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Martin Donnelly | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Donnelly in 2012 | |
| Born | Hugh Peter Martin Donnelly (1964-03-26)26 March 1964 (age 61) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1989–1990 |
| Teams | Arrows,Lotus |
| Entries | 15 (13 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Careerpoints | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1989 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1990 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Previous series | |
| Championship titles | |
| 1987 | Macau Grand Prix |
Hugh Peter Martin Donnelly (/ˈdɒnəli/; born 26 March 1964) is a British formerracing driver from Northern Ireland who competed inFormula One at 15Grands Prix from1989 and1990.
Donnelly competed inFormula Three andInternational Formula 3000, where he won three races, including the1987 Macau Grand Prix. In1988, he placed third in International F300 after only competing in the final five rounds. He raced inFormula One in1989 and1990 forArrows andLotus, until a serious crash during practice at the latterSpanish Grand Prix ended his Formula One career.
After leaving Formula One, he has become a driving coach and retains a close association withLotus Cars. He returned to professional racing in2015, competing atThruxton in theBritish Touring Car Championship. His career inspired thebackstory of Sonny Hayes inF1 (2025).[1]
During1988, as well as his racing commitments, Donnelly was the test driver forLotusFormula One team. But it was during1989 that Donnelly got his first race start when he substituted forArrows driverDerek Warwick at the1989 French Grand Prix after Warwick injured his back in a non-competitivekarting accident. He impressed in France qualifying 14th compared to his much more experienced teammateEddie Cheever who started 25th on the grid. Donnelly finished his first F1 race 3 laps down in 12th place and was the last car running to finish while Cheever's experience told and he had a better race finishing only 1 lap down in 7th place.
In1990 he continued in F1 withLotus though this time not as a test driver but as a race driver alongside new teammate Derek Warwick. However, it was a frustrating season of scoring no points driving theV12 poweredLotus-Lamborghini which often saw him retire with engine failure. Donnelly's performance in the Lotus drew interest from several more competitive teams, prompting Lotus to renegotiate his contract for 5.6 million pounds, to prevent him from being bought out.[2]
At the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix held at theJerez circuit, Donnelly suffered a serious crash caused by suspension failure during practice, with his Lotus hitting the wall at an estimated speed of 160 mph (260 km/h). This caused his car to break apart and the safety cell to split open, which ejected Donnelly from the wreckage. Donnelly was sent across the live track as cars were still racing around it. He sustained multiple injuries, includingbrain andlung contusions as well as severeleg fractures, the latter of which almost necessitated theamputation of his right leg.[3]Sid Watkins and medics rushed to the scene to save Donnelly's life on the race track, and he was airlifted to hospital. Watkins applied his skills upon arrival as it is reported Donnelly had swallowed his tongue on impact and was struggling to breathe. His friendAyrton Senna watched on in horror and with concern for Donnelly. His condition was critical, and he was placed in a medically induced coma as his organs started to fail, with his heart stopping twice. His injuries were so severe that he was read the last rites by a priest.[4] With extensive physiotherapy and further surgeries to his badly damaged leg, Donnelly was able to walk again.
In 1993 Donnelly had a brief test with Jordan, but due to the severity of his injuries and self-doubt due to the horrific nature of his crash, Donnelly's Formula One career was over.
Footage from the crash was used in the 2025 filmF1 as a major plot point.[1]
In 1992, Donnelly returned to racing inrallycross, competing in theVauxhall Nova Challenge.[5][6]
In 1995, he scored a single win in the short-lived Formula Classic series.[7][8]
Donnelly has since raced in smaller club events, and owned a Formula Vauxhall and Formula Three team, Martin Donnelly Racing. In 2004, Donnelly raced a Mazda RX-8 in a Silverstone 24-Hour race, finishing in 27th place. 2006 saw Donnelly return to Lotus, participating in a track day sponsored by a Lotus owner's club. In September 2007, Donnelly beat 35 otherLotus Elises to win Class A in theDonington Park round of theElise Trophy. This class win was closely followed by the race win in the 2nd Elise Trophy race of the day. Later in the season he raced at Spa-Francorchamps and in 2008, campaigned in a Lotus 2-Eleven. Donnelly continues to have a close relationship with Elise Trophy organisers LoTRDC, racing in a Lotus Evora in 2012 and he is currently working as a club steward for Lotus Cup Europe. In 2017 Donnelly raced in the FIA Lotus Cup Europe in a Motul sponsored Lotus Elise.
