BURNINGRUBBER

CHARLESJENNINGS

BURNINGRUBBER

THEEXTRAORDINARYSTORYOFFORMULAONE

FirstpublishedinGreatBritainin2010byQuercus

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CONTENTS

TheAgeofMen18941958

1Pre-history2TheNewFormula3FangioI:TheReturnoftheGermans4FangioII:1956andtheNightmareofthePrancingHorse5FangioIII:TheLastWin

TheAgeofBrits1959-76

6Hawthorn,MossandtheBritishRevenge7TheyWentBacktoFront81962;Moss,Hill,Brabham:SoVeryAnglo-Saxon9JimClark,ColinChapmanandSellingYourSoul10TheTracks11TheSpanishGrandPrix,Jarama,12May196812ThatLittleScotsman:StewartandtheProblemofDeath13Hair,HotpantsandtheFirstBrazilian14AlltheWorldRacesFormulaOnebuttheCarsAreMadeinSurrey.OrThereabouts15JamesHunt:LastTrueBrit

TheAgeofBrains197793

16Turbos,Side-skirtsandActiveSuspension:TechnologyTriumphant17WhateverHappenedtotheAmericans?18Jones,PiquetandProst:TwoGorillasandaProfessor19FrankWilliamstheTeamBossasRuthlessCEO?20May,1982:GillesVilleneuve,Ferrari,AnotherEnd21TheBoredom,ParanoiaandOutrightMadnessThatIsMcLaren,ProstandSenna22WhatStrangeNamesAreThese?PartI23MansellYouAlwaysHurtTheOnesWhoSupportYouMost

TheModernAge19942009

24TheEndoftheAffair:SennasDeath25TheCurseoftheSon26TheGlobalSport27Schumacher,SennaandtheArtofTakingNoPrisoners28Ecclestone,MosleyandtheRiseoftheTechnocrats

29WhatStrangeNamesAreThese?PartII30TheBeatGoesOn31AndOn

AppendixI:GrandPrixChampionshipsAppendixII:TopTwenty-sixGrandPrixDriversbyRacesWon

BibliographyIndex

THEAGEOFMEN18941958

1PRE-HISTORY

Wearebackatthedawnoftime,thedawnofmotorracing:thenineteenthcenturytobespecific.Thisisanagewhenmotorcarsarebuilt likebaronialcoaches,whendriversdresslikearcticexplorers,and when racetracks are nothing more than the common highway: loose mixtures of mud, lightaggregate,boulders,manureandsplinteredtimber.Andwhetheryouarein thevehicleoroutof it,fearstalkstheland.Fear,orbewilderment.Themotorcarattheturnofthelastcenturywassonew,sooutlandish,that

noonemuchknewwhattodowithitundernormalconditions,letaloneincompetition.Indeed,thevery idea of getting a late-Victorian horseless carriage to last more than 20 miles without abreakdownof some sort required a leapof faith of, effectively, religious intensity.We are talkingaboutbelt-drivetransmission,hot-tubeignition,solidrubbertyres,tillersteering.Butthenewbreedofmotoristtried,anyway.Andwhere thereweremotor cars, thereweremotor races.AlthoughGottliebDaimler andKarl

Benzhadfirstperfectedtheconceptofthepetrol-enginedautomobileinGermany,itwastheFrenchwhoreallytookittotheirhearts.Renault,PanhardetLevassorandPeugeotallstartedcarproductionwithinafewyearsofthefirstworkableDaimlersandBenzes.AndtheveryfirstformallyorganisedmotoringcontestwasaFrenchaffair:theParisRouenTrialof1894,offeringaprizeof5,000francstothedriverofwhichevervehicleperformedbestoverthe78milesseparatingthetwocities.Straightforward in principle, the racewas actuallywon by an enormousDeDion steam tractor,

fuelledbyastoker,steeredbyadriveranddrawingitspassengersbehinditinaseparatelyarticulatedcarriagelikearailwaytrain.Thiswasabsolutelynotwhattheorganisershadinmind.Theywantedone of the go-ahead new internal combustion engines to win. So demonstrating the kind ofshameless expediency motor racings governing bodies were proudly to exercise on manysubsequentoccasionstheypromptlydemotedtheDeDionandawardedjointfirstprizetoaproper,petrolenginedPeugeot,whichhadmanagedanaveragespeedof11.5mph,andaPanhard.Steamcarsaside,thissetthetrend.Forthenextfewyears,motorraceswereallcity-to-city,along

unmade roads, in conditions of appalling danger and discomfort, generally starting in Paris, andwatchedbytensofthousandsofhystericalspectatorstheseseparatedfromthehurtlingmotorcarsby nothingmore than dust and thin air. They did Paris Amsterdam; ParisBerlin; ParisVienna.And,by1903,mostoftheworldwasreadyforthebigone:asprintfromParistoMadrid,boastingafieldofmorethan270cars(andmotorcycles)ofwildlyvaryingcapabilities,severalofwhichcouldreach100mphontheopenroad,andmanyofwhichweighedasmuchasaguncarriage.Unsurprisingly,theFrenchGovernmentwantedtobanit.Itwastoolong,theysaid,toodangerous,

and therewasnocrowdcontrol for theexpected twomillion spectatorsalong theroute.Theywereabsolutelyright.Attheendofthefirstday,twodrivers,oneridingmechanicandfivespectatorshadbeen killed, while scoresmore were seriously injured. The race exacted a heavy toll in shatteredlimbsandwreckedvehicles.TheeventwasabruptlystoppedatBordeaux,and thosecars thatcouldstillbemoved(onlyhalfof theoriginal field)were towedoff inshameby teamsofhorses. ItwasnamedTheRaceofDeath.MarcelRenault,brotherofthefounderofthecarcompany,wasoneofthefatalities.Clearly,abetterwayhadtobefound.Itfirstappearedin1907,atBrooklandsinSurrey.ArichcarnutcalledHughLockeKingbuiltthe

worldsfirstdedicatedracetrack,bankruptinghimselfintheprocess,butnonethelessestablishingtheconceptof anenclosed,off-roadcircuit,wherepayingpunters couldenjoyanafternoons sport in

reasonable comfort and safety. The fact that Brooklands a kind ofHomeCounties Indianapolis,monstrously simple,withbanked turns linkedbyacoupleofhead-downstraightswouldbecomeoutclassedandoutdatedalmostassoonasitopenedwasneitherherenorthere.TherealIndianapolisSpeedwaycamesoonafter, in1909,andwasahugehit.LeManspublicroads,closedofffor thedurationoftheracewasnexttoestablishitself,followed,inthe1920s,byMonza,theNrburgringandMonaco.Thelandscapewasevolving.Aswerethecars.Beforeanyoneknewit,proper,modern,(racing)carswerestartingtoappear.If

theGreatWarachievedanythingatall,itwastospeedupthedevelopmentoflight,efficient,powerunitsallthoseaeroengineswhichcameintobeingandwhichwouldgoontoinfluenceautomotiveenginedesigninpeacetime.Andthesportscarsofthe1920sand1930stestifiedtothis:Bugattis,AlfaRomeos,Sunbeams,Fiats,and, lateron, theauthentically terrifyingMercedesandAutoUnions, allusedthegrammarandvocabularybywhichwenowunderstandtheideaofthemotorcar.Unlikethepre-FirstWorldWarhorselesscarriages,thesemachineswerelight,compact,low,andhadawheelateach corner. Their engines used clever, modern alloys and higher compression ratios. Camshaftsmultiplied,andlubricationsystemsgotmoreefficient.Eventheirbrakesworked,sometimes.Infact, itwasroundaboutnowthat it started tobecomeaxiomatic that theonlyrealcompetition

carswere tobefound inContinentalEurope.Bentleyswereallwellandgoodfor theLeMans24-hourGrandPrixdEndurance,wheretheirmassiveindestructabilitygarneredthemfivewins.Butforanythingshorter,quickerandmoresinuousthanLeMans,youreallyneededamachinefromFranceorItaly,withtheirengineeringstrength-in-depthandtheirtwisty,challengingracetracksonwhichtolearnreallessonsaboutperformancemotorcars.WhenthefirstChampionshipserieswasorganised(forconstructors,only)in1925,itconsistedoffourraces(oneatIndianopolis)andwaswonbyAlfaRomeo.Thenexttwoyears,itwasBugattiwhichtookthehonours.HenrySegravebuckedthetrendbybecomingthefirstBrittowinaGrandPrixinaBritishcarin1923,inaSunbeamwhichwasreallya copyof a racingFiat.Depressingly enough, this remained the onlyGrandPrixwinby aBritishdriverinaBritishcaruntilwellaftertheSecondWorldWar.

Butwhatwas aGrand Prix, anyway?The firstmotoring event to carry the nameGrand Prix wasalmostcertainly theGrandPrixdePau,datingback to1901.TheFrench, thenenjoying theirnear-monopolyofpublicmotorracing,gave theworld the term,and itstuck.Forsomeyearsafter that,there was only one Grand Prix, and that was the LeMans Grand Prix dEndurance; but in time,GrandsPrixspreadacrosstheAtlantic(toSavannah,Ga.)andovertheAlps,toItaly.Afterwhich,theycroppedupeverywhereandanywhere.Thebiggest andmostdemanding races in thecalendaralsoacquired the titleGrandes preuves the greatest tests ofman andmachine that human ingenuitycoulddevise.Andwhoco-ordinatedallthisactivity?Initially,itwastheAssociationInternationaledesAutomobileClubsReconnus,orAIACR,whosesportingcommitteeregulatedmotorracingatGrandPrix(andother)levels,aswellasimposingstrictregulationsconcerningweightandenginesize,inaresponsible,Gallic,efforttobringordertothisnewworldofcompetition.The problemwas that, without the active consent of the carmanufacturers, therewas no order.

Sportscarmakerscameandwent,lostinterestincompetition,ranoutofcash,suddenlyemergedwithsomethingnew,butproscribed.Raceorganiserscouldntgetadecentfieldtogether if theystucktothe rulebook. So, in 1928 a new, semi-spontaneous Formule Libre effectively threw out anyrestrictionsor regulationsconcerning thecars,and, fora fewyears,a free-for-all reigned.BugattiType 35s thrashed hectically away with Alfa Romeo 8Cs, Talbots, Maserati Tipo 26s, 1-litreDelages,8-litreMercedesSSKs,inthebloodanddustofItaly,GermanyandFrancetosaynothingof such holiday destinations as Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, before the FIA the FederationInternationaledelAutomobile,astheAIACRwasnowknowngotagrip.Afterall,ifthesportwas

tobetakenatallseriously,ithadatleasttolook likeasport:withrules,regulationsandasenseoflike being pitted against like. So a new Formula came in, in 1934, limiting the weight of the car(minusdriver,tyresandfuel)to750kgbutwithnolimitonenginecapacity.On paper, this made perfect sense. It would maintain some consistency; it would tame outright

speeds;itwouldguaranteecloserracingandmoreimpressivefields.And,likesomanybrightideasfrom the FIA, it was immediately used for an end quite different from that imagined by itsoriginators.Thenow-Nazi-sponsoredAutoUnionandMercedesconcernshadseenitallcoming.Bythemid-

1930s,theyweresplittinganannualGovernmentgrantofaroundhalfamillionReichmarksbetweenthem,andwereabout tospendmillionsmoreonmakingsomeof themostdevastatingweaponsofcompetition ever seen. And if this has a properly modern, phosphorescent glow about it, well, itshould. The Germans took a Formula which was meant to keep speeds down and ensure a levelplayingfieldandinsteadworkedaroundittomakecarssolight,powerfulandtechnologicallymind-blowingthatitwouldbeanotherthirtyyearsbeforeanythingsopotentwasseenagain.So,while thesplendidmid-1930sAlfaRomeoP3could turnoutaround250bhpandreachover

140mph,Mercedescarsat theheightofthemadnesswererunningonanappallingmixtureofmethylalcoholandnitro-benzol,turnedoutnearly600bhp,andcouldreach200mph.Theywerealsousingultralightalloysforthebodyworkandwerephysicallyasfullofholesasastringvest,inordertocomeinunderthemagic750kgweightlimit:addinglightness,asthetechniciansputit,reachingfortheirdrillbitsandtakinganotherchunkoutoftherearsuspensionlinks.In1937,HermannLangwonanon-Championship raceat theAvus racetrack,nearBerlin, at anaverage speedof over 160mph,clinginglikeoneofthedamnedtothewheelofaMercedesW125.

