Although numerous Scottish drivers competed in F1 during the 1950s it would take until 1961 before a Scotsman won a Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix.
Innes Ireland, Scotland’s First F1 Winner
Rober McGregor Innes Ireland was one of motor racing’s great characters. His life was a whirlwind of success, failure, several monumental accidents and personal tragedy. Despite being born in Yorkshire Ireland moved to Scotland at a young age and considered it his homeland. He was easily identifiable by the chequered band around his helmet and could usually be seen puffing on a cigarette.
At the 1961 US Grand Prix Ireland scored the first Formula 1 World Championship victory by a Scottish driver and the first win in Grand Prix racing for Team Lotus. His reward was to be promptly fired, as Colin Chapman opted to go with Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor. Ireland – believing that Clark had a hand in his sacking – remained resentful of his countryman for the rest of his Formula 1 career, something which he regretted in the aftermath of Clark’s death.
Ireland never won in Formula 1 again and made his final start in 1966. He continued to race in other categories well into the 1980s and wrote about motor racing extensively. Ireland suffered personal tragedy when his son committed suicide. He passed away from cancer in 1993.
Jim Clark, Scottish Formula 1 Champion
While Innes Ireland’s Lotus career abruptly ended Jim Clark was just beginning a relationship with team boss Colin Chapman which would reap enormous success. The shy sheep farmer from Fife (Clark’s family moved to the Scottish Borders when he was still a toddler) became the greatest driver of his generation, claiming the Formula 1 World Championship in 1963 and 1965. In 1965 he also found time to win the Indianapolis 500 for Lotus.
Clark could drive anything. He was also British Touring Car champion for Lotus, competed in NASCAR, had a go at rallying and even raced a milk float in a bizarre race at Brands Hatch. The sport was shocked to the core on April 7th, 1968 when Clark was killed during a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in Germany. His Formula 1 record shows that he won more than one third of the Grands Prix he started, a truly extraordinary achievement given the poor reliability of period F1 cars.
The aftermath of Clark’s death saw the rapid emergence of another great Scottish talent, Jackie Stewart. He would go on to dominate the sport and heavily influence a sea change in attitude to Formula 1 safety.
Kevin Guthrie - Kevin is based in Fife, Scotland, where he works as a music teacher, professional drummer and freelance writer. At an early age he ...
