Retired

Derek Warwick

British

  • New Alresford, Hampshire, United Kingdom Place of Birth
  • 27 August 1954 Date of Birth
  • 1981 San Marino Grand Prix F1 Debut
  • Footwork Arrows Current/Last Team

Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick was born in New Alresford, UK, and is widely recognised as one of the most talented Formula 1 drivers never to win a Grand Prix. Despite his long career in F1, a victory eluded him. In the early 1980s, Warwick was viewed as more likely to achieve World Championship success than his peer, Nigel Mansell.

NationalityBritish
BornDerek Stanley Arthur Warwick
27 August 1954
New Alresford, Hampshire, United Kingdom

Warwick’s Formula One journey saw a promising start with Renault in 1984 after his time with Toleman. He anticipated competing in a top-tier car and initially led the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix during his debut race for Renault. However, he was forced to retire due to a suspension failure. He achieved second-place finishes at both the Belgian and British Grands Prix in 1984, ultimately finishing seventh in the drivers’ championship that season. The turning point in Warwick’s career came in 1985 when he decided to stay with Renault, turning down an offer from Williams. This seat was then taken by Nigel Mansell, who went on to secure two race wins that season. After a disappointing year, Renault pulled out of Formula 1 at the end of 1985. Further setbacks came when Ayrton Senna blocked Warwick from joining him at Lotus, leaving Warwick without a team at the beginning of 1986. Following Elio de Angelis‘s fatal accident during testing in May, Warwick was invited to replace him at Brabham. He spent subsequent years racing mostly non-competitive cars for Arrows (1987-1989), Team Lotus (1990), and Footwork (1993).

Earlier in his career, Warwick clinched the 1978 British Formula Three Championship. He also excelled in sports car racing, winning the World Sportscar Championship in 1992 and contributing to Peugeot’s victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the same year. He raced sports cars for Jaguar in 1986 and 1991 and later competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), winning a notable wet race at Donington in 1998. He co-founded 888 Racing to manage Vauxhalls in the series.

In 2006, Warwick took part in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters series for retired Formula One drivers.

Derek Warwick Formula One World Championship career

F1 Career1981–1990, 1993
TeamsToleman, Renault, Brabham, Arrows, Lotus, Footwork
Entries162 (147 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums4
Career points71
Pole positions0
Fastest laps2
First entry1981 San Marino Grand Prix
Last entry1993 Australian Grand Prix

Sources: Wikipedia.com and Historicracing.com

Teammates

Driver Nationality Current/Last Team F1 Debut Status
French Lola 1977 French Grand Prix Died
American Ferrari 1968 United States Grand Prix F1 Legend
Italian Benetton 1977 Monaco Grand Prix Retired
American Arrows 1978 Argentine Grand Prix Retired
British Jaguar 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix Retired

Teams

Team Nationality Debut Season Status
Toleman British 1981 Historic
Renault French 1977 Historic
Brabham British 1962 Historic
Arrows British 1978 Historic
Team Lotus British 1958 Historic
Footwork Arrows British 1991 Historic