What kind of supermen other than Lang drove these things? There was the great RudolfCarraciola(onelegshorterthantheotherastheresultofanaccident;hiswifekilledbyanavalanche,forGodssake,whilehewasconvalescing); thenervelessanddoomedBerndRosemeyer,oneofahandful of people who could control the rear-enginedAuto Unions; the hedonistic Achille Varzi;Jean-PierreWimille,wholaterjoinedtheFrenchResistance;andTazioNuvolari.And its the name Nuvolari which still stops the traffic. Anyone racing in the 1930s was, by

definition,bothfearlessandharderthansteel.QuiteapartfromtheGermanteamdrivers,thereweremanyothersGiuseppeCampari,LouisChiron,Philippetancelin, tonamebut threewhowereheroes,withoutquestion,intheirAlfas,MaseratisandBugattis.ButtheslightlybuiltNuvolariwasnotonly brave, successful, terribly fast, and instantly recognisable, with his odd, lean, goblinishappearance,asifhejustbeencuredinatannery:hewasindomitableepicallyso.EnzoFerrariknewNuvolariwell,andspentsometimeridingroundasuccessionofcornerswith

him in the 1930s.He noticedwith amixture of horror anddeep admiration that,whenever a bendpresenteditself,Taziodidnotlifthisfootfromtheaccelerator,andthat,infact,hekeptitflatonthe floor.Thepoint being thatNuvolariwas physically incapable of slowingdown; and regardedcornersmerelyasopportunitiestoexplorenewhorizonsintyreadhesion,ortorunempiricaltestsonthephysicsofhiscar ssuspension.Compoundingthiswasthefactthatpainwasmeaninglesstohim.HedroveinoneGrandPrixwith

hisleginplaster.Hedroveinanotherwithseveralbrokenribs.Astimewentby,hecoughedsohardin thecockpit (his lungsrackedbyyearsofexhaust fumesand terribleweather) thathespatblood.Nothingeverstoppedhim,exceptthephysicaldisintegrationofthecar.FerdinandPorschecalledhimthegreatestdriverofthepast,thepresent,andthefuture.HewasknownastheFlyingMantuan,andhisracingmascotwasatortoise.And, inJuly1935,hebeatbothMercedesandAutoUnionat theNrburgring,drivingabynow

hopelesslyoutdatedScuderiaFerrariAlfaRomeoP3andfollowingabotchedpitstop.Givingawayaround70bhp to theGermancarsandperforming in frontofapredictablynationalisticcrowdof300,000,henonethelessstarted fromthe front rowof thegrid, forcedhiswaybetweenRosemeyer(Auto Union) and Carraciola (Mercedes) at around the halfway mark, and then came in for fuel,anticipatingausefulscrapinthesecondpartoftherace.Atthispoint,thefueldeliverypumpintheAlfapitsbrokedown. Insteadof the fuel comingout fast, underpressure, it had tobedecantedbyhand,fromchurns,themechanicsstrainingandcursing.Ittookovertwominutes.BythetimeNuvolaricameoutagain,hewasdowninsixthplace,withtheGermanslonggone.So

theredmistcamedown.HedidthefirsteverlaproundtheRinginunderelevenminutes.Thenhestartedtocloseinonthenewleader,ManfredvonBrauchitschdrivingaMercedeschewingtwentysecondsalapoutofhislead.Itwasadriveborderingonthemaniacal;butMercedeswerepointedlyrelaxedaboutthewholething.Afterall,atthestartofthelastlap,vonBrauchitschwaswelloverhalfaminuteahead,withenoughfueltogethimroundandnosuggestionofmechanicalproblemswithhisW25.ButNuvolariwasnt just driving out of his skin: hewas using low cunning, too, havingmadesuretoputharder-wearingtyresontheAlfathanvonBrauchitschhadputonhisMercedes,thusprovidinghimselfwithanessentialmarginofdestructibilityashethrashedtheAlfaroundthetrack.Von Brauchitsch was now able to see the Alfa in the distance, absurd but unshakeable, like

somethingoutofacartoon,buthekepthisfootdown,hangingonforthefinalminutesoftherace.Yes, he was knownwith derisive indulgence as die Pechvogel the Unlucky Bird thanks to hiscapacityforlosingracesthatheoughttohavewon,butthisonewasasnearasdammitinthebag,itwashisforthetaking.Thenhewatchedinhorrorashisreartyres,shreddedbyhardracing,Germanenginepower,asoftercompound,andNuvolarisremorselesspressure,simplyfelltopieces,leavinghimintears,rollingalongonhiswheelrimsat40mphandlettingNuvolarithroughtowhathasbeencalledTheGreatestVictoryOfAllTime.The crowd were baffled and astonished. At first there was deathly silence, according to

MotorSport, and then the innate sportsmanship [sic] of the Germans triumphed over theirastonishment.Nuvolariwasgivenawonderful reception.AdolfHitlerwas in thecrowd,however,andKorpsfhrerAdolfHunnlein, representing the ThirdReich, tore up his speech and refused tohaveanythingtodowithNuvolarisvictoryappearanceontherostrum.SomeonedugoutashabbyoldItalianflagandhungitup.TherewasnoItaliannationalanthemtoplay,untilNuvolaripointedoutthat he always carried with him a gramophone record of the Marcia Reale and that they werewelcometoputiton.Whichtheydid.Afterwards,ofcourse, theAutoUnionsandMercedesreassertedthemselves.Intheyearsleading

up to the Second World War, the Germans ruthlessly swapped titles Auto Union taking theChampionship in 36,Mercedes in 37and 38notonly fixingnewstandardsof teamefficiency,engineeringthoroughnessandcollectivewilltowin,butalsoputtingonadisplayattheBritishGPatDoningtonParkin1937thatappalledandmesmerisedeveryonewhosawit.Itwas the first time theGermanshadbeenseen inEngland.Racingagainsta fieldofdiminutive

ERAs (English Racing Automobiles) and a few forlornMaseratis, theMercedes and Auto Unionteamstoretheplaceapartnotleastwhentheyfireduptheirengines,likefighterpilots,onlysecondsbefore thestart, and revealed to thegreatBritishpublic that theMercedessuperchargedstraight-8salonewerelouderthantherestofthefieldputtogether.Itwasadeclarationofnakedintent.AndwhileNuvolarismagisterialNrburgringdriveof1935wasapieceofpure,timeless,sportingtheatre,theMercedesandAutoUnionteamsofthelate1930sweresomethingelse.Theyweretheshapeofthingstocome.

2THENEWFORMULA

How soon after a global cataclysm such as the SecondWorldWar is it acceptable to start motorracingagain?Lessthanayear,turnsouttobetheanswer.Therewasindeedaseasonin1946,wonbyRaymond Sommer in aMaserati, with prewar figures such as Ascari, Chiron,Wimille all seeingsomequite livelyaction,drivinganassortmentofscroungedandreconstitutedpre-warmachinesAlfas and Maseratis, mostly. The Germans, quite apart from being financially devastated, werebanned on account of theirNazi past. TheBritishwere still digging themselves out of the rubble,althoughafewERAsflewtheflag.TheFrenchdrovesomeTalbotsandtheoddDelage.Inevitably things were makeshift, but some fun was had, nevertheless, over the next few years.

MonacoandReimsgotafairbitofuse;Jean-PierreWimillethrashedafieldofthirtyentrantsatSpa-Francorchamps in 1947; Toulo deGraffenried (a Swiss national) won the BritishGrand Prix atSilverstonein1949,latermakingaturnasastuntdoubleforKirkDouglas;therewererationingandendless shortagesofmaterial andparts; therewas an elementof survivors guilt, just as therehadbeeninthe1920s.And then the modern world arrived at the beginning of 1950. It was in that year that the FIA

properlyreconstitutedGrandPrixmotorracing,puttingtheworldsdifferencestoonesidebymeansofwholesome competitive track competition.Whywas the 1950 season heralded as a new dawn?Because itwas themomentwhen thenewFormulaOnecame intobeing thegreat-granddaddyoftodaysFormula, thestructuresupportingandcontrollingmotor racingat thehighest level.And in1950therulesboileddown,essentially,tothis:acarcouldhaveanormallyaspiratedengineofupto4,500cc,orasuperchargedoneof1,500cc;andtherewasnoweightlimit.Atthesametime,FormulaTwo emerged a cheaper, aspirational Formula, for 2,000-cc unsupercharged and 500-ccsuperchargedcars.Therewasorder,andtherewererules.Therewasalsoa fairlyskimpycalendarofsixEuropeanGrandsPrixBritish,Monaco,Swiss,

Belgian,FrenchandItaliancontestedbyamish-mashof thirteenteamswitharoundthirtydriverswilling to take part, the whole thing bulked out by another sixteen entirely optional non-Championshipracestokeepeveryoneshandin.Theseoddballevents(theBritishEmpireTrophy;theGrand Prix de Paris; the Gran Premio de Penya Rhin) happened at places like Albi, Goodwood,Pescara,Bari,andevenJersey,anislandbarelylargeenoughtohavemotortrafficofanysort.Notthattheywerealltobesneeredat.Some(especiallythosesponsoredbyanewspaper)offeredgoodprize money; many of them drew the top drivers, however out-of-the-way they might have been.Thereweresixteennon-Championshipeventsin1950;overthirtyby1952.

The usual suspects turned up, whether Championship contenders or not. There were Alfa Romeo(who would have taken the 1950 Constructors Championship had there been one), along withMaserati, thenew-lookFerrariteam,plus,inevitably,afewlimpingTalbotsandacoupleofwonkyERAs.NinoFarina(whotookthe1950DriversChampionship),plusrisingstarsJuanManuelFangioandAlbertoAscari,weretheheadlineacts,assistedbystalwarttrierssuchasMauriceTrintignantandRegParnell.Everythingwentaboutaswellasitcould,giventhefactthatmuchofEuropestilllayinruins,andthattheNurembergTrialshadonlyjustfinished.Theonlyrealodditycame,perhapsunsurprisingly,fromtheBritishintheformofBritishRacing

Motors(BRM),whosearrivalonthescenenowappearssobizarreastobealmostdream-likeinitsstrangeness.OtherBritish-basedconstructorsMcLaren,Williams,Lotuswould,years later,get

intothehabitofpickingofftitleslikeripecherries.ButBRM,thefirstofthetrueBritconstructors,went about things the hard way, almost as an article of faith. For them, it was all about pain andhumiliation.Theteamwasactuallystartedbypre-warracerRaymondMays,who,inthe1930s,hadheadedthe

ERA racing quipe and had even competed in the 1935 German Grand Prix, along with TazioNuvolari.Mayswaskeenonteamswiththree-letternamesand,allegedly,womensclothing.Itwassaidthatheoftenracedinaspotofeye-liner,whilerelaxingathomeinsomethingfetchinginpolkadots. The motoring press habitually referred to him as immaculately dressed and elegant. Hismotherwasa formidablepresencearound theplace,onceseendisinfectingasalooncarwithFLITafterPeterBerthonswifehad justgotoutof it BerthonbeingMays long-termbusinesspartnerand,possibly,morethanthat.Accordingtooneauthority,Somedidsuspectthathewasconductingan affairwithMays himself, a situationwhich led tomuch barely stifled hilarity among the teammechanics.Lifestyleorientationnotwithstanding,MayswasseethingattheroutinedominationofGrandPrix

racing by foreign teams. ERA had done its best with the modest resources at hand, but the factremainedthatitwastheItaliansandGermanswhohadenjoyedtwogenerationsofnear-supremacyatthehighest levelofcompetition.Now itwas time toputanend to those terribledecadesofBritishunderachievement. BRM was formed in 1945 and quickly became a national prestige project,attractingtheinvolvementof100engineeringcompanies,aswellasaneleven-manmaincommittee,a production committee, a finance committee and a publicity committee. Rolls-Royce werecommissionedtodesignanewkindoftwo-stagesuperchargerforafabulousenginetobebuiltunderthenewFormula:a1,500-ccsuperchargedV16ofstaggeringcomplexity,whosepistonswerethesizeofeggcups,which(intheory)revvedupto12,000rpmandwhich(intheory)produced600bhpjustlikethemonstrouspre-warMercedesW125,butwithone-thirdtheenginecapacity.Well,therivalFerrari125andtheMaserati4CLTbothhadsimilarlyexquisitesuperchargedV12s,

andbothhadachievedsomeracingsuccess,so theBRMschemewasperhapsnotasderangedas itmightatfirstseem.Itmerelyrequiredthesingle-mindedadditionofathirdasmanycylindersagainastheItalianshadmanaged,intoanengineofthesamecapacity.IneveryonesimaginationitwouldthenbeequivalenttoputtingaCanberrabomberinafieldfullofoldLancasters,especiallyoncethethingwasletoutontothetrackandpittedagainsttheFerraris,Masersand,bestofall,thunderousoldAlfa Romeo 158s (which had been around, in one form or another, since 1938). Even AlfredNeubauer,thefearedpre-warMercedesteamleader,cametothefactoryandcalledthecaroneofthefinestdesignsIhaveeverseen.ItwasactuallybeingbuiltinabigshedroundthebackofRaymondMayshomeinLincolnshire,

