The 1970 South African Grand Prix, formally titled the Fourth AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: Vierde AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix), was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on 7 March 1970. It was race 1 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was also the 14th and last Formula One victory for triple world champion Jack Brabham, and at age 43, was the last driver to win a Formula One race over the age of 40 until Nigel Mansell at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.
Two time World Champion and five time Monaco Grand Prix winner Graham Hill, driving a Lotus 49C for Rob Walker, made his return to racing after a life-threatening crash in the 1969 United States Grand Prix. Despite extensive knee surgery that left Hill with minimal mobility, he finished sixth. Hill rated this achievement as among his finest. After the race, he could not get out of the car by himself and had to be lifted out.Graham Hill: Driven Documentary, BBC4, 2011, 43:57
Qualifying
Qualifying classification Pos No Driver Constructor TeamTime Gap 1 1 Jackie Stewart March-FordTyrrell Racing Organisation1:19.3 2 15 Chris Amon March-FordMarch Engineering1:19.3 - 3 12 Jack Brabham Brabham-FordMotor Racing Developments Ltd 1:19.6 +0.3 4 9 Jochen Rindt Lotus-FordGold Leaf Team Lotus1:19.9 +0.6 5 17 Jacky Ickx FerrariScuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC1:20.0 +0.7 6 6 Denny Hulme McLaren-FordBruce McLaren Motor Racing1:20.1 +0.8 7 7 John Surtees McLaren-FordTeam Surtees1:20.2 +0.9 8 3 Jean-Pierre Beltoise MatraEquipe Matra Elf1:20.2 +0.9 9 16 Jo Siffert March-FordMarch Engineering1:20.2 +0.910 5 Bruce McLaren McLaren-FordBruce McLaren Motor Racing1:20.3 +1.011 8 Mario Andretti March-FordSTP Corporation1:20.5 +1.212 19 Jackie Oliver BRMOwen Racing Organisation1:20.9 +1.613 25 Dave Charlton Lotus-FordScuderia Scribante1:20.9 +1.614 10 John Miles Lotus-FordGold Leaf Team Lotus1:21.0 +1.715 14 Rolf Stommelen Brabham-FordAuto Motor Und Sport1:21.2 +1.916 20 Pedro Rodríguez BRMOwen Racing Organisation1:21.3 +2.017 2 Johnny Servoz-Gavin March-FordTyrrell Racing Organisation1:21.4 +2.118 4 Henri Pescarolo MatraEquipe Matra Elf1:21.5 +2.219 11 Graham Hill Lotus-FordRob Walker Racing Team1:21.6 +2.320 22 Piers Courage De Tomaso-FordFrank Williams Racing Cars1:22.0 +2.721 24 Peter de Klerk Brabham-FordTeam Gunston1:22.7 +3.422 23 John Love Lotus-FordTeam Gunston1:23.1 +3.823 21 George Eaton BRMOwen Racing Organisation1:24.6 +5.3
Classification Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 12 Jack Brabham Brabham-Ford 80 1:49:34.6 3 9 2 6 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 80 +8.1 6 6 3 1 Jackie Stewart March-Ford 80 +17.1 1 4 4 3 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra 80 +1:13.1 8 3 5 10 John Miles Lotus-Ford 79 +1 lap 14 2 6 11 Graham Hill Lotus-Ford 79 +1 lap 19 1 7 4 Henri Pescarolo Matra 78 +2 laps 18 8 23 John Love Lotus-Ford 78 +2 laps 22 9 20 Pedro Rodríguez BRM 76 +4 laps 16 10 16 Jo Siffert March-Ford 75 +5 laps 9 11 24 Peter de Klerk Brabham-Ford 75 +5 laps 21 12 25 Dave Charlton Lotus-Ford 73 Engine 13 13 9 Jochen Rindt Lotus-Ford 72 Engine 4 17 Jacky Ickx Ferrari 60 Engine 5 7 John Surtees McLaren-Ford 60 Engine 7 21 George Eaton BRM 58 Engine 23 2 Johnny Servoz-Gavin March-Ford 57 Engine 17 5 Bruce McLaren McLaren-Ford 39 Engine 10 22 Piers Courage De Tomaso-Ford 39 Accident 20 8 Mario Andretti March-Ford 26 Overheating 11 14 Rolf Stommelen Brabham-Ford 23 Engine 15 19 Jackie Oliver BRM 22 Gearbox 12 15 Chris Amon March-Ford 14 Overheating 2 11 Brian Redman Lotus-Ford Car raced by Graham Hill
Championship standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Jack Brabham 9 2 Denny Hulme 6 3 Jackie Stewart 4 4 Jean-Pierre Beltoise 3 5 John Miles 2Source:
Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Brabham-Ford 9 2 McLaren-Ford 6 3 March-Ford 4 4 Matra 3 5 Lotus-Ford 2Source:
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
This race marked the 50th podium finish for a New Zealand driver. This was Formula One World Championship debut for British constructor March. It also was their first pole position and podium finish. This was the third win of a South African Grand Prix by a Ford-powered car. It broke the old record set by Coventry Climax at the 1965 South African Grand Prix.
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