Just read this so thought I would share - THE BRITS AT FERRARI In 2025 we once again see a Briton in a Ferrari on Grand Prix grids as Sir Lewis Hamilton takes up his drive for the Scuderia. This gives us an opportunity to look back at the other Brits who have taken to the track for the Prancing Horse. PETER WHITEHEAD was an early adopter, indeed before the official World Championship started. In 1949 Peter Whitehead, who was, as many drivers were in those days, a privateer of ‘independent means’, bought a Ferrari 125 (#24 in our images) direct from the factory. The car was very much a private entry and ran in British Racing Green. REG PARNELL ran a modified Ferrari 375 for the fledgling Vandervell Products team that would evolve into the Championship winning Vanwall team. The car ran in 1951 and was also painted green and was named the ‘Thinwall Special’ by its British owners. Despite having a very Italian-sounding name, ROY SALVADORI was very much a ‘Brit’. He scrapes onto this list having only once driven a Ferrari, in this case a 500, #14 in our picture, in a Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1952 The first truly successful British born Ferrari driver was, of course, MIKE HAWTHORN. He actually had two spells at the Ferrari team, once in 1953-4 and then in 1957-8, which gave him his World Championship. He is shown here in car #6 in his 1958 Championship year. Hawthorn’s great friend and team mate PETER COLLINS was at the Scuderia from 1956 until his death at the Nurburgring in 1958. Collins was liked by everyone on the Grand Prix grid and many thought in spite of being as fast as anyone, he lacked the ‘killer instinct’ needed to win a championship. He is seen in the 1958 246 carrying #1. Most people who were around at the time will tell you that, on his day, TONY BROOKS was as fast as anyone. He was utterly fearless, as victories at the ultra-fast tracks such as AVUS, Nurburgring and Spa demonstrate. He replaced Collins and Hawthorn in 1959 and went on to a spectacular season. He is seen at Reims carrying #24. One of the lesser known British drivers who signed a Ferrari contract is CLIFF ALLISIN. He joined Ferrari in 1959, at the same time as Brooks, and also drove the ageing 246 as the rear-engine revolution gained pace. He was always there-or-there abouts but a big accident at Monaco in 1960 brought his Ferrari days to an end. After a lengthy recovery from serious injuries, he returned, to drive Lotus in single seat and sperts car races but his Ferrari days were over. JOHN SURTEES drove for Ferrari from 1963 to 1966. The ’63 car was nowhere hear as fast, relatively, as the previous Sharknose and Big John struggled in his first year. However the following year, the new car came good and Surtees won a close-fought championship.However the relationship with Ferrari management deteriorated thereafter, culminating with Surtees walking out, mid season, in 1966. Our picture shows Surtees in the white-and-blue factory car at the US GP. Enzo had fallen out with the Italian authorities and the FIA because they refused to homologate the 250LM as a GT car and had seen through his withdrawal of his cars from Formula One. Realising his mistake, the cars were entered by North American Racing Team (NART) and ran in the American national colours!. MIKE PARKES always carried the burden of being a better engineer than he was a racer – and he was a very fine racer! He drove for Ferrari for two years in 1966 and ’67 although this was a time when Ferrari always had more drivers than cars. He appears in car #4 in our gallery. A serious crash at Spa in 1967 ended his front-line career but he continued to be respected as a first rate engineer both inside our sport and beyond. Indeed Mike Parkes had a significant input into the design of the Hillman Imp! JONATHAN WILLIAMS 1967 was one of those people who suffered from Ferrari’s ruthless policy of having more drivers than cars. He had shone in lower Formulae but could not cope with the cut throat politics within the team and only drove the Mexican Grand Prix during 1967 (we show him in the spaghetti exhaust #12) although his sports car career was more successful.. DEREK BELL made two appearances for Ferrari in Formula One in 1968, very early on in his career. He was not given the machinery he deserved and, once again, Ferrari politics threatened to finish a career before it had even started, but thankfully, both in single seaters and notably sportscars, driving for other manufacturers, his talent shone through. We show Bell’s be-winged car at Monza in 1968. NIGEL MANSELL 1988-1990. Mansell was adored by the Tifosi for his aggressive, never-say-die attitude and he won his debut race for Ferrari in Mexico in ’89. However a combination of unreliability and internal politics (again!!) meant he was never entirely happy there. EDDIE IRVINE 1996-1999. Irvine was Michael Schumacher’s number two as the Scuderia really got into its greatest ever period. Indeed he challenged for the championship after Schuey’s leg-breaking accident at Silverstone before being hired by Jaguar for 2000 (which went on to become Red Bull). Our image shows him cutting the chicane in typical style at Monaco We cannot close this list without referencing OLIVER BEARMAN. Brought in at extremely short notice to replace an unwell Carlos Sainz, Bearman finished an amazing seventh in his first ever Formula One race in Saudi Arabia this year. He will be driving for the ‘Ferrari Junior Team’ at Haas in 2025 and who knows what the future holds….
In the case of Jonathan Williams and Derek Bell, they were primaraly recruited by Ferrari to race in F2, and on the promise of a move to F1 later on. Both were already successful in that category when contacted by Maranello. That was the time when Ferrari also raced in F2, as part of the agreement with FIAT to promote the Dino sharing the same engine. There were clashing dates on the calendar between the 2 championships, plus seats vacant in the endurance team, even CanAm (!), hence Ferrari needed more drivers than F1 cars. I don't know about Jonathan Williams, a Brit who raced mostly in Italy, and kept quiet about his Ferrari experience. Williams raced de Tomaso, Serenissima, drove the camera car for McQueen's Le Mans film, and retire early to become a pilot. But Derek Bell told later that signing for Ferrari in fact scuppered his chances of test drives in UK. Two British teams had shown interest in Bell, McLaren being one of them. My memory is fading, but I think Emerson Fittipaldi* was recruited from Lotus instead, to give McLaren its first title !! Derek Bell had a shortlived career in F1, but consoled himself in sportscars, where he won many races and championships. * If I am wrong about Fittipaldi forgive me, my memory is fading.
Correct. Emerson Who? scored his first victory at Watkins Glen 1971 in the Lotus 72. He was WDC the following year in the magnificent JPS liveried 72.
Actually his win at the Glen was in 1970, and it was the win that sealed the world title for the late Jochen Rindt. 1971 was kind of a learning year for Emmo, as Stewart and Tyrrell ruled the roost.
As described by J.P. Sarti to Louise in the pits at Monza on the day before the Italian G.P. in the movie "Grand Prix". It is given as the reason that Ferrari had so many drivers perish on the track, by "trying too hard" and taking risks. This may be a bit exaggerated but I don't think too far from the truth. Certainly Castellotti, de Portago and Musso were "trying too hard" when they had their fatal accidents.
Mansell was a joy to watch driving for Ferrari in 1989 and 1990. For the better ( Brazil 1989, Hungary 1989) And the worse ( Portugal 1990 Japan 1990) San Marino 1990 and Mexico 1990 were surreal !
You're right, thanks for the correction. Emmo filled Rindt's shoes. Who was the second Lotus driver, Wisell?
In 1971, yes. In 1972, Reine went to BRM and Dave Walker was #2 for most of the year but Wisell replaced him for the last two races.