previouslyabilletfortheParachuteRegimentandsocoldinwinterthatthedraughtsmenhadtowearspecialaviatorsglovestokeeptheirfingersmoving.Things came together incredibly slowly. Simply making the components within the required

toleranceswasbadenough:Itnearlydroveusallmadwithfrustration,saidMays.Then,whenthecarwasdrivenonthetrack,itshreddeditstyresonaccountofthepowerchurningoutoftheV16;itbadlyburneditsdrivers,thankstoamisplacedexhaust;itsprayedthemwithhotoil;itbrokedown.Worse: it hadbeen fiveyears in themaking, andnow theBritishpublicwanted to see thedamn

thingperform.The1950BritishGrandPrix, theverystartof thenewFormulaOne, the firstgreatraceofthepost-warera,wasthelaunchpad.IttookplaceatSilverstone,anoldbomberairfieldtartedupwithsomestandsandafewprefabpits.ThebignamesFangio,LouisChiron,Farina,Philippetancelinwereallthere.GeorgeVIandQueenElizabethturnedup.TheBRMwasnursedoutofitstransporter.Whathappened?Thecarwassofarfrombeingreadythatthemechanicscouldntevengetittorunonallcylinders.TensofthousandsofspectatorssawtheBRMtotterontothetrack,give

a brief demonstration run with Mays at the wheel and go home. Amazingly, they cheered andapplauded,leavingFarinatowintheactualraceinanAlfa.ThatwasinMay.ByAugust,theDailyExpressInternationalTrophyloomed,andthecarnowhadtodosomething

thatatleastresembledracing,notmerelybecausetheDailyExpresshadproducedanhystericalsixty-two-pagebookletaboutwhatitthrillinglycalledthe150,000car .TheInternationalTrophydidntcount towards either the Drivers or Constructors championships; but it was a proper race, wellattendedandofferingbetterprizemoneythan theBritishGrandPrix.TwoBRMswereentered,butonlyonemadeitontothegridandattheback,havingmissedpracticeduetotechnicalproblems.RaymondSommer,thewell-wornFrenchacewhohadbeenhiredfortheevent,satinthelime-greencar,watchedtheflagfall,droppedtheclutch.TheBRMskippedforwardfiveinches, likeafatmanbeingjabbedwithastick,andstopped.Thedriveshaftshadbroken.This time, boos and jeers broke out. People tossed pennies into the cockpit. Blooming Rotten

Motor ,saidtheNewsChronicle,simultaneouslycapitalisingbothontheExpresssover-investmentinthe project and the British love of self-flagellation. A week later, Nino Farina won the WorldChampionshipforAlfaRomeo.Theoldordercarriedon,asbefore.Noneofushaslostfaithinthecarinanyway,wroteMays,notlongafter.Destinyhaddifferent

ideas.TwoBRMsstruggledthroughtheBritishGPof1951.Oneactuallyscoredacoupleofpoints.ThentheFIAchangedtherulesofthenewFormula(notleastbecauseAlfaRomeohaddroppedoutofcompetition),deciding that the fanswould see larger fields (fieldsofany size, indeed) if the raceswere run according to Formula Two rules that is, with cars powered by unsupercharged 2-litreengines. A world entirely filled with cars running to F2 specifications in both the F1 and F2Championships came into being;while theBRMbecame ineligible, overnight.And, in 1952, poorRaymondMays,deliciouslyturnedoutasever,foundthatSirAlfredOwen,hisprincipalbacker,hadfinally lost patience with him and taken control of the organisation. The fact that Maserati weresimilarlystuffedbythisrulechange(Ferrari,asitturnedout,hadthatseason,andthenext,almosttothemselves)madenodifferencetothehaplessMaysfate.Andnooneintheirrightmindwouldhavepredicted that theBrits, fifteen years later, would have become the pre-eminent car designers andbuilders.Itwasa terrible, spectaculardream,and,dream-like, thesinglemost lasting thingabout theV16

BRMisitsmostephemeralcharacteristicitssound:afuriouslyresonant,bowel-looseninghowl,anoise so frightful in1950 that it physically intimidatedotherdrivers, andwhichhasbeen lovinglypreservedinarchiverecordingsbyGPfanseversince.

3FANGIOI:THERETURNOFTHEGERMANS

WhenAlfredNeubauer called in onRaymondMays, back at the start of the 1950s, the new-look,rebuiltMercedesteamwasstilladullrumour,anervousanticipationoftheprewaryears.Mayswasflatteredbytheassociation,butnotnecessarilyscaredbyit.By1954,however,BRMwerestillnowhere,whereaseveryoneknewwhatMercedeswerecapable

of:whichwasjustaboutanything.InthespaceofafewyearstheyhadgottothepointwheretheyhadexceptionalGrandPrixcars;theyhadsomeofthebestdriversifnotthebestintheworld;theyhadmoneybehindthem(althoughnotlimitlessMercedeswerestillgettingbackontheirfeet,afterthewar);theyhadorganisation;andtheyhadateammanagerwhosename,eventoday,inspiresakindofnervousawe.Theywereproperlycontemporary:andNeubauerwastheirman.

Hehadmadehisreputationinthe1930s,corrallingthelikesofVonBrauchitsch,Carraciola,Fagioli,makingsurethateverythingwasjustthewaytheywanted.Heyelled(abull-likebellow,apparently)atpeoplewhogotintheway,muscledhisoutsizedformaroundthetrackandthepitsorsometimesjuststoodthere, immobileandhugeina tent-likeraincoat,acollectionofstopwatchesslungroundhis neck. To the outsideworld, hewas a predictableGerman bully; to the drivers, hewas like amotherhenwithherchicks,even taking ituponhimself to standouton thegridatzerohourandreassuringly perform his own version of the official starting signal by counting down the lastseconds5-4-3-2-1-OFFonthefingersandthumbofhisrighthand.Control,orderandorganisationwereeverything.Andyethewasrelativelysparinginhisuseof

team orders. If a driver had got a job with theMercedes team, then he was, axiomatically, goodenoughtorace,andshouldbelefttomakehisowndecisions.OnceaMercedesdriverwhicheverdriver had secured a sufficient (i.e. one-minute) lead, his teammates were not to challenge himunlessinstructedspecificallytodoso.Theexceptionwaswhentherewasaspecialtitleatstake,andmore complex ordersmight apply. Then therewould bemuch use ofNeubauer s famous red andblackflag,heldsternlyatdifferingheightstotelladrivertoslowdown/speedup/stayput.Therestofhistimewasspentdrawinguphugelycomplexseasonschedules(Mercedeswereracing

sportscarsaswellasFormulaOne)andeatingatremendousamountoffood(breakfastalonebeingastrenuousmixofryebread,Bolognasausage,teaandJamaicarum).Hehadageniusforthejob,andwhenMercedesreturnedtoracing,hewaseffectivelyunchangedfromtwentyyearsearlier,exceptforseveraladditionalcentimetresaroundhisvastwaistline.

The post-war cars? TheW196s were, naturally, powerful (2-litre straight-8s, fuel-injected, plusfancyvalvegear),reliable,beautifullymadeandverylow.Theylookedintenselymodernthen;stilllook it now. The team proceeded to add extra ferocity by filling these cars up with an explosivechargeofbenzol,methylalcohol,high-octanepetrol,acetoneandnitro-benzineafuelsodisgustingthat anyone who breathed the fumes for long enough got double vision, nausea and a blindingheadache.They also ran amobileworkshop from track to track aMercedes-Benz lorry, kitted outwith

weldinggear,precisiondrills,grindingequipment.Theybuilt a specialhigh-speedcar transporter,whichcouldwhiskaGPcaracrossEuropeatspeedsofover100mph.Theyhad,eventually,over270people directly involved with the racing team, obeying the orders of Alfred Neubauer and

engineering director Rudi Uhlenhaut. And as principal driver, they employed the Argentian JuanManuelFangio,whowasabouttotaketwoWorldChampionships,backtoback,andwhothoughthewasinHeaven.Throughthelonglensofhistory,itnowallseemslikeaforegoneconclusion:Fangio+Mercedes

+AlfredNeubauer=GrandPrixsupremacy.Buthow,actually,hadFangiogottothispoint?AndhowdidhebecometheunquestionablydominantGrandPrixdriverofthe1950sand,intheend,oneoftheverygreatestdriversofalltime?Onthefaceofit,hedidntlooklikemuch.Describedatthetimeasanextremelyquietchap,short,

thickset,extremelypowerful,balding,beefy,healsospokewithasurprisinglyhigh,smallvoice.HisnicknamewasElChuecoTheKnock-kneedOne.Hewasfortyyearsoldin1951,which,evenbythestandardsoftheday(FarinaandChironwereolder)wasgettingonabit.Hehadlearnedhistradebeforethewar,drivingasuccessionofterrifying,stripped-outChevvytwo-doorsinimmenselylongandgruellingSouthAmericanroadracesrallies,effectively,onunmadetracksandmountainpasses.StirlingMossclaimedthatyouhadtobemadeventoget intooneofFangioshome-builtspecials, one of these 100 mph dustbins, let alone drive it. But he did, was Argentine NationalChampionin40and41,andgotnationalfundingtotakehimacrosstoEuropein1949.He duly made his mark, winning five non-Grandes preuves in fine style. But when the Alfa

Romeoteamofferedhimacontractfor1950,Fangio,thereticentbackwoodsman,wasataloss.Thetroubleis,theysaid,wedontknowhowmuchmoneyyouwant.NeitherdidFangio.Hesignedthecontract,leftthepaymentsectionblank,handeditbacktoAlfaandsaid,Fillitinhoweveryoulike.Youputinthenoughts.Helovedtheteam,andtheteamlovedhim.Atfirst,hehadtoplaysecondfiddletoNinoFarina,

bothdrivingfairlymature,butextremelycompetitive,superchargedAlfetta158s.Farinaexponentof the stylish straight-arm driving style, lounging back in the cockpit, rather than sittingconventionallyhunchedandstrainingoverthewheelasiftryingtosnapitoffthesteeringcolumnwonthreeChampionshipraces.Fangiowonanotherthree;butFarinatookthetitlein1950,muchtoFangiosirritation.Thenextyear, though,heassertedhimselfandbecamechampionfor the first time.Farinasbest

drivingyearshadbeensquanderedduringtheSecondWorldWar,andthefieldwasopentoFangio,all of five years younger.Hewon the Swiss, French andSpanishGrands Prix, finishing each onenearlyaminuteaheadofthesecond-placeddriver.TonyRudd,oftheBRMteam,reckonedthatAlfaRomeointheearly1950s,werequiteTeutonic,actually,noItalianexcitementtheywerecalmandefficient,which suited theArgentinian down to the ground.More so, in fact, thanBRMand theircrazeddevice:whenhetriedouttheV16insomenon-Championshipraces,allhedidwascomplainabouttheimpossibilityofcontrollingitspower(Youhadtokeepitover7,000rpmallthetime,andlikealotofgear-changing)andtheautodestructivenesswhichresulted(Youcouldstripthetyresinthecourseofasinglelap).Theproblemwasthatin52AlfadroppedoutofGrandPrixracing.Fangio,driveless,twiddledhis

thumbs for half the season, then made his big mistake. At the start of September, Maseratiunexpectedly agreed to loan him a car for the ItalianGP atMonza.Desperate to race in a properGrandepreuve(hewas,afterall,indangeroffinishingtheseasonhavingscorednopointsatall),FangiofoundhimselfhavingtotravelfromLondontoItalyacrossafog-boundEurope,intwenty-fourhours,inordertogettothetrack.HavingmadeitasfarasClermont-FerrandinthemiddleofFrance (and in themiddleof thenight), hegotupbefore7 a.m.on thedayof the race, frenziedlydrove a borrowed saloon car all theway across theAlps and northern Italy and finally arrived atMonzaat2p.m.Thisgavehimjust timetoshower,changeintohisracingclothes(yellowtop,oldbluetrousers,nofancyoverallsforhim)andberacingby2.30.

By3p.m.,hewasinintensivecare,havingwreckedthecartheresultofexhaustion, traversingEuropeinadayandhavingverynearlykilledhimself.Hesufferedmultiple injuries,not leastofwhichwasabrokenneck.Theonlygoodnews,sofarashewasconcerned,wasthat,fromthestartof1952on,drivershadtowearhardcrashhelmetsasopposedtotheold-fashionedlinen(orsilk)hairprotectorsofpre-wartimes.Beforeitbecamecompulsory,Fangionoted,drily,weusedtosaythatpeopleonlyworehelmetsbecausetheywerescared.Itwasthecrashhelmetwhichstoppedhisheadbeingopeneduplikeahard-boiledegg.TherestoftheseasonwentbywithFangiosittingaboutwithacastroundhisneck,wonderingwho

his real friendswere.From thenon,hecouldonly turn fromone sideor theotherbymovinghisentire torso, like a ventriloquists dummy. The crippling headaches which used to beset him hadmysteriouslygone;buteverythingelsewaslookingbad.Ageing,squeaky,crocked-up,andmanagingonlysecond-bestin1953withMaseratiasingleGPwin,backatMonzatheOldManlookedtobein fairly terminal shape. But then he snatched his second World Championship in 1954 andeverythingstartedoffagain.

