James Hunt

For other people named James Hunt, see James Hunt (disambiguation).

James Hunt

James Hunt at the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix
Born	(1947-08-29)29 August 1947
Died	15 June 1993(1993-06-15) (aged 45)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1973-1979
Teams	Hesketh, McLaren, Wolf
Races	93 (92 starts)
Championships	1 (1976)
Wins	10
Podiums	23
Career points	179
Pole positions	14
Fastest laps	8
First race	1973 Monaco Grand Prix
First win	1975 Dutch Grand Prix
Last win	1977 Japanese Grand Prix
Last race	1979 Monaco Grand Prix

James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was an English racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman.

Beginning his racing career in touring car racing, Hunt progressed into Formula Three where he attracted the attention of the Hesketh Racing team and was soon taken under their wing. 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 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. However, following a string of races in which he failed to finish, Hunt retired from driving halfway through the 1979 season.

He is latterly remembered for his commentary career for the BBC, which he took up following his retirement. Hunt was known for his knowledge, insights, dry sense of humour and his criticism of drivers who he believed were not trying hard enough which in the process, brought him a whole new fanbase.

Early life

James Hunt was born in Belmont, Sutton, Surrey as the second child of Sue and Wallis Hunt, a successful stockbroker. His parents were brought up in strict Victorian environments and worked hard to maintain discipline in the family. He had an older sister, Sally, three younger brothers Peter, Timothy and David along with one young sister, Georgina. The family lived in a flat in Cheam, Surrey and moved to a home in Sutton when Hunt was 11 and then to a larger home in Belmont. Before his 5th birthday, Hunt enrolled at a nursery class at Ambleside. He was educated at Westerleigh School in Hastings, East Sussex from 1955 and later Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, and originally professed the intention of becoming a doctor. In school, Hunt played for the Westerleigh cricket team and for two years, played in football as a goalkeeper. He entered a tennis tournament at the age of 12 for the under-16's and lost out in one match making Hunt not accept defeat. In his childhood, he had been fascinated with animals and birds which his family supported.

As a child, Hunt had a personality of being persistently rebellious and had violent tantrums. As an adult, Hunt acknowledged that anger dissipated very fast with himself. His parents believed that Hunt had started smoking from the age of 10. His parents tried to persuade him to stop but with no effect. Later on, Hunt had learned to drive on a farm in Pembrokeshire, Wales whilst on a family holiday. He was driving a tractor which was demonstrated by the owner. He found changing gears frustrating because he lacked the strength required. One week after his 17th birthday, Hunt passed his driving test which he called the time when his life "really began". Hunt also took up skiing in 1965 in Scotland and made plans for further expeditions in 1966. Hunt suffered a sore arm on the journey back to England which remained for some time. Before his 18th birthday, he went to the home of his partner in Doubles Tennis, Chris Ridge. He saw his brother Simon Ridge who raced Minis, preparing his car for a race that weekend. They took Hunt to see the motor race at Silverstone which gave Hunt an instant obsession.

Early career

Mini racing

Hunt's own racing career started off in a racing Mini. His first race entered was at Snetterton but he was prevented from competing by race scrutineers as the Mini was deemed to have many irregularites with the car which left Hunt upset. Hunt later brought the necessary funding from working as a trainee manager of a telephone company to enter three events.

Formula Ford

He graduated to Formula Ford in 1968. He drove a Russell-Alexis Mk 14 car which was brought from a hire purchase scheme. In his first race as Snetterton, Hunt had lost 15 hp from an incorrect engine ignition setting but managed to finish 5th. Hunt took his first win at Lydden Hill and also set the lap record on the Brands Hatch short circuit.

Formula Three

James Hunt driving a Brabham BT21 in the Guards Trophy F3 race at Brands Hatch, 1969.

Hunt later raced in Formula Three in 1969 from a budget conceived by Gowrings of Reading which brought a Meryln Mk11A. Gowrings had a view to run the car in the final two races of 1968. Hunt won several races and constant high placed finishes which was evaluated by the British Guild of Motoring Writers which awarded Hunt a Grovewood Award as one of the three drivers to have promising careers.

