James Hunt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hunt at the1977 Swedish Grand Prix | |
| Born | James Simon Wallis Hunt (1947-08-29)29 August 1947 Belmont, Surrey, England |
| Died | 15 June 1993(1993-06-15) (aged 45) Wimbledon, London, England |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | David Hunt (brother) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1973–1979 |
| Teams | Hesketh,McLaren,Wolf |
| Entries | 93 (92 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1976) |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 23 |
| Careerpoints | 179 |
| Pole positions | 14 |
| Fastest laps | 8 |
| First entry | 1973 Monaco Grand Prix |
| First win | 1975 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1977 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1979 Monaco Grand Prix |
James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a Britishracing driver andbroadcaster who competed inFormula One from1973 to1979. Nicknamed "the Shunt",[a] Hunt won theFormula One World Drivers' Championship in1976 withMcLaren, and won 10Grands Prix across seven seasons.
Born and raised inSurrey, Hunt began his racing career intouring cars before progressing toFormula Three in 1969, where he attracted the attention ofLord Hesketh, founder ofHesketh Racing. Hunt earned notoriety throughout his early career for his reckless and action-packed exploits on track, amongst hisplayboy lifestyle off it. He signed for Hesketh in1973—driving aMarch 731 chassis designed byHarvey Postlethwaite—making his Formula One debut at theMonaco Grand Prix; he took podiums in his rookie season at theDutch andUnited States Grands Prix. Hesketh entered their own308 chassis in1974, in which Hunt achieved several further podiums and won thenon-championshipBRDC International Trophy.
Retaining his seat thefollowing season, Hunt took his maiden victory with Hesketh at theDutch Grand Prix, widely regarded as one of the greatestunderdog victories in Formula One history. The team was left withoutsponsorship at the end of the season, leading Hunt to joinMcLaren for his1976 campaign. Amidst afierce title battle withNiki Lauda, Hunt won the World Drivers' Championship by a single point in his debut season with McLaren. He won several further races in1977, dropping to fifth in the standings amidst reliability issues. After a winless1978 season for McLaren, Hunt moved toWolf in1979 and retired after theMonaco Grand Prix, having achieved 10 race wins, 14 pole positions, eight fastest laps, and 23 podiums in Formula One.
Upon retiring from motor racing, Hunt established a career as acommentator andpundit for theBBC, as well as acolumnist forThe Independent. ThroughMarlboro, he also mentored two-time World Drivers' ChampionMika Häkkinen. He died from a heart attack at his home inWimbledon, aged 45.
Hunt was born inBelmont,Surrey, the second child of Wallis Glynn Gunthorpe Hunt (1922–2001), a stockbroker and businessman, and Susan Noel Wentworth (née Davis) Hunt.[1][2] He had an elder sister, Sally, three younger brothers, Peter, Timothy andDavid, and one younger sister, Georgina.[3] Wallis Hunt was descended on his mother's side from the industrialist and politicianSir William Jackson, 1st Baronet.[4] Hunt's family lived in a flat inCheam, Surrey, moved toSutton when he was 11 and then to a larger home in Belmont.[5] He attended Westerleigh Preparatory School,St Leonards-on-Sea Sussex[6] and laterWellington College.[7]
Hunt's mother Sue said that feelings were not shared within the family.[8]
Hunt first learned to drive on a tractor at a farm inPembrokeshire, Wales, while on a family holiday, with instruction from the farm's owner, but he found changing gears frustrating because he lacked the required strength.[9] Hunt passed his driving test one week after his seventeenth birthday, at which point he said his life "really began".[10] He also took up skiing in 1965 in Scotland, and made plans for further ski trips. Before his eighteenth birthday, he went to the home of Chris Ridge, his tennis doubles partner. Ridge's brother Simon, who racedMinis, was preparing his car for a race at Silverstone that weekend. The Ridges took Hunt to see the race, which began his obsession with motor racing.[11]
Hunt's racing career started off in a racingMini. He first entered a race at theSnetterton Circuit in Norfolk, but race scrutineers prevented him from competing, deeming the Mini to have many irregularities, which left Hunt and his team mate, Justin Fry, upset. Hunt later brought the necessary funding from working as a trainee manager of a telephone company (Telephone Rentals Ltd) to enter three events. At this point Fry made the decision to part company with the team, owing to the irregularities and modifications that were happening to the cars they were using.[12]