Itwasachampionsruthlessnessatwork.Fangiostarted54inaMaserati;butthemomentNeubauerofferedhimadrivewithMercedes,he took it.However lovely the1954Maserati250Fswere, theywere awfully new, and not entirely dependable. Fangios first allegiance was unquestionably tohimself,andtheprospectofaweapons-gradeMercedesW196wastoogoodtopassup.Itwasntjustthecarthatwasgood.Fangiowasstillatrulygreatdriver:adaptable,intelligent,very

precise,capableofincredibleturnsofspeed.StirlingMoss,histeam-mateatMercedes,likedtosaythat The best classroom of all time was the spot about two car-lengths behind Juan ManuelFangio.Ilearnedmoretherethananywhereelse.PeterCollins,arisingstarinthesecondhalfofthe1950s, similarlyclaimed thatFangiocould sizeupacircuit and itshazardswithalmost slide-ruleaccuracy.He was also deeply and meaningfully unsentimental, driving for four teams (Alfa, Maserati,

Mercedes andFerrari) in the space of eight years.He used his authority on and off the track (oldenoughtobefathertosomeoftheotherdrivers,andheknewit)togetwhathewanted.PooryoungCollinsgot stuffedbyFangiosautocraticneeds in1956,atMonaco,whenhewasordered tohandoverhisFerraritotheMaestro,whohadbrokenhisowncar;andthencommittedself-immolationinthe same year by volunteering his car at Monza, thus depriving himself of a win and a possibleChampionship,cedingthetitletoFangio.Iwasastoundedwhenhehandedoverhiscar,Fangiolatersaid, disingenuously, but I did not stop to argue. He even temporarily thieved Mosss then-girlfriend,SallyWeston,atsomepoint in1955,elicitingonlythemildestresponsefromthesuper-competitiveMoss:Ratherhim,Isuppose,thananyoneelse.Howmuchofhissuccesswasdowntothiskindofsheerexertionofwillpowerovernicerpeople,

suchasCollinsorStirlingMoss(EnzoFerrari,acomparablysizedegoinsunglasses,couldntstandFangioand that inscrutableexpressionmarkedby theshadowofan indefinable squintingsmile)?HowmuchofitwasdowntothefactthatinthedayswhenGrandsPrixroutinelylastedthebestpartofthreehoursFangio,battle-hardenedby1,000-kmslogsacrossthePampas,twentyyearsearlier,couldsimplykeephisstaminaandconcentrationlongerthananyoneelse?(FroilnGonzales,anotherhard-nut1950sArgentinianThePampasBulltohisfans,FatHeadtohiscolleagueswashugeandsimilarlytough,butnowherenearasconsistentlyquick.)HowmuchwasdowntoFangioslegendaryLittle Pills which wicked tongues claimed were full of cocaine, while the more respectfulreckonedweremadefromthatnativeArgentinianbooster,YerbaMat?Howmuchofitwassimplydown to the fact thathedidnt spreadhimself around in rallyingand sports car racingasmuchassomedrivers,butkepthismainenergiesforsingle-seaters,whichheknewhewasbestatdriving?

Fangio helped the enigma along by being almost excessively polite, affable, reserved. Hisreminiscences are passionately anodyne. Of his first GP win, for example, at Barcelona in 1950:WhenIleftthepitsIwasstillinthelead,andwon.Afteronesuccessfulseason,Oncebackinmygarage,withmyhandscoveredingreaseandoil,IfeltrelievedIhadriskedlettingtheglorygotomyhead,butIwasstillreallymyself.EvenbeingkidnappedbyCubanrebelsin1958byCastrosJuly26thMovement,infactwasabitofathrill,butnottoomuch.Hespentawell-manneredtwodayswithhiscaptors,wasreleased,thenwentontoappearonUStelevision,thebestbitofwhichwasthefeegeneratedbyhisnew,additional,celebrity:Theyweregoingtopaymeathousanddollarsforaten-minuteappearanceonTheEdSullivanShowalongwithJackDempsey.Hisprivatelifewas,onthesurface,justasundemonstrative,side-affairsnotwithstanding.Hemay

havehadaflingwithEvitaPern(yes),butfortwentyfairlymonogamousyearshelivedwithBebaEspinosa,abuxom,raven-tresseddivorcee(herexhadbeenapotatofarmer),withwhomhehadanillegitimateson. Inmy life,hesaid, Ihadbesidemeaverystrongwoman.Butwhen thingsgotawkward,hewalkedawayfromherjustashewalkedawayfromAlfaRomeoandFerrari:ShesaidifI didnt like beingwith her I could leave. So I left. There you go. The only thingswhichwhollyengagedhispassionswerebeinginaracingcarandwinning.Anditwasthemid-1950s,theMercedesyears, that represented an ideal state for him.Hewon sixof thenineChampionship racesof 1954(fourfortheGermanteam),thentookfouroutofthesevenracesfor1955.MosslikewisereckonedthatMercedeswereaboutasgoodasateamcouldpossiblyget.Indeed,he

neverquiterecoveredfromanearlydream-likeencounterwithaMercedesmechanicwhocameuptohimwherehehadjuststoppedhiscarintheinfieldofatesttrack,inthemiddleofnowhere,andheldoutabowlofhotwater,abarofsoapandasmalltowel,justsothatMosscouldwashawaythegrimeand brake dust. Themechanic even politely clicked his heels at the same time. Similarly,when heexpressedapreferenceforathree-spokesteeringwheelinsteadofthestandardfour-spoke,thenextday,soundlesslyandasifbymagic,athree-spokewheelhadbeenfittedtohiscar.Thiswasalso theperiodwhenMossdedicatedhimself toharing round inFangioswheeltracks,

gettingafreeeducationfromtheOldMan.Oneobservercommented,SocloselydidhetrackFangiothat from some angles, the Stuttgart team appeared to have entered an eight-wheeler. Otherwiseknownas TheTrain, thisnose-to-tailMercedescombocausedNeubauerendlessheartburn.QuiteapartfromthefactthatMosscollectedstonesandbitsoftrackflungupbyFangiosrearwheels,whatif Fangio made a mistake and took them both off the track? Juan Manuel simply did not makemistakes,wasMosssanswer.Andagain:NoonewhoeversatinaracingcarmadefewermistakesthanFangio.Quiteoften,FangioandMosswere theonly twodriverson the same lap,yoked togetherby the

brillianceoftheirdrivingandthesupercompetenceoftheircars,whileGonzalesandHawthornintheFerrariTipo625sploughedon,somewhereelseonthetrack,gettingluckyonceinawhile.Oh,andMaserati and Connaught (another early green shoot in the British flowering) similarly cobbledtogethersomewinsinthenon-Championshipraces.Otherwise,theworldsimplybowedbeforethemightoftheGermans,andthegeniusofFangio.At

the GermanGP in 54, he finished aminute and a half ahead of the joint second-place drivers Gonzales and Hawthorn, indeed, who had taken over Gonzales car halfway through the race. AtMonza,thesameyear,hewasawholelapaheadofHawthornbytheend.AttheArgentineGP,1955,Fangiowasagainaminuteandahalfaheadof thesecondplacer,Gonzales.At theBritishGP, thatyear,Mercedesmanageda1-2-3-4,cominginthreelapsaheadofHawthorn,infifth.

Howlongwouldithavegoneonlikethis?Itwasclaimedthatin1954,nofewerthan4,000applicantswroteintoMercedes,askingforaplaceintheteam.Thequipewasglazedwiththeimpossiblesheen

ofvictory:everyonewantedtobepartof it.AndaslongastheparentcompanywantedtobankrollNeubauerandUhlenhaut,itseemedthattheycouldhavegoneonindefinitely.ExceptforLeMans,June1955.Mercedeswas,ofcourse,atwo-headedmonsteratthistime,withinterestsinbothGrandPrixand

SportCarracing.ItssportscarshadalreadywonatLeMans(in1952),attheNrburgring,theMilleMiglia, the Carrera Panamericana, the Targa Florio, and would duly take the ConstructorsChampionshipin1955.Sportscarsthelegendary300SLRweremorethanjusttrophy-winners,they were good commercial publicity, feeding straight back into the road-goingMercedes sportsmodels.ForLeMans55,theGermanteamwerefieldingthewell-wornPierreLeveghandFangiohimself,

aswellasMossandKarlKling,withtheireyesonabigshowdownwithJaguar,AstonMartin,FerrariandMaserati.AnditwastherethatLeveghs300SLRclippedLanceMacklinsHealey,goingpastthepits.Leveghwasdrivinghard at the time.His car tookoff, hurled itself into the crowd, exploded.Morethaneightypeoplewerekilled:theworstaccidentinmotor-racinghistory.TheFrench,GermanandSpanishGrandsPrixwerecalledoff;theSwissbannedmotorracingoutright.Attheendoftheseason,Mercedescalledahalttotheirracingprogramme.Allthetitleswerewon;butthepricewastoohigh.Thus, for 1955, Fangio took the Argentine, Belgian, Dutch and Italian Grands Prix, plus the

Drivers Championship, and then found himself wandering into Ferraris embrace.Moss won theBritish GP at Aintree andwent, in a roundabout way, toMaserati.Mercedes Silver Arrowsweremothballed.Itwasaterriblewaytoend.Butthelegacywasthis:inthosetwoseasons,MercedeshadshownwhatamodernGrandPrixteam

could look like: well resourced, highly motivated, thorough, disciplined, properly structured,boastingtwostellardrivers,andwhollyintimidating.Justasinthelate1930s,theyhadturnedouttobeaglimpseofthefuture.

4FANGIOII:1956ANDTHENIGHTMAREOFTHEPRANCINGHORSE

Ah,butFerrari.HowdidFangioeverwinthe56Championship,giventhetrulyterriblerelationshipbetween him and theFerrari team?How, for thatmatter, didFerrari get to be in a positionwhereFangiowantedtodriveforthem?InFormulaOne,everythingheadsback,soonerorlater,tothefigureofEnzoFerrari,afigureout

ofGrandOpera;oraJohnGrishamnovel;ortheMiddleAges.Ferrariwasscary:notonlywasheneverseenwithouthisMafiaDonsunglasses,hegavetheimpressionthathemightevenweartheminbed, just to intimidate thedark.Indeed, the imageof theseigneurialEnzo,bulky,unsmiling,hyper-moody, capaciously suited, is still so familiar to say nothing of the ubiquitous Prancing HorsetrademarkthathefilchedoffanItalianAirForceaceinthe1920sthatitshardtobelievethattherewasatimebeforeFerrariexisted.In fact, just aswith Fangio, it took him awhile tobecome Ferrari. Before thewar, he ranAlfa

Romeos racing team as Scuderia Ferrari engineering components for them and acquiring ausefulknowledgeof cardesign.Hemanaged to carryonhis engineeringbusinessduring thewar,then,in1947,producedthefirstproperFerrarithe125S,aV12sports-racingcarofconsiderablepaceand flair.Thepatternwasset.Hewouldmakeandsell sportscars for thegeneralpublic,andploughtheprofitsbackintotheracingteam,establishingatidysynergywhichneitherAlfaRomeonorMaserati(tosaynothingofLotus)couldeverquitematch.Indeed,thisbalancingofpureracingwithcommercialenterprise isaproperly impressiveachievement. JaguarandMercedes, far largerconcerns,wentracinginthe1950s,likeFordinthe1960s,mainlysothattheycouldsellmoreoftheirday-to-dayproductioncars;itwasFerrariwhoreallymanagedtokeeptheconnectionbetweentrackandshowroomalive.So, in 1948, Nuvolari, who knew Ferrari from way back, drove a 166S both a racer and,

differentlyfettled,acustomersportscarintheMilleMiglia,buildingasavageleadovertherestofthefield,evenastheFerraridisintegratedaroundhim.Atonepoint,thedriver sseatcollapsed,andhecommandeeredabagoforanges tositon.Thesuspensiongaveway, themudguardsandbonnetfelloff.Atlast,thethingsimplygroundtoahalt.Welldoitagain,nextyear,Ferrarisaid.ButwhileFerraris career was just getting going the Mille being great publicity, despite the chaos Nuvolariswasallbutfinished.Theyneverdidracetogetheragain.WhatdidFerraricare?Hewasoff,now.In1949,a166MwonLeMans;FroilnGonzalesgavethe

teamitsfirstGPwinattheBritishGPof1951;in1952and1953,thefairlyfranticAlbertoAscariwonback-to-back Formula One World Championships in a Ferrari at the same time as the team wasgearinguptowintwomoreback-to-backtitlesintheWorldSportscarChampionship.Enzosroleinallthis?Moreinspirationalthanstrictlymechanical.Accordingtothegreatengineer