Hunt was involved in a controversial incident with Dave Morgan during a battle for second position in the Formula Three Daily Express Trophy race at Crystal Palace on 3 October 1970. Having banged wheels earlier in a very closely fought race, Morgan attempted to pass Hunt on the outside of South Tower Corner on the final lap, but instead the cars collided and crashed out of the race. Hunt's car came to rest in the middle of the track, minus two wheels. Hunt got out, ran over to Morgan and furiously pushed him to the ground, which earned him severe official disapproval. Both men were summoned by the RAC and after hearing evidence from other drivers, Hunt was cleared by a tribunal but Morgan was given a 12-month suspension upon his racing license. Hunt later met with John Hogan and racing driver Gerry Birrell to obtain sponsorship from Coca-Cola.

Hunt's career continued in the works March team for 1972. His first race at Mallory Park saw him finish 3rd but was told by race officials he was able to exclude himself from the results when it was discovered that his engine was outside the regulations but had passed scrutineering tests at the next two races in Brands Hatch. In these races, Hunt finished 4th and 5th respectively. He collided with two cars at Oulton Park but finished 3rd at Mallory Park after a long duel with Roger Williamson. The cars did not appear at Zandvoort with Hunt still attending the race, but as a spectator.

In May 1972 it was announced by the team that he had been dropped from the STP-March Formula 3 team and replaced by Jochen Mass. When Hunt attempted to contact March, he was unable to get any response from his employers. Hunt decided to consult Chris Marshall, his former team manager who explained that a spare car was available. This followed a period characterized by a series of mechanical failures, and which culminated in a decision by Hunt, against the express instructions of March director Max Mosley, to race at Monaco in a March from a different team, unexpectedly vacated by driver Jean-Claude Alzerat, after Hunt's own March had first broken down and then been hit by another competitor in a practice lap.

After the termination of his racing relationship with STP-March, Hunt joined the Hesketh team, where he was seen as a kindred spirit. The team initially entered Hunt in Formula Two with little success but Lord Hesketh announced that they might as well fail in F1 as in F2, as it wasn't significantly more expensive.

Formula One career

1973-1975: Hesketh

Hunt's Hesketh 308 from 1975 being driven by his son, Freddie, in 2007

1973

Hesketh purchased a March 731 chassis, and it was developed by Harvey Postlethwaite. The team was initially not taken seriously by rivals, who saw the Hesketh team as party goers enjoying the glamour of Formula One. The Hesketh March proved much more competitive than the works March cars, and their best result was second place at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. Hunt made a brief venture into Endurance car race at the Kyalami Nine Hours, where he was parterned with Derek Bell with the pair finishing second.

After the season's end, Hunt was awarded with the Campbell Trophy from the RAC marking his performance in Formula One as the best for a British driver.

1974

For the 1974 season Hesketh Racing built a car, inspired by the March, called the Hesketh 308, but an accompanying V12 engine never materialised. Hunt's first test of the car came at Silverstone and found it more stable than its predecessor, the March 731. Hunt was retained on a £15,000 salary. The Hesketh team captured the public imagination as a car without sponsors' markings, a teddy-bear badge and a devil-may-care team ethos, which belied the fact that their engineers were highly competent. In Argentina, Hunt qualified 5th and led briefly before being overtaken by Ronnie Peterson before Hunt spun off the track and eventually retired due to engine failure. In South Africa, Hunt retired from 5th place from a broken driveshaft. Hunt's season highlight was a victory at the BRDC International Trophy non-Championship race at Silverstone, against the majority of the regular F1 field.

