Few people in motor sport have had as rich and varied careers as Steve Hallam – and even less have worked with so many of its greatest names.
From race engineering Ayrton Senna to his first wins in F1, to witnessing Nigel Mansell’s inimitable racing style in its early years and being at the centre of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s fiery 2007 championship fight, the British engineer has had long a career at the very top.
From there he went on to use his invaluable experience in NASCAR and GT racing in America in a career of rare diversity.
In the second episode of Motor Sport’s Engineering the Greats series 2 podcasts, produced in association with Scalextric, Hallam reveals what it was really like to work day in, day out with legends of grand prix racing.
The former Lotus and McLaren race engineer describes how Mansell’s innate ability and never-say-die attitude was clear immediately when the young Brit seized the chance given by Colin Chapman, the attention to detail that marked out Senna straightaway from other F1 drivers and why the Hamilton/Alonso battle could have turned out so differently.
Hallam was also able to witness up close the rise of double world champion Mika Häkkinen, from his stunning debut in out-qualifying team-mate Senna and then his incredible comeback from a near-fatal accident in 1995, to the Finn then becoming the class of the field in his title years.
Engineering The Greats Series 2 is brought to you in association with Scalextric
Listeners can claim 10% off all Scalextric products by visiting www.scalextric.com and using the discount code RACE10 at Checkout.
This offer is valid until September 30 2023 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. A full list of terms and conditions is available on the Scalextric website
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