Charismatic, intelligent and superbly gifted behind the wheel, Jackie Stewart is commonly accepted as one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history and one of its most colourful and recognisable characters. In a career that lasted just eight years, from 1965-1973, Stewart would rack up 3 World Championship titles while also setting numerous records across the sport.

Stewart was born in West Dumbartonshire, Scotland in 1939 and quickly gained an interest in cars through the influence of his father, who owned a Jaguar showroom and was himself a talented amateur racing driver. His school record was blighted by dyslexia (then not the identifiable disease it is today) and he dropped out at the age of 16 to concentrate on sports. Stewart excelled at clay pigeon shooting and skeet shooting but it was racing that really took his fancy and, after doing a few test laps at the request of one of his father's customers, Stewart quickly began to rise through the Formula ranks.

His debut in Formula 3 was remarkable, as the young driver (as part of the Tyrell team) took the race with a 44 minute lead. He was quickly offered a contract to race in Formula 1 and in 1964 he made his debut in the big leagues racing for Lotus. He impressed in his first season, finishing in third position in the championship. After signing back to Tyrell Stewart began taking home the championship, which he did three times in 5 years in 1969, 1971 and 1973. During these seasons Stewart defined himself by his incredible ability to dominate and control the entire field during a race. He frequently finished laps ahead of the competition and established the record for most driver wins (27) which would not be broken for nearly 20 years.

Stewart retired at the end of the 1973 season, exhausted by his busy racing schedule (he raced in Can-Am during the off season) and increasingly fearful of the safety risks involved in his sport. The latter reason has seen Stewart become a great advocate for increased safety in Formula 1 and he is credited as one of the driving forces behind many of the improved regulations which made it a safer sport in the coming decades.