23rd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing
Briton
Jackie Stewart
won the first of his three championships.
The
1969 Formula One season
was the 23rd season of the
FIA
's
Formula One
motor racing. It featured the 20th
World Championship of Drivers
, the 12th
International Cup for F1 Manufacturers
and four non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 1 March and 19 October 1969.
British
driver
Jackie Stewart
, driving a
Matra
-
Ford
Cosworth
, won more than half of the races and claimed his first Drivers' Championship.
[1]
The
Matra team
, led by
Ken Tyrrell
, also took home the Manufacturers' Cup.
[2]
This would be the only title for a chassis built in
France
and the only one for a
privateer
.
Teams and drivers
[
edit
]
The following
teams
and
drivers
competed in the 1969
World Championship
.
Entrant
|
Constructor
|
Chassis
|
Engine
|
Tyre
|
Driver
|
Rounds
|
Gold Leaf Team Lotus
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
49B
63
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
F
|
Graham Hill
|
1?10
|
Jochen Rindt
|
1?2, 4?11
|
Mario Andretti
|
1, 7, 10
|
Richard Attwood
|
3
|
John Miles
|
5?6, 8?9, 11
|
Rob Walker/Jack Durlacher Racing Team
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
49B
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
F
|
Jo Siffert
|
All
|
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing
|
McLaren
-
Ford
|
M7A
M7B
M7C
M9A
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
G
|
Denny Hulme
|
All
|
Bruce McLaren
|
All
|
Derek Bell
|
6
|
Matra International
|
Matra
-
Ford
|
MS10
MS80
MS84
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
D
|
Jackie Stewart
|
All
|
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
|
All
|
Johnny Servoz-Gavin
|
9?11
|
MS7
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Johnny Servoz-Gavin
|
7
|
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
North American Racing Team
|
Ferrari
|
312/68
312/69
|
Ferrari
255C 3.0
V12
|
F
|
Chris Amon
|
1?6
|
Pedro Rodriguez
|
6, 8?11
|
Tino Brambilla
|
8
|
Owen Racing Organisation
|
BRM
|
P138
P133
P139
|
BRM
P101 3.0
V12
BRM
P142 3.0
V12
|
D
|
John Surtees
|
1?4, 6?11
|
Jackie Oliver
|
1?4, 6?11
|
Bill Brack
|
9
|
George Eaton
|
10?11
|
Reg Parnell Racing
|
BRM
|
P126
|
BRM
P101 3.0
V12
|
G
|
Pedro Rodriguez
|
1?3
|
Motor Racing Developments Ltd
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT26A
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
G
|
Jack Brabham
|
1?4, 8?11
|
Jacky Ickx
|
All
|
Team Gunston
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
49
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
D
|
John Love
|
1
|
Brabham
-
Repco
|
BT24
|
Repco 620 3.0 V8
|
F
|
Sam Tingle
|
1
|
Team Lawson
|
McLaren
-
Ford
|
M7A
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
D
|
Basil van Rooyen
|
1
|
Jack Holme
|
Brabham
-
Repco
|
BT20
|
Repco 620 3.0 V8
|
G
|
Peter de Klerk
|
1
|
Frank Williams Racing Cars
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT26A
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
D
|
Piers Courage
|
2?11
|
BT30
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Richard Attwood
|
7
|
Antique Automobiles
|
Cooper
-
Maserati
|
T86
|
Maserati
10/F1 3.0
V12
|
G
|
Vic Elford
|
3
|
McLaren
-
Ford
|
M7B
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
4?7
|
Silvio Moser Racing Team
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT24
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
G
|
Silvio Moser
|
3?5, 8?11
|
Ecurie Bonnier
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
63
49B
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
F
|
Jo Bonnier
|
6?7
|
Ahrens Racing Team
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT30
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Kurt Ahrens Jr.
|
7
|
Roy Winkelmann Racing
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
59B
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
F
|
Hans Herrmann
|
7
|
Rolf Stommelen
|
7
|
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
|
BMW
|
269
|
BMW M12/1
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Hubert Hahne
|
7
|
Gerhard Mitter
|
7
|
Dieter Quester
|
7
|
Matra Sports
|
Matra
-
Ford
|
MS7
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Henri Pescarolo
|
7
|
Tecno Racing Team
|
Tecno
-
Ford
|
TF69
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
D
|
Francois Cevert
|
7
|
Squadra Tartaruga
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT23C
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
F
|
Xavier Perrot
|
7
|
Felday Engineering Ltd
|
Brabham
-
Ford
|
BT30
|
Ford Cosworth FVA
1.6
L4
|
F
|
Peter Westbury
|
7
|
Pete Lovely Volkswagen Inc.
|
Lotus
-
Ford
|
49B
|
Ford Cosworth DFV
3.0
V8
|
F
|
Pete Lovely
|
9?11
|
Paul Seitz
|
Brabham
-
Climax
|
BT23B
|
Climax FPF 2.8 L4
|
D
|
John Cordts
|
9
|
John Maryon
|
Eagle
-
Climax
|
T1F
|
Climax FPF 2.8 L4
|
F
|
Al Pease
|
9
|
- Pink background denotes F2 entrants to the German Grand Prix.