Hunt graduated toFormula Ford in 1968. He drove a Russell-Alexis Mark 14 car bought through ahire-purchase scheme. In his first race at Snetterton, Hunt had lost 15 hp from an incorrect engine ignition setting, but managed to finish fifth. He took his first win atLydden Hill and also set the lap record on theBrands Hatch short circuit.[13]
In1969, Hunt raced inFormula Three with a budget, provided by Gowrings of Reading, which bought aMerlyn Mark 11A. Gowrings intended to run the car in the final two races of 1968.[13] Hunt won several races and achieved regular high-placed finishes, which led to the British Guild of Motoring Writers awarding him aGrovewood Award as one of the three drivers judged to have promising careers.[14]
Hunt was involved in a controversial incident withDave Morgan during a battle for second position in theFormula Three Daily Express Trophy race atCrystal Palace on 3 October 1970. Having banged wheels earlier in a very closely fought race, Morgan attempted to pass Hunt on the outside of South Tower Corner on the final lap, but instead the cars collided and crashed out of the race. Hunt's car came to rest in the middle of the track, minus two wheels. He got out, ran over to Morgan and furiously pushed him to the ground,[15] which earned him severe official disapproval. Both men were summoned by theRAC and after hearing evidence from other drivers, Hunt was cleared by a tribunal and Morgan was given a 12-month suspension of his racing licence, but was subsequently allowed to progress toFormula Atlantic in 1971.[16] Hunt later met withJohn Hogan and racing driverGerry Birrell to obtain sponsorship fromCoca-Cola.[17]
Hunt's career continued in the worksMarch team for 1972. His first race atMallory Park saw him finish third, but he was told by race officials he had been excluded from the results, as his engine was deemed to be outside the regulations.[18] The car, however, passed tests at the next two races at Brands Hatch. In these races, Hunt finished fourth and fifth respectively. He collided with two cars atOulton Park but finished third at Mallory Park after a long duel withRoger Williamson. The cars did not appear atZandvoort, but Hunt still attended the race as a spectator.[19]
In May 1972, it was announced by the team that he had been dropped from the STP-March Formula 3 team and replaced byJochen Mass. When Hunt attempted to contact March, he was unable to get any response from his employers. Hunt decided to consult Chris Marshall, his former team manager, who explained that a spare car was available.[19] This followed a period characterised by a series of mechanical failures. Hunt decided, against the express instructions of March directorMax Mosley, to race atMonaco in a March from a different team. This had been vacated by driverJean-Claude Alzerat, after Hunt's own March had first broken down and then been hit by another competitor in a practice lap.[20]
Hesketh purchased a March 731 chassis, and it was developed byHarvey Postlethwaite. The team was initially not taken seriously by rivals, who saw the Hesketh team as party goers enjoying the glamour of Formula One.[Note 1] However, the Hesketh March proved much more competitive than the works March cars, and their best result was second place at the1973 United States Grand Prix. Hunt also made a brief venture intosports car racing at the 1973 Kyalami Nine Hours, driving aMirage M6 along withDerek Bell, finishing second.[23]
After the season's end, Hunt was awarded with the Campbell Trophy from the RAC marking his performance in Formula One as the best by a British driver.[24]
For the1974 season,Hesketh Racing built a car, inspired by the March, called theHesketh 308, but an accompanying V12 engine never materialised. Hunt's first test of the car came at Silverstone and found it more stable than its predecessor, the March 731. Hunt was retained on a £15,000 salary.[25] The Hesketh team captured the public imagination as a car without sponsors' markings, a teddy-bear badge and a devil-may-care team ethos, which belied the fact that their engineers were highly competent professionals. InArgentina, Hunt qualified fifth and led briefly before being overtaken byRonnie Peterson before Hunt spun off the track and eventually retired due to engine failure.[26] InSouth Africa, Hunt retired from fifth place with a broken driveshaft.[27] Hunt's season highlight was a victory at theBRDC International Trophy non-championship race atSilverstone, against the majority of the regular F1 field.