Aurelio Lampredi, Ferrari is a man who instils enthusiasm in those around him, but he is notechnician.Thenagain,hedidntevenbothertoinstilenthusiasmifhedidntparticularlyfeellikeit.In1951,FerrariindicatedtoaveryyoungStirlingMossthathewantedhimtodrivefortheteam,thefollowing season. It was still early days, but both Ferrari andMoss were names to conjure with.Stirlingwentall thewaytothecircuitatBari, insouthernItaly,wherethemeetinghadbeensetup,onlytobetold(byamechanic,even)thatthecarwasearmarkedforPieroTaruffiandthatStirlingwassurplustorequirements.Ididnotforget,seethedMoss,andIwouldnotforgive.WhenLuigi

Villoresi(whosebrotherhadbeenkilled inaFerrari)wontheModenaGPin52,Ferrariactuallysaidthankyou.Villoresithenadded,grimly,Thatdidnthappenveryoften.FerrariandhisScuderiasailedimplacablyon.And then, suddenly, by themid-1950s, the teamwas in a slump.TheFormula hadbeen tweaked

again from the makeshift Formula Two-style 2-litre regs to a new 2-litreunsuperchargedformulation. Firstly, this caught Ferrari on the hop with their four-cylinder Tipo 625, which justwouldnt perform properly; secondly, Mercedes-Benz had arrived. Having been comfortably incharge, Ferrari now were lucky to pick up three more GP wins, two in 54 (at Silverstone andPedralbes, in Spain), the third in 55, atMonaco. Scuderia Ferrari was nowmarked by what onemotor-racing historian has called the atmosphere of barely suppressed paranoia and the fear oftakingresponsibilitythattendedtoenveloptheteamintimesoffailure.TheCommendatorewentintoasulk,threateningtogiveupracingentirely.Thecarsremainedunsatisfactory.In1955,Ascaridiedatthewheelofa750,testingitatMonza.Theonlywayforwardwastotakeovertheremnantsof theshort-livedLanciaF1team,fitthecarswithFerrarienginesandacquiretheproblematicFangio.LuckilyforFerrari,Fangiohimselfwasfeelingthepinch.ThePernGovernmenthadjustfallenin

Argentinaandwithit,patronagefortheOldMan.Hisbusinessinterestswerecompromised,andhispersonal financeswerebeing investigatedby the incomingmilitary regime.Mercedeshaddroppedout.HeneededadriveasbadlyasFerrarineededhimtodriveforthem.ThecarFerrariofferedhimwasactually therather interestingLancia-FerrariD50,whichhadquitea lotgoingfor it, includingpannier side fuel tanks for better weight distribution and an offset engine to help keep the heightdown;italsohadsomethingsgoingagainstit,amongthemanunhealthyandvicioustendencyforthebackendtoovertakethefrontoncorners.The biggest problem, however, was the complete, intense, and mutual antipathy which existed

betweenFerrariandFangio.Theyear1956gotofftoatrickystartwhenFerrarirefusedaswashishabit to name a number one driver in the team. This disgusted Fangio. However good his fun-lovingteammatesPeterCollins,LuigiMussoandEugenioCastellottimighthavebeen,theywerenotworldchampions,norwasanyof themlikely tobecomechampion in thenext twelvemonths.StilllesswasthisanechooftheMercedesteamrulesconcerningbasicracetacticsandequalityamongdrivers.There,Fangiowasalwaysthepresumptivenumberone,anditworkedverynicelyforhim.Ferrari,ontheotherhand,simplylikedtoseehisdriversslugitout.ThefirstraceoftheseasonwasinJanuary,atBuenosAires,Fangioshomepatch.Disasterloomed

whenhis fuelpumppackeduphalfway through.FangiopromptlycommandeeredMussos car,gotback in the race, and was gifted a win when the leading Maseratis broke down. Moss then tookMonaco,inaMaserati250FevenafterFangiohadpulledrankagainbytakingoverCollinscarwhile Collins took a quiet revenge on Fangio bywinning the next two European races. This wascategoricallyhowFangiodidnotwantthings.HewonatSilverstone and theNrburgring, all right, butbynow, the seasonwas turning into a

marathonofaccusationsandcounter-accusationswiththeFerrariteam,whichdraggedonevenafterFangiohadleftindisgustforMaserati.Hisagent,MarcelloGiambertone,complainedamongotherthingsthatFerrarihadsabotagedFangiosMilleMigliacar,drillingholesinthebodyworktolettheraininratherthanout;andthatFerrarispecificallytriedtostopCollinsfromvolunteeringhiscaratMonzaagestureonCollinspartwhichhadturnedouttobefutile,anyway,giventhatMossnotonlywontherace(thelastoftheseason)butalsosetfastestlap.EventheItalianswouldstarttogetunhappylessatthewayFangiowasbeingtreated,moreatthe

rateof attrition experiencedby the rest ofFerrarisdrivers.TherewasAlbertoAscari; therewereEugenioCastellotiandLuigiMussobothteam-mateswithFangio;andtherewasFondePortago,theloveablePortuguesenobleman:allkilledbetweentheyears1955and1958,allinFerraris.Andit

wasnt just the fact that theyweredead, itwasFerraris perceived indifference to thedeathswhichreallyhurt:thewell-respectedOsservatoreRomanagoingasfarastocallFerrariamodernSaturn,aSaturnwho,althougha thoroughlyprogressivecaptainof industry, continues todevourhisownsons.TheCommendatorehimselfdidnothingtoalterthisviewand,twodecadeslater,wouldstillbecoolly advising his team, Every time a driver takes off,wewrite him off in our book.When hecomesback,itsabonus.Besides,hewasnowproducingtheroadcarsthatwouldmakehimbothahouseholdnameanda

kind of Pole Star for the next two generations of spotty boys and yearning men. From being anexpedient sideline, street-legalFerrariswerenowessential to thewholeFerrari plan.The250wasFerrarisfirstvolume-productionmodel(insofarasvolumecouldbedoneinsuchfantasticallysmallquantities)followedbythefabulous410Superamericaof1955.Dependingonthebodywork(asoftenasnot,aminorworkofartbyPininFarina)andthelevelofappointmentsinside(radios!Upholsteredseats!),thesecarsofferedakindofdrivingexperiencetosaynothingofkerbsidepresencewhichevenMaseratihadtroublematching.ZsaZsaGaborgotone;asdidWilliamHolden,RogerVadim,RobertoRossellini: that kindof person.Ferrariwasgetting to bebig, in otherwords, bigger thananyone who could possibly ever work for him, bigger than anyone who might bear a grievanceagainst him a figure of talismanic glamour, whose stunning road cars were legitimised by theGrandPrixcars;whichwere,inturn,fundedbytheroadcars.Andsoonenough,PeterCollins,quick,impossiblyhandsomeandcharming,anEnglishmanwho

spoke Italian, a surrogate son to Enzo himself (whose own son, Dino, had died by degrees frommusculardystrophy),waskilled,inaFerrari246.HedeliveredtwoGrandPrixwinsin1956,athirdin 58, at Silverstone. And then, at the Nrburgring, August 1958, he was chasing Tony BrooksVanwallwhenhis car shot off the track, throwinghim into a tree.Hedied of head injuries, a fewhourslater.Hewastwenty-sixyearsold.DidFerrarimourn?Later,hewouldsayofCollins,Hewasafinedriverandafinemanatrue

gentleman.Butatthetimehegaveeveryimpressionofbeingruthlesslyunconcerned.Why?NotleastbecauseCollinshadjustbetrayedFerrariandallthetimeandenergyhehadinvestedbymarryingaprettyyoungactresscalledLouiseCordier.Ferrarisjealouslybitterassessmentofthelovelybride?Shewas the type of girl you find in the pits.Girlswere fine (Ferrari enjoyed hearing about hisdriverswomanisings),butwiveswerebothadistractionandathreat tohisoverweeningcentrality.From themoment that Collinsmarried, he became a lesser person.Only Ferrari and his vaultingambitiontrulymattered.Itwaswithall this in theair thatFangio took the56Championshipwith threewins, twosecond

placesandfourfastestlaps(eachofwhichscoredanextrapoint)tohisacolyteMossstwowinsandonesecondplace.Theatmospherewasheavywithwoundedamour-propre.Ferrarissummationwasthat Fangiowasa reallygreatdriver,but afflictedbyapersecutionmania. Iwasnot theonlyoneagainstwhomheentertainedallkindsofsuspicions.Worseyet,Fangiodidnotremainloyaltoanymarque.Fangio,veryearnestly,toldStirlingMoss:Byallmeansdrivethecars,butnever,ever,signforFerrari.The thingwas, though, thatFerrariwas thegreatestsurvivorof themall, theonlysurvivor.Alfa

RomeohaddroppedoutofFormulaOne.Maseratiwerelookingsickly.IfyouwantedtodriveItalian,prettysoontherewouldonlybeoneteamtochoosefrom.

5FANGIOIII:THELASTWIN

TheNrburgring,somewaysouthofCologneandsetintheEifelMountains,wasoriginallybuiltinthe1920s:afourteen-mile-longcircuitwithover170corners,andsosprawlingthatadrivermightstarthisraceinbrightsunshineonlytofind,onthefarsideofthecircuit,that,insteadofitbeingapleasantsummersday,itwasactuallypitchdarkandpouringwithrain.ItcametobeknownasTheGreenHell,andonlyahandfulofdriverseverreallymasteredit,beforeitwasfinallytakenoutoftheFormulaOne calendar in the 1980s. It had terrifyingly fast stretches; stomach-turninggradients ofone in six; a banked section known as theKarussell; humps in the track that made cars take off;numerousblindspots;atremendousnumberofpinetreestosmashinto;aruinedcastleinthemiddle;andtheprobabilitythat,ifyoudidwreckyourcaroryourself,itwouldbealongtimebeforeanyonefoundyou.Driversrespectedit,fearedit, loathedit.Bythesecondhalfof the1950s, ithadalreadyclaimedthelivesofelevencompetitors,includingthefirstdeathunderthenewFormulaOneregimethatofOnofreMarimn,Fangioscompatriot, in1954.With its terrible lengthandcomplexity, itwasmoredangerouseventhanMonza.ItwasthegreatestlevellerofmenandmachinesinEurope.SowhenFangiotookhislast(andpossiblygreatest)racewin,attheNrburgringinAugust1957,

alltheelementswereinplaceforaNuvolari-stylemomentofdefinition.Hewasreallyoldbythenforty-sixagainstafieldfullofmenhalfhisage.HewasknownastheOldFox,theOldMan,theMaestro,butstillkepthiscounsel,talkingonlywhenhehadto,inhishigh,quiet,hoarsevoice.AndhehadshuffledbacktothefinanciallywheezyMaseratiquipefortheendgame,inamuch-developed250F,thecarinwhichhehadstartedhis54Championshipyear.IfAlfaRomeohadbeenTeutonic, thenMaseratiwere, by all accounts, authentically, chaotically