1975

Hunt in the Hesketh in 1975

Hunt scored a 6th in Brazil and retired with an engine failure in South Africa. In Spain, Hunt led the first six laps before colliding with a barrier with the same cause of retirement in Monaco. He had a further two retirements in Belgium and Sweden which were both down to mechanical failures. Hunt's first win came in the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. He finished fourth in the Championship that year, but Lord Hesketh had run out of funds and could not find a sponsor for his team. With little time left before the 1976 season, Hunt was desperately looking for a drive until Emerson Fittipaldi left McLaren and joined his brother's Copersucar-Fittipaldi outfit. With no other top drivers available, the team management signed Hunt to McLaren for the next season on a $200,000 contract – he was one of the cheapest World Champions ever (Keke Rosberg in 1982 similarly found a drive at the last minute). Hunt immediately caused a stir by refusing to sign a clause in his contract which stipulated he wore suits to sponsor functions. Hunt wore t-shirt and jeans and was often barefoot for sponsor-led functions with world leaders, chairmen of businesses and media moguls.

1976-1978: McLaren

Hunt leading John Watson in the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix

1976

1976 was Hunt's best year; the season proved to be both dramatic and controversial. He drove the McLaren M23 to six Grands Prix wins. After a slow start in which rival Niki Lauda pulled out a vast points lead, Hunt was disqualified and later reinstated as the winner of the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix for driving a car adjudged to be 1.8 cm too wide. At the British Grand Prix, Hunt was involved in a first corner incident on the first lap with Lauda which led to the race being stopped and restarted. Hunt took a spare car to take victory. Hunt's victory was disallowed on 24 September by a ruling from the FIA after Ferrari complained that Hunt was not legally allowed to restart the race. At Zandvoort, Hunt overtook Ronnie Peterson on the 12th lap and resisted pressure from John Watson to win. At the Italian Grand Prix, the Texaco fuel that McLaren used was tested and although apparently legal, the Penske cars, running the same fuel, had a much higher octane level than allowed and subsequently both teams were forced to start from the rear of the grid. At the penultimate round in the United States, Hunt started from pole and took victory after a close battle with Jody Scheckter to bring the title fight to Japan.

Lauda's near-fatal accident in Germany, which caused him to miss the following two races, allowed Hunt to close the gap to the Austrian. As they went to the final round in Japan Hunt was just three points behind. The Japanese Grand Prix was torrentially wet, and Lauda retired early on in the race, unable to blink because of facial burns from his accident in Germany. After leading most of the race Hunt suffered a puncture, then had a delayed pitstop and finally received mixed pit signals from his team. But he managed to finish in third place, scoring four points, enough for him to win the World Championship by one point. Hunt was the last British Formula One champion until Nigel Mansell won the 1992 championship for Williams.

1977

Before the start of 1977, Hunt attended a gala function at the Europa Hotel in London where he was awarded the Tarmac Trophy along with a two cheques which were for £2000 and £500 respectively, a magnum of champagne and other awards. The presentation was made by HRH The Duke of Kent. Hunt made an acceptance speech after the event which was considered "suitably gracious and glamorous". The media became critical of Hunt as he attended the event dressed in jeans, t-shirt and a decrepit windbreaker.

Before the South African Grand Prix, Hunt was confronted by customs officials who searched his luggage finding no illegal substances but a publications that contravened the strict obscenity laws of South Africa. Hunt was later released and tested at Kyalami where his McLaren M26 suffered a loose brake caliper which cut a hole in one of the tyres. He recovered and put the car on pole position and the race saw Hunt suffer a collision with Jody Schekter's Wolf and another collision with Patrick Depailler's Tyrrell but still managed to finish 4th.

The season did not start well for Hunt. The McLaren M26 was problematic in the early part of the season, during which Niki Lauda and Mario Andretti took a considerable lead in the Drivers' Championship. Towards the end of the year Hunt and the McLaren M26 were quicker than any rival combination other than Mario Andretti and the Lotus 78. Hunt won in Silverstone after trailing the Brabham of John Watson for 25 laps. He then took a further victory at Watkins Glen. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Hunt retired after a collision with team-mate Jochen Mass and was fined $2000 for assaulting a marshal and $750 for walking back to the pit lane in an "unsafe manner". In Fuji, Hunt won the race but did not attend the podium ceremony resulting in a fine for $20,000. He finished fifth in the World Drivers' Championship.

