Tony Brooks, one of the leading Formula 1 drivers of the 1950s, has died at 90. This was announced on Tuesday by his daughter, Giulia.
After Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari and Stirling Moss, Brooks was the most successful driver of his era. He is regarded alongside Moss as the best British driver never to win the F1 title.
According to Moss, who died two years ago also at 90, “Brooks was a tremendous driver, the greatest – if he’ll forgive me saying this – ‘unknown’ racing driver there’s ever been. He was far better than several people who won the world championship.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Brooks in a statement, saying: “I was saddened to hear the news that Tony Brooks has died.
“He was part of a special group of drivers who were pioneers and pushed the boundaries at a time of great risk.
“He will be missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Brooks, who had been the last surviving F1 race winner of the 1950s, left a remarkable mark on the sport – between 1956 and 1959, he won 46% of the races he finished, in an era when mechanical reliability was a significant feature in motor sport.
Brooks famously won his first ever F1 race, the Syracuse Grand Prix of 1955, in which he competed as a last-minute entry for the Connaught team while studying for his dentistry finals at Manchester University.
Receiving a call from the team while revising, Brooks went to Italy, missed the first practice day, learned the circuit on a Vespa, and then caused a sensation by leading home the Maseratis of world championship regulars Luigi Musso and Luigi Villoresi, to achieve the first international grand prix win for a British car since 1924.
Brooks’ success put his career as a dentist on the backburner, as he decided to focus full-time on motor racing.
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He entered F1 in 1956 with BRM, but he raced only twice in a car that was not a success – and Brooks was lucky to escape without serious injury from a crash when its throttle stuck open during the 1956 British Grand Prix.
Brooks always shone brightest on the most demanding circuits, and in 1958 underlined his skills with impressive victories on the daunting Spa-Francorchamps and Nurburgring Nordschleife circuits in the Belgian and German Grands Prix.
