Photo by Raimund Kommer

Walking around Vaison-la-Romain, I came across a car park named after the talented French motor racing driving, François Cevert. Francois Cervert (or to give his full name, Albert François Cevert Goldenberg), raced in Formula 1 from 1970 until 1973 with the Tyrrell team as team mate to Jackie Stewart. Stewart had raced against him in a Formula 2 race in 1969 and was so impressed that when the second driver position suddenly became vacant in the team during the 1970 F1 season, Jackie Stewart recommended to Ken Tyrrell, the team owner, to hire Cevert.

Cevert took part in 46 Grand Prix, but only won one. However, he was racing against Jackie Stewart, who was probably the most talented driver of the early 1970s and very difficult to beat in an identical car. By 1973, Stewart was on course to take his third world championship, but Cevert was running him closer and closer. When Stewart decided that he would announce his retirement at the end of the season, it was agreed with Ken Tyrrell that Cevert would take over as team leader in 1974. Apart from Tyrrell, no one, including his Stewart's wife or Cevert, knew about his impending retirement.

Unfortunately, Cevert was killed during qualifying for the US Grand Prix of 1973. .

It seems odd that a car park should be named after Cevert, because driving a racing car as fast as posssible is as far from parking a car as one can be in motoring terms.

Later on, I came across a public toilet named after Cevert...., which I find totally inappropriate.