James Hunt

British racing driver

From Hesketh underdog to 1976 champion

James Hunt won a famous race for the tiny Hesketh team, then beat Niki Lauda to the 1976 title by one point in his first McLaren season.

James Hunt was born in Belmont, Surrey, England, on August 29, 1947. He started in touring cars and reached Formula Three in 1969, where he caught the eye of Lord Hesketh. The Hesketh team entered him in Formula 1 in a March chassis, and he made his debut at the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing on the podium in the Netherlands and the United States that first season.

Hesketh built its own car for 1974, and Hunt scored more podiums along with a win in the non championship BRDC International Trophy. His first championship victory followed at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix, a result still counted among the great wins by a small team. When Hesketh ran out of sponsorship at the end of that year, Hunt moved to McLaren.

His first McLaren season became one of the sport's best known title fights. Hunt won six races in 1976 and took the championship by a single point from Niki Lauda. He won three more races in 1977, though unreliability left him fifth in the standings. After a winless 1978 he joined Wolf for 1979 and retired after the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix, his final start.

Our record lists 92 starts, 10 wins, 14 pole positions, 8 fastest laps and 23 podiums across seven seasons, with Hesketh, McLaren and Wolf, and the 1976 title. After racing he became a commentator and pundit for the BBC, wrote a newspaper column, and mentored the future champion Mika Häkkinen. Hunt died in 1993.

1 world titles, 10 wins, 14 pole positions, 92 starts.

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