Mike Hawthorn

Nationality: British
Date of Birth-Death: 10 April 1929 - 22 January 1959
Drivers championships: 1958
Grand Prix victories: 3
Races started: 45
Pole positions: 4
Teams: Ferrari 1957 - 1958, BRM 1956, Ferrari 1953 - 1955, Cooper 1952
Mike Hawthron

Mike Hawthorn career

Mike Hawthorn was a British Grand Prix driver who won the 1958 drivers championship and had also won the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1955. Having decided to retire from motor racing, he was killed in a car accident in 1959. He was involved in the worst accident in motor racing at the 1955 Le Mans 24 hours where a crash near the pit entry led to a car flying into the grandstand killing 83 spectators. Although involved in the accident he was cleared of being at fault.

1958

Team: Ferrari
Position: 1
Points: 42
Race wins: 1
Pole positions: 4
This was his championship winning year. The first British driver to win the drivers championship. He is also one of only two drivers who have won the championship having won only one race during the season. He retired from motor racing at the end of the season.

1957

Team: Ferrari
Position: 4
Points: 13
Race wins: 0
Pole positions: 0
He returned to Ferrari for this season, though the Ferrari was not the quickest car on the grid.

1956

Team: BRM
Position: 12
Points: 4
Race wins: 0
Pole positions: 0
The BRM was late being developed and unreliable. His only points came from driving a Maserati in the first race of the season.

1955

Team: Ferrari Vanwall
Position: NC
Points: 0
Race wins: 0
Pole positions: 0
This season he competed his first two races for Vanwall before returning to Ferrari for three more races.

1954

Team: Ferrari
Position: 3
Points: 24
Race wins: 1
Pole positions: 0
A second career race victory and three second places gave him 3rd in the drivers championship.

1953

Team: Ferrari
Position: 4
Points: 19
Race wins: 1
Pole positions: 0
The Ferrari 500 proved reliable and he scored his first Formula 1 race victory in France

1952

Team: Cooper
Position: 4=
Points: 10
Race wins: 0
Pole positions: 0
This was his first season in Formula 1 with a high of 3rd in the British GP.