Hunt finished sixth inBrazil and retired with an engine failure inSouth Africa. InSpain, Hunt led the first six laps before colliding with a barrier with the same cause of retirement inMonaco. He had a further two retirements inBelgium andSweden, both of which were due to mechanical failures.[28] Hunt's first win came in the1975 Dutch Grand Prix atZandvoort. He finished fourth in the Championship that year, but Lord Hesketh had run out of funds and could not find a sponsor for his team. With little time left before the1976 season, Hunt was desperately looking for a drive untilEmerson Fittipaldi leftMcLaren and joined his brother'sCopersucar-Fittipaldi outfit. With no other top drivers available, the team management signed Hunt to McLaren – in a deal brokered by Marlboro'sJohn Hogan – for the next season on a contract involving a $50,000 retainer and a good share of the prize money.[29]
The season proved to be one of the most dramatic and controversial on record. While Hunt's performances in the Hesketh had drawn considerable praise, there was some speculation as to whether he could really sustain a championship challenge. Now a works McLaren driver, he dispelled many doubters at the first race in Brazil, where, in a hastily rebuiltMcLaren M23, he landed pole position in the last minutes of qualifying. Over the course of the year he would drive the McLaren M23 to sixGrands Prix wins, but with superior reliability reigning world champion and main rivalNiki Lauda had pulled out a substantial points lead in the first few races of the season. Hunt's first race win of 1976, at the fourth race of the season, theSpanish Grand Prix, resulted in disqualification for driving a car adjudged to be 1.8 cm too wide. The win was later reinstated upon appeal, but it set the tone for an extraordinarily volatile season. At theBritish Grand Prix, Hunt was involved in a first corner incident on the first lap with Lauda which led to the race being stopped and restarted. Hunt initially attempted to take a spare car, however this was disallowed, and during this time the original race car was repaired, eventually winning the restarted race.[30] Hunt's victory was disallowed on 24 September by a ruling from the FIA after Ferrari complained that Hunt was not legally allowed to restart the race.[31]
Lauda sustained near-fatal injuries in an accident at the following round, theGerman Grand Prix at theNürburgring. Hunt dominated the restarted Nürburgring race, building an immediate lead and remaining unchallenged to the chequered flag.
Lauda's injuries kept him out of the following two races, allowing Hunt to close the gap in the championship chase. AtZandvoort, Hunt overtookRonnie Peterson on the 12th lap and resisted pressure fromJohn Watson to win.[32] At theItalian Grand Prix, the big story was Lauda's miraculous return from his Nürburgring accident. At a circuit that should have suited Hunt's car, theTexaco fuel McLaren were using was tested and although apparently legal, their cars, and those of thePenske team, were judged to contain a higher octane level than allowed. Subsequently, both teams were forced to start from the rear of the grid. While trying to make his way up the field, Hunt spun off, and Lauda finished fourth. At the next round in Canada, Hunt found out that he had been disqualified from the British Grand Prix and Lauda had been awarded the victory and thus received three additional points. A furious Hunt drove a very hard race at the challengingMosport Park circuit and won. At the penultimate round in theUnited States at the dauntingWatkins Glen track, Hunt started from pole and took victory after a close battle withJody Scheckter.[33]This set the stage for the final round inJapan. Hunt's late season charge pulled him to just three points behind Lauda. The sliding scale of points for the top six finishers meant that Hunt needed to finish fourth (worth 3 points) or better to overtake Lauda in the championship. Lauda needed to earn two points fewer than Hunt, or better, to stay ahead. McLaren team managerAlastair Caldwell had taken advantage of the gap between the final two races to hire theFuji circuit – a track hosting its first Grand Prix and therefore unknown to all the teams – for an exclusive McLaren test. After a few laps the gearbox seized, bringing the test to a premature close, but the team had had the advantage of acclimatising themselves to the new circuit. Conditions for the race itself were torrentially wet. Lauda retired early on in the race, unable to blink because of facial burns from his accident in Germany.[34] After leading most of the race Hunt suffered a puncture, then had a delayed pitstop and finally received mixed pit signals from his team. But he managed to finish in third place, scoring four points, enough for him to win the World Championship by one point.[35] Hunt was the last British Formula One champion untilNigel Mansell won the 1992 championship forWilliams.[36] He was, relatively, one of the cheapest F1 World Champions ever, having signed at the last minute for $200,000 – a scenario similar to that of 1982 championKeke Rosberg.[citation needed]