Team and driver changes
[
edit
]
Mid-season changes
[
edit
]
Going into the second half of the season,
Chris Amon
left
Ferrari
. The
Italian
team signed
Mexican
driver
Pedro Rodriguez
from
BRM
.
Calendar
[
edit
]
Round
|
Grand Prix
|
Circuit
|
Date
|
1
|
South African Grand Prix
|
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
,
Midrand
|
1 March
|
2
|
Spanish Grand Prix
|
Montjuic circuit
,
Barcelona
|
4 May
|
3
|
Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco
,
Monte Carlo
|
18 May
|
4
|
Dutch Grand Prix
|
Circuit Zandvoort
,
Zandvoort
|
21 June
|
5
|
French Grand Prix
|
Charade Circuit
,
Clermont-Ferrand
|
6 July
|
6
|
British Grand Prix
|
Silverstone Circuit
,
Silverstone
|
19 July
|
7
|
German Grand Prix
|
Nurburgring
,
Nurburg
|
3 August
|
8
|
Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
,
Monza
|
7 September
|
9
|
Canadian Grand Prix
|
Mosport Park
,
Bowmanville
|
20 September
|
10
|
United States Grand Prix
|
Watkins Glen International
,
New York
|
5 October
|
11
|
Mexican Grand Prix
|
Magdalena Mixhuca
,
Mexico City
|
19 October
|
Calendar changes
[
edit
]
Cancelled rounds
[
edit
]
The
Belgian Grand Prix
was originally to be held on 8 June, but
Jackie Stewart
, a strong advocate for safety in Formula One, had inspected the track and demanded multiple changes to the circuit. The track owners did not grant his wishes and the drivers boycotted the Grand Prix.
[3]
[4]
Regulation changes
[
edit
]
The
McLaren M7C
with early 1969 high-position wings attached, in the
Donington Grand Prix Collection
.
Aerodynamics had been the talk of the town since last season and most teams chose to implement front and rear wings, besides the front nose spoilers which had been around a little longer.
Lotus
had pioneered movable wings, operated by a fourth pedal at the driver's feet, and their rivals had used the winter stop to implement a system of their own.
McLaren
, for example, gave their drivers a lever next to their left hand to flatten the rear wing, giving more speed on the straight, and connected the brake pedal to the wing to automatically put the wing back to its original position and add downforce for the corner.
Tyrrell
Matra
came up with an electrically-operated rear wing, automatically flattening the rear wing when fifth gear was selected.
[5]
At the beginning of the season, the wings were positioned as high as possible to generate the most
downforce
and secured on the car's suspension to push the tyres into the ground. But when the
1969 Spanish Grand Prix
featured several dramatic crashes, the
FIA
(then known as the
Commission Sportive Internationale
or
CSI
) banned all use of wings. Only the
aerofoils
on the nose were still allowed. This was suddenly decided after the first
practice
session of the
Monaco Grand Prix
.
[6]
From the next race on, wings would be allowed again, but only if there no movable parts, if they were rigidly attached to
sprung
parts of the
bodywork
(so not to the
suspension
) and fell within a certain maximum
height
and
width
. These rules were introduced for the
Dutch Grand Prix
and strictly enforced from the
French Grand Prix
on.
[6]
[7]
[8]
Championship report
[
edit
]
Rounds 1 to 4
[
edit
]
Jackie Stewart
driving his
Matra
with the pre-ban wing design
During
practice
for the
South African Grand Prix
, reigning champion
Graham Hill
broke the pedal operating the wings, while the wings themselves broke on the cars of his
Lotus
teammates
Jochen Rindt
and
Mario Andretti
. The
American
driver had noticed that, when going through a fast corner, the wing leant sideways so far that it touched the rear tyre and twisted the
struts
. Three-time World Champion
Jack Brabham
qualified
on
pole position
in the
car bearing his name
, ahead of Rindt and
1967
champion
Denny Hulme
. With
Matra
driver
Jackie Stewart
and
Ferrari
driver
Chris Amon
starting behind them, five different teams occupied the first two rows. At the start, Stewart got up to second behind Brabham, overtook the
Australian
before the end of the first lap, and then broke the lap record while still heavy on fuel. Brabham's rear wing collapsed on lap 5 and had both wings cut off in the
pits
. This allowed him to reach 283.78 km/h (176.33 mph) on the straight but made the car very unstable in the corners, and he decided to retire. Andretti inherited second place, but then retired with a
gearbox
failure, and Rindt suffered from a failing
fuel pump
. Stewart took an unchallenged victory, ahead of Hill and Hulme.
