James Hunt in review

[Erki]

So we have reviewed Damon Hill already, time for another British F1 champion.

Thought this would be interesting to someone: http://chocmonsterland.blog.com/James+Hunt/

[ShiftingGears]

Interesting read. Its always fascinating to read about past grand prix drivers. Definitely not a truely great driver by any means, but definitely a great character. I like the fact that he turned up to corporate functions - formal suit occasions - in his shirt and jeans :p :

[futuretiger9]

Thanks for posting the link. It makes fascinating reading, and indicative of a bygone age.

Interesting to note the mention made by James in one of the articles about the rapd rise of Riccardo Patrese. Of course, this was before Monza 1978, and the subsequent animosity between James and Riccardo.

The hysteria about James' private life and his non-conformist ways tended to overshadow what a great RACER he was. In this he reminded me of Mansell, although of course as personalities they could not have been different.

James had a relatively short F1 career (1973-79) and retired because he did not want to waste his life driving an uncompetitive car. It was a very honest and brave decision to make.

[ArrowsFA1]

There is also this site - http://www.champ76.co.uk/ - but I'm not sure the last time it was worked on or updated.

James Hunt was one of my first racing heroes. He was the British driver to support when I was getting into F1 in the mid-1970's, and I was absorbed by his battle with Niki Lauda for the '76 title. He was also never far from the society/gossip pages of the Daily Mail at the time, particularly as his wife ended up marrying Richard Burton.

My view of Hunt since has been coloured by the events surrounding Monza 1978, but that doesn't alter the fact that he was a fine racing driver. Perhaps somewhat fortunate to win the title (had Lauda not had his accident would it really have been close?), but capable of some superb performances.

In some ways he joined McLaren at the wrong time. Yes, the M23 was a title winning car, but the team were (with the benefit of hindsight) in decline, and Hunt's fortunes faded with them, although his efforts with the M26 against the superior Lotus were in many ways better than during his title winning year.

It would have been interesting to see what he could have done had he been able to take up the offer of a Ligier drive soon after he quit Wolf.

[Garry Walker]

James Hunt was an awesome character.

It was quite funny to read that in the link posted he was pretty complimentary about Riccardo Patrese. How things change :D

[ClarkFan]

What really happened was that Hunt was born 15-20 years too late. If you compare his approach to life and racing with the drivers of the 1950's and early 1960's, he would have fit right in. By the early 1970's, the professional-oriented atmosphere we see today was getting established, and Hunt was a bit of a misfit. I don't think it was an accident that he came to F1 with Hesketh, which was a throwback team in its finances (Lord H's pocketbook) and attitude (party hardy, even more than Jordan in its heyday).

But aside from his partying ways, Hunt was probably as good as any driver in F1 from 1975-1977. He made the most of the cars he had, including the almost-but-not-quite-competitive M26. He lost his edge when the racing wasn't fun anymore, but what would you expect from a free spirit?

ClarkFan

[futuretiger9]

Yes, Hunt was already almost an anachronism by the time he arrived in F1 in 1973. Professionalism and commercialism, as pioneered by Jackie Stewart and others, was gradually taking over.

[D-Type]

I heartily recommend Gerald Donaldson's James Hunt - The Biography, ISBN 0002184931. It gives some insight into Hunt, the man, as well as recounting his racing career.

[ArrowsFA1]

It was quite funny to read that in the link posted he was pretty complimentary about Riccardo Patrese. How things change :D
It would be interesting to know exactly when during the 1978 season that James Hunt 'wrote' that column for Vauxhall.

[futuretiger9]

I heartily recommend Gerald Donaldson's James Hunt - The Biography, ISBN 0002184931. It gives some insight into Hunt, the man, as well as recounting his racing career.


Yes, it is indeed a fine biography. There are some amusing and hair-raising tales from James' days in Formula 3, and some analysis of his life away from the circuits. His post-retirement trials and tribulations are also documented.