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After his sensational Formula 2 appearances, Jochen Rindt had driven for Cooper in Formula 1 for three years and had achieved astonishing results with the overweight T81 Maserati V12 design. For the 1968 season, the Austrian switched to Brabham. For the first time their new BT26 chassis was no longer based on a classic tubular frame. The Repco V8 engine was the final development stage of the Australian V8 with a new four-valve head and four camshafts. 390 hp at 9,000 rpm was a real statement, but this higher power output made the high-bred unit extremely prone to failure.
With Jim Clark and Jo Schlesser, Formula 1 had already lost two big names in accidents by mid-1968. From today's perspective, it is therefore unimaginable that the 1968 German Grand Prix even got underway, as there was thick fog and constant rain. Rindt described the Nürburgring Nordschleife as "difficult to drive, easy to die on". In the laundry-like fog of the Green Hell, Jackie Stewart in the Matra seemed to race on a different planet. Graham Hill in the Lotus and Jochen Rindt in the Brabham were over four minutes behind at the chequered flag. After four more retirements, Rindt switched to Lotus for 1969.