[5]
For the first time, the
Spanish Grand Prix
was run at
Montjuic circuit
(although the
street circuit
had existed since 1933). During practice, Rindt hit a stray dog and damaged his
suspension
but still managed to qualify on pole, ahead of Amon and Hill. Stewart and Brabham qualified on the second row. Only twelve drivers managed to start the race and Hill crashed out after just six laps, but Rindt led away without trouble. On lap 20, however, his rear wing collapsed while travelling 225 km/h (140 mph) and he crashed into the
Armco barrier
. He hit the wreckage of Hill's car and then overturned. He was taken into hospital and would miss the next race. Amon inherited the lead with almost 40 seconds over Stewart, until his engine blew on lap 56. While
Jacky Ickx
was in second place, his wing collapsed, necessating a pit stop, and later, his Brabham's rear
wishbone
broke, making retirement unavoidable. Once again, Stewart was unchallenged, two full laps ahead of
Bruce McLaren
and teammate
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
.
[9]
Going into the
Monaco Grand Prix
, one could have expected unified actions to control the high and fragile wings, but it took the
CSI
(
FIA
) until after the first practice was already run. In the meantime, Matra had added even more aerodynamic pieces to their cars' noses and Ferrari had implemented an
hydraulically
-controlled wing. Stewart set a lap time that looked unbeatable, but when all aerofoils and wings were banned, the FIA also scrapped all times from Thursday practice. After this reset, Stewart was again fastest and qualified on pole, ahead of Ferrari driver Amon and Matra teammate Beltoise, but all three of them retired within six laps of each other. With Brabham and Ickx failing to finish as well, Hill took an easy win, a record fifth victory in
Monaco
, ahead of
Piers Courage
, driving a Brabham for
Frank Williams Racing Cars
, and
Jo Siffert
, driving a Lotus for
Rob Walker Racing Team
.
[10]
Jackie Stewart
during the
Dutch Grand Prix
, with his
Matra
adjusted to the new rules on wings.
The ban on movable wings was still active during the
Dutch Grand Prix
, but the
CSI
now allowed aerodynamic devices if they were fixed to the bodywork (and not to the suspension) and could not move. With the regulations formulated quite loosely, though, teams provoked the Dutch
scrutineers
with some daring designs, only some of which were banned. Furthermore, Matra and Lotus introduced
four-wheel drive
cars, but only tried them out in practice. Rindt qualified on pole, with Stewart and Hill next to him, and it was the reigning champion that reached the end of the straight first. With Stewart regelated back to third, Lotus could control the race, but instead, started fighting each other, with Rindt taking the lead on lap 3, while going off track with two wheels. The
Austrian
then pulled out a ten second lead, leaving Hill vulnerable to Stewart's offense. The
Scot
moved up to second place, but in terms of pace was losing out, until Rindt suffered a
drive shaft
failure on lap 16. With the Matra let loose and free to take the win, eyes turned to the battle behind him. Siffert clinched second place with a daring move round the outside of Tarzan corner, and after Hill had to make an unforeseen pit stop, it was Amon that scored a third place for Ferrari.
[11]
In the Drivers' Championship,
Jackie Stewart
(
Matra
) was leading with 27 points, ahead of
Graham Hill
(
Lotus
) with 15 and
Jo Siffert
(Lotus) with 13. For the Manufacturers' Cup, Matra was leading the standings with 27 points, ahead of Lotus (21) and
McLaren
(15).
Rounds 5 to 8
[
edit
]
Local hero
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
driving towards his second-place finish in the
French Grand Prix
With the rules on aerodynamic devices now formalised, the
French Grand Prix
would likely show who the favourites would be for the title. And first of all, it was
Jackie Stewart
claiming
pole position
for
Matra
, ahead of
1967
champion
Denny Hulme
for
McLaren
and
Jochen Rindt
for
Lotus
. Reigning champion
Graham Hill
started down in eighth, out of just thirteen entrants. The
Lotus 63
was prepared for their
Formula Three
driver
John Miles
, giving him the honour to make the first ever start in a
four-wheel drive
Formula One
car. He did retire with a broken
fuel pump
, however, on the first lap. Stewart, meanwhile, took an easy win, with his teammate and home hero
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
finishing in second, and
Belgian
driver
Jacky Ickx
completing the podium in his
Brabham
.