Before the start of 1977, Hunt attended a gala function at the Europa Hotel in London where he was awarded the Tarmac Trophy, along with two cheques, for £2000 and £500 respectively, a magnum of champagne and other awards. The presentation was made by theDuke of Kent. Hunt made an acceptance speech after the event which was considered "suitably gracious and glamorous". The media were critical of Hunt as he attended the event dressed in jeans, T-shirt and a decrepit windbreaker.[37]
Before theSouth African Grand Prix, Hunt was confronted by customs officials who searched his luggage, finding no illegal substances except a publication that contravened the strict obscenity laws of South Africa. Hunt was later released, and tested atKyalami where hisMcLaren M26 suffered a loose brake caliper which cut a hole in one of the tyres. He recovered and put the car on pole position. The race saw Hunt suffer a collision withJody Scheckter'sWolf and another withPatrick Depailler'sTyrrell, but he still managed to finish fourth.[38]
The season did not start well for Hunt. TheMcLaren M26 was problematic in the early part of the season, during whichNiki Lauda,Mario Andretti and Jody Scheckter took a considerable lead in the Drivers' Championship. Towards the end of the year Hunt and the McLaren M26 were quicker than any rival combination other thanMario Andretti and theLotus 78. Hunt won in Silverstone after trailing the Brabham of John Watson for 25 laps.[39] He then took a further victory at Watkins Glen. At theCanadian Grand Prix, Hunt retired after a collision with team-mateJochen Mass and was fined $2000 for assaulting a marshal and $750 for walking back to the pit lane in an "unsafe manner".[40] In Fuji, Hunt won the race but did not attend the podium ceremony[41] resulting in a fine of $20,000.[42] He finished fifth in the World Drivers' Championship.
Before the1978 season Hunt had high hopes to win a second world championship; however, in this season he scored only eight world championship points. Lotus had developed effectiveground effect aerodynamics with theirLotus 79 car and McLaren were slow to respond. The M26 was revised as a ground effect car midway through the season but it did not work, and without a test driver to solve the car's problems, Hunt's motivation was low. His inexperienced new team-matePatrick Tambay even outqualified Hunt at one race. In Germany, Hunt was disqualified for taking a shortcut to allow for a tyre change.[43]
Hunt was also greatly affected by Ronnie Peterson's fatal crash in the1978 Italian Grand Prix. At the start of the race there was a huge accident going into the first corner. Peterson's Lotus was pushed into the barriers and burst into flames. Hunt, together withPatrick Depailler andClay Regazzoni, rescued Peterson from the car, but Peterson died one day later in hospital. Hunt took his friend's death particularly hard and for years afterwards blamedRiccardo Patrese for the accident.[44] He never forgave Patrese for the crash. Video evidence of the crash has since shown that Patrese did not touch Hunt or Peterson's cars, nor did he cause any other car to do so.[45] Hunt believed that it was Patrese's muscling past that caused the McLaren and Lotus to touch, but Patrese argues that he was already well ahead of the pair before the accident took place.[45]
For1979, Hunt had resolved to leave the McLaren team. Despite his poor season in 1978 he was still very much in demand.Harvey Postlethwaite persuaded Hunt to joinWalter Wolf Racing – a one-car team where he would have found an atmosphere similar to the one he had experienced atHesketh at the beginning of his career. Again he had high hopes to win races and compete for the world championship in what would be his last, and ultimately brief, Formula One season. The team's ground effect car was uncompetitive and Hunt soon lost any enthusiasm for racing.[46] Hunt could only watch as Jody Scheckter won the World Drivers' Championship that year driving the Ferrari 312T4.
At the first race inArgentina, he felt the car was difficult to handle and on a fast lap, the front wing became detached striking his helmet. In the race, Hunt retired due to an electrical fault. InBrazil, he retired on lap 6 due to instability under braking caused by a loose steering rack. During qualifying inSouth Africa, the brakes on his car failed. He managed not to collide with the wall, but only finished 8th in the race. He retired at theSpanish Grand Prix after 26 laps. AtZolder, a new Wolf WR8 was raced but Hunt crashed into a barrier hard enough to bounce back onto the track. Hunt failed to finish the1979 Monaco Grand Prix, the race where six years previously he had made his debut.
