John Surtees F1 Profile & Career Stats
Former Formula 1 Driver
John Surtees †
F1 career: 1960 - 1972
Driver Profile
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Height | 1.73 meter / 5 feet 8 inch1.73 m / 5'8" |
| Place of Birth | Tatsfield |
| Date of Birth | Feb 11th 1934 |
| Date of Death | Mar 10th 2017: 83 years old |
| Season Entries | 13 (1960–1972) |
| Car Number | 7 |
Championship Titles
- 1964Ferrari1 clear of Graham Hill
Full Career Statistics
| Drivers' Titles | 1 |
| Grand Prix Entries | 112 |
| Grand Prix Starts | 111 |
| Total Points | 180.00 |
| Avg. Points per GP | 1.61 |
| Grand Prix Wins | 6 (5,4%) |
| Wins from pole | 4 (3,6%) |
| Pole Positions | 8 (7,1%) |
| Front Row Starts | 18 (16,1%) |
| Avg. GP Grid | 7.7 |
| GP Podiums | 24 (21,4%) |
| GP Fastest Laps | 11 (9,8%) |
| GP Points Finish | 40 (35,7%) |
| Avg. GP Position | 4.8 |
| Hat-tricks | 3 (2,7%) |
| GP DNFs | 60 (53,6%) |
| Total GP Laps | 4.992 |
Key Career Landmarks
Race
1960 Monaco F1 Grand Prix1960 MON F1 GP 26 years, 108 days26y, 108d
1972 Italian F1 Grand Prix1972 ITA F1 GP 38 years, 212 days38y, 212d
1960 Monaco F1 Grand Prix1960 MON F1 GP 26 years, 108 days26y, 108d1972 Italian F1 Grand Prix1972 ITA F1 GP 38 years, 212 days38y, 212dPole
1960 Portuguese F1 Grand Prix1960 POR F1 GP 26 years, 185 days26y, 185d1968 Italian F1 Grand Prix1968 ITA F1 GP 34 years, 210 days34y, 210d
1960 Portuguese F1 Grand Prix1960 POR F1 GP 26 years, 185 days26y, 185d1968 Italian F1 Grand Prix1968 ITA F1 GP 34 years, 210 days34y, 210dWin
1963 German F1 Grand Prix1963 GER F1 GP 29 years, 174 days29y, 174d1967 Italian F1 Grand Prix1967 ITA F1 GP 33 years, 211 days33y, 211d
1963 German F1 Grand Prix1963 GER F1 GP 29 years, 174 days29y, 174d1967 Italian F1 Grand Prix1967 ITA F1 GP 33 years, 211 days33y, 211dPodium1960 British F1 Grand Prix1960 GBR F1 GP 26 years, 156 days26y, 156d
1969 USA F1 Grand Prix1969 USA F1 GP 35 years, 236 days35y, 236d
1960 British F1 Grand Prix1960 GBR F1 GP 26 years, 156 days26y, 156d1969 USA F1 Grand Prix1969 USA F1 GP 35 years, 236 days35y, 236dFastest lap1960 Portuguese F1 Grand Prix1960 POR F1 GP 26 years, 185 days26y, 185d
1970 South African F1 Grand Prix1970 RSA F1 GP 36 years, 24 days36y, 24d
1960 Portuguese F1 Grand Prix1960 POR F1 GP 26 years, 185 days26y, 185d1970 South African F1 Grand Prix1970 RSA F1 GP 36 years, 24 days36y, 24dPoints finish1960 British F1 Grand Prix1960 GBR F1 GP 26 years, 156 days26y, 156d1971 British F1 Grand Prix1971 GBR F1 GP 37 years, 156 days37y, 156d
1960 British F1 Grand Prix1960 GBR F1 GP 26 years, 156 days26y, 156d1971 British F1 Grand Prix1971 GBR F1 GP 37 years, 156 days37y, 156dWin from pole1964 German F1 Grand Prix1964 GER F1 GP 30 years, 173 days30y, 173d
1966 Mexican F1 Grand Prix1966 MEX F1 GP 32 years, 254 days32y, 254d
1964 German F1 Grand Prix1964 GER F1 GP 30 years, 173 days30y, 173d1966 Mexican F1 Grand Prix1966 MEX F1 GP 32 years, 254 days32y, 254dHat-trick1964 German F1 Grand Prix1964 GER F1 GP 30 years, 173 days30y, 173d
1966 Belgian F1 Grand Prix1966 BEL F1 GP 32 years, 121 days32y, 121d
1964 German F1 Grand Prix1964 GER F1 GP 30 years, 173 days30y, 173d1966 Belgian F1 Grand Prix1966 BEL F1 GP 32 years, 121 days32y, 121dF1 Career Finishing Positions
1st
6
2nd
10
3rd
8
4th
4
5th
8
6th
3
7th
4
8th
3
9th
1
11th
2
17th
1
DNF
59
DSQ
1
NC
1
DNS
1
DNF Did Not FinishDSQ DisqualifiedNC Not ClassifiedDNS Did Not Start
Performance Breakdown
Bio
John Surtees Biography
John Surtees at the 1966 British F1 GP
John Surtees is the only Formula 1 champion that also scored a championship in Motor racing on two wheels.