[12]
During
practice
for the
British Grand Prix
, it was again Stewart who set the pace from the beginning, and he was comfortable to switch to the four-wheel drive
Matra MS84
. McLaren launched their four-wheel drive car, the
M9A-1
, while Lotus came prepared with two four-wheel drive cars, having convinced Hill to give it a try. But it was Rindt in the two-wheel drive
Lotus 49
B that gave Stewart a real run for his money: the
Austrian
came within two tenths of a second of the
Scot
, who felt another defensive lap was necessary. Going through the last corner, however, he hit a loose
kerb
and crashed backwards into the wall. Regulations at the time stated that positions on the starting grid were decided by the fastest time set in the car that actually started the race. Given that the Matra was irreparable in the time available and Stewart had to take over his teammate's car, the
stewards
took Stewart's fastest time in that car and placed him second on the grid. At the start, Rindt managed to just stay ahead and the two rivals sailed away into the distance. Sixth-starting
John Surtees
got up to third, but his
suspension
collapsed before the first lap was completed, giving the place to Hulme. Stewart took the lead on lap 6 but had to hand it back on lap 16, when the pair came across Beltoise, trying to find his feet in the MS84. Hulme retired with a faulty
ignition
, giving way to
Bruce McLaren
, who was then passed by Jacky Ickx. On lap 62, Rindt's
rear wing
collapsed and he had to
pit
. This handed Stewart his fifth win in six races, ahead of Ickx and McLaren. Rindt came home in fourth.
[13]
Jackie Stewart
had to settle for second in the
German Grand Prix
For the
German Grand Prix
, twelve
Formula Two
cars complemented the grid, and one of them,
Gerhard Mitter
, was sadly killed during practice. On the F1 grid, it was Ickx who set his first pole position of the year, ahead of Stewart and Rindt, and the Belgian made a good start.
Mario Andretti
, coming over from the
United States
to further develop the four-wheel drive Lotus, slowed down during the first lap and saw
Vic Elford
crashing into him and flying into the trees. The McLaren driver broke his arm in three places. Meanwhile, Ickx fell back to fourth place, but he made an inspired recovery to second place. He closed up and the leading pair went nose-to-tail for two full laps. Ickx made a heroic pass under braking, but locked up, and Stewart held on. On lap 6, the Brabham took the lead firmly and quickly set a lap record. He eventually took the win with a minute advantage over the championship leader. Bruce McLaren and Graham Hill finished third and fourth, respectively.
[14]
Ickx had climbed up to second place in the standings, but was looking at such a distance to Stewart, that the championship would be decided at the
Italian Grand Prix
if the Scot managed to win the race. During
qualifying
, he did not manage more than third, behind Rindt and Hulme, but overtook the
New Zealander
at the start and the Austrian later in the first lap. Ickx had to pit when his
oil pressure
dropped. The three at the front traded places a couple of times, with a group of five drivers behind them joining in the
slipstream
battle. Hill had started in ninth but was charging Stewart for the lead near the end of the race, until his drive shaft broke with four laps to go. After at least fourteen lead changes and even a lot more in the remaining points-paying positions, it was Stewart's teammate Beltoise who made a do-or-die move into the last corner of the race. He went too fast and ran wide, but hindered Rindt while doing so, which was just as good a result. The top four finished within 0.19 seconds of each other and Stewart was given the win, ahead of Rindt, Beltoise and McLaren. Ickx had retired three laps from the end when he ran out of fuel.
[15]
His sixth win of the season gave
Jackie Stewart
(
Matra
) an unsurmountable lead in the Drivers' Championship. He stood at 60 points, ahead of
Bruce McLaren
(
McLaren
) with 24 and
Jacky Ickx
(
Brabham
) with 22. Matra now also had enough to be awarded the Manufacturers' Cup with 60 points, ahead of
Lotus
with 34 and Brabham with 30.
