Matra recital

Jean-Pierre Beltoise (Matra MS9), in torrential rain, outpaced the Ferrari 312s of Chris Amon (who started from pole position) and Jacky Ickx who qualified sixth, and soared to an excellent second place at the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix, run on the Zandvoort circuit.

However, it was his teammate Jackie Stewart, starting from fifth on the grid in his Matra-Ford, who dominated the race, finishing more than a minute and a half ahead of Beltoise and a full lap ahead of Pedro Rodriguez and his BRM. Historic: this was the first Formula 1 victory for a French manufacturer.

Ken Tyrrell was therefore present in Formula 1 thanks to a joint-venture between Tyrrell Racing and the manufacturer Matra, and had poached the Scotsman Jackie Stewart (photo here-under on his way to victory), who had shown great promise in 1967 at BRM. The beginning of a formidable partnership.