English driver Tony Brooks, a pioneering Formula 1 star of the 1950s, has died aged 90.
The Brit won six Grands Prix, achieved 10 podiums and came agonisingly close to winning the world championship while driving for Ferrari in 1959. His daughter Giulia announced the tragic news on Tuesday with the F1 world paying tribute to the former driver.
Brooks secured his first win at the 1955 Syracuse Grand Prix while he was a dentistry student at the University of Manchester. He became known as the ‘racing dentist’ as a result, and the moniker made perfect sense as Brooks would surgically move through the grid out on track.
He entered F1 in 1956 and teamed up with the legendary Stirling Moss on the Vanwall team the following year. Moss, who passed away aged 90 in 2020, praised Brooks in the past, suggesting he was more than capable of winning the world title.
“Brooks was a tremendous driver, the greatest - if he'll forgive me saying this - 'unknown' racing driver there's ever been,” Moss said. “He was far better than several people who won the world championship.”
Brooks was the last surviving F1 race winner of the 1950s and he left a considerable mark on the sport. Between 1956 and 1959, he won 46% of the races he finished in an era when mechanical reliability was a significant feature in motorsport.
He entered F1 in 1956 with BRM, but he raced only twice for the team and he was lucky to escape serious injury when his throttle stuck open during the 1956 British Grand Prix. After joining the Vanwall team alongside Moss, Brooks finished second in Monaco to Juan Manuel Fangio - who went on to win his fifth championship - and then shared the British Grand Prix win with Moss.
Brooks was still recovering from injuries sustained in a heavy crash at Le Mans the month prior, but still qualified third. Moss retired from the race while leading, so a fatigued Brooks handed over his car and Moss went on to secure the win.
Brooks showcased his tremendous speed with impressive victories on the daunting Spa-Francorchamps and Nurburgring Nordschleife circuits in the Belgian and German Grands Prix in 1958.
He should have won the world title with Ferrari in 1959, winning in France and Germany to go with P2 in Monaco. The Englishman went into the final race at Sebring in Florida still in with a chance of the championship despite problems at the other races, but a technical hiccup cost him the title.
Tributes have poured in for the Brit - widely regarded as one of the best drivers to never win an F1 Championship. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali paid homage to Brooks, saying: “I was saddened to hear the news that Tony Brooks has died.
“He was part of a special group of drivers who were pioneers and pushed the boundaries at a time of great risk. He will be missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Ferrari, who Brooks raced for in his best season in 1959, said in a statement: “We pay homage to Tony Brooks, a fantastic driver who contributed to our legacy. “Our thoughts are with his beloved ones.”
