA 13 | GBR | GER Ret | ITA 9 | USA | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1962 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Lotus 24 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | NED WD | MON Ret | BEL 8 | FRA 7 | GBR WD | GER Ret | ITA Ret | USA Ret | RSA | | | NC | 0 |
| 1963 | Reg Parnell Racing | Lola Mk4A | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | MON Ret | BEL | NED | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1963 | Reg Parnell Racing | Lotus 24 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | | | | FRA 8 | GBR | GER | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1963 | Scuderia Centro Sud | BRM P57 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | | | | | | | ITA 9 | USA | MEX | RSA | | NC | 0 |
| 1964 | Maurice Trintignant | BRM P57 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | MON Ret | NED | BEL | FRA 11 | GBR DNQ | GER 5 | AUT DNA | ITA Ret | USA | MEX | | 16th | 2 |
    * Indicates shared drive with Harry Schell
    † Indicates shared drives with José Froilán González and Giuseppe Farina (2nd place) & Giuseppe Farina and Umberto Maglioli (3rd place)
    ‡ Indicates shared drive with Peter Collins

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 1950 | Automobiles Gordini | Robert Manzon | Gordini T15S Coupé | S 3.0 | 34 | DNF (Water radiator) | DNF (Water radiator) |
| 1951 | Equipe Gordini | Jean Behra | Gordini T15S | S 1.5 | 49 | DNF (Ignition) | DNF (Ignition) |
| 1952 | Ecurie Rosier | Louis Rosier | Ferrari 340 America Spyder | S 5.0 | | DNF (Clutch) | DNF (Clutch) |
| 1953 | Automobiles Gordini | Harry Schell | Gordini T26S | S 3.0 | 293 | 6th | 1st |
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | José Froilán González | Ferrari 375 Plus | S 5.0 | 302 | 1st | 1st |
| 1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Harry Schell | Ferrari 735 LM | S 5.0 | 107 | DNF (Clutch) | DNF (Clutch) |
| 1956 | Scuderia Ferrari | Olivier Gendebien | Ferrari 625 LM Touring | S 3.0 | 293 | 3rd | 2nd |
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Olivier Gendebien | Ferrari 250 TR | S 5.0 | 109 | DNF (Piston) | DNF (Piston) |
| 1958 | David Brown Racing Dept. | Tony Brooks | Aston Martin DBR1/300 | S 3.0 | 173 | DNF (Gearbox) | DNF (Gearbox) |
| 1959 | David Brown Racing Dept. | Paul Frère | Aston Martin DBR1/300 | S 3.0 | 322 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 1960 | Porsche KG | Hans Herrmann | Porsche 718 RS 60 | S 2.0 | 57 | DNF (Piston) | DNF (Piston) |
| 1961 | Scuderia Serenissima | Carlo Maria Abate | Ferrari 250 GT SWB | GT 3.0 | 162 | DNF (Transmission) | DNF (Transmission) |
| 1962 | Maserati France | Lucien Bianchi | Maserati Tipo 151/1 | E +3.0 | 152 | DNF (Suspension) | DNF (Suspension) |
| 1964 | Maserati France | André Simon | Maserati Tipo 151/3 | P 5.0 | 99 | DNF (Electrical) | DNF (Electrical) |
| 1965 | Ford France S.A. | Guy Ligier | Ford GT40 Roadster | P 5.0 | 11 | DNF (Gearbox) | DNF (Gearbox) |

### Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 1957 | Ferrari Factory | Peter Collins | Ferrari 315 S | S5.0 | 187 | 6th | 5th |

### Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos. | Pts | Class |
| 1962 | Ford Motor Company | Ford Zodiac Mk 3 | C | SNE | GOO | AIN | SIL ? | CRY | AIN | BRH | OUL | 22nd | 6 | 3rd |
| Source: |||||||||||||||

## Trivia

* He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1960
* Was the mayor of Vergèze between 1958 and 1964.
* Was married to Louise on 10 December 1938
* Took over his father's vineyard
* On 10 October 2010 a bronze statue of a Bugatti Type 51 was unveiled in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes in his honour