Innes Ireland was a charismatic British racing driver and journalist who competed in Formula One from 1959 to 1966. Born in Mytholmroyd and raised in Scotland, he served as a lieutenant in the British Army before beginning his motorsport career in the mid-1950s.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert McGregor Innes Ireland 12 June 1930 Mytholmroyd, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 22 October 1993 (aged 63) Reading, Berkshire, England |
Ireland raced for teams including Lotus, BRP, Reg Parnell Racing, and Bernard White Racing, securing his only F1 World Championship win at the 1961 United States Grand Prix with Lotus. That same year, despite recovering from serious injuries sustained at Monaco, he returned to win two non-championship races and finished the season on a high. He had finished fourth in the 1960 World Championship and was known for his speed, bravery, and outspoken personality. However, he was controversially dropped by Colin Chapman at the end of 1961 in favour of Jim Clark.
Beyond F1, Ireland enjoyed success in sports cars and saloon cars, contested eight editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and took part in major American events such as the Daytona 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona. After retiring from racing, he moved into journalism, working as a commentator for ESPN and writing for Road & Track and Autocar.
A man of many pursuits, he also operated fishing trawlers in the North Atlantic. In the final chapter of his life, Ireland served as president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club from 1992 until his death from cancer in 1993. He left behind a legacy as one of British motorsport’s most colourful and independent voices.
Innes Ireland Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1959–1966 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Team Lotus, BRP, Parnell, White |
| Entries | 53 (50 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Career points | 47 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1959 Dutch Grand Prix |
| First win | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1966 Mexican Grand Prix |
Innes Ireland Teammates
| 14 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Hill | 6 | 1959 | |
| Alan Stacey | 6 | 1959 | 1960 |
| Alberto Rodriguez-Larreta | 1 | 1960 | |
| John Surtees | 4 | 1960 | |
| Jim Clark | 13 | 1960 | 1961 |
| Ron Flockhart | 1 | 1960 | |
| Willy Mairesse | 1 | 1961 | |
| Masten Gregory | 7 | 1962 | |
| Jim Hall | 9 | 1963 | |
| Trevor Taylor | 9 | 1964 | |
| Richard Attwood | 6 | 1965 | |
| Chris Amon | 1 | 1965 | |
| Mike Hailwood | 1 | 1965 | |
| Bob Bondurant | 1 | 1965 |
Innes Ireland Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
Innes Ireland Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Team Lotus | Lotus 16 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | MON | 500 | NED 4 | FRA Ret | GBR | GER Ret | POR Ret | ITA Ret | USA 5 | 14th | 5 | |
| 1960 | Team Lotus | Lotus 18 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | ARG 6 | MON 9 | 500 | NED 2 | BEL Ret | FRA 7 | GBR 3 | POR 6 | ITA | USA 2 | 4th | 18 |
| 1961 | Team Lotus | Lotus 21 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | MON DNS | NED | BEL Ret | FRA 4 | GBR 10 | GER Ret | USA 1 | 6th | 12 | |||
| Lotus 18/21 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | ITA Ret | 6th | 12 | |||||||||||
| 1962 | UDT-Laystall Racing Team | Lotus 24 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | NED Ret | MON Ret | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 16 | GER | ITA Ret | USA 8 | RSA 5 | 16th | 2 | |
| 1963 | British Racing Partnership | Lotus 24 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | MON Ret | GER Ret | 9th | 6 | ||||||||
| 1963 | British Racing Partnership | BRP Mk1 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | BEL Ret | NED 4 | FRA 9 | GBR Ret | ITA 4 | USA | MEX | RSA | 9th | 6 | ||
| 1964 | British Racing Partnership | Lotus 24 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | MON DNS | NED | 14th | 4 | ||||||||
| 1964 | British Racing Partnership | BRP Mk1 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | BEL 10 | FRA Ret | 14th | 4 | ||||||||
| 1964 | British Racing Partnership | BRP Mk2 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | GBR 10 | GER | AUT 5 | ITA 5 | USA Ret | MEX 12 | 14th | 4 | ||||
| 1965 | Reg Parnell Racing | Lotus 25 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | RSA | MON | BEL 13 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | NED 10 | GER | NC | 0 | |||
| 1965 | Reg Parnell Racing | Lotus 33 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | ITA 9 | USA Ret | MEX DNS | NC | 0 | |||||||
| 1966 | Bernard White Racing | BRM P261 | BRM P60 1.9 V8 | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | NED | GER | ITA | USA Ret | MEX Ret | NC | 0 |
