Peter Gethin

Peter Gethin was a British racing driver and later a senior figure in motorsport administration, whose brief Formula One career produced one of the most extraordinary victories the sport has ever seen. Competing in Formula One between 1970 and 1974, Gethin is best remembered for his dramatic win at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix for BRM. A race that set speed and finishing-margin records that would stand for decades.

Nationality	British
Born	Peter Kenneth Gethin 21 February 1940 Ewell, Surrey, England
Died	5 December 2011 (aged 71) Haslemere, Surrey, England

Born in Ewell, Surrey, Gethin began racing in sports cars, cutting his teeth as a privateer in the British Sports Car Championship through the early 1960s. By 1966, he had moved into Formula Three, competing in both the British and French championships, before stepping up to Formula Two. His reputation was firmly established in Formula 5000, where he won multiple titles and proved himself a fast, adaptable driver across powerful machinery. Those performances earned him a call from McLaren for the 1970 Formula One season, following the death of team founder Bruce McLaren.

Formula One career

McLaren: 1970

Gethin made his Formula One debut at the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, joining a three-car McLaren team alongside Andrea de Adamich and the experienced Dan Gurney. He qualified an impressive 11th, just over two seconds off Jochen Rindt’s pole time and notably quicker than Gurney. In the race, he battled early with Henri Pescarolo’s Matra and ran solidly in the top ten before crashing out on lap 19.

He missed the French and British Grands Prix while Denny Hulme deputised, but returned for the 1970 German Grand Prix. Qualifying was less convincing — 17th on the grid — and the race ended early with throttle failure after just three laps. Austria brought another difficult qualifying session, with Gethin 21st, well behind Hulme and de Adamich. However, he drove a strong race, steadily climbing as others retired, running as high as eighth before finishing tenth — his first classified Grand Prix finish.

At Monza, Gethin again qualified behind his teammates but showed improved pace, lining up 17th and closer than before to the front runners. He made a strong start, passing de Adamich and Ronnie Peterson, but technical issues soon dropped him to the back. Attrition lifted him to ninth at the flag, though being eight laps down meant he was not classified.

The North American leg of the season marked a turning point. At the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix, Gethin out-qualified both McLaren teammates, starting 11th just 1.7 seconds off Jackie Stewart’s pole time. A measured, strategic race — including a clean pass on Pescarolo — brought him home sixth and earned his first Formula One championship point.

That momentum faded at Watkins Glen, where he qualified 21st. Despite a strong opening phase and passes on both Brabham drivers, he was eventually relegated to last and finished 14th, eight laps down. The season finale in Mexico, however, was encouraging: Gethin qualified tenth, comfortably ahead of Hulme, raced competitively, and held John Surtees at bay before engine failure ended his race on lap 28. He finished the season 23rd in the World Championship with one point.

McLaren and BRM: 1971

Gethin retained his McLaren seat for 1971, partnering Hulme in a reduced two-car team. The season opened poorly in South Africa, where he qualified 11th and retired early with a fuel leak. In Spain, at the Montjuïc Circuit, he delivered one of his strongest qualifying performances, taking seventh — his best grid position to date — and finishing eighth after a solid race, though still overshadowed by Hulme’s fifth place.

Monaco proved difficult. Gethin qualified 14th, well off Hulme’s pace, but made steady progress in the race, overtaking John Surtees and climbing to 11th before crashing into the barriers on lap 23.

Mid-season, Gethin switched to BRM from the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix onward — a move that would define his career. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he delivered one of Formula One’s most famous finishes. In a slipstreaming battle involving multiple leaders, Gethin surged from fourth to first on the final lap, winning by just 0.01 seconds over Ronnie Peterson. The race was run at an average speed of 242.615 km/h, the fastest in Formula One history, a record that stood for 32 years until Michael Schumacher broke it at Monza in 2003. Remarkably, it was Gethin’s only Formula One podium finish, and he never officially led a full lap of Grand Prix racing.

Later seasons and other racing

Gethin remained with BRM for 1972 but was released at the end of the season. He made only occasional Formula One appearances thereafter, racing once for BRM in 1973 and once for Hill in 1974, his final Grand Prix start coming at the 1974 British Grand Prix.

Alongside his World Championship outings, Gethin found success elsewhere. He won two non-championship Formula One races, including the 1973 Race of Champions, driving a Chevron. Returning to Formula 5000 in Europe, he finished runner-up in the championship in both 1974 and 1975 and won the Tasman Series in 1974. He also competed in the 1974 World Sportscar Championship in the Chevron B26, and in 1977 finished runner-up in both the Canadian-American Challenge Cup and the Rothmans International Series, before retiring from driving at the end of that season.

Life after racing

After stepping away from the cockpit, Gethin remained deeply involved in the sport. In 1986, he founded Peter Gethin Racing, running a Formula 3000 team. Later, he served as a director of the British Racing Drivers’ Club from 2005 to 2008.

Death

Peter Gethin died on 5 December 2011 in Haslemere, Surrey, at the age of 71, following a long illness.

Peter Gethin Formula One World Championship Career

Active years	1970–1974
Teams	McLaren, BRM, Hill
Entries	31 (30 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	1
Career points	11
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1970 Dutch Grand Prix
First win	1971 Italian Grand Prix
Last win	1971 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry	1974 British Grand Prix

Peter Gethin Wins

Win No.	Grand Prix
1	1971 Italian Grand Prix

Peter Gethin Teammates

19 drivers	Involvement	First Year	Last Year
Bruce McLaren	1	1970
Andrea de Adamich	8	1970
Dan Gurney	2	1970
Denny Hulme	14	1970	1971
Nanni Galli	1	1970
Jackie Oliver	3	1971	1972
Howden Ganley	14	1971	1972
Helmut Marko	5	1971	1972
Jo Siffert	4	1971
George Eaton	1	1971
John Cannon	1	1971
Reine Wisell	8	1972
Jean-Pierre Beltoise	11	1972	1973
Vern Schuppan	1	1972
Bill Brack	1	1972
Brian Redman	1	1972
Niki Lauda	1	1973
Guy Edwards	1	1974
Graham Hill	1	1974

Peter Gethin Complete Formula One Results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	WDC	Pts
1970	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M14A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	NED Ret	FRA	GBR	GER Ret	AUT 10	ITA NC	CAN 6	USA 14	MEX Ret			23rd	1
1971	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M14A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	RSA Ret	ESP 8	MON Ret													9th	9
		McLaren M19A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8				NED NC	FRA 9	GBR Ret	GER Ret
	Yardley Team BRM	BRM P160	BRM P142 3.0 V12								AUT 10	ITA 1	CAN 14	USA 9
1972	Marlboro BRM	BRM P160B	BRM P142 3.0 V12	ARG Ret	RSA NC		MON Ret	BEL Ret	FRA DNS	GBR Ret	GER								21st	1
		BRM P180				ESP Ret
		BRM P160C										AUT 13	ITA 6	CAN Ret	USA Ret
1973	Marlboro BRM	BRM P160E	BRM P142 3.0 V12	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	FRA	GBR	NED	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN Ret	USA	NC	0
1974	Embassy Racing with Graham Hill	Lola T370	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	NED	FRA	GBR Ret	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	NC	0