Hunt in the 1978 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch with McLaren M26.

1978

Before the 1978 season Hunt had high hopes to win a second world championship; however, in this season he scored only eight world championship points. Lotus had developed effective ground effect aerodynamics with their Lotus 79 car and McLaren were slow to respond. The M26 was revised as a ground effect car midway through the season but it did not work, and without a test driver to solve the car's problems, Hunt's motivation was low. His inexperienced new team-mate Patrick Tambay even outqualified Hunt at one race. In Germany, Hunt was disqualified for taking an shortcut to allow for a tyre change.

Hunt was greatly affected by Ronnie Peterson's fatal crash in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. At the start of the race there was a huge accident going into the first corner. Ronnie Peterson's Lotus was pushed into the barriers and burst into flames. Hunt, together with Patrick Depailler and Clay Regazzoni, rescued Peterson from the car, but Peterson died one day later in hospital. Hunt took his friend's death particularly hard and for years afterwards blamed Riccardo Patrese for the accident. Video evidence of the crash has since shown that Patrese did not touch Hunt or Peterson's cars, nor did he cause any other car to do so. Hunt believed, however, that it was Patrese's muscling past that caused the McLaren and Lotus to touch, but Patrese argues that he was already well ahead of the pair before the accident took place.

1979: Wolf Racing

For 1979 Hunt had resolved to leave the McLaren team. Despite his poor season in 1978 he was still very much in demand. He was offered a deal to drive for Ferrari in 1979, but wary of the potentially complicated political environment at the Italian team, he opted to move instead to the initially very successful Walter Wolf Racing team. Again he had high hopes to win races and compete for the world championship in what would be his last, and ultimately brief, Formula One season. However, the team's ground effect car was uncompetitive and Hunt soon lost any enthusiasm for racing. Hunt could only watch as Jody Scheckter won the World Driver's championship that year driving the Ferrari 312T4. His private life was also becoming increasingly turbulent.

At the first race in Argentina, he felt the car was difficult to handle and on a fast lap, the front wing became detached, narrowly striking his helmet. In the race, Hunt retired due to an electrical fault. In Brazil, he retired on lap 6 due to instability under braking caused by a loose steering rack. During qualifying in South Africa, the brakes on his car failed but he managed not to collide with the wall, but only finished 8th in the race. He retired at the Spanish Grand Prix after 26 laps. At Zolder, a new Wolf WR8 was raced but Hunt crashed into a barrier hard enough to bounce back onto the track. After failing to finish the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix, the race where six years previously he had made his debut, Hunt made a statement on 8 June 1979 to the press announcing his immediate retirement and walked away from F1 competition citing his situation in the championship. Despite going into retirement, he continued to work to promote his personal sponsors Marlboro and Olympus.

Later career (1979-1993)

Attempted comebacks

In 1980, Hunt nearly made a comeback with McLaren at the United States Grand Prix West asking for $1 million for the race. His sponsor, Marlboro offered half the figure but negotiations ended after Hunt injured his knee whilst skiing. In 1982, Bernie Ecclestone owner of the Brabham team, offered Hunt a salary of £2.6 million for the season but was rejected by Hunt. In 1990, Hunt was in financial trouble with the loss of £180,000 investing in Lloyd's of London and considered a comeback with the Williams team. He had tested on the Paul Ricard Circuit a few months prior to test modern cars and was several seconds off the pace and believed he would be physically prepared. Hunt attempted to persuade John Hogan for support for the possible comeback and presented him with bank statement for proof of being indebted.

Grand Prix

Soon after retirement, in 1979, Hunt was approached by Jonathan Martin, the head of BBC television sport, to become a television commentator alongside Murray Walker on the BBC 2 Formula One racing programme Grand Prix. He accepted the position and continued for the thirteen years until his death. Hunt regularly went into the booth minutes before a race started which had concerned Martin whom he believed that Hunt was "a guy that lived on adrenaline". During his first broadcast, Hunt appeared not to be taking the job seriously, having drunk two bottles of wine and placing into Walker's lap a broken leg from a skiing injury.

