James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. After retiring from racing in 1979, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman until his death.
Hunt in 1977 | |
| Born | 29 August 1947 Belmont, Surrey, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 15 June 1993 (aged 45) Wimbledon, London, England |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | British |
| Active years | 1973–1979 |
| Teams | Hesketh, McLaren, Wolf |
| Entries | 93 (92 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1976) |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 23 |
| Career points | 179 |
| Pole positions | 14 |
| Fastest laps | 8 |
| First entry | 1973 Monaco Grand Prix |
| First win | 1975 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1977 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1979 Monaco Grand Prix |
Beginning his racing career in touring car racing, Hunt progressed into Formula Three, where he attracted the attention of the Hesketh Racing team and soon came under their wing. Hunt's often reckless and action-packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt" (shunt, as a British motor-racing term, means "crash"). Hunt entered Formula One in 1973, driving a March 731 entered by the Hesketh Racing team. He went on to win for Hesketh, driving their own Hesketh 308 car, in both World Championship and non-championship races, before joining the McLaren team at the end of 1975. In his first year with McLaren, Hunt won the 1976 World Drivers' Championship, and he remained with the team for a further two years, although with less success, before moving to the Wolf team in early 1979. Following a string of races in which he failed to finish, Hunt retired from driving halfway through the 1979 season.
After retiring from motor racing, he established a career as a motor racing commentator for the BBC. He died from a heart attack when he was 45.