Richard Robarts (born 22 September 1944) is a British former racing driver who climbed the single-seater ladder all the way to Formula One. The Englishman competed in four Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, making his debut at the 1974 Argentine Grand Prix, although his short stay at the sport’s top table ended without a championship point.
Robarts cut his racing teeth in Formula Ford, competing in the category between 1969 and 1972 before stepping up to Formula Three in 1973. Driving a GRD, he immediately made his mark, sharing the Lombard North Central British Formula 3 Championship title with Tony Brise after an impressive season.
That success opened the door to Formula One. Robarts secured a paid drive with Brabham for 1974, but after three races his seat went to the better-funded Rikky von Opel. He subsequently landed another opportunity with Frank Williams Racing Cars, only for the drive to disappear before he could start a race when the team opted to put Tom Belsø in the car instead.
With his Formula One ambitions effectively curtailed, Robarts continued competing in Formula 2, keeping himself in high-level single-seater racing before eventually branching out into other categories. His Grand Prix career may have been brief, but Robarts had nevertheless made it from Formula Ford hopeful to British F3 champion and, ultimately, onto the Formula One grid.
