James Hunt
James Hunt | |
|---|---|
Hunt at the 1977 Swedish Grand Prix | |
| Born | James Simon Wallis Hunt 29 August 1947 Belmont, Surrey, England |
| Died | 15 June 1993 (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 |
| Career points | 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 British racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "the Shunt", Hunt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1976 with McLaren, and won 10 Grands Prix across seven seasons.
Born and raised in Surrey, Hunt began his racing career in touring cars before progressing to Formula Three in 1969, where he attracted the attention of Lord Hesketh, founder of Hesketh Racing. Hunt earned notoriety throughout his early career for his reckless and action-packed exploits on track, amongst his playboy lifestyle off it. He signed for Hesketh in 1973—driving a March 731 chassis designed by Harvey Postlethwaite—making his Formula One debut at the Monaco Grand Prix; he took podiums in his rookie season at the Dutch and United States Grands Prix. Hesketh entered their own 308 chassis in 1974, in which Hunt achieved several further podiums and won the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.
Retaining his seat the following season, Hunt took his maiden victory with Hesketh at the Dutch Grand Prix, widely regarded as one of the greatest underdog victories in Formula One history. The team was left without sponsorship at the end of the season, leading Hunt to join McLaren for his 1976 campaign. Amidst a fierce title battle with Niki Lauda, Hunt won the World Drivers' Championship by a single point in his debut season with McLaren. He won several further races in 1977, dropping to fifth in the standings amidst reliability issues. After a winless season for McLaren in 1978, Hunt moved to Wolf and retired after the 1979 Monaco 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 a commentator and pundit for the BBC, as well as a columnist for The Independent. Through Marlboro, he also mentored two-time World Drivers' Champion Mika Häkkinen. He died from a heart attack at his home in Wimbledon, aged 45.