Italian. The three-year-old 250F, with its unsupercharged straight-6, its conventional (but sweet-handling)chassis,anditsclassicgoodlooks,wasinmanywaysthedefinitivepost-warfront-enginedmachine.But theLancia-Ferrari 801sdriven in 57byPeterCollins andMikeHawthorn, althoughequallymature,weremorepowerful, andhadmuchyoungermen todrive them.AndVanwall, thenew British hope, driven byMoss and significantly tweaked by that rising young engineer ColinChapman,wasmakingreal,worrying,progress.Fangiocouldseehisrivalscreepinguponhimastheseasonprogressed.Afteracomfortablestart

inArgentinaandMonaco,hefoundapackofFerrarisafterhimattheFrenchGP(LuigiMussotakingfastest lap), while at the BritishGP at Aintree, an increasingly fired-upMoss tookVanwalls firstChampionshipwin,withMussosFerrarisecond,Hawthornthird,andFangiooutoftheracewithablown engine. He was well placed in the Championship, all right; but there was a clear trendemerging,astheracecalendarmovedontoGermany.Thenagain,therewastheNrburgring.Fangiohimselfclaimed,backin1951,thatItsimpossible

togettoknowitallinashorttimeItisdifficulttokeepfourteenmilesinyourhead,soforthatreasonItriedtoblotfrommymindalltheslowparts.WhatyouhadtokeepinmindwerethefastbitsSince then, hedwon there twice and had got amuch clearer conception of it.And, inAugust1957, he felt, despite his own age and the increasing venerability of the Maserati, moderatelyconfident.AsmotoringjournalistRodneyWalkerleyputit,watchinghiminpractice,Fangioeruptedfromthebridgewithablastofsoundwhichwaslikeanexplosion,hisfootharddownafteraquicklift200yardsearlier,andtookthecurvewiththecarinafullslide,fightingthewheelalltheway,and

wasgonesomuchfastertotheeyethananyoneelsethatitmadeevenMikeHawthornlookslow.Whichturnedouttobethecaseforthefirsthalfoftherace.Whenhecameinforaroutinepitstop

on lap twelve, he was well in the lead, thirty seconds ahead of Collins and Hawthorn, who weretravelling more or less as a matched pair in their Ferraris, a couple of miles behind. Moss andBrooks,intheVanwalls,werenothavinggoodraces,andseemedoutofcontention.Itwaslookingpromising. But the pit stop turned into a disaster just as happened to Nuvolari in 1935. Themechanics,rigidwithnerves,bungledeverything.Thetyrechangeswenttopieces.Fangiowaitedandwaited.Bythetimeheleftthepits,hewasfifty-onesecondsbehindthetwoFerraris.So, like Nuvolari before him, he went into a kind of controlled madness. I began, he later

explained, as if anyone would believe him, to take nearly all the bends in a higher gear than Inormallywouldhavedone.Thisputhimthemanwholikedtowinasslowlyaspossibleattheabsoluteouter edge of control. It alsomeant that he shattered the lap record over and over again,bringing itdown tonineminutes. seventeenseconds.on lap twenty,with two laps togoandonlyacoupleofsecondslefttomakeupbeforehereachedCollinsandHawthorn.ThetwoFerraridrivers,meanwhile,werenotentirelyabreastofdevelopmentsandhaddecidedto

carvetheraceupbetweenthem.CollinsdrewalongsideHawthornonthestraight,Puthisthumbup,thenpointedtomewithonefingerandthenbacktohimselfwithtwo.Hewantedmetowinandwasprepared to come second himself, which I thought was a very sporting gesture, as Hawthornsubsequentlyconfessed.Acoupleofminutes laterandFangiohadnotonlychewedupbothCollinsandHawthorn,butmadeapointofgettingawayfromHawthornbeforereachingthestraightagain,Becausetherehemighthavetakenadvantageofmyslipstreamandpassedme.The Ferrarimechanics, according toWalkerley, gesticulated and tore the air, they fell on their

kneestotheirdrivers,whileintheMaseratipitsteammanagerNelloUgolinimerelysmiledathiswatch.Fangiowonbythreeseconds.HawthornandCollins,blessthem,wereecstatic,asiftheyhadbeenthewinners.Theyneverstoppedcongratulatingmeandshakingmebythehand.Theywerebothverygoodlads.PicturesafterthefinalflagshowashatteredFangiobeingbornaloftbyhisteamandbeingembracedbythe twoyoungBrits:bothofwhomwear thegleeful, incredulousexpressionofsomeonewhohasseensomethingastounding,aperformanceofscarcelyplausiblebrilliance.IbelieveonthatdayIfinallymanagedtomasterit,Fangiosaid,forgivingly,oftheRing.Hethen

wentand tookhis fifthand lastWorldChampionship.Moss,hisprotg,cleanedup in the last tworacesforVanwall,Fangiohumblycomingsecondbothtimes.Attheendof58,heretiredfromthesport,alive,inreasonablehealth,andwenttolivealifeofquietlyvirtuousindustryasanationalheroinArgentina, leavingtherestof theworldtoarguewhetherhewas,orwasnot, thegreatestGrandPrixdriverofalltime.No,henevershowedhisversatilitybywinningLeMans,ortheMilleMiglia,orIndianapolis.And

theFormulaOneseasonsinwhichheracedwereinfinitelyshorterthantodaysbetweensevenandeightmostly EuropeanGrandes preuves, spread out betweenMay and September. And the fieldscouldbeofprettyvariablequality.But the fact remains thatwith twenty-fourwinsoutof fifty-onestarts, Fangios winning percentage is unlikely ever to be beaten. And there will always be theNrburgring,5August1957.

THEAGEOFBRITS195976

6HAWTHORN,MOSSANDTHEBRITISHREVENGE

January1959, andnewworld champion,MikeHawthorn,wasbeing fted at theNationalSportingClubsDinner,inthepresenceofsuchluminariesasHenryCooper,JoeDavis,DonaldCampbellandTonyBrooks.CharlesFortepresidedandpresentedtheguestofhonourwithafinecocktailcabinet,stuffedwithliquor.Inhisacceptancespeech,Mikehopedthatsomeoftheassembledcompanywouldcomeroundinthenot-too-distantfutureandhelphimemptyit.Acoupleofdayslater22January1959andHawthornwasdead,inhisownheavilymodifiedJaguarsaloon,havinggotintoanasinineroadracewithRobWalker sMercedesontheGuildfordby-pass,wherehelostcontrolandsmashedthecarintoatree.Hewastwenty-nineyearsold.MotorracingsGayCavalier hadbeenchampionforallofthreemonths.

Itwasawretchedendtoacuriouslytangled,disjointedtwelvemonths.Yes,HawthornhadbecomethefirstBrit towin theDriversChampionship.Yes,hewas the tall,dashing, fun-lovingdaredevil thatschoolboysworshipped:sixfeettwoinchesinheight,brick-chinned,asblondasMarilynMonroeandsoveryEnglishthatheracedinwhitetrousers,agreenblousonandaspottybowtie.IfIcantdriveagreencar,hesaid,in1953,havingtakentheFerrariseat,atleastIcanwearagreenjacket.Andyes,hewasthefrontmanforasuddenBritishefflorescenceintheGrandPrixworld.After all, the1958 seasonwasFangios last.Hehad retired after theFrenchGrandPrix in July,

followinganindifferentspellwiththeoutdatedMaserati250F.Suddenly,afteryearsofwatchingElChueco relentlessly adding to his silverware collection, spectators of FormulaOne found that thefieldwaswideopen.Andwhowasmakingtherunning?Well,aninspectionofthetopfiveplacesattheendofthe1958

Drivers Championship reveals, in ascending order: Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, Tony Brooks,StirlingMossand,atthetop,MikeHawthornhimself.Thisstartlingroll-call100percentBritishisevenmoreimpressivewhenyouconsiderthat,backin1950,thedawnofthenewFormula,therewas only oneBrit in thewhole of the top ten, a solid racer called PeterWhitehead,with oldRegParnell languishing in eleventh. Stranger yet: three out of the top four car builders in theConstructorsChampionshipwerenowalsoBritish.AgenerationofdriversandconstructorshadbeenassiduouslytrainingitselfupontheDIYspecials

andclubcircuitsofGreatBritaininthedecadefollowingthewarandwasnowreapingtherewards.TonyBrooks, TheRacingDentist,had scored the firstFormulaOnewinbyaBritishdriver inaBritishcar,in1955,inaConnaught.TheonlypitywasthatitwasatSyracuse,inanon-Championshiprace.StirlingMosshadalreadybeendrivingbrilliantlyalongside (or inchesbehind)Fangio in theMercedesteam(onlyamatteroftimebeforehebecamechampion,patently)beforegettingVanwallup to speed. PeterCollinswas quick and successful, if not entirely dependable, in theV6-enginedFerrari 246. Roy Salvadori, driving a whacky rear-engined Cooper-Climax, had come a veryrespectablesecondinthe58GermanGrandPrix,behindBrooks.Inaway, itwasfortuitous thatHawthornbecamechampionatall,giventhecompetitionthatwas

stackedupbehindhim; andgiven the fact that, in his entire racing career, he only everwon threeGrands Prix. In the year of hisChampionship, hewon but one race,withMoss taking four, TonyBrooksthree.Butthen,Hawthornscareerwasalotlessblithe,sunnyandeffortlessthanitappearsatfirstsight.Considerthepresentationdrinkscabinet,socheerfullyunveiledbyCharlesFortein1959:thereis

somethingunnervingaboutit,giventhat,formuchofhisyounglife,MikeHawthornwasshitfaced,about toget shitfaced,or recovering fromhaving just been shitfaced.When stationary,he liked tohaveadrinkusuallybeerinhishand,oratleast,notfaraway.Thiswasdespiteachronickidneydisorderwhichmadeanytriptothelavatorylikepeeinggrit.Theproximityofamotorracemadenodifference.TheBritishGrandPrixof1955tookplaceat

Aintree, a3-mile circuitbuiltwithin theconfinesof the famousAintreeRacecourse, andusing thesame grandstands.Hawthorn (in a Ferrari 625) started off badly andwas soon lurching round thetrackinsuchastatethatheeventuallygotoutinmid-raceandsimplygaveupthecartoteam-mateEugenioCastellotti. Theweatherwas fantastic forAintree,Hawthornwhohadhappily raced atsummeryReimsandsultryMonzalaterassuredthepress,sunnyandextremelyhot,andIbegantofeeltheeffects,soIhandedthecarover.Sympatheticvoicesannouncedthathiskidneyswereplayingup again. But others reckoned that, so far from being a saintly valetudinarian, he was in factmassively hungover, having had a huge row with his then girlfriend (the stylishly-named MoiKenward)thenightbefore,goneout,gotsmashed,andthenhadtofacetheconsequencesatthewheelofaracingcar.Ithappenedagain,ayearlater,whenHawthornwasduetoraceatMonacoforBRM.Thiswastheir

firstappearancewithanewmachine, theP25andapropergreencarforHawthorntodrive.Youwould have thought hemight have treated the eventwith some reverence. But no. En route to thecircuit,hefoundhimselfdrunkinabrothel,inParis,withatall,equallydrunk,BRMhandcalledNeilMcNab.AccordingtoMcNab,boredomsetinand,starknaked,thepairofthemwentintosomeoftheotherroomstoseeifweweremissingoutonanygoodcrumpet.Wedjustlifttheblokeoffhistart,haveagoodlookatheranddrophimbackonagain.Aminorriotensued.McNabandHawthornescapedandmadeittoMonteCarlothenextday,whereRaymondMays(nowbackrunningtheteamhehadstarted,onbehalfofSirAlfredOwen) lookedat theblearywreckage thatwashisprincipaldriver and said, MyGod,Hawthorn what arewe going to dowith you?Notmuch: the engineturnedsour;Hawthornwasanon-starterfortheraceandwentofftorecoverinthedark.Leftaloneinthecompanyofnotoriousroister-doisterDrunkenDuncanHamiltonfamedforhis

JaguarexploitsHawthornwasevenmorevolatile.Ataround4a.m.,followingapartyafteraraceinPortugal,in1954,HawthornandHamiltondecidedwewouldchangeourbedroomfurnitureround,according to Hamilton. They opened their respective bedroom windows. Using knotted sheets Iloweredallmyfurnituredown toMikes room;he, in return,helpedmepullallhisup tomine.ApoordrunkonthesecondfloorwhochancedtolookoutofhiswindowasdawnwasbreakingwasconvincedhehadtheDTswhenalargearmchairwentby.Fast-forward to 1956, and Hamilton, Hawthorn and fellow drivers were in Sweden, having

completed a sports car race (Hawthorn, alongwithMusso,Castellotti, Portago,Collins all deadwithin twoyears) and in needof some after-track stimulation.Working as a team, the six of themstoleacrateofwhiskyfrombehindthebar.Severalhourslater,andaplasteredHamiltonhadsetoffafire hose in Hawthorns bedroom, the hose had run riot, the corridor was flooded, a similarlyplasteredHawthornhadgrabbedthehose,andsquirtedacouple(whowerehavingsex)cleanoutoftheirbed.Hamiltononlymanagedtoturnthethingoffbyattackingitwithafireaxe.Well, you could get away with that, just about, back in the mid-1950s. But if all this could be

glossed asmere youthful alcoholic high spirits (evenHawthorns dogwas calledGrogger), thereweremoreintractableproblemselsewhere.Therewas, for instance, theNational Service scandal. By 1954, Hawthornwas eligible for two

yearsintheArmedServices,thedutyofeveryable-bodiedyoungEnglishmaninthosedays.Hegotitdeferred,thenhadtofleetotheContinent,whereheskulkedforfearofbeingpinchedbytheMinistryof Defence the moment he returned to England. Questions were asked in Parliament as to why a

youngmanfitenoughtoraceFormulaOnecarswasnotablefulfilhisbasicmilitaryobligations.TheDailyMirrorsneered,Whynotcomehome,Mike?Thereisareasonablechanceyoucanstillgoonseeing theworld inaBritishuniform. It followedup thischeerlessFleetStreetsarcasmwith theheadline CATCHTHISDODGER, causingMikes father,Leslie, to try andplacate thepresswithbreast-beating interviews inwhichheblamedhimself forhissonsapparentdelinquency.The thingdraggedonuntilOctober,whenHawthornhadtohaveakidneyoperation,effectivelyrenderinghimunfitforNationalServiceonceandforall.This did nothing for his public image. At the same time, his private life was becoming just as

undulycomplex.Hawthorn(whodrivesindevil-may-carestyle,hishuskyframehunchedoverinthecrampedcockpit, according toTimemagazine)was so far inclined to takehispleasureswherehecouldthathefatheredanillegitimatechild.Whilehidingabroadtoavoidthecall-up,hehadanaffairwithadelectableFrenchwoman,JaquelineDelaunay.Thisyieldedason,Arnaud,in1954.Thechildlooked likeMike in every particular (apart, as it turned out, from being short and dark) andwasclearly his. Hawthorn then spent two years carefully avoiding this boy and all the burdensomeresponsibilitiesheincarnated,beforeMlleDelaunaycorneredhimattheFrenchGPinReims.There,sheheldup a toddler dressed indiminutivewhite trousers, green jacket andbow tie aminiatureMikebeforetheerrantfather,whocouldonlygiveinand,afterthat,makefinancialprovisionforhim.Then,backonthetrackin1955,hewascentrallyinvolvedinthecatastrophicLeManscrash.Inthe

minutesafterthedisaster,hehaggardlyinsistedtoLanceMacklintheothersurvivingdrivercaughtinthemaelstrom,whohadsetitoff,indeed,byhavingtoavoidHawthornsJaguarIkilledallthosepeople. Imreallysorry. Imcertainlynevergoing racingagain.Except thathedid, straightaway,winningtheraceforJaguar,beforedoingapromotionalfilmthefollowingyear,inwhichacamerawas lashed to his D-Type and in which he drove round the track giving a commentary whileordinarymotoristsusedthesameroad.Thetrackhadntbeenclosedoff,buttherewasMike,hurtlingpastcamionettes andprivatecars,announcing, Ivegot tobea littlecareful today,because theresquite a lot of traffic on the road, and, Theres somebody in the way cyclists everywheretypicalFrench!

