Nicknamed “Taffy” by Mike Hawthorn, Wolfgang von Trips initially had a reputation for erratic driving. However, in 1961, he reached peak career, winning the Dutch and British Grands Prix and entering the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on the brink of clinching the World Championship. Tragically, he collided with Jim Clark’s Lotus on the second lap, resulting in his death and the deaths of 14 spectators.
| Nationality | German |
|---|---|
| Born | Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips 4 May 1928 Cologne, Rhineland, Prussia, Germany |
| Died | 10 September 1961 (aged 33) Monza, Italy |
Von Trips was born in Kerpen-Horrem near Cologne, Germany. Known as “Wölfchen” (little wolf) by his parents, the young German Count came from a 700-year-old dynasty of knights and grew up in a castle on his family estates near Cologne. Despite a childhood marked by illnesses that made him unfit for military service, von Trips recovered fully and developed a passion for speed, debuting in racing in 1950 on a 500cc BMW motorcycle.
Due to his mother’s concerns, von Trips raced under the pseudonym Axel Linther. Despite numerous crashes early in his career, he demonstrated fearless skill, particularly in the mid-fifties with Porsche and Mercedes sports cars.
In 1954, von Trips won the 1300cc class (33rd overall) in the Mille Miglia driving a Porsche 356 Super with Walter Hampel and secured second in the 1600cc class at the ADAC-Eifel-Rennen at Nürburgring. He also finished 5th in the Berlin Sports Car Grand Prix at Avus. The following year, he continued his success in the Mille Miglia, taking second in the GT class before winning the 1300cc class at the ADAC-Eifel-Rennen with a Porsche 356.
In 1956, von Trips won a class at Sebring with Hans Herrmann in a Porsche 550 and took first in the 1500cc class (4th overall) in the 1000Km race at Nürburgring with Umberto Maglioli. He made his Grand Prix debut in the 1956 Italian Grand Prix with Ferrari, though a crash in practice revealed a steering issue. He also finished 5th overall at Le Mans, winning the 1500cc class.
In 1957, von Trips drove in three Grands Prix for Ferrari, finishing sixth in Argentina and third in Italy. He had numerous successes in sports cars during this period as well. In 1958, he finished third in the French GP after starting 21st and won the European hill-climb championship in a works Porsche RSK. However, a collision at the Italian GP resulted in a broken leg.
In 1959, von Trips switched to Porsche in the F2 class, suffering a dramatic crash at Monaco. He was withdrawn from the 1959 German Grand Prix after Behra’s accident and returned to Ferrari for the 1959 US Grand Prix, finishing sixth. In sports cars, he secured third at Sebring, won the Berlin Grand Prix, and finished second in the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood.
Returning to Ferrari in 1960, von Trips was a consistent top-ten finisher, with a best result of fourth in Portugal. He also won non-championship races at Syracuse and Solitude for Ferrari and finished second in the F2 German Grand Prix for Porsche.
In 1961, von Trips reached his peak, winning the Targa Florio with Gendebien and securing victories in the 1961 Dutch and British Grand Prix. Leading the 1961 World Championship, he only needed a third place at Monza to clinch the title. Despite securing pole position, he was pressured by Jim Clark in a Lotus on the second lap, resulting in a fatal collision that sadly killed von Trips and 14 spectators.
After his death, rumours circulated that von Trips was scheduled to fly to the USA on the day of his death on a plane that later crashed over Ireland. Consprisits suggesting he death was knocking on his door that day. However, these rumours were proven false, as the flight took off too early for him to have made it.
Outside of F1, von Trips also promoted karting in Germany and opened a kart track in Kerpen in 1961. Later, Rolf Schumacher, the father of future F1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher, leased the track, where they began their racing careers.
Wolfgang von Trips Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1956–1961 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Ferrari, Porsche, Scuderia Centro Sud |
| Entries | 29 (27 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Career points | 56 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1956 British Grand Prix |
| First win | 1961 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1961 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1961 Italian Grand Prix |
Wolfgang von Trips Teammates
| 19 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Collins | 9 | 1956 | 1958 |
| Eugenio Castellotti | 2 | 1956 | 1957 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 1 | 1956 | |
| Luigi Musso | 6 | 1956 | 1958 |
| Alfonso de Portago | 2 | 1956 | 1957 |
| Mike Hawthorn | 10 | 1957 | 1958 |
| Cesare Perdisa | 1 | 1957 | |
| José Froilán González | 2 | 1957 | 1960 |
| Maurice Trintignant | 2 | 1957 | 1960 |
| Phil Hill | 19 | 1958 | 1961 |
| Olivier Gendebien | 3 | 1958 | 1961 |
| José Behra | 1 | 1959 | |
| Maria Teresa De Filippis | 1 | 1959 | |
| Cliff Allison | 3 | 1959 | 1960 |
| Tony Brooks | 1 | 1959 | |
| Richie Ginther | 10 | 1960 | 1961 |
| Willy Mairesse | 4 | 1960 | 1961 |
| Ian Burgess | 1 | 1960 | |
| Ricardo Rodriguez | 1 | 1961 |
Formula One Record
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 4 | 14th | Report |
| 1958 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 9 | 12th | Report |
| 1959 | Dr Ing hcf Porsche KG Scuderia Ferrari | Porsche Ferrari | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1960 | Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Centro Sud | Ferrari Cooper–Maserati | 10 | 7th | Report |
| 1961 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 33 | 2nd | Report |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1961 British Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One results
Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Scuderia Ferrari | Lancia–Ferrari D50 | Ferrari V8 | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA DNS | NC | 0 | |||
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Lancia–Ferrari D50A | Ferrari V8 | ARG 6 * | 14th | 4 | ||||||||||
| 1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 801 | Ferrari V8 | MON Ret † | 500 | FRA | GBR | GER | PES | ITA 3 | 14th | 4 | ||||
| 1958 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Dino 246 | Ferrari V6 | ARG | MON Ret | NED | 500 | BEL | FRA 3 | GBR Ret | GER 4 | POR 5 | ITA Ret | MOR | 12th | 9 |
| 1959 | Dr Ing hcf Porsche KG | Porsche 718 F2 | Porsche Flat-4 | MON Ret | 500 | NED | FRA | GBR | GER DNS | POR | ITA | NC | 0 | |||
| 1959 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Dino 246 | Ferrari V6 | USA 6 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1960 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Dino 246 | Ferrari V6 | ARG 5 | MON 8 | 500 | NED 5 | BEL Ret | FRA 11 | GBR 6 | POR 4 | 7th | 10 | |||
| Ferrari 246P F2 | Ferrari V6 | ITA 5 | 7th | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Scuderia Centro Sud | Cooper T51 | Maserati Straight-4 | USA 9 | 7th | 10 | |||||||||||
| 1961 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 156 | Ferrari V6 | MON 4 | NED 1 | BEL 2 | FRA Ret | GBR 1 | GER 2 | ITA Ret | USA | 2nd | 33 |
† Indicates shared drive with Mike Hawthorn
Sources: Wikipedia.com, fandom.com, statsf1.com and historicracing.com
