Jo Bonnier, the Swedish racing driver, used various team names such as Ecurie Bonnier, Joakim Bonnier Racing Team, and Anglo-Suisse Racing Team to compete with his own cars in Formula One, Formula Two, and sports car racing from 1957 until his passing in 1972. Typically, these teams entered cars for Bonnier himself, though he also supplied cars to several other drivers during this era.
Notable Team Members and Drivers
Jo Bonnier: As the founder and driving force behind Ecurie Bonnier, Jo Bonnier was not only the team owner but also a driver for the team who competed in Formula 1 and other racing categories.
Helmut Marko: Marko, who later became well-known as a motorsport advisor with Red Bull Racing, drove for Ecurie Bonnier at the 1971 German Grand Prix.
Jo Bonnier started his Formula One career under his own name in 1957, initially with a Maserati 250F, but had limited success, achieving only two non-scoring finishes from six World Championship entries across 1957 and 1958. Despite this, strong showings in other races garnered attention from established teams. Over the next seven years, he predominantly drove for the factory BRM and Porsche teams, as well as Rob Walker’s well-organised private team.
In 1966, Bonnier returned to running his own team, naming it Anglo-Suisse Racing to reflect his residency in Switzerland. His primary car that season was a Cooper-Maserati T81 painted in Swiss racing colors of red and white. The year began promisingly at the non-championship 1966 BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone, where Bonnier qualified sixth and finished third. However, the rest of the season was challenging; a crash in the first lap of the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix wrecked his Cooper T81. Despite repairs, he used an Alf Francis-built Cooper-ATS at the 1966 French Grand Prix, later switching to a spare Brabham for the remainder of the weekend. The repaired Cooper T81 returned for the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix after Bonnier briefly drove a Brabham BT7 at the 1966 British Grand Prix. Anglo-Suisse Racing scored its first Championship points with a sixth-place finish at the season-ending 1966 Mexican Grand Prix.
Bonnier continued to drive the Cooper throughout 1967 under the banner of Joakim Bonnier Racing Team, achieving marginally better results than the previous year with points finishes in Germany and the United States. In 1968, Bonnier began the season with the aging Cooper but switched to the McLaren-BRM M5A for most races. At the 1968 Mexican Grand Prix, he drove a spare RA301 offered by Honda after the McLaren’s BRM engine failed in practice, securing his team’s best World Championship result with fifth place.
By the end of 1968, Bonnier chose to step back from Formula One to focus on sports car racing, though he made occasional appearances thereafter. In 1969, the newly named Ecurie Bonnier appeared, co-entering the Lotus 63 experimental four-wheel-drive car with Team Lotus at the 1969 British Grand Prix, followed by a conventional Lotus 49B at the 1969 German Grand Prix. Bonnier continued with a McLaren M7C in 1970 and 1971. In 1971, he entered Helmut Marko for the 1971 German Grand Prix, taking over driving duties when Marko ran out of fuel during his first practice lap. Bonnier, after struggling to qualify in some races, decided to retire from Formula One for good at the end of 1971.
Ecurie Bonnier Formula One World Championship Records
| First entry | 1957 British Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jo Bonnier / Ecurie Bonnier / Joakim Bonnier Racing Team / Anglo-Suisse Racing Team |
| Constructors | Maserati, Cooper, Brabham, McLaren, Honda, Lotus |
| Races entered | 45 |
| Constructors’ Championships | 0 |
| Drivers’ Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 1971 United States Grand Prix |
Ecurie Bonnier Constructors’ Championship Results
The Formula One World Constructors’ Championship did not start until 1958.
| Year | Name | Car | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Ecurie Bonnier | Maserati 250F | Jo Bonnier | – | – |
| 1958 | Jo Bonnier | Maserati 250F | Harry Schell Jo Bonnier Phil Hill Giulio Cabianca Hans Herrmann | 0 | NC |
| 1966 | Anglo-Suisse Racing | Cooper T81 Brabham BT22 Brabham BT7 | Jo Bonnier | 0 | NC |
| 1967 | Joakim Bonnier Racing | Cooper T81 | Jo Bonnier | 0 | NC |
| 1968 | Joakim Bonnier Racing | Cooper T81 McLaren M5A Honda RA301 | Jo Bonnier | 0 | NC |
| 1969 | Ecurie Bonnier | Lotus 63 Lotus 49B | Jo Bonnier | 0 | NC |
| 1970 | Ecurie Bonnier | McLaren M7C | Jo Bonnier | 0 | NC |
| 1971 | Ecurie Bonnier | McLaren M7C | Jo Bonnier Helmut Marko | 0 | NC |
Source: Wikipedia.com