Andsoon.Bythestartofthe1958season,inotherwords,Hawthornwasalongwayremovedfromthe cheeky twenty-one-year-old who drove a Riley Imp at the Brighton Speed Trials of 1950 andmadehimselfOnetoWatch.HewasnowasomewhatcompromisedandchastenedHawthornhavingtangledwithillness,controversy,injury,illegitimacy,tragedyanddrink-relatedfolly.Andhewasnothelpedbythefactthathisgreatestrival,StirlingMoss,wascomingtothetopofhisform.Hawthorn,itmustbesaid,didntcareforMoss.Sofarashewasconcerned,Mosswasaplayer,a

racerwho took it seriously, professionally,whowent racing as abusiness;whoevenhadhis ownmanager.Hawthorn, on the other hand, sawhimself as agentlemanwho did it for the love of thesport,astancewhichgavehim,ashesawit,themoraledge.Buttherewasnodoubtingwhowasthebetterdriver.Mosswas,infact,aperpetualreproachtoHawthorn.MosshadcuthisracingteethonCoopers,like

Hawthorn,andbythemid-1950swasoneoftheveryhottestpropertiesinFormulaOne.Plainly,hewas incredibly quick: he could sit onFangios tail all day if necessary and never seem to break asweatexcept,in1955,whenhehadamildrushofbloodtotheheadandnippedoverthefinishinglineattheBritishGrandPrix,halfacar slengthaheadoftheMaestro.HecopiedGiuseppeFarinasstraight-armdrivingstyle,notbecause it feltbetter (itdidnt,and tooka lotofgettingused to)butbecauseitlookedcooltherebyunnervinghiscompetitorsaswellasmakinghimselfseemspecial.Andhewasastonishinglyversatilehecouldflogaverymiddle-classSunbeamTalbottovictory

intheAlpineRally,demolishthe1955MilleMigliainaMercedes300SLR,orwintheNrburgring1,000-kmthreeyearsinsuccession,twiceinanAstonMartin,onceinaMaseratiBirdcage.Hecoulddrivewhale-likeJaguarMkVIIsinsalooncarraces,ordinkyCoopers,justastheyweremakingthebreakintoFormulaOne.NuvolariactuallyspottedMosssgeniusasfarbackas1949.Watchhim,hesaid,hewillbeoneofthegreatones.Togivehimhisdue,Hawthornwasafinesportsandsalooncardrivertoo,andwouldneverhave

gotthehotseatwithFerrariifhehadntbeenabletodrive.ButMosswasconsummate.Hewastrim,fit,super-adaptable,highlyprofessional,notagreatboozer(althoughhewasagreatskirt-chaser:Ithinkthepitsallthebetterforabitofcrumpet)andheknewtherulesbackwardsnotingthatitwasperfectlyacceptabletoplayasclosetowhatwaspermittedaswashumanlypossible,butthatcheatingwasrightout.Hewasnerveless,too;afterabigcrashatMonzain1958,hetumbledoutofthewreckofhisMaseratiandstoodtherethinking,Well,ifthisisHell,itsnotveryhot,orifitsHeaven,whyisitsodusty?Mosswasacompletedriver,andacompletelymoderndriver.HavingMossaroundwasaltogetherimperfect,andHawthorn,tohislastingdiscredit,likedtorefer

to himbehind his back asMoses a glancing reference to the fact thatMosss fatherwas Jewish.Addedtowhich,astheseasonwenton,itbecameclearthat,ifHawthorndidtakethetitle,itwouldbeasapercentageplayer,asteadyaccumulatorofpoints,ratherthanasthebow-tiedswashbucklerhisfanslikedtopainthim.Mosstooktwooutofthefirstthreeraces,whileTonyBrookstookthreeoutofthenextsix.CollinswonatSilverstonetheraceHawthornwouldhavelikedtohavewonmorethananyotherwhileatthePortugueseGrandPrix,Moss(gallinglystuffedwithusefulinformationabout the rules, and acting inpurelygentleman, rather thanplayer, fashion) gotHawthorns pointsreinstatedfollowingaminortechnicalinfringement:handinghimthetitle,asitwouldturnout,byasinglepoint.All ofwhichwould have been just about bearable, except for this: PeterCollins had died at the

Nrburgring, three weeks earlier, on 3 August. Romolo Tavoni, Ferrari team manager, escortedHawthorn to thehospital after the race: TherewasPeter, likehewas asleep.Mike tookone look,turnedandwentoutintothecorridor,whereheleanedagainstthewallandsliddowntothefloor.Hejustsatthere,sayingnothing.Ferrarimayhavescornedtoshowemotionatthetime,butHawthornwas now shattered, arriving back at London Airport in floods of tears. After all, Collins wasHawthorns special Mon Ami Mate, his better-looking, more charming alter ego, the personHawthornwouldmostliketohavebeen.Theypartiedtogether.Theyracedinthesameteam.CollinshadjustgotmarriedtoLouiseCordier,HawthornwasabouttomarrythegorgeousJeanHowarth.Itwasallgoingtocomeright.AndthenCollinswasdead.SoHawthornsteeledhimself,pickedupsomemorepointsusefulsecondplacescollectedthe

titleandretired.Hewishestogetmarriedtoabeautifulgirlanddedicatehimselftohispromisingbusinessinterests,saidEnzoFerrariindisgust.TheDukeofRichmondandGordongaveHawthornagoldmedal.StirlingMossgottheOBE.Ivehadeightyearsofracing,HawthornsaidattheNationalSportingClubsdinner,andineightyearsIvegottothetop.SoIdecidednowsthetime.HeandDuncanHamiltonweregoingintopartnership;hehadtheTouristTrophyGarageinFarnhamtokeephimbusy;companieslikeShellandMintexwerepayinghimhandsomelytoendorsetheirproducts;hewasgoingtosurvive.And then he caught sight of RobWalker s Mercedes, a Kraut car and, as such, in need of a

trouncing. Hawthorn hit the ton on the Guildford by-pass. And that was the end of Britains firstchampion.

7THEYWENTBACKTOFRONT

HawthornsChampionshipwin in 58was a big deal for theBrits, plainly.Oneof their chaps hadtakenthetitle,howevertragicthefinalchapterhadbeen.Butwhathappenedthefollowingyearwas,arguably,abiggerdeal.Tough,swarthy,AussieJackBrabhamwonhis first title, inarear-enginedcar. And not just any rear-engined car a smart little Cooper-Climax, the true descendant of asuccession of bonkers rear-enginedmidget motorbike-powered 500-cc racing cars which CharlesandJohnCooperproducedinashedinSurbiton.It was a close thing: Brabham took twowins Monaco, and the British GP at Aintree while

runner-upTonyBrooks,inaconventionallyfront-enginedFerrari,wonatReimsandtheGermanGPatAvus.ItwasBrabhamsextrapodiumplacesthatgotthejobdoneespeciallywhenyouconsiderthatStirlingMosstooktwowins(PortugalandItaly)inanotherCooper-Climax,withBruceMcLarennabbingafifth(UnitedStates)attheendoftheseasonfortheSurbitoneccentrics.BrabhamfinishedfourpointsaheadofBrooks,however,andtherestishistory

Nowadaystheonlyquestionis,whydidittakethemsolongtoturnthecarsround?Inthemid-1950s,conversely,theonlyquestionwas,howdarethey?Stickingtheengineatthebackwasnotonlyagainstnature, a perversion once attempted by the evil-handlingAutoUnions, but out of the question forseriousracing.MaseratisNelloUgolinicouldbarelycontainhisdismayatthosedreadfulhorrorstheyareproducinginEngland,whileFerrarisimplytriedtowishthemaway.TheItaliansreferredtoJohn Cooper as a garagista, which sounded even more contemptuous and threatening than theequivalentFrenchsneer,garagiste.EveninBritain,turningthecarbacktofrontprovokedunease.TheBritishVanwallteam,startedby

engineering magnate Tony Vandervell as a response to the bureaucratic flab of BRM, was, likeCooper,aportentofthingstocomeandaprettygoodoutfit,too.TheyhadColinChapmanandFrankCostinasdesigners,wontheBritishGPin57,cametopoftheConstructorstableinthesameyear(addingthePescaraandMonzaGPstotheBritish,allcourtesyofMoss).Theircarswereintelligent,fullofinterestingthoughtsonbrakes,suspension,aerodynamics,andwereverynicelyputtogether.Buttheirengineswereatthefront,andtheywerecorrespondinglybulky.Connaughtlikewiseusedtheconventionalfront-enginedlayout.EvenColinChapmansfirstGPLotuseshadtheengineaheadofthedriver.JohnCooperhimself, full ofnative self-deprecation, claimed thatmoving the engine to the rear

wasoriginallyavirtuebornofnecessity:Whenwecametomakeourfirst500-ccracer,itwasjustahell of a lotmore convenient to have the engine at the back, driving a chain. Itwasnt until theymoveduptolargermachinerythattheyrealisedthattheprincipleheldgood,empirically.Webuiltthebob-tailedsportscarinthemid-fifties,withitsengineattherear,anditwasthenthatwereallybegan to think thatwemightbeon to something.The carwas light, balanced, didntwear out itstyres:Itjustseemedsoright.Andthen,inJanuary1958,StirlingMoss(ofcourse)droveanunderpoweredCooper-ClimaxT43

tovictory in theArgentineGrandPrixwhilewaiting,as ithappened, for theVanwall thathewassupposedtodrivethatseason,tobemadeready.Theraceorganisersatfirstdidntwanttoletthecarstart; theythoughtitwasajoke.Quiteapart

fromitsdaintyproportions,itswhackylayoutanditsheterodox,curvy-tubedchassis,theCooperwaspoweredbyareinventionofafour-cylinderfire-pumppowerunit,blaggedfromCoventryClimax,

instead of being propelled by a proper, thoroughbred six-cylinder racing engine. The Climaxpowerplantwasnotonlyamongrel: itwasnearlyhalfa litresmaller thantheFerrariandMaseratiengines,gaveawayasmuchas100bhp,andlookedfitonlytorunalawnmower.Butthen,whatdoyou know,Moss drove a non-stop race, letting the little car conserve its tyres and fuel, while thesuddenly obese Italians shredded their rubber and charged into the pits for more high-octanegasoline.Moss tiptoedhomeoncanvascovers:oneofhisparadigm-shiftingdrives. MossRefutesPessimists,saidTheTimes,sagely.FinePerformanceInBritishCar.ItstemptingtoseethisimageofMossclever,professional,supercompetentatthewheelofthe

Coopersmall,light,intelligentasthemomentatwhichthemodernFormulaOneworldarrived.But one shouldnt read toomuch into it.Hehimself didnt see the rear-engine revolution coming,thatsforsure.TheVanwallwasfront-engined.Andonlyafewyearsearlier,hehadboughthimself(helped out bymoney from ShellMexBP) aMaserati 250F for the colossal sum of 5,500. Twothingsstruckhimaboutthispurchase:itwasthesamepriceasanewSpitfirefighterplanewouldhavebeen, a decade earlier; and he reckoned he could get a good couple of seasons use of it. ThingschangedallthetimeinGrandPrixracing,butnotsofastthatyoucouldntkeepup,providedyouhadagood(front-engined)car.Now,though,therewasastrangescentof insurrectionintheair.MosswonintheArgentine, the

firstwinbyarear-enginedcar inFormulaOne.MauriceTrintignant tookthenextraceatMonaco,alsoinaCooper-Climax.Thenextyear,BrabhamandMossgaveCooper-ClimaxtheConstructorsChampionship,andevenFerrarihadtopayattention.TheworldofFangioandFarinaandGonzales,realtoughguyswhosatupandhurledbig,brutalcarsintofour-wheelpower-slides,theirwrestlersarmsworking,bangingthegearchangearoundasifunblockingadrain:allthatwassuddenlyhistory.Moss lay back in the little Cooper, half-hidden from view, nimbly tweaking it round corners,relishing itsbalance,never fighting it. Itwas likea lightbeing turnedon:partlybecause it showedhowallFormulaOnecarsweregoingtobeconfiguredfromnowon;partlybecauseitwasCooper,asmall,resourceful,nimble-mindedprivateer,whohaddoneit.

