Mike Hawthorn was a British racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1958. He made history in 1958 by winning the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari, becoming the first British driver to claim the title. In endurance racing, Hawthorn also achieved great success, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1955 with Jaguar.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | John Michael Hawthorn 10 April 1929 Mexborough, England |
| Died | 22 January 1959 (aged 29) Near Onslow Village, Guildford, England |
Hawthorn’s F1 career began in 1952 when he joined Ferrari after catching Enzo Ferrari’s eye with his performances in lower Formula, including a win in his first race in a Formula Two Cooper-Bristol T20 at Goodwood. He quickly made an impact, securing his first Grand Prix victory in 1953 at the French Grand Prix. He raced for Ferrari for most of his career, with brief stints at Vanwall and BRM.
Hawthorn’s finest moment came in 1958, when he won the Formula One World Championship, narrowly defeating Stirling Moss. Despite only one victory that season, his consistent podium finishes earned him the title.
Hawthorn’s 1958 title victory was a narrow one, as he edged out fellow British driver Stirling Moss by just one point. Despite winning the title, he announced his retirement from racing shortly after, deeply affected by the tragic death of his friend and teammate Peter Collins, who had died during the 1958 German Grand Prix two months earlier. Tragically, Hawthorn himself passed away only three months after retiring in a road accident near Guildford while driving his Jaguar road car.
In his memory, the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy was established in 1959 by the RAC. It has been awarded annually since to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One that season. Lewis Hamilton has won the award the most times, taking the trophy on eleven occasions.
Mike Hawthorn Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1952–1958 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Ferrari, Vanwall, BRM, Cooper (non-works), Maserati (non-works) |
| Entries | 47 (45 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1958) |
| Wins | 3 |
| Podiums | 18 |
| Career points | 112 9⁄14 (127 9⁄14) |
| Pole positions | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 6 |
| First entry | 1952 Belgian Grand Prix |
| First win | 1953 French Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1958 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix |
Mike Hawthorn Teammates
| 23 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg Parnell | 1 | 1952 | |
| Luigi Villoresi | 9 | 1953 | 1955 |
| Alberto Ascari | 9 | 1953 | 1954 |
| Giuseppe Farina | 13 | 1953 | 1955 |
| Piero Carini | 1 | 1953 | |
| Umberto Maglioli | 5 | 1953 | 1955 |
| Jose Froilan Gonzalez | 8 | 1954 | 1957 |
| Maurice Trintignant | 14 | 1954 | 1957 |
| Piero Taruffi | 2 | 1954 | |
| Robert Manzon | 1 | 1954 | |
| Ken Wharton | 2 | 1955 | |
| Eugenio Castellotti | 4 | 1955 | 1957 |
| Tony Brooks | 3 | 1956 | |
| Colin Chapman | 1 | 1956 | |
| Harry Schell | 1 | 1956 | |
| Ron Flockhart | 1 | 1956 | |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 10 | 1957 | 1958 |
| Alfonso de Portago | 1 | 1957 | |
| Peter Collins | 13 | 1957 | 1958 |
| Luigi Musso | 10 | 1957 | 1958 |
| Cesare Perdisa | 1 | 1957 | |
| Olivier Gendebien | 3 | 1958 | |
| Phil Hill | 4 | 1958 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1953 French Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1954 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1958 French Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Points1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Leslie D. Hawthorn | Cooper T20 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | SUI | 500 | BEL 4 | GBR 3 | GER | NED 4 | ITA NC | 4th= | 10 | ||||
| AHM Bryde | Cooper T20 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | FRA Ret | |||||||||||||
| 1953 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | ARG 4 | 500 | NED 4 | BEL 6 | FRA 1 | GBR 5 | GER 3 | SUI 3 | ITA 4 | 4th | 19 (27) | ||
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 | ARG DSQ | 500 | BEL 4* | GBR 2 | GER 2* | SUI Ret | ITA 2 | 3rd | 24 9 ⁄ 14 | ||||
| Ferrari 553 | Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 | FRA Ret | ESP 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1955 | Vandervell Products | Vanwall VW1 | Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 | ARG | MON Ret | 500 | BEL Ret | NC | 0 | |||||||
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | NED 7 | ITA 10 | ||||||||||||
| Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | Ferrari 625 | GBR 6* | ||||||||||||||
| 1956 | Owen Racing Organisation | Maserati 250F | Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 | ARG 3 | 12th | 4 | ||||||||||
| BRM P25 | BRM P25 2.5 L4 | MON DNS | 500 | GBR Ret | GER | ITA | ||||||||||
| Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati 250F | Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 | BEL DNS | |||||||||||||
| Vandervell Products | Vanwall VW2 | Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 | FRA 10* | |||||||||||||
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Lancia – Ferrari D50A | Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 | ARG Ret | MON Ret | 500 | 4th | 13 | ||||||||
| Ferrari 801 | Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 | FRA 4 | GBR 3 | GER 2 | PES | ITA 6 | ||||||||||
| 1958 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 246 | Ferrari 143 2.4 V6 | ARG 3 | MON Ret | NED 5 | 500 | BEL 2 | FRA 1 | GBR 2 | GER Ret | POR 2 | ITA 2 | MOR 2 | 1st | 42 (49) |
*Indicates shared drive
Sources:
- Mike Hawthorn. Wikipedia.com
