List of fatally injured Formula 1 drivers
The risk of serious accidents is inextricably linked with Formula 1 . However, their consequences have changed drastically since the so-called “royal class” was founded in 1950. Fatal accidents were common until the 1970s . They were mourned, but also accepted as an inevitable risk. But the ever faster Formula 1 cars prompted the drivers to protests. They no longer wanted to be the game balls of the organizers and teams and were committed to more safety. For many years, increasingly stringent safety regulations for vehicles and routes have prevented the serious consequences of accidents.
Since 1994, Formula 1 drivers have only died from the long-term consequences of collisions caused by particularly unfavorable circumstances. María de Villota bumped into the back of a truck during low-speed test drives in 2012, suffered a fractured skull and lost an eye, and died unexpectedly a year later. At the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Jules Bianchi drove into a wheel loader that was hiding another vehicle involved in an accident and succumbed to a traumatic brain injury in 2015.
The lists of fatally injured Formula 1 drivers below provide an overview of their accidents. However, only accidents that occurred during official Grand Prix weekends, during test drives or in other motorsport series are taken into account. Drivers who died as a result of other accidents are not listed (for example, former world champion and team boss Graham Hill and his driver Tony Brise died in a plane crash in 1975 after test drives).
Drivers fatally injured in Formula 1 races and training
This section lists the drivers who had an immediate fatal accident in a Formula 1 race and training session or who died as a result of this accident in the following 30 days. The “30-day period” is based on the stipulations for the statistical recording of road deaths in the member states of the European Union and the FIA .
Participants who died later are listed in the section " #drivers who died from the long-term effects ".
Drivers who died from the long-term effects
This section lists the drivers who died after more than 30 days as a result of an accident in Formula 1 races or training. The “30-day period” is based on the stipulations for the statistical recording of road deaths in the member states of the European Union and the FIA .
country | driver | date | Vehicle / team | Details |
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John Taylor | September 8, 1966 | Brabham - BRM | Grand Prix of Germany / Nürburgring (race) - 4½ weeks later ( burn infection ) |
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Jules Bianchi | 17th July 2015 | Marussia - Ferrari | Japanese Grand Prix / Suzuka (race) - 9 months later (consequences of traumatic brain injury ) |
Drivers fatally injured in Formula 1 test drives
country | driver | date | Vehicle / team | Details |
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Cameron C. Earl | June 18, 1952 | ERA (MIRA) | Test drives in Nuneaton (GB) |
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Eugenio Castellotti | March 14, 1957 | Ferrari | Test drives in Modena (I) |
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Giulio Cabianca | June 15, 1961 | Cooper ( Scuderia Castellotti ) | Test drives in Modena (I) |
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Bob Anderson | August 14, 1967 | Brabham - Climax (DW Racing Enterprises) | Test drives in Silverstone (GB) |
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Peter Revson | March 22, 1974 | Shadow - Ford | Test drives in Kyalami (ZA) |
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Brian McGuire | August 29, 1977 | McGuire | Test drives at Brands Hatch (GB) |
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Patrick Depailler | August 1, 1980 | Alfa Romeo | Test drives in Hockenheim (D) |
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Elio de Angelis | May 15, 1986 | Brabham BMW Turbo | Test drives in Le Castellet (F) on May 14, 1986 |
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Maria de Villota | October 11, 2013 | Marussia | Test drives at Duxford (GB) on July 3, 2012 - long-term consequences of the accident ( skull fracture ) |
Formula 1 drivers who died in other motorsport races or during test drives
country | driver | date | Details |
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Joe Fry | July 29, 1950 | Hill climb at Blandford Military Camp in Dorset |
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Raymond Summers | September 10, 1950 | Race in Cadours, South of France |
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Cecil Green | July 29, 1951 | AAA races at Winchester Speedway, USA |
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Luigi Fagioli | June 20, 1952 | Sports car racing in Monte Carlo, training - died three weeks later |
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Felice Bonetto | November 21, 1953 | Carrera Panamericana in Silao / Mexico |
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Guy Mairesse | April 24, 1954 | Montlhéry / France |
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Alberto Ascari | May 26, 1955 | Private sports car test drive in Monza |
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Pierre Levegh | June 11, 1955 | Le Mans 24 hour race |
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Don Beauman | September 7, 1955 | Sports car race in Wicklow / Ireland |
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Louis Rosier | October 29, 1956 | Race Coup de Salon in Paris |
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Ken Wharton | January 12, 1957 | Sports car race in Ardmore / New Zealand |
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Alfonso de Portago | May 12, 1957 | Mille Miglia of Brescia |