Because there were really two revolutions. The look and shape of the car was one. The place oforiginwas theother.Outof theCoopergaragiste insurrectioncameLotus,based inHornsey, thenCheshunt, thenHethel;Brabham,originally inChessington;McLaren,ofWoking;evena lightenedandrejuvenatedBRM,basedinBourne.Allofthemweresmall,specialist,nimbleoperations.Allofthemwerebased,quietlyandpurposefully,inEngland,wherecraftskillslingeredoninoddplaces.Andtheyalldidwellatairfields.One line of thought argues that those Second World War airfields Silverstone, Thruxton,

Snetterton,Goodwoodwhichhadbeencommandeered tomakeracing tracksforall thepost-warDIYracers,werekeytothewholething.TherewasnoroadracingintheUKtospeakof,buttherewere these tracks flat, with adequately smooth surfaces, useful collections of bends, all easilyaccessibletotheBritishracingfraternity,allbeggingtobeused,weekendafterweekend.Atthesametime, while the garagistes had access to all kinds of bits and pieces of engineering, as well asfreebooting engineering talent, what they didnt have was an abundance of engines: 750 cc unitsscroungedoutofoldAustinSevens;JAPmotorbikeenginescominginat500cc;notalotelse.Sotheyhad to learn thevirtuesofmaking light, agile, reasonablyaerodynamiccars thatextracted themostoutofwhatpower theyhad, rather thanstartwithabig,powerfulengineandwork theirwayback from that. And the airfield circuits, unlike the tough, lumpy road circuits on the Continent(jigsaw puzzles of bumps, ridges,manhole covers, bridges, kerbs), encouraged subtle chassis andbraking arrangements, rather than something thatwould,mainly, be built for punishment. In otherwords,thegaragisteswereworkinginsomethingquitelikeamodernracingenvironmentbeforethe

restoftheworldhadcaughtup:anadvantagetheyhaveyettorelinquish.Itmeantthat,fortheforeseeablefuture,theAgeofItalywasgoingtohavetomakewayforanew,

compromisedworld.Thegaragistasweretakingover.

81962;MOSS,HILL,BRABHAM:SOVERYANGLO-SAXON

StirlingMosswasnowdrivingaswellashehadeverdrivenandyetwasquiteunabletolandthatWorldChampionship. In1958,he lostoutbyapoint toMikeHawthorn; 59,hecame thirdbehindJackBrabhamandTonyBrooks;60,hecamethirdbehindBrabhamandBruceMcLaren;61,hewasthirdagain,behindPhilHill andWolfgang TaffyvonTrips.Howdidhemanage to snatchdefeatfromthejawsofvictorysoconsistently?Especiallywhenyouconsiderthatin1961,hemanagednotonebuttwoastonishingdrives,onein

MayatMonaco,oneinAugustattheNrburgringdriveswhichhavegonedowninhistory,alongwithFangiov.theFerraris,orNuvolariv.Mercedes,orStewartattheRingin68.Whatmade them so epic?The fact thatMosswas driving a hopelessly outdated, underpowered,

privateer sLotus18/21:andwaspitchedagainstthesteamingaggressionof,notonlyFerrari,butalsocunningyoungupstartsPorsche,makingtheirforayintoGPracing.Insomeways,itsthesheerlookofMossscaratMonacowhichhashelpedtofixtheraceinthe

Pantheonofsportingmoments.Time,afterall,hasnotbeenkindtotheaestheticsoftheLotus.Theouterskingivestheimpressionofhavingbeenshapedaroundaloosemixtureofcornflakepacketsandshoeboxes.ThepantomimeCoventryClimaxengineissosmallandsoshroudedbysheetmetalas tobe invisible.The roll-overbar appears tohavebeen taken fromapram.For1961 thewholethingwaspaintedinRobWalker suninspiringdingydarkblue,withamodestwhitenosestripeandwhite wobblywebwheels, the jellyfish-shaped curiositiesLotusused insteadof themorenormallight alloys.Evenby the standardsof theday, theoverall effect is like akidshome-madego-kartracerinafieldfullof,say,TriumphTR3sespeciallywhenseenonthegrid,parkedupagainstthesexyredsharknoseFerrari156s,newfor61andwithsuccesswrittenalloverthem.First,though,MosshadtostarthisweekendbyrescuingInnesIrelandthelatteroneofthegreat

armsnelbowstearawayswhenIrelandcrashedspectacularlyinpracticegoingthroughtheTunneljust after the Grand Hotel Hairpin. It was a hugemess, and Ireland was sprawled on the ground,bleedingbadly,whenMossjumpedoutoftheLotustocometohisaid,gethimacigarette,generallycalmhimdown.ThisallowedInnessubsequentlytodeliverthefabledobservation:Ah,yes,61;thatwastheyearwhenIcameoutofthefuckingTunnelwithoutthefuckingcar.Hischarityworkdone,Mosspromptlywentontotakepoleposition.Comeraceday,morecomplications.Theweatherwasunusuallyhot,soMosshadthesidepanels

takenoff thechassis(causingtheLotus,minushalf itsbodywork,tolookevenmorerisiblyhome-made)andhadhimselfdrenchedwithabucketofwatertokeeptheheatatbay(declaringinpassingthathefoundhimselfratherfetchinginwet-look).Then,whilesittinginthecar,onthegrid,waitingtostart,henoticedacrackinthechassistubes.TypicalLotus,lightandfragileasaleaf.Whereuponhecalledoverhismechanic,thelegendaryAlfFrancis,whophlegmaticallywrappedsomewettowelsaround the tubingand theneighbouringpetrol tankscontaining30gallonsofexplosiveAvGasandweldedthecarbacktogetherthereandthenwithanoxyacetylenetorch.Mosskept fatalisticallycalm.Thecarwasbodgedbackintomoreorlessonepieceasifitwerethemostnaturalthingintheworld.Theracestarted.RichieGinthertooktheleadforFerrari,but,beforetheracewasaquarterdone,Mosswasinfront

anddrovetherestoftheraceataspeedwhichwasnomorethanhalfasecondslowerperlapthanhispole position time. Thus he not only set joint fastest lap, but also found the monstrous cool tohumiliate theotherdriversbyemphasisinghishead-back,out-for-a-spin,no-pressure,drivingstyle

andwavingatthespectatorsashepassed.Hewaslikeanelectricharebeingchasedbygreyhounds:they could get close, but never close enough to catch. After 200miles and nearly three hours ofunremittingpressure,hewontherace,justoverthreesecondsaheadofGinther.WhentheAmericanfinallycameintothepits,hewassoshatteredbythepursuitthathehadtobephysicallyliftedoutofhisowncar.Moss,perchedontheridiculous-lookingLotus18,gottheChampagne.AndifyouhadtochooseoneracetorememberthepeerlessMossby,thiscouldbetheone.

Itwasdrivingofthissortbravura,dazzling,arrogantthatfinallymadeEnzoFerraridissolvewithhelplessadmiration.Attheendof61,hetoldMoss:Ineedyou,tellmewhatkindofcaryouwantandIwillmakeitforyouinsixmonths.Putyourideasonpaperforme.Ifyoudriveforme,youwilltellmeonMondaywhatyoudidnot like about the caronSundayandbyFriday itwill havebeenchangedtoyour taste.Ifyoudriveforme,Iwillhavenoteam, justyouandareservedriver.WithMoss,Iwouldneednoteam.Thiswassubmissionenough.Buttherewasmore:hewaspreparedtolet the car be enteredbyRobWalker the gentlemanly teammanagerwhohadbeen in charge ofMosssLotusuptothatpointandruninhiscoloursofdarkblueandwhite.NotabitofFerrariredanywhere.Thatshowmuchitmeant.Andiftherewasanyjusticeintheworld,MosswouldhavedrivenaFerrariin62,andtakenthe

crown.The156whichgavetheAmericanPhilHillthe61titlehadplentyoflifeleftinit.IfFerrarihadkepthissideofthebargain,Mosswoulddoubtlesshavemadethecarevenbetter.ItwasMosssbestchance.HisFormulaOnecareerhad,uptothispoint,alwaysdescribedaqueasypassagefrommarquetomarque,eitherendingupinagoodcarbutasubordinateposition(Mercedes);orinagoodposition,butthewrongcar(Vanwall,Lotus).Everythingcould,finally,havebeensettledwithFerrari.Then, in April 1962, he smashed up his Lotus in the International Glover Trophy Race at

Goodwood, smashed up his career and smashed himself up, very nearly terminally. He sufferedterribleleg,arm,chestandheadinjuries.Hispersonalbeliefuptothatpoint,withregardtocrashing,hadgenerallybeenthatIlikeseatbeltsinclosedcars,butinaracingcarIwanttobethrownout,orhavethechoice,mainlybecauseoffire.Thistime,therewasnofire,butthecarhadwrappeditselfaroundhimlikedacrushedcigarettepacket.Newspapersreportedthat,whiletrappedinthewreckage,hehadaskedsomeonetotellhismotherthathewasfineandthatshewasnottoworry.Hewasthenrushedtohospital,wherehespentweeksinacoma.The recoverywas longanddismal.By the followingyear,he feltwellenough togetbehind the

wheelagain.Butwhenhediddrive,hefeltthatsomethingvitalhadgone,theirreducibleedgethathehadalwayshad.In1963,heannouncedhisretirementtypicallyenough,framingitwithreferencetohishero,Fangio.AskedifhehadanyregretsaboutneverwinningtheDriversChampionship,insteadofansweringyesofcourse,hesaid,Noneatall.Fangiodiditfivetimes.IfIwonitsixtimes,woulditmakemebetterthanFangio?Iknowitwouldnt,becauseIamnot.Iwouldrathergodowninhistory,ifamtogodowninmotorracinghistory,asbeingaprettygooddriverwhoneverwonit,becauseIdontthinkyoucanmatchFangio.Heisthegreatestdriverwhoeverlived.Whateveronemakesofthis,thefactremainsthat,eventoday,decadesafterhelastracedinanger,

Moss is still being picked as one of the all-time masters of the sport his greatness somehowendorsedratherthandiminishedbyhisfailuretotaketheF1WorldChampionship.Howevermodern,howevercareer-andbusiness-mindedMosswas inhisheyday,howevermanynoseshegotup, itsnotabig,blatanttitlethatcharacteriseshim,itis,rather,theartistryofhisindividualperformances,and the sheer daunting fluencywithwhich he racedwhatever car he got into, that speak volumes.Sixty-sixstartsinF1;sixteenwins;sixteenpolepositions.TheMilleMigliain1955.TheAlpineRallyin1953.The1957Sebring12Hours.The1958,1959and1960Nrburgring1,000kms

Whichraisesthequestion:howdowejudgethecareerofaFormulaOnedriver?Toput itanotherway,whatdoesonemakeoftheextraordinaryGrahamHill,adriverwhoevennowraisesasmileofrecognition,abaffledshrugandtheacknowledgementofalifelivedslightlylargerthannormal,andwho succeeded asmuch as anyone could hope to succeed, but who has always suffered from hisproximitytomorebrilliantcompetitors?EvenHills fanswould admit that part of theproblemwas that therewere two separateGraham

Hills,forcedtoco-existwithinthesamebody.First, there was the Graham Hill of popular legend, the sly, humorous party beast, a weird

conflation of Sir Henry Segrave and Errol Flynn, whowouldwin atMonaco an astonishing fivetimes,each timeattending theformal,glamorous,post-racedinnergivenbyPrinceRainier,beforeexcusinghimselfand,accordingtoTonyRudd,wandering,likeasailoronshoreleave,downtotheTipTop.ThiswasaclubonthewaydownthehillfromtheCasino,andhewouldbesingingrowingand football songs. It used to be quite a rowdy evening,whichwent on till dawn. From PrincessGracetoEskimoNell:Hillsguidingphilosophy, in this respect,beingYouvegot tohaveabitoffun,haventyou?An