From dominating in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing to being introduced to cars after almost beating a young Jim Clark in a Formula 3 event, John Surtees motorsport career is one to remember for its unique achievements. Born on the 11th of February of 1934 in Surrey, England, he grew up around bikes and soon enough learn to work with them with perfect synergy, riding and fixing them.
His rise in the motorcycle world was stunning. At just 15 years of age, he competed in his first race (a Grasstrack event). Then, he made his motorcycle World Championship debut at 18, won his first race as a 21-year-old, took his first World Championship at 22 and his seventh,and last title— at 26 years old.
Four 500cc World Championships and three in the 350cc division looked well enough to imagine Surtees heading off to retirement. However, his tough mindset and unique competitiveness saw him add a couple of wheels to the machines he was going fast with.
John Surtees, Honda RA273, 1967 German GP
The “Figlio del Vento” was his nickname in Italy, where he cemented his motorcycling legacy riding for MV Agusta. A natural racer, he entered a race at Goodwood and finished second in a Cooper behind the legendary Jim Clark, who was a young driver at the time. Colin Chapman signed him to drive for Lotus in the 1960 F1 season and his four-wheel journey began.
Surtees made his Formula 1 debut in the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix and had to retire due to a transmission failure on his Lotus 18. Just seven days before his F1 debut, he was winning the first races of the 350cc and 500cc classes in the motorcycle World Championship at France.
He missed the next four races as he was still busy winning motorcycle Grands Prix and on the way to winning the 350cc and 500cc championships, which would be his last two. Then, he returned to Formula 1 racing with a great second place at Silverstone in the 1960 British Grand Prix after starting 11th.
John Surtees, Honda, 1967 Italian GP, Podium
At his third F1 race, the 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix, Surtees qualified on Pole Position but was forced to retire from the race with radiator trouble. In the last race of the year and Surtees’ fourth in F1, he qualified sixth but retire after just three laps. For 1961, he was a solid name amongst F1 teams and he chose to leave Lotus and drive a Cooper T53 for the Yeoman Credit Racing Team. However, that year he only finished in the points twice with two fifth places in Belgium and Germany.
For 1962, he drove a Lola Mk4 with a V8 engine for the Bowmaker-Yeoman team. Although results improved (two podiums, a Pole Position and five of the nine races finished in the points), he wouldn't drive for them the following campaign. In the race where he achieved his first podium of that season and his second overall, the 1962 British Grand Prix, he started second and finished second behind the Lotus of Clark. The result was special for Surtees, as he was dealing with gearbox issues from the early stages of the race.
John Surtees, Honda RA301, 1968 Italian GP, Pole Position
Surtees decided to leave Yeoman and took the chance to return to the country which saw him conquer the motorcycling world with dominating fashion. As he joined Ferrari, the “Son of the Wind” was looking to replicate the success he had already enjoyed with an Italian outfit in bikes.
The highlight of his first year with Ferrari came in Nürburgring, where he won the 1963 German Grand Prix with a commanding gap over Clark. Surtees ended 1963 in fourth place in the World Drivers’ Championship with 22 points, his biggest tally at that point.
In 1964, he finished on the podium sixth times and won at Germany again with an outstanding drive. For the WDC, only the six best results counted and Surtees met the criteria perfectly, achieving six podiums. He won at Monza from Pole and lapped every driver outside the top 2. In the penultimate race of the year, he finished second at Watkins Glen as Graham Hill won.
His second place at the USA pushed Surtees up to second in the WDC, behind Hill. In the title-decider in Mexico, Surtees looked like a doubtful challenger at the beginning of the race, but a crash between Hill and Surtees’ teammate Lorenzo Bandini put him in contention. Clark was leading the race and on pace to win the championship, but an oil leak ended his hopes. Bandini let Surtees pass on the last lap, thus giving him second place and the historical championship.
John Surtees driving the BRM during the 1969 Monaco F1 GP
After becoming the first (and so far only) person to win world championships in motorcycles and cars, Surtees and Ferrari had a down year in 1965. He only achieved three podiums and a fourth-place at Monaco, which gave him fifth in the WDC with just 17 points. Late in 1965, Surtees had a near-fatal accident at Mosport, Canada, when driving his Lola car for the Can-Am Series. He missed the last two rounds of the F1 calendar at the USA and Mexico due to his injuries.