In the commentary booth, the producers only supplied one microphone to Walker and Hunt, given the belief of each that their commentary was more interesting than the other person's. When Hunt wanted the microphone, he would wave his hand in Walker's face, which rarely succeeded. He also held out his hand when Walker finished his part of speaking. On one occasion, Hunt wanted the microphone and went up to Walker who had continued for longer than expected and Hunt grabbed him at the collar with Walker having his fist near to Hunt. Viewers were regularly exposed to his knowledge, insights and dry sense of humour during broadcasts, bringing him a whole new fanbase. He was famous for 'rubbishing' drivers he did not think were trying hard enough – during the BBC's live broadcast of the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix he described René Arnoux's comments that non-turbo cars didn't suit the Frenchman's driving skills as "bullshit". He also had a reputation for speaking out against back-markers who held up race leaders and not holding back on any of his commentaries - in sharp contrast to the gentlemanly Walker.

Other than Arnoux, who in his later F1 years as a back marker became a shadow of his former self and was regularly criticised for his 'blocking' by his fellow drivers, fans and the media (including the usually gentlemanly Murray Walker), Hunt's other targets often included Andrea de Cesaris and Riccardo Patrese. During the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix he called de Cesaris an "idiot" after he caused race leader Nigel Mansell to almost spin his Ferrari while lapping the Italian, de Cesaris taking no notice of the fact that Mansell was attempting to lap him under braking going into the Rivazza corner of the Imola circuit.

Mentoring drivers

Hunt was hired by John Hogan as an adviser and tutor to drivers who were sponsored by Marlboro instructing them the tactics of driving and the approach to racing. Mika Häkkinen had been one of the most successful drivers because Hunt had been engaged with Häkkinen's discussions about not only racing but about life in general.

Other projects

Hunt made a brief appearance in the 1979 British silent slapstick comedy "The Plank", as well as co-starring with Fred Emney in a Texaco Havoline TV advertisement. He also made an appearance on ITV's Police Camera Action! special Crash Test Racers in 2000; this was one of many interviews to be aired posthumously. Hunt also competed in an exhibition race to mark the opening of the new Nurburgring in May 1984.

Private life

Public image

Hunt being interviewed by a BBC reporter

Hunt was notorious for his unconventional behaviour on and off the track, having drugs and sex often minutes before a race. Having been part of Formula One when the series was consolidating, and when it was conquering the attention of the motor sport press, Hunt became the epitome of unruly, playboy drivers and was celebrated for his English eccentricity (which included dining with his pet Alsatian dog, Oscar, at expensive Mayfair restaurants). He also was a great womaniser, sleeping with over 5,000.

Early in their careers Hunt and Lauda shared a one-bedroom flat in London, and were close friends off the track. Lauda, in his autobiography To Hell and Back, described Hunt as an "open, honest to God pal." Lauda had admired Hunt's burst of speed while Hunt envied Lauda's capacity for analysis and rigor. In the spring of 1974, Hunt moved to Spain on the advice of the International Management Group. Whilst living there now as a tax exile, Hunt was neighbours with Jody Scheckter, and they also came to be very good friends, with Hunt giving Scheckter the nickname Fletcher after the crash prone bird in the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Another close friend was Ronnie Peterson. Peterson was a quiet and shy man, whilst Hunt was exactly the opposite, but their contrasting personalities made them very close off the track. It was Hunt who discovered Gilles Villeneuve, whom he met after being soundly beaten by him in a Formula Atlantic race in 1976. Hunt then arranged for the young Canadian to make his Grand Prix debut with McLaren in 1977.

Hunt's lifestyle was as controversial as some of the events on track: he was associated with a succession of beautiful women; he preferred to turn up to formal functions in bare feet and jeans; he was an extensive user of alcohol, and also cocaine and marijuana; and he lived an informal life near the beach in Marbella. He was regularly seen attending nightclubs and discos, and was generally the life and soul of the party. Hunt was an expert ball game player, and regularly played squash and tennis. He also played on the Formula One drivers' cricket and football teams and appeared on the BBC's Superstars more than once.