Hunt made a statement on 8 June 1979 to the press announcing his immediate retirement from F1 competition, citing his situation in the championship, and was replaced by future world championKeke Rosberg.[47] Despite going into retirement, he continued to work to promote his personal sponsorsMarlboro andOlympus.[48]
Hunt had always been realistic about the chances of early death from racing, and had been near to racing deaths such as that ofFrançois Cevert.[49] According to Peter Warr, Hunt had been badly affected by the Ronnie Peterson accident in Monza the year before and his heart was no longer in it. Warr recalled Hunt telling him that he discovered that if he nudged the car up against the barrier and give it a squirt of throttle in second gear, it would break a driveshaft. "At Monaco, four laps into the race, James stopped up the hill by Rosie's bar, with a broken driveshaft. Then he told us he was retiring."[50]
Soon after retirement, in 1979, Hunt was approached by Jonathan Martin, the head of BBC television sport, to become a television commentator alongsideMurray Walker on theBBC 2 Formula One racing programmeGrand Prix. After a guest commentary at the1979 British Grand Prix, Hunt accepted the position and continued for thirteen years until his death. During his first live broadcast at the1980 Monaco Grand Prix, Hunt placed his plaster-cast leg into Walker's lap and drank two bottles of wine during the broadcast.[51][52] Hunt regularly went into the booth minutes before a race started, which concerned Martin, who believed that Hunt was "a guy that lived on adrenaline."[53]
In the commentary booth, the producers supplied only one microphone to Walker and Hunt, to avoid them talking over each other. On one occasion, Hunt wanted the microphone and went up to Walker, who had continued for longer than expected, and grabbed him by the collar, with Walker having his fist near to Hunt.[54] On another occasion, Hunt grabbed the microphone cord and cracked it like a whip, which yanked the microphone out of Walker's hand. His insights and dry sense of humour brought him a new fanbase. He often heavily criticised drivers he did not think were trying hard enough – during the BBC's live broadcast of the1989 Monaco Grand Prix he describedRené Arnoux's comments that non-turbo cars did not suit the Frenchman's driving skills as "bullshit".[55] He also had a reputation for speaking out against back-markers who held up race leaders.[56]
Other than Arnoux, Hunt's other frequent targets includedAndrea de Cesaris,Philippe Alliot,Jean-Pierre Jarier andRiccardo Patrese. Hunt criticised Jean-Pierre Jarier for blocking leaders, calling him "pig ignorant", a "French wally" and having a "mental age of ten" during live broadcasts.[57][58][59] Hunt further suggested that Jarier should be banned from racing "for being himself".[60][61]
Hunt did not want his commentaries broadcast in South Africa during theapartheid years but when he could not stop this from happening, he gave his fees to black-led groups working to overthrow apartheid.[62]
Hunt also commented on Grand Prix racing in newspaper columns which were published inThe Independent and elsewhere, and in magazines.[63]
In 1980, Hunt nearly made a comeback with McLaren at the United States Grand Prix West, asking for $1 million for the race. This opportunity came about when regular driverAlain Prost broke his wrist during practice for the previous round inSouth Africa, and was not fully fit to drive at Long Beach. The team's main sponsor, Marlboro, offered half the figure but negotiations ended after Hunt broke his leg while skiing. In 1982Bernie Ecclestone, owner of theBrabham team, offered Hunt a salary of £2.6 million for the season but was rejected by Hunt. In 1990, Hunt was in financial trouble with the loss of £180,000 investing inLloyd's of London[64] and considered a comeback with the Williams team. He had tested on thePaul Ricard Circuit a few months prior to test modern cars and was several seconds off the pace and believed he would be physically prepared. Hunt attempted to persuadeJohn Hogan, VP Marketing of Philip Morris Europe,[65] to support the possible comeback, and presented him with bank statement for proof of being indebted.[66]
