Jochen Mass disproved the saying that nice guys finish last. A charming man who was universally liked, the German was a race winner in Formula 1 and one of the top sportscar drivers of his generation, claiming a victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. But perhaps the German, who has died aged 78 from complications following a stroke, was indeed too nice to truly make his mark at the pinnacle of the sport during an F1 career than stretched over nine seasons and 105 starts.
Alastair Caldwell, team manager at McLaren during Mass’s three-and-a-bit-year stint, certainly thinks so. “You’d have to say in retrospect that Jochen was too nice,” he says. “He was a lovely man, affable, funny, good company and interested in other things in life than motor racing, like sailing and his yachts.”
