Pedro Rodríguez wins at Spa as Brabham leads the 1970 F1 title race

When Formula 1 arrived at Spa-Francorchamps in June 1970, Jack Brabham held the championship lead, but Pedro Rodríguez’s BRM victory came on the eve of a sequence that would transform Jochen Rindt’s title challenge

Formula 1 cars sweep through Spa-Francorchamps during the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix

LAT IMAGES

June 29, 2026

June 7, 1970
Spa-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium

By F1’s Round 4 at Spa in 1970, Jack Brabham was at the top of the standings with eventual title winner Jochen Rindt trailing by six points in third. Race victor was BRM’s Pedro Rodríguez; the next time a Mexican won a world championship GP was Sergio Pérez at Sakhir in 2020. Rindt didn’t finish; but he’d win the next four outings.