Donnelly worked as a driver development director for Comtec Racing in 2008. By 2009, Donnelly was no longer associated with Comtec Racing. In June 2010, Donnelly drove as a guest in theGinetta G50 Cup atOulton Park. On 2 July 2011 at theGoodwood Festival of Speed, Donnelly drove aLotus 102 similar to that which nearly took his life. The Lamborghini-powered car was the same specification as the car he drove in 1990, the original car having been completely destroyed in the crash. He has been appointed as the driver representative on the FIA stewards panel for a number of F1 Grand Prix including most recently the 2012 and 2013 Canadian Grand Prix.[citation needed]
Having worked as sporting director and driver development manager atComtec Racing, Donnelly has recently formed the Donnelly track academy specialising in Lotus trackday events and racing services in Norfolk.[9]
Donnelly made hisBritish Touring Car Championship début in2015, briefly driving for the worksInfiniti-Support Our Paras Racing team, but the team's plans were thrown into disarray by the marque's subsequent withdrawal of its backing from the project, and he was replaced byMax Coates.[10]
In 2019, Donnelly crashed his moped while participating in a charity rally, rebreaking his femur and subsequently suffering fromsepsis. As he was unable to work due to his injuries, a successful fundraiser was held, drawing donations from numerous members of the racing community.[2]
 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | British Formula Three | Eddie Jordan Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1986 | British Formula Three | Swallow Racing | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 59 | 3rd |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | ||
| 1987 | British Formula Three | Swallow Racing/Intersport Racing | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 61 | 3rd |
| Macau Grand Prix | Intersport Engineering w/Mr Juicy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | |
| 1988 | British Formula Three | Cellnet Ricoh Racing/Intersport Team | 12 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 4th |
| International Formula 3000 Championship | Eddie Jordan Racing | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 30 | 3rd | |
| World Sportscar Championship | Richard Lloyd Racing /SARD | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 59th | |
| 1989 | International Formula 3000 Championship | Eddie Jordan Racing | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8th |
| Japanese Formula 3000 Championship | Team Kygnus Tonen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| Supercup | Nismo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8th | |
| All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship | Takefuji Racing Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 29th | |
| Formula One | Arrows Grand Prix International | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | Nismo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DNF | |
| 1990 | Formula One | CamelTeam Lotus | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | Nismo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| 2015 | British Touring Car Championship | Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Jordan Racing | JER | VAL | PAU | SIL | MNZ | PER | BRH 1 | BIR 2 | BUG 2 | ZOL Ret | DIJ 1 | 3rd | 30 |
| 1989 | Jordan Racing | SIL Ret | VAL DSQ | PAU Ret | JER Ret | PER Ret | BRH 1 | BIR 3 | SPA Ret | BUG 7 | DIJ 17 | 8th | 13 |
(key)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Team Kygnus Tonen | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ 9 | SUG 7 | FUJ Ret | SUZ | SUZ | NC | 0 |
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Arrows Grand Prix International | ArrowsA11 | FordV8 | BRA | SMR | MON | MEX | USA | CAN | FRA 12 | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | ESP | JPN | AUS | NC | 0 |
| 1990 | CamelTeam Lotus | Lotus102 | LamborghiniV12 | USA DNS | BRA Ret | SMR 8 | MON Ret | CAN Ret | MEX 8 | FRA 12 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN 7 | BEL 12 | ITA Ret | POR Ret | ESP DNS | JPN | AUS | NC | 0 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position – 1 point awarded in first race; races initalics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded all races; * signifies that driver lead race for at least one lap – 1 point awarded all races)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing | Infiniti Q50 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | BRH 3 | DON 1 | DON 2 | DON 3 | THR 1 20 | THR 2 19 | THR 3 Ret | OUL 1 | OUL 2 | OUL 3 | CRO 1 | CRO 2 | CRO 3 | SNE 1 | SNE 2 | SNE 3 | KNO 1 | KNO 2 | KNO 3 | ROC 1 | ROC 2 | ROC 3 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | SIL 3 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | BRH 3 | 35th | 0 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Macau Grand Prix Winner 1987 | Succeeded by |