Jochen Mass

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born and raised in Bavaria, Mass made appearances in Formula Super Vee, Formula Three, and European Formula Two throughout his early career. He finished runner-up in the latter in 1973, having already taken victory at the 24 Hours of Spa alongside Hans-Joachim Stuck the year prior. Mass made his Formula One debut at the 1973 British Grand Prix with Surtees, making sporadic appearances before achieving a full-time seat in 1974. Mass moved to McLaren from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards, where he achieved his only race win at the curtailed 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. In his final season with McLaren in 1977, having taken several podiums with the team, Mass finished a career-best sixth in the World Drivers' Championship. After a non-classified championship finish in 1978 with ATS, Mass spent two seasons at Arrows. He was seriously injured at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix, bruising his neck and fracturing vertebrae as his Arrows A3 rolled over during practice. After a year hiatus, Mass returned in 1982 with March. Following his crash with Mauro Baldi at the 1982 French Grand Prix—only two months after his involvement in the death of Gilles Villeneuve—Mass retired from Formula One, having achieved one win, two fastest laps, and eight podiums. Outside Formula One, Mass entered 12 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1972 to 1995, winning in 1989 alongside Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens, driving the Sauber C9, as well as finishing runner-up in the World Sportscar Championship, matching his result from 1984. He also finished runner-up at Le Mans in 1982 with Porsche. Mass was the champion of the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in 1985, as well as twice finishing runner-up in Interserie, all with Joest. Mass was also a race-winner in the British Saloon Car Championship. Upon retiring from motor racing, Mass became a commentator for RTL from 1993 to 1997. Mass made frequent appearances at Goodwood events from the 1990s onwards, including the Festival of Speed and the Revival. In popular culture, Mass appeared as himself in Rush (2013).

In Their Own Story

The 1980 Austrian Grand Prix at Zeltweg remains one of the most harrowing moments of Mass's career. During practice, his Arrows A3 rolled over several times. The crash left him seriously injured, bruising his neck and fracturing vertebrae, though he was able to leave the hospital. His resilience continued into 1982. In May of that year, only two months after being involved in an incident with Gilles Villeneuve at Zolder that led to the Canadian's death, Mass faced another tragedy. At the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, his March and Mauro Baldi's Arrows touched at maximum speeds. Both cars flew off the track and through a containment fence. Mass's car hit a tyre-lined guardrail and came to rest upside down and on fire almost halfway into a spectator area. Miraculously, he escaped with only light burns. This crash convinced him to stop racing Formula One cars, leading to his retirement from the sport after just one win, two fastest laps, and eight podiums.

Reader's Guide

Jochen Mass was born on 30 September 1946 in Dorfen, Bavaria. He worked on ships of the Merchant navy after leaving school. His interest in racing started when he attended a hillclimbing race where his girlfriend worked as a steward. He then quit working on a ship and started an apprenticeship at an Alfa Romeo dealership in Mannheim. Mass participated in 114 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 14 July 1973 at the British Grand Prix. He won one GP race (1975 Spanish Grand Prix), secured no pole positions, achieved eight podiums and scored a total of 71 championship points. On 8 May 1982, Mass was involved in an incident with Gilles Villeneuve which led to the latter's death. In addition to Formula One, Mass enjoyed great success in sports car racing. In 1972, he teamed up with Hans-Joachim Stuck to drive a Ford Capri RS2600 to victory at the Spa 24 Hours. He went on to win that year's World Sportscar Championship. Mass placed second to Jean-Pierre Jarier in a Formula Two race at Nivelles in June 1973. In his first Formula One race at the 1973 British Grand Prix he was unable to complete a lap due to a multi-car collision. He completed his first Formula One race at the 1973 German Grand Prix, coming in seventh. After driving three races for Surtees in 1973, Mass secured a full-time ride with Surtees for 1974. He was unhappy with the team due to payment issues and poor car quality. At the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, a suspension part broke; Mass blamed faulty material, while John Surtees insisted Mass hit a wall. Mass refused to start the race. He continued for five more races until Surtees let him out of his contract, and Mass signed with McLaren. At the last race of the season at Watkins Glen, his replacement Helmut Koinigg died in an accident caused by suspension failure. Mass drove a McLaren-Ford to third place in the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix. Mass won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix after leader Rolf Stommelen's car hit a barrier, exploded, and catapulted into the crowd, killing four spectators and injuring twelve. The race was stopped immediately, and Mass was declared the winner. Mass was third in the 1975 French Grand Prix. Mass and Jacky Ickx teamed in a Porsche to claim victory in the Dijon Six-Hour Race. Mass won the eighth and final race of the 1976 World Sports Car Championship series. At the 1976 German Grand Prix, Mass was

Did You Know?

• Mass won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix after the race was stopped following a crash that killed four spectators.
• Mass was involved in the fatal qualifying incident with Gilles Villeneuve at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.
• Mass won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 driving a Sauber C9.
• Mass worked as a commentator for RTL from 1993 to 1997.