John Miles (racing driver)
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1969-1970 |
| Teams | Lotus |
| Entries | 15 (12 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 2 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1969 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1970 Italian Grand Prix |
John Miles (born June 14, 1943 in London) is a British former Formula One driver from England. He participated in 15 Grands Prix, making his debut on July 6, 1969. He scored a total of 2 championship points. He drove for Team Lotus where he was the official test driver of the Lotus 63 4-wheel drive F1 car.
Promoted to number two Lotus F1 driver behind Jochen Rindt for the 1970 Formula One season, he was thoroughly overshadowed by his team leader who earned the F1 World Championship that year. Matters came to a head at the Italian GP. Lotus cars founder and Team Lotus principal Colin Chapman ordered Miles to follow Rindt in running a new Lotus 72 without front and rear wings in order to take advantage of the Monza circuit's fast, low-downforce corners. Miles reluctantly complied but was distressed by the wingless 72's handling on the straights. His teammate Rindt was killed when one of the brakes on his new Type 72 failed and his car veered off the track, submarining the steel barrier that was placed too high for the revolutionary wedge design of the 72. Rindt, who had only recently acquiesced to wearing a simple lap belt, slid underneath and had his throat cut by the belt buckle. That was too much for Miles, who was widely regarded as too cerebral and sensitive to fit Chapman's idea of a race driver, and he left the team, being replaced by Reine Wisell. A qualified mechanical engineer, Miles later made a name for himself working for Lotus's road car division.
John Miles is the son of the actor Bernard Miles.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 63 | Cosworth V8 | RSA |
ESP |
MON |
NED |
FRA Ret |
GBR 10 |
GER |
ITA Ret |
CAN Ret |
USA |
MEX Ret |
- | 0 | ||
| 1970 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 49C | Cosworth V8 | RSA 5 |
MON DNQ |
19th | 2 | |||||||||||
| Lotus 72 | ESP DNQ |
BEL Ret |
NED 7 |
FRA 8 |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
||||||||||||
| Lotus 72C | AUT Ret |
ITA DNS |
CAN |
USA |
MEX |