Jacques-Henri Laffite (born November 21, 1943) is a French former racing driver who raced in Formula 1 from 1974 to 1986. He has a total of six Grand Prix wins and 26 additional podiums. Lafitte is notably the most successful Formula 1 driver in Ligier’s history.
Frank Williams Racing Cars
Laffite made his Formula 1 debut with the Frank Williams-owned ISO-Marlboro team at the 1974 German Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the season. The French driver stayed with team, then renamed as Williams, for 1975 and scored his first Formula 1 podium with a second place finish at the Nürburgring.
Ligier
From 1976 until 1982, Laffite drove for Ligier with mixed results. He scored all six of his wins and most of his podiums during these years, but also never managed to finish higher than fourth overall. Laffite ended his first stint with the French team down in 17th in the drivers’ standings.
Return to Williams
Laffite returned to race for Williams for the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Frank’s team was by then operating as Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and no longer the original team that Walter Wolf had taken over and rebranded in 1977. The French driver was unable to regain his form during these years, only scoring points on a total of eight occasions with a best finish of fourth.
Return to Liger
Laffite spent his final two seasons in Formula 1 back with Ligier, and added five more podium finishes to his career totals. He broke both of his legs in a career-ending crash at the 1986 British Grand Prix.
Arpiem
French microbrand Arpiem has partnered with Laffite along with fellow French drivers Patrick Bernardini, Eric Helary, Jean Pierre Jarier, and Yvan Muller. The Arpiem Tribute TJL “Jacques Laffite” chronograph was released in 2022, followed by two versions of the Tribute TJL 2 “Jacques Laffite” in 2024. All three models had a limited run of 300 pieces each.
Related Pages
References
https://www.arpiem.fr/en/driversclub
https://www.automotivpress.fr/arpiem-presente-sa-nouvelle-collection-2022/
https://www.automotivpress.fr/retromobile-2024-nouveautes-horlogeres-arpiem-et-chopard/