Personal life and relationships

Hunt was involved in the relationship with Tamorina Rieck (known as Ping by her friends) from the age of 15. Rieck separated from Hunt in May 1971 which left Hunt not seeing his family or friends for long periods of time.

Hunt met his first wife Suzy Miller in 1974 in Spain. A few weeks after their initial meeting, he proposed. Hunt held the engagement party at the apartment of his brother Peter to the guests' surprise. The couple married on 18 October 1974 at the Brompton Oratory in Kensington. By the end of 1975, Suzy had left Hunt for the actor Richard Burton to whom he paid the divorce settlement of $1 million which was finalised in June 1976 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In 1982, Hunt moved his personal residence to Wimbledon. Later in September of that year, he met his second wife, Sarah Lomax while she was on a holiday in Spain with friends. Hunt started dating Lomax when she arrived back in England and dated throughout the winter. Hunt and Lomax were married on 17 December 1983 in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Hunt had arrived late for the service with proceedings delayed further when his brother Peter went to a shop to purchase a tie for Hunt. The marriage resulted in two children, Tom and Freddie.

On a budgerigar expedition in Doncaster, Hunt was arrested for assault which was witnessed by two police officers and was released on bail after two hours with the charges against him later being dropped. Hunt and Lomax separated in October 1988 but continued to live together for the best interests of their children. Lomax and Hunt were divorced in November 1989 on the grounds of adultery committed by Hunt.

Hunt met Helen Dyson in the winter of 1989 in a restaurant in Wimbledon, where she worked as a waitress. Dyson, a Catholic, was 18 years Hunt's junior and worried about her parents reactions to Hunt. Hunt kept the relationship secret from friends and became confused over his attraction to Dyson. The relationship had brought new happiness to Hunt's life among other factors which included his clean health, his bicycle, his casual approach to dress, his two sons and his Austin A35 van. The day before he died, Hunt proposed to Dyson via telephone.

Death

Hunt died in 1993 at the age of 45, of a heart attack at his home in Wimbledon, only hours after proposing marriage to Helen. Two days previously, Hunt cycled from his home to the Television Centre to commentate on the 1993 Canadian Grand Prix.

His burial service included a solo trumpeter playing lively hymns to attempt to raise the spirits of the mourners. The pallbearers at his funeral included his father Wallis, his brothers Tim, Peter, David and Hunt's friend Bubbles Horsley. All of them carried the coffin out of the church and into the cortège which drove two miles to the Putney Vale Crematorium where he was cremated. After the service, most of the mourners went to Peter Hunt's home to open a claret from 1922, the year of Wallis Hunt's birth. The claret was given to him by James in 1982 as a present on Wallis's 60th birthday

Legacy

Hunt was noticed as a fast driver with an aggressive, tail-happy driving style, but one prone to spectacular accidents, hence his well-earned nickname of Hunt The Shunt. In the book, James Hunt: The Biography, John Hogan said of Hunt: "James was the only driver I've ever seen who had the vaguest idea about what it actually takes to be a racing driver." After winning the world championship in 1976, Hunt had inspired many teenagers to take up motor racing. In early 2007, Formula One driver and 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen entered and won a snowmobile race in his native Finland under the name James Hunt. Räikkönen has openly admired the lifestyles of 1970s race car drivers such as Hunt. Hunt's name was lent to the James Hunt Racing Centre in Milton Keynes when it opened in 1990.

A Celebration of the Life of James Hunt was held on 29 September 1993 at St. James Church, Piccadilly. The service was attended by 600 people and conducted by Reverend Andrew Studdert-Kennedy. The service included readings from Wallis and Sue Hunt from the book of Ecclesiates, Chapter III and Hunt's sister Sally Jones read Hilaire Belloc's poem 'Jim'. Innes Ireland read Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' and Helen Dyson read Psalm LXXXIV. Nigel Davison, Director of Music and Master in charge of Running Wellington College prefaced the second reading.

