Hall of Fame: The Formula 1 nominees
To cast your vote go to www.motorsportmagazine.com/halloffame
The doors are open to the 2016 Motor Sport Hall of Fame – and it’s up to you to decide which great figures from the past and present pass through them to join our exclusive club for racing heroes
For the first time, we are tasking our readers with the job of deciding who should join the 29 current members of the Hall of Fame, which was founded in 2010. There will be five awards made at a ceremony next year (date and venue to be announced), representing Formula 1, sports car racing, motorcycling, rallying and US motor sport. First up for voting is Formula 1. Motor Sport’s podcast team has chosen a ‘long list’ of nominees (it was supposed to be limited to 12, but the editor can’t count, so there are 14). Log on to our website to decide which of the following will enter the Hall of Fame from the world of Grand Prix racing. We’ll be deciding and releasing the nominations for the other categories in the months to come, so watch this space.
Alberto Ascari
Ferrari world champion in 1952-53, shares record of nine consecutive GP wins with Sebastian Vettel
Mario Andretti (HoF member since 2010): “Ascari was one of the absolute icons of our sport and could compete against anyone.”
Rudolf Carraciola
Mercedes’s three-time European champion was the benchmark of his era
Nigel Roebuck: “In the opinion of Alfred Neubauer, the best who ever lived.”
Mike Costin & Keith Duckworth
The ‘Cos’ and ‘Worth’ behind the DFV, the F1 engine that won more than 150 GPs between 1967 and ’83.
Jackie Stewart (HoF founding member): “They built the most successful Grand Prix engine in the history of the sport – and they did it together.”
Emerson Fittipaldi
The first great Brazilian: two F1 titles, two Indy 500 wins.
Nigel Roebuck: “The man who had two great careers, first in F1 and then in Indycars.”
Mauro Forghieri
Fabled design engineer who led Ferrari’s racing department through the 1960s to the 1980s.
Mark Hughes: “He was creating the Ferrari F1 cars virtually single-handedly in the 1960s. An absolute genius.”
Dan Gurney
An F1 winner for Porsche and Brabham, then a victor in a car of his own construction – the beautiful Eagle.
Nigel Roebuck: “The only man Jimmy Clark feared.”
Mika Häkkinen
Double world champion for McLaren and Michael Schumacher’s Dan Gurney.
Nigel Roebuck: “The long-standing guys at McLaren were reviewing who they’ve had at the team over the years, including Prost and Senna, and asked themselves who was the absolute quickest. They all said Häkkinen.”
Mike Hawthorn
Britain’s first F1 world champion and the ‘golden boy’ of the 1950s.
Nigel Roebuck: “On his day he was fantastically quick and aggressive. The first Brit to win a World Championship Grand Prix, in 1953.”
Sir Patrick Head
Williams co-founder and architect of nine F1 titles for constructors and seven for drivers.
Ross Brawn (HoF member since 2014): “Not only for winning many races and championships, but also for his contribution in developing the talents of many engineers in motor sport, myself included.”
Nigel Mansell
British lion who won 31 Grands Prix, and back-to-back F1 and Indycar titles.
Simon Arron: “I was lucky enough to see him racing way back in Formula Ford and it was clear then he was a force of nature.”
Gordon Murray
Free-wheeling designer behind Bernie Ecclestone’s 1970s and ’80s Brabhams.
Rob Widdows: “All you have to do is close your eyes and think of those beautiful Brabhams. And no one will ever build a more exciting road car than the McLaren F1.”
Jochen Rindt
F1’s only posthumous World Champion – and one of its most exciting talents.
Mark Hughes: “Another force of nature. So thrilling to watch.”
Bernd Rosemeyer
Charismatic Auto Union ace who dominated the 1936 European championship.
Nigel Roebuck: “The Gilles Villeneuve of the 1930s.”
Gilles Villeneuve
Free spirit and cult hero for a generation. Shone brightly for too short a time.
Mark Hughes: “I just assumed he was already in!”
Sid Watkins
Safety-campaigning F1 doctor to whom every modern racing driver owes a debt of gratitude.
Damien Smith: “His place in motor sport is intrinsic and so important.”