Hunt made a brief appearance in the 1979 British silent slapstick comedyThe Plank, as well as co-starring withFred Emney in aTexaco Havoline TV advertisement. He also made a posthumous appearance on ITV'sPolice Camera Action! specialCrash Test Racers in 2000; this was one of many interviews to be aired posthumously. Hunt also competed in an exhibition race to mark the opening of the new Nürburgring in May 1984.[67] Despite having no licence to ride a motorcycle, he accepted, instead of his usual fee, the then-new 1980 electric startTriumph Bonneville he had contracted to advertise on behalf of the strugglingTriumph motorcycle workers' co-operative. With journalistic mirth, he turned up at the press launch with his foot in plaster.[68]
Hunt was hired by John Hogan as an adviser and tutor to drivers who were sponsored by Marlboro, instructing them in the tactics of driving and the approach to racing.Mika Häkkinen and Hunt had discussions about not only racing but about life in general.[53]
Early in their careers, Hunt andNiki Lauda were friends off the track. Lauda occasionally stayed at Hunt's flat when he had nowhere to sleep for the night. In his autobiographyTo Hell and Back, Lauda described Hunt as an "open, honest to God pal." Lauda admired Hunt's burst of speed, while Hunt admired Lauda's capacity for analysis and rigour.[69] In the spring of 1974, Hunt moved to Spain on the advice of theInternational Management Group.[70] Whilst living there as a tax exile, Hunt was the neighbour ofJody Scheckter, and they also came to be very good friends, with Hunt giving Scheckter the nickname Fletcher after the crash-prone bird in the bookJonathan Livingston Seagull. Another close friend wasRonnie Peterson who was a quiet and shy man, whilst Hunt was the opposite, but their contrasting personalities made them very close off the track. It was Hunt who discoveredGilles Villeneuve, whom he met after being soundly beaten by him in aFormula Atlantic race in 1976. Hunt then arranged for the young Canadian to make his Grand Prix debut with McLaren in 1977.
Hunt was involved in a relationship with Taormina Rieck (known as Ping by her friends) from the age of 15.[10] Rieck separated from Hunt in May 1971, which left Hunt not seeing his family or friends for long periods of time.[71]
Hunt met his first wife,Suzy Miller, in 1974 in Spain. A few weeks after their initial meeting, he proposed. The couple married on 18 October 1974 at theBrompton Oratory inKnightsbridge. By the end of 1975, Miller had left Hunt for the actorRichard Burton.
Hunt moved toWimbledon in 1982.[72]
Hunt met Sarah Lomax in September 1982, while she was on a holiday in Spain with friends. Hunt started dating Lomax when she arrived back in Britain, and they dated throughout the winter. Hunt and Lomax were married on 17 December 1983 inMarlborough, Wiltshire. Hunt arrived late for the service, with proceedings delayed further when his brother Peter went to a shop to purchase a tie for him.[73] The marriage resulted in two children, Tom and Freddie, the latter of whom is also a racing driver.[74][75] Hunt and Lomax separated in October 1988 but continued to live together for the best interests of their children. They were divorced in November 1989 on the grounds ofadultery committed by Hunt.[76]
Hunt met Helen Dyson in the winter of 1989. She was working as a waitress in a restaurant inWimbledon whilst studying Fine Art (specialising in fabric design) atMiddlesex Polytechnic.[77] Dyson was 18 years Hunt's junior and worried about her parents' reactions to him. Hunt kept the relationship secret from friends. The relationship brought new happiness to Hunt's life, among other factors which included his clean health, his bicycle, his casual approach to dress, his two sons and hisAustin A35 van.[63] The day before he died, Hunt proposed to Dyson via telephone.[78]
Hunt claimed to have slept with 5,000 women.[22]
On a visit toDoncaster in 1987, Hunt was arrested for an assault, which was witnessed by two police officers, but was released on bail after two hours with the charges against him later being dropped.[79]
Hunt suffered periodically from depression, particularly after his racing retirement.[80]
Hunt's wealth earned from his racing and media work was reduced by divorce and byLloyd's of London losses.[81]
Hunt died in the early hours of 15 June 1993 of aheart attack at his home inWimbledon, after having felt unwell, with pains in his upper body, the previous evening.[82][83][84][85][86] He was 45 years old.
