Michael Beuttler was a British Formula One driver best known for racing privately entered March cars in the early 1970s. Born in Cairo to Colonel Leslie Beuttler of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and descended from Scottish ornithologist William Robert Ogilvie-Grant, he had a background as colourful as his racing career.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Simon Brindley Bream Beuttler 13 April 1940 Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt |
| Died | 29 December 1988 (aged 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Beuttler made his name as a standout driver in Formula Three in the late ’60s before moving up the ranks to Formula Two, and then into Formula One in 1971. His entry into the sport was somewhat unconventional – funded by a group of stockbroker friends, the team was first called Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing, and later expanded to Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher. The unique financial backing earned his car the nickname “The Stockbroker Special”.
Though he never scored championship points under the rules at the time, Beuttler notched up six top-ten finishes across 28 Grand Prix starts – results that would earn points today. He raced once for the works March team at the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix and achieved his best result with a seventh place at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix. When the 1973 oil crisis hit and his backers pulled out, Beuttler retired from racing the following year at just 34, after competing in the 1000 km of Brands Hatch.
Michael Beuttler is often referred to as Formula One’s first openly gay F1 driver, though friends like former Autosport editor Ian Phillips have suggested he was more “semi-closeted” at the time. “People weren’t open about being gay in those days,” Phillips recalled, noting that Beuttler often brought a female companion to races, likely to avoid scrutiny. Beuttler remained the only known male LGBT+ F1 driver to have competed in F1 until 2009, when Portugal’s Mário de Araújo Cabral came out as bisexual at age 75. In 2024, Ralf Schumacher also publicly revealed he was in a same-sex relationship, another milestone for representation in the sport.
After stepping away from motorsport, Beuttler relocated to the United States, where he lived a more private life. He died in Los Angeles in 1988, aged 48, from complications related to AIDS. He was also connected to the political world — his sister Jane was married to the controversial British MP and diarist Alan Clark.
Formula One History Recommends
Mike Beuttler Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1971–1973 |
|---|---|
| Teams | non-works March |
| Entries | 29 (28 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1971 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1973 United States Grand Prix |
Mike Beuttler Teammates
| 5 Drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanni Galli | 1 | 1971 | |
| Ronnie Peterson | 1 | 1971 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing | March 711 | Cosworth V8 | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR Ret | GER DSQ | AUT NC | ITA Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||
| 1971 | STP March | March 711 | Cosworth V8 | CAN NC | USA | NC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1972 | Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing | March 721G | Cosworth V8 | ARG | RSA | ESP DNQ | MON 13 | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 13 | GER 8 | AUT Ret | ITA 10 | CAN NC | USA 13 | NC | 0 | |||
| 1973 | Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher | March 721G | Cosworth V8 | ARG 10 | BRA Ret | RSA NC | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1973 | Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher | March 731 | Cosworth V8 | ESP 7 | BEL 11 | MON Ret | SWE 8 | FRA | GBR 11 | NED Ret | GER 16 | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | CAN Ret | USA 10 | NC | 0 |