Helmet

Hunt's helmet comprised his name in bold letters along with blue, yellow and red stripes on both sides and room for the sponsor Goodyear, all placed onto a black background. Additionally, the blue, yellow and red bands resemble his later Wellington College school colours. During his comeback year to Formula One in 2012, 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen sported a James Hunt painted helmet during the Monaco Grand Prix.

In popular culture

• Hunt will be portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the 2013 Ron Howard film Rush about the 1976 Formula One season.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (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	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Pts.
1973	Hesketh Racing	March 731	Ford V8	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON 9	SWE	FRA 6	GBR 4	NED 3	GER	AUT Ret	ITA DNS	CAN 7	USA 2			8th	14
1974	Hesketh Racing	March 731	Ford V8	ARG Ret	BRA 9																8th	15
		Hesketh 308	Ford V8			RSA Ret	ESP 10	BEL Ret	MON Ret	SWE 3	NED Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT 3	ITA Ret	CAN 4	USA 3
1975	Hesketh Racing	Hesketh 308B	Ford V8	ARG 2	BRA 6	RSA Ret	ESP Ret	MON Ret	BEL Ret	SWE Ret	NED 1	FRA 2	GBR 4	GER Ret	AUT 2						4th	33
		Hesketh 308C	Ford V8													ITA 5	USA 4
1976	Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren M23	Ford V8	BRA Ret	RSA 2	USW Ret	ESP 1*	BEL Ret	MON Ret	SWE 5	FRA 1	GBR DSQ	GER 1	AUT 4	NED 1	ITA Ret	CAN 1	USA 1	JPN 3		1st	69
1977	Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren M23	Ford V8	ARG Ret	BRA 2	RSA 4	USA 7		MON Ret												5th	40
		McLaren M26	Ford V8					ESP Ret		BEL 7	SWE 12	FRA 3	GBR 1	GER Ret	AUT Ret	NED Ret	ITA Ret	USA 1	CAN Ret	JPN 1
1978	Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren M26	Ford V8	ARG 4	BRA Ret	RSA Ret	USW Ret	MON Ret	BEL Ret	ESP 6	SWE 8	FRA 3	GBR Ret	GER DSQ	AUT Ret	NED 10	ITA Ret	USA 7	CAN Ret		13th	8
1979	Olympus Cameras Wolf Racing	Wolf WR7	Ford V8	ARG Ret	BRA Ret	RSA 8		ESP Ret													NC	0
		Wolf WR8	Ford V8				USW Ret		BEL Ret	MON Ret	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA

* Hunt was initially disqualified due to an "illegal" car, but later reinstated.

Notes

References

• Gerald Donaldson: James Hunt: The Biography (1994) ISBN: 978-0-7535-1823-6: Virgin Books
• Xavier Chimits, Bernard Cahier, Paul-Henri Cahier: Grand Prix Racers: Portaits of Speed (2008) ISBN: 978-0-7603-3430-0: Motorbooks
• Eoin Young, James Hunt James Hunt: Against All Odds (1978) ISBN: 978-0-525-1362-55: Dutton
• Tom Rubython Shunt: The Story of Jame s Hunt (2010) ISBN: 978-0-956-565-600: Myrtle Books

External links

• James Hunt at the Internet Movie Database
• GrandPrix.com biography
• ConnectingRod article
• James Hunt appreciation website
• Fan website
• James Hunt statistics
• Video of James Hunt just after he won the 1976 British Grand Prix

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jackie Stewart	BRDC International Trophy winner 1974	Succeeded by Niki Lauda
Preceded by Niki Lauda	BRDC International Trophy winner 1976	Succeeded by Keke Rosberg
Preceded by Niki Lauda	Formula One World Champion 1976	Succeeded by Niki Lauda
Preceded by Tom Pryce	Brands Hatch Race of Champions winner 1976-1977	Succeeded by Gilles Villeneuve
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Denny Hulme	Hawthorn Memorial Trophy 1975-1977	Succeeded by John Watson