At his funeral service, the pallbearers included his father Wallis, his brothers Tim, Peter and David, and his friend Anthony 'Bubbles' Horsley. They carried the coffin out of the church and into the hearse, which drove two miles toPutney Vale Crematorium, where he was cremated. After the service, most of the mourners went to Peter Hunt's home to open a 1922claret, the year of Wallis Hunt's birth. The claret had been given to him by James on his 60th birthday in 1982.[87] Speeches byStirling Moss andAlexander Hesketh reflected the complexity and strength of Hunt's character.[80]
Hunt was known as a fast driver with an aggressive, tail-happy driving style, but one prone to spectacular accidents, hence his nickname ofHunt the Shunt. In reality, while Hunt was not necessarily any more accident-prone than his rivals in the lower formulae, the rhyme stuck and stayed with him. In the bookJames Hunt: The Biography, John Hogan said of Hunt: "James was the only driver I've ever seen who had the vaguest idea about what it actually takes to be a racing driver."[53] Niki Lauda stated that "We were big rivals, especially at the end of the [1976] season, but I respected him because you could drive next to him—2 centimetres, wheel-by-wheel, for 300 kilometres or more—and nothing would happen. He was a real top driver at the time."[88]
After winning the world championship in 1976, Hunt inspired many teenagers to take up motor racing,[89] and he was retained by Marlboro to give guidance and support to up and coming drivers in the lower formulae. In early 2007, Formula One driver and2007 World ChampionKimi Räikkönen entered and won asnowmobile race in his native Finland under the name James Hunt. Räikkönen has openly admired the lifestyles of 1970s race car drivers such as Hunt.[90] Hunt's name was lent to the James Hunt Racing Centre inMilton Keynes when it opened in 1990.[91]
A Celebration of the Life of James Hunt was held on 29 September 1993 atSt James's Church, Piccadilly. The service was attended by 600 people and on 29 January 2014 James Hunt was inducted into the Motor Sport Hall of Fame.
Hunt's helmet featured his name in bold letters along with blue, yellow and red stripes on both sides and room for the sponsorGoodyear, all set on a black background.[92] Additionally, the blue, yellow and red bands resemble his Wellington College school colours.[93] During his comeback year to Formula One in 2012,2007 World ChampionKimi Räikkönen sported a helmet with the James Hunt's name printed on it during theMonaco Grand Prix.[94] Räikkönen repeated the tribute at the2013 Monaco Grand Prix.[95]
The 1976 title battle between Niki Lauda and Hunt was dramatised in the 2013 filmRush, in which Hunt was played byChris Hemsworth. In the film, Lauda said of Hunt's death, "When I heard he'd died aged 45 of a heart attack I wasn't surprised, I was just sad." He also said that Hunt was one of the very few people he liked, a smaller number he respected and the only one he had envied.[96]
A fictional depiction of Hunt, voiced by his son Tom,[97] appeared as aJames Bond-esquesecret agent in McLaren'sTooned cartoon to commemorate McLaren's 50th anniversary in 2013.[98]
The 2024Senna miniseries, which follows the racing career ofAyrton Senna, prominently features Hunt, portrayed byLeon Ockenden, in his years as a commentator.[99]
 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Nightingale | Hillman Imp | A | BRH | SNE | THR | SIL 29 | CRY | SIL Ret | SIL | CRO | BRH Ret | OUL | BRH | BRH | NC | 0 | NC |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
* Hunt was initially disqualified due to his car being deemed illegal, but later reinstated after McLaren successfully appealed the decision.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)(Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Hesketh Racing | SurteesTS9 | FordV8 | ROC 3 | INT | |
| 1974 | Hesketh Racing | March731 | FordV8 | PRE Ret | ||
| Hesketh308 | FordV8 | ROC Ret | INT 1 | |||
| 1975 | Hesketh Racing | Hesketh308 | FordV8 | ROC | INT Ret | SUI 7 |
| 1976 | MarlboroTeam McLaren | McLarenM23D | FordV8 | ROC 1 | INT 1 | |
| 1977 | MarlboroTeam McLaren | McLarenM23E | FordV8 | ROC 1 | ||
| 1978 | MarlboroTeam McLaren | McLarenM26 | FordV8 | INT Ret | ||
| 1979 | Wolf Racing | WolfWR8 | FordV8 | ROC | GNM 2 | DIN |
Source:[102] | ||||||
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | BRDC International Trophy Winner 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | BRDC International Trophy Winner 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Formula One World Champion 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Brands Hatch Race of Champions Winner 1976–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Hawthorn Memorial Trophy 1975–1977 | Succeeded by |
