Elite Traveler July-August 2016

HIS LAST RACE AS A DRIVERWAS IN 1973, BUT VISIT THE FORMULA 1 PADDOCK TODAY AND YOU'LL SPOT THE MAN SPORTING A TARTAN HAT AND TROUSERS. SIR JACKIE STEWART IS AS MUCH A PRESENCE ON THE CIRCUIT NOWAS HEWAS IN HIS HEYDAY – AND THE SPORT IS RICHER FOR IT Sir Jackie Stewart is in his element. Walking the Formula 1 (F1) paddock on the morning of the Monaco Grand Prix he stops to greet someone every five or six steps. There’s a smile and a word for everyone and the occasional flourish of a pen to sign a book or photograph. But this is not the scene captured in Roman Polanski’s 1971 documentary Weekend of a Champion , as Jackie Stewart and his wife walk from hotel to pit lane. Forty five years later, in 2016, people are just as pleased to see him. Although, this being the modern F1 paddock, there are fewer people waving things to sign. Sir Jackie still commands tremendous respect among the F1 family. He jokes with most of the people he meets, and if some jokes are old repeats, no one seems to mind. More telling is that in this age of restricted access, where necks are usually weighed down by lanyards bulging with VIP passes, Sir Jackie floats above such details. The trademark tartan trousers and hat, along with an instantly recognizable face makes for the ultimate access-all-areas pass. It’s also noticeable that in this corporate era, there remains a family feel to the F1 paddock. It may be a dysfunctional, ultra-competitive family, fueled by petty rivalries and fabulous wealth, but it’s a family just the same. Which makes Sir Jackie everybody’s favorite uncle.

A WEEKEND WITH A CHAMPION

Words Richard Cree Portraits Alex Wallace