Rounds 9 to 11
[
edit
]
After he was injured in a testing accident in June,
[16]
triple World Champion
Jack Brabham
returned to the grid for the
Canadian Grand Prix
. He would finish this season and then retire, also selling his shares of the
Brabham
team to co-founder
Ron Tauranac
. In
practice
, at least three drivers spun or crashed out on the slippery sandy surface of
Mosport
, but
Jacky Ickx
managed to
qualify
on
pole position
, five tenths ahead of the competition. It was
Jochen Rindt
, however, that took the lead into the first corner, before freshly crowned champion
Jackie Stewart
snatched it on lap 6. Behind the leaders,
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
collided with local driver
Al Pease
, who was already being lapped before a quarter of the race was run. After this, the
Canadian
was
disqualified
for "driving too slowly", the only time that has ever happened. On lap 33, Ickx overtook Stewart, but their wheels struck and they both spun. Stewart landed in a ditch and stalled his engine, but Ickx could continue to take a suddenly easy victory. Jack Brabham finished second, the
Australian
's first podium of the year, ahead of Rindt in third.
Johnny Servoz-Gavin
finished sixth, scoring the first and only ever championship point in a
four-wheel drive
Formula One car.
[17]
The
United States Grand Prix
was the penultimate round of the championship and saw Rindt take his fifth pole position of the year, ahead of
Hulme
and Stewart. Ickx started down in eighth after a hair-raising spin off the track in practice. After the start, Rindt and Stewart left the field behind and the
Scot
took the lead on lap 12, when the
Austrian
made a slight error. Rindt kept pressing, however, and was back in front on lap 21, the two already running half a lap ahead of the competition. On lap 36, Stewart's engine suffered an oil leak and he had to retire, leaving Rindt to take, after seven career podiums, his first victory.
1968
champion
Graham Hill
suffered a flat tyre and spun off. His car hit the banks and turning over, violently throwing him out of the car. Hill broke both his legs. Ickx had also retired, so there was room for some other names on the podium:
Piers Courage
was second in the
Brabham
run by
Frank Williams Racing Cars
and
1964
champion
John Surtees
was third for
BRM
.
[18]
In qualifying for the
Mexican Grand Prix
, Jack Brabham claimed pole with a new lap record. Going into his supposedly final race, the Australian had lost none of his speed, beating the old record by more than a second. Ickx and Stewart started beside him on the front row, and it was the Scot who took the lead, before Ickx took it on lap 2. Stewart then fell back a bit, with fourth-starting Hulme rising to the occasion. On lap 10, the
McLaren
passed the Brabham for the lead and sailed away. Ickx made two attempts later in the race but was unable to pass the
New Zealander
, finishing 2.5 seconds behind him. Jack Brabham finished third, Stewart fourth.
[19]
Jackie Stewart
(
Matra
) finished first in the Drivers' Championship with 63 points, ahead of
Jacky Ickx
(
Brabham
) with 37 and
Bruce McLaren
(
McLaren
) with 26. In the standings for the Manufacturers' Cup, Matra had achieved 66 points, ahead of Brabham with 49 and
Lotus
with 47.
Results and standings
[
edit
]
Grands Prix
[
edit
]
World Drivers' Championship standings
[
edit
]
Points were awarded on a 9?6?4?3?2?1 basis for the top six finishers at each Grand Prix. However, only the best five results from the first six races and the best four results from the last five races counted towards the World Championship.
|
Key
|
Colour
|
Result
|
Gold
|
Winner
|
Silver
|
Second place
|
Bronze
|
Third place
|
Green
|
Other points position
|
Blue
|
Other classified position
|
Not classified, finished (NC)
|
Purple
|
Not classified, retired (Ret)
|
Red
|
Did not qualify (DNQ)
|
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
|
Black
|
Disqualified (DSQ)
|
White
|
Did not start (DNS)
|
Race cancelled (C)
|
Blank
|
Did not practice (DNP)
|
Excluded (EX)
|
Did not arrive (DNA)
|
Withdrawn (WD)
|
Did not enter (cell empty)
|
Text formatting
|
Meaning
|
Bold
|
Pole position
|
Italics
|
Fastest lap
|
|
- 1
? Ineligible for Formula One points, because they drove with
Formula Two
cars.
Formula 2 cars occupied the positions between fifth and tenth at the German GP, but the drivers who drove these cars did not earn points for the championship. The fifth and sixth points went to the eleventh and twelfth in the race, Siffert and Beltoise.
International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings
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Points were awarded on a 9?6?4?3?2?1 basis to the first six finishers at each round, however only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. The best five results from the first six rounds and the best four results from the last five rounds were retained.
- Bold
results counted to championship totals.
Non-championship races
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Other Formula One races were held in 1969, which did not count towards the World Championship. The Madrid Grand Prix and Gold Cup were held concurrently with
Formula 5000
cars.
References
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1950s
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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