British Racing Motors (BRM) was established in 1945 in the picturesque market town of Bourne, Lincolnshire, and quickly made a name for itself in F1 between 1951 and 1977.
Notable Team Members and Drivers
Graham Hill: One of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history, Hill drove for BRM between 1960 and 1966 and won his first World Championship in 1962 with the team.
Jackie Stewart: Before achieving greater fame with Tyrrell, Jackie Stewart drove for BRM from 1965 to 1967.
Tony Rudd: An engineer rather than a driver, Tony Rudd was instrumental in the technical development of BRM cars. Rudd played a key role in developing the V16 engine and later the H16 engine, although both projects faced challenges.
Throughout its 26 seasons, BRM made its mark with 197 Grand Prix races and 17 wins. The pinnacle of BRM’s success came in 1962 when it clinched the Constructors’ Championship. This achievement was amplified by the performance of their driver, Graham Hill, who also won the 1962 Driver’s Championship.
Following their success in the early 1960s, BRM remained competitive, finishing as runner-up in the constructors’ championship in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1971.
Including Graham Hill, six World Champions, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, and Niki Lauda, drove for BRM. The team also featured other prominent drivers such as Froilan Gonzalez, Stirling Moss, Jo Bonnier, Pedro Rodriguez, Jo Siffert, Peter Gethin, and Jean-Pierre Beltoise.
BRM was also known for designing, building, developing, and racing engines with various configurations, including 4, 8, 12, and 16 cylinders, notably opting for the unconventional 16-cylinder engine on two occasions. The V16 engine, designed in the 1940s, was a 1.5-litre powerhouse generating over 600bhp. It was the first engine to rev beyond 10,000rpm, surpassing the maximum speeds of many other cars around them. Its deafening exhaust notes have cemented its legacy as the most iconic-sounding Grand Prix car ever. In the 1960s, the 3.0-litre H16 engine, though overly complex and hampered by a poor power-to-weight ratio, has come to be recognised as a remarkable feat of engineering, especially given the small size of the company that designed, built, developed, and raced it.
Alongside its Formula 1 efforts, BRM collaborated with Rover to construct a Gas Turbine car that competed in the 1963 and 1965 Le Mans races, successfully finishing the 24-hour race both times. During 1970-1971, BRM also developed and raced 8.0-litre prototype sports cars in the North American Can-Am series and the European Interserie series.
BRM Formula One World Championship Records
| First entry | 1951 British Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| Races entered | 197 |
| Constructors’ Championships | 1 (1962) |
| Drivers’ Championships | 1 (1962) |
| Race victories | 17 |
| Pole positions | 11 |
| Fastest laps | 15 |
| Final entry | 1977 Italian Grand Prix |
BRM Drivers’ Champions
The following drivers won the Formula One Drivers’ Championship for BRM F1.
| Driver | Nationality | Championship Year |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Hill | British | 1962 |
BRM Championship Results
The World Constructor’s Championship was not awarded until 1958.
| Year | Car | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BRM 15 | Peter Walker Reg Parnell Ken Richardson Hans Stuck | – | – |
| 1952–1953 | No works team | – | – | – |
| 1954 | Maserati 250F | Ken Wharton | – | – |
| 1955 | Maserati 250F | Peter Collins | – | – |
| 1956 | Maserati 250F BRM P25 | Mike Hawthorn Tony Brooks Ron Flockhart | – | – |
| 1957 | BRM P25 | Ron Flockhart Roy Salvadori Herbert MacKay-Fraser Jack Fairman Les Leston | – | – |
| 1958 | BRM P25 | Harry Schell Jean Behra Maurice Trintignant Jo Bonnier Ron Flockhart | 18 | 4th |
| 1959 | BRM P25 | Harry Schell Jo Bonnier Ron Flockhart | 18 | 3rd |
| 1960 | BRM P25 BRM P48 | Graham Hill Jo Bonnier Dan Gurney | 8 | 4th |
| 1961 | BRM P48/57 | Graham Hill Tony Brooks | 7 | 5th |
| 1962 | BRM P57 BRM P48/57 | Graham Hill Richie Ginther Bruce Johnstone | 42 | 1st |
| 1963 | BRM P57 BRM P61 | Graham Hill Richie Ginther | 36 | 2nd |
| 1964 | BRM P261 BRM P67 | Graham Hill Richie Ginther Richard Attwood | 42 | 2nd |
| 1965 | BRM P261 | Graham Hill Jackie Stewart | 45 | 2nd |
| 1966 | BRM P261 BRM P83 | Graham Hill Jackie Stewart | 22 | 4th |
| 1967 | BRM P261 BRM P83 BRM P115 | Jackie Stewart Mike Spence | 17 | 6th |
| 1968 | BRM P126 BRM P115 BRM P133 BRM P138 | Pedro Rodríguez Mike Spence Richard Attwood Bobby Unser | 28 | 5th |
| 1969 | BRM P138 BRM P133 BRM P139 | Jackie Oliver John Surtees Bill Brack George Eaton | 7 | 6th |
| 1970 | BRM P153 BRM P139 | Pedro Rodríguez Jackie Oliver George Eaton Peter Westbury | 23 | 7th |
| 1971 | BRM P153 BRM P160 | Jo Siffert Howden Ganley Pedro Rodríguez Vic Elford Peter Gethin Helmut Marko John Cannon | 36 | 2nd |
| 1972 | BRM P160B BRM P153 BRM P180 BRM P160C | Reine Wisell Howden Ganley Helmut Marko Peter Gethin Àlex Soler-Roig Jean-Pierre Beltoise Vern Schuppan Jackie Oliver Bill Brack Brian Redman | 14 | 7th |
| 1973 | BRM P160C BRM P160D | Clay Regazzoni Niki Lauda Jean-Pierre Beltoise Peter Gethin | 12 | 7th |
| 1974 | BRM P160E BRM P201 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise François Migault Henri Pescarolo Chris Amon | 10 | 7th |
| 1975 | BRM P201 | Mike Wilds Bob Evans | 0 | NC |
| 1976 | BRM P201B | Ian Ashley | 0 | NC |
| 1977 | BRM P207 BRM P201B | Larry Perkins Conny Andersson Guy Edwards Teddy Pilette | 0 | NC |
