26/4/1921 - 2/6/1996
Record updated 19-Jun-20
Francois Picard began racing in 1949 and became well known for driving Ferrari sports cars. He made just one single seater appearance, the Moroccan GP in 1958, where he crashed into Oliver Gendebien's spinning Ferrari Dino 246. He sustained serious injuries and, though he recovered, he never raced again
Picard was from Nice, France, was a company director who lived on the fashionable Promenade des Anglais.
He started racing in 1949 with a Renault 4CV before switching to a Porsche with which he won the 1952 Circuit of Agadir.
In 1953 he switched to racing privately entered Ferrari's racing mainly in France and North Africa. Driving with Charles Pozzi, they won their class at both the Reims and Hyeres 12-hour races in 1954.
1954 began with victories at Agadir and Marrakesh with a works Ferrari 500 Mondial and continued with class wins in the 12-hour sports car races at Hyères and Reims. He also won the Penya Rhin Grand Prix at the Pedralbes track outside Barcelona, once again driving with Charles Pozzi.
Over the next two seasons, Picard ran a Ferrari 500 Monza, finishing on the epodium a number of times including second at the 1955 Coupe de Paris, and third in the Agadir GP and Paris 1000 Km in 1956.
He continued racing sports cars until the Moroccan GP of 1958, when he drove in his first, and only, single-seater race in Rob Walker's Cooper T43 Climax in the Formula 2 class. The unlucky Picard crashed into Gendebien's spinning Ferrari Dino 246, caused by oil spilled from Tony Brooks's expiring Vanwall. He sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital by helicopter. His injuries left him incapacitated for six months. He recovered, but he never raced again. He retired to his native Riviera where he died three days after his 75th birthday.
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