Surtees recovered and returned for the 1966 season with a good level, winning the second race of the year, the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix in his Ferrari 312/66. However, his success with Ferrari at Spa-Francorchamps was his last outing with the team. Surtees, a tough person with a nack for discussion during his racing days, had issues with team manager Eugenio Dragoni. Dragoni elected to leave Surtees out of Ferrari’s lineup for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans and Surtees decided it was the last problem they would ever have.
Surtees completed the 1966 F1 season driving for Cooper, where he achieved a victory in Mexico and other two podiums to finish second in the championship behind a dominant Jack Brabham. He moved to Honda for 1967 and earned a podium in his first race for them. That year, he also won the 1967 Italian Grand Prix, which would be his last victory in Formula 1.
1971 Engeland John Surtees driving the Surtees team car
Between 1968 and 1969, he managed to score just three podiums with Honda. Then, he decided to enter his own team, but the success was not there. He could only score six points combined in 1970 and 1971 and retired in 1972 after starting only in the 1972 Italian Grand Prix.
He dedicated his life to his team until 1978, when he left Formula 1 altogether. He had three kids. Henry Surtees, his son, competed in single-seaters but sadly died in a Formula Two accident in 2009, which made John found The Henry Surtees Foundation to help improve the safety of the racing world.
Surtees, the great champion in the biggest categories of bikes and cars, died on the 10th of March of 2017 at the age of 83.
“It is basically a love affair, isn’t it? You come together with machinery. Sometimes is, of course, a little bit of a hate affair when they don’t work. But other times, things become special in your life.”
Seasons
John Surtees Championship Results
1× World Championship1964–1964 · Ferrari
One title, won in 1964 with Ferrari.
- 1964Ferrari40 pts1 clear of Graham Hillsealed at 1964 Mexican F1 GP
36th
1972
19th
1971
18th
1970
11th
1969
8th
1968
4th
1967
2nd
1966
5th
1965
1st
1964
4th
1963
4th
1962
12th
1961
12th
1960
John Surtees F1 Seasons Summary
| Year | Team | Engine | GP | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pod | Pole | Laps | FL | Avg Pts | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 |
Surtees |
Ford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 1971 |
Surtees Surtees |
Cosworth Ford | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 533 | 0 | 0.27 | 3 |
| 1970 |
McLaren Surtees |
Ford Ford | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 512 | 1 | 0.27 | 3 |
| 1969 |
BRM |
BRM | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 455 | 0 | 0.67 | 6 |
| 1968 |
 Honda |
Honda | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 509 | 1 | 1.00 | 12 |
| 1967 |
Honda |
Honda | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 506 | 0 | 2.22 | 20 |
| 1966 |
Cooper-Maserati Ferrari |
Maserati Ferrari | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 378 | 3 | 3.11 | 28 |
| 1965 |
Ferrari |
Ferrari | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 433 | 0 | 2.13 | 17 |
| 1964 🏆 |
Ferrari |
Ferrari | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 462 | 2 | 4.00 | 40 |
| 1963 |
Ferrari |
Ferrari | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 467 | 3 | 2.20 | 22 |
| 1962 |
Lola |
Climax | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 366 | 0 | 2.11 | 19 |
| 1961 |
Cooper-Climax |
Climax | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 0 | 0.50 | 4 |
| 1960 |
Team Lotus |
Climax | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 134 | 1 | 1.50 | 6 |
Races
Wins
Podiums
Poles
Teammates
News
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John Surtees — Frequently Asked Questions
When did John Surtees start racing in Formula 1?
John Surtees started racing in Formula 1 in 1960.
Is John Surtees still racing in Formula 1?
John Surtees passed away in 2017. Last competed in Formula 1 in 1972.
How many Formula 1 races has John Surtees won?
John Surtees has won 6 Formula 1 races.
How many F1 World Championships has John Surtees won?
John Surtees has won 1 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship (1964).
How many F1 podiums does John Surtees have?
John Surtees has finished on the podium 24 times in Formula 1.
When did John Surtees win their first F1 race?
John Surtees won their first Formula 1 race at the 1963 German F1 GP.
What nationality is John Surtees?
John Surtees is British.
Which teams has John Surtees driven for in Formula 1?
John Surtees has driven for Team Lotus, Lola, Cooper-Maserati, Ferrari, Cooper-Climax, Honda, BRM, McLaren and Surtees in Formula 1.
How many F1 races has John Surtees entered?
John Surtees has competed in 112 Formula 1 Grands Prix.
