Video: Jackie Stewart drives the March Judd 881 and declares it “very strange”

“Too uncomfortable and too cramped” was Jackie Stewart‘s summary of the Adrian Newey designed March Judd 881. Jackie was also less the complimentary about the entire concept.

He said “The car was very strange. The era of the designer seems to have appeared, because racing drivers themselves, it would seem, have not alot of say with regards to the cockpit comfort or refinement. My biggest criticism of the March was the incredible lack of space. Because Adrian Newey the designer said it had to be that way. Because aerodynamically the car had to be this narrow and this shape.”

The March 881 was Adrian Newey’s first ever Formula 1 car and it made quite an impact during the 1988 season. Driven by Italian Ivan Capelli and Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin, the car shocked the establishment, scoring 21 points in 1988, including a second place for Capelli at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix.

The aerodynamics and ultra-slim monocoque of the 881 were copied by most of the grid in 1989 and the car launched Newey as a superstar designer.