Ensign

Ensign was a British Formula One constructor that made a name for itself not with silverware, but with grit, persistence, and the occasional flash of brilliance. Across 133 Grand Prix, the team entered 155 cars, scored 19 championship points, but never reached the podium. Their single standout performance came at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix, when Marc Surer powered the car to a remarkable fourth place, snatching the fastest lap of the race for good measure.

The team was the brainchild of Morris Nunn, who not only founded Ensign but also doubled up as its designer during its formative years. Nunn’s influence stretched far beyond Ensign: he later crossed the Atlantic to the Champ Car series, where he engineered championship-winning machines for Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya in the late 1990s.

Formula One Beginnings

The adventure began in 1973, with financial backing from pay driver Rikky von Opel. Fresh from winning the 1972 Lombard North Central British Formula Three Championship in an Ensign, von Opel commissioned the team’s first Formula One chassis. The debut season was rough: von Opel only finished two races, the best result being a 13th place at the British Grand Prix. He stayed for the start of 1974, but soon jumped ship for a Brabham works drive.

Ensign scrambled to fill the seat. Vern Schuppan stepped in, managing a 15th at the Belgian Grand Prix before handing over to Mike Wilds. Wilds at least reached the flag in the U.S. Grand Prix, though nine laps down and unclassified.

The First Points

In 1975, Dutch company HB Bewaking brought sponsorship, and with it Dutch drivers. Roelof Wunderink struggled, but Gijs van Lennep delivered Ensign’s very first points with a sixth place at the German Grand Prix. That same year Chris Amon joined briefly, showing promise but only managing 12th-place finishes in Austria and Italy.

Amon stayed in 1976 and was blisteringly quick in qualifying, third on the grid in Sweden, sixth in Britain, but his races rarely came together. A lone fifth place in Spain brought points before he was replaced by Patrick Nève, Hans Binder, and then Jacky Ickx.

Late ’70s: A Carousel of Drivers

Clay Regazzoni joined in 1977, picking up five points with fifth-place finishes in Italy and the U.S. The following year was chaotic: Danny Ongais and Lamberto Leoni both quit early, Jacky Ickx returned for four races, and Derek Daly eventually picked up a single point in Canada. Historic footnote: Nelson Piquet made his Formula One debut with Ensign at Hockenheim in 1978, before moving on to far greater things.

In 1979, Daly stayed on but left mid-season. His replacement Patrick Gaillard struggled to qualify, so Marc Surer was drafted in for the final races.

The 1980s: Highs, Lows, and Heartbreak

Regazzoni came back in 1980, but tragedy struck at Long Beach. A brake failure sent him into Ricardo Zunino’s stationary car at the Queen’s Hairpin, leaving him paralysed. Stand-in drivers Tiff Needell and Jan Lammers tried to carry the torch, but the results never came.

Marc Surer delivered Ensign’s best ever race in 1981, fourth in Brazil, plus the fastest lap. He added a sixth in Monaco before yielding the seat to Eliseo Salazar, who grabbed another point with sixth at the Dutch Grand Prix. In 1982, Roberto Guerrero took over, but reliability woes meant he only finished two races.

That same year, Ensign had a parallel triumph: with Jim Crawford behind the wheel, they won the final season of the British Formula One Championship, using the older MN180B chassis.

The Endgame

By the close of 1982, Ensign merged with the Theodore team, already a close ally thanks to financier Teddy Yip. Much like modern-day Red Bull and Toro Rosso, the two outfits often ran near-identical cars. Guerrero and Ensign’s lead designer continued with Theodore into 1983, but the operation folded before the season’s end.

Ensign never became a front-runner, but its story is woven with resilience, surprise performances, and a quiet influence on racing history. From giving Nelson Piquet his F1 debut to delivering Morris Nunn into Champ Car legend, Ensign’s legacy goes far beyond the results sheet.

Ensign Racing Formula One World Championship Records

First entry	1973 French Grand Prix
Races entered	134 (98 starts)
Constructors’ Championships	0
Drivers’ Championships	0
Race victories	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
Final entry	1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix

Ensign Racing Constructors’ Championship Results

Team Names

Years	Name
1973–1974, 1976, 1979	Team Ensign
1975	HB Bewaking Team Ensign
1977	Team Tissot Ensign with Castrol
1978	Team Tissot Ensign
1980	Unipart Racing Team
1981–1982	Ensign Racing

Formula One Summary

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds	WCC Points	WCC Pos.	Report
1973	N173	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	F		Rikky von Opel	8–10, 12–15	0	NC	Report
1974	N174	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	F	22	Rikky von Opel	1	0	NC	Report
					Vern Schuppan	5–11
					Mike Wilds	12–15
1975	N174 N175	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	31	Roelof Wunderink	4–5, 10, 13–14	1	12th	Report
					Gijs van Lennep	8–9, 11
					Chris Amon	12
				32		13
				33	Roelof Wunderink	12
1976	N174 N176	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	22	Chris Amon	2–7, 9–10	2	12th	Report
					Patrick Nève	8
					Hans Binder	11
					Jacky Ickx	12–15
1977	N177	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	22	Clay Regazzoni	All	10	10th	Report
					Jacky Ickx	6
1978	N177	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	22	Danny Ongais	1–2	1	13th	Report
					Lamberto Leoni	4
					Jacky Ickx	5–8
					Derek Daly	9–10, 12–16
					Nelson Piquet	11
				23	Lamberto Leoni	1–3
					Brett Lunger	15
1979	N177 N179	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	22	Derek Daly	1–7	0	NC	Report
					Patrick Gaillard	8–12
					Marc Surer	13–15
1980	N180	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	14	Clay Regazzoni	1–4	0	NC	Report
					Tiff Needell	5–6
					Jan Lammers	7–14
				41	Geoff Lees	11–12
1981	N180B	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	A M	14	Marc Surer	1–6	5	11th	Report
					Ricardo Londoño	2
					Eliseo Salazar	7–15
1982	N180B N181	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	A P	14	Roberto Guerrero	1–3, 5–16	0	NC	Report

Privateer Summary

Year	Entreat	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds
1977	Theodore Racing Hong Kong	N177	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	23	Patrick Tambay	10–17
1978	Mario Deliotti Racing	N175	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	23	Geoff Lees	10
	Sachs Racing	N177				Harald Ertl	11–14