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Piero Carini | May 30, 1957 | Sports car race near St. Etienne |
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Herbert MacKay-Fraser | July 14, 1957 | Coupe de Vitesse , F2 race in Reims |
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William Whitehouse | July 14, 1957 | Formula 2 GP of Reims |
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Archie Scott-Brown | May 19, 1958 | Sports car race in Spa-Francorchamps |
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Erwin Bauer | June 2, 1958 | 1000 km race on the Nürburgring |
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Peter Whitehead | September 21, 1958 | Tour de France for automobiles |
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Jean Behra | August 1, 1959 | Sports car race Berlin-AVUS |
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Ivor Bueb | August 1, 1959 | Auvergne Trophy in Clermont-Ferrand |
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Harry Blanchard | January 31, 1960 | 1000 km race in Buenos Aires |
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Ettore Chimeri | February 27, 1960 | Grand Prix for Sports Cars in Cuba |
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Peter Ryan | July 2nd, 1962 | Coupe de Vitesse des Juniors in Reims |
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Tim Mayer | February 28, 1964 | Tasman Series / Australia / Longford |
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Walt Hansgen | April 7, 1966 | Test drives for the Le Mans 24 hour race |
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Giacomo Russo | June 18, 1967 | Formula 3 racing in Caserta , Italy |
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Georges Berger | 23rd August 1967 | Marathon de la Route on the Nürburgring |
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Ian Raby | November 7, 1967 | Formula 2 European Championship run in Zandvoort |
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Jim Clark | April 7, 1968 | Formula 2 European Championship run in Hockenheim |
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Mike Spence | May 7, 1968 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Ludovico Scarfiotti | June 8, 1968 | Mountain EM run in Rossfeld near Berchtesgaden |
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Lucien Bianchi | March 30, 1969 | Le Mans 24-hour race, preliminary training |
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Paul Hawkins | May 26, 1969 | Tourist Trophy race at Oulton Park |
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Moisés Solana | July 27, 1969 | Hill climb from Valle de Bravo-Bosencheve in Mexico |
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Bruce McLaren | 2nd June 1970 | CanAm test drives at Goodwood |
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Ignazio Giunti | January 10, 1971 | 1000 km race in Buenos Aires |
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Pedro Rodríguez | July 11, 1971 | Interseries races at the Norisring |
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Joakim Bonnier | June 11, 1972 | Le Mans 24 hour race |
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Nasif Estéfano | October 21, 1973 | Endurance racing in Aimogasta |
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Silvio Moser | May 26, 1974 | 1000 km race from Monza |
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Herbert Mueller | May 24, 1981 | 1000 km race on the Nürburgring |
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Rolf Stommelen | April 24, 1983 | Sports car race in Riverside / USA |
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Manfred Winkelhock | August 12, 1985 | Sports car world championship, 1000 km from Mosport / Canada |
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Stefan Bellof | September 1, 1985 | Sports car world championship, 1000 km race from Spa-Francorchamps |
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Jo Gartner | June 1, 1986 | Le Mans 24 hour race |
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Didier Pironi | 23rd August 1987 | Powerboat accident on the Isle of Wight / England |
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Denis Hulme | 4th October 1992 | Heart attack during a touring car race on the Mount Panorama Circuit |
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Michele Alboreto | April 25, 2001 | Sports car test drives at the Lausitzring in the Audi R8 LM |
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Justin Wilson | August 24, 2015 | Run the IndyCar Series on the Pocono Raceway |
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Chet Miller a | May 15, 1953 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Carl Scarborough a | May 30, 1953 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, race |
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Manuel Ayulo a | May 16, 1955 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Bill Vukovich a | May 30, 1955 | 500 miles from Indianapolis |
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Keith Andrews a | May 15, 1957 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Pat O'Connor a | May 30, 1958 | 500 miles from Indianapolis |
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Jerry Our a | 17th May 1959 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Bob Cortner a | May 19, 1959 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Tony Bettenhausen a | May 12, 1961 | 500 miles from Indianapolis, workout |
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Eddie Sachs a | May 30, 1964 | 500 miles from Indianapolis |
Fatally injured Formula 1 drivers who were former or reigning world champions or who led the F1 World Championship in the accident
country | driver | date | vehicle | accident | World Cup successes or World Cup situation |
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Alberto Ascari | May 26, 1955 | Ferrari 750 Monza | Private sports car test drive in Monza | two-time automobile world champion (1952, 1953, both world championships announced according to Formula 2 regulations) |
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Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips | September 10, 1961 | Ferrari | Italian Grand Prix / Monza (race) | died as leader of the F1 World Championship; was displaced from 1st place by only one point at the end of the unlucky race of Phil Hill |
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Jim Clark | April 7, 1968 | Lotus 48 | Formula 2 European Championship run in Hockenheim | two-time Formula 1 world champion (1963, 1965) |
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Jochen Rindt | 5th September 1970 | Lotus - Ford | Italian Grand Prix / Monza (Training) | died as F1 world championship leader and was posthumously world champion at the end of the season with a remaining five point lead over Jacky Ickx |
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Stefan Bellof b | September 1, 1985 | Porsche 956 | Sports car world championship, 1000 km race from Spa-Francorchamps | died as the reigning sports car world champion (1984 in a Porsche) |
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Denis Hulme | 4th October 1992 | BMW M3 | Heart attack during a touring car race on the Mount Panorama Circuit |
former Formula 1 world champion (1967) |
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Ayrton Senna | May 1, 1994 | Williams - Renault | San Marino / Imola Grand Prix (race) | three-time Formula 1 world champion (1988, 1990, 1991) |
Number of fatally injured F1 drivers by nationality
rank | country | number | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F1 racing | F1 tests | Other | total | ||
1 |
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9 | 2 | 7th | 18th |
2 |
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4th | 3 | 7th | 14th |
3 |
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3 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
4th |
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2 | 1 | 5 | 8 a |
5 |
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2 | - | 4th | 6th |
6th |
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3 | - | 1 | 4th |
7th |
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- | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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1 | - | 2 | ||
9 |
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1 | - | 1 | 2 |
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1 | - | 1 | ||
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- | 1 | 1 | ||
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- | - | 2 | ||
13 |
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1 | - | - | 1 |
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1 | - | - | ||
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1 | - | - | ||
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1 | - | - | ||
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1 | - | - | ||
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- | - | 1 | ||
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- | - | 1 |
Tracks on which drivers had fatal accidents in official Formula 1 races


rank | route | country | Accidents | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
total | First | Last | |||
1 | North loop |
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5 | 1954 | 1969 |
2 | Monza |
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3 | 1961 | 1978 |
3 | Brands Hatch |
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2 | 1961 | 1971 |
Spa Francorchamps |
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1960 | 1960 | ||
Zandvoort |
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1970 | 1973 | ||
Watkins Glen |
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1973 | 1974 | ||
Imola |
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1994 | 1994 | ||
8th | Pau |
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1 | 1954 | |
Reims |
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1958 | |||
Ain-Diab |
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1958 | |||
Mexico city |
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1962 | |||
natal |
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1962 | |||
Monte Carlo |
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1967 | |||
Rouen |
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1968 | |||
Spielberg |
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1975 | |||
Kyalami |
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1977 | |||
Zolder |
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1982 | |||
Montréal |
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1982 | |||
Suzuka |
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2014 | |||
Indianapolis |
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a | 81953 | 1959 |
See also
- Formula 1 statistics
- List of Formula 1 racing drivers
- History of the Grand Prix before 1950
- List of fatally injured motorcycle racers
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Persons involved and accident victims - Fatalities in road accidents , website of the Federal Statistical Office (Germany), accessed on 23 August 2015.
- ↑ a b Traffic accidents ( memento from August 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), website of the Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland), accessed on August 23, 2015.
- ↑ a b Traffic accident statistics 2007 ( memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), information from Statistics Austria , accessed on August 23, 2015.
- ↑ a b FIA accident database - The Bianchi accident and its consequences , auto-motor-sport.de from July 21, 2015, accessed on August 23, 2015.