F1
Dean of F1 winners, Tony Brooks has died
Tony Brooks drove a Vanwall F1 in 2017. © Goodwood Revival
He was the last survivor of an era where death awaited the gladiators of the Formula 1 at every turn. The final driver to have won a Grand Prix in the 1950s still alive since the death of Sir Stirling Moss in the spring of 2020, Tony Brooks died this Tuesday, May 3 at the age of 90.
With his full name Charles Anthony Standish Brooks, the Briton was destined for a very different career, that of a dentist, like his father. But the motorsport bug struck him one fine day in 1952, when he drove an Austin-Healey borrowed from his mother to race at Goodwood. The story does not say if the parents were aware of the son's actions, but Tony Brooks perseveres.
His progress is dazzling. Three years later, he took the wheel of a Formula 2 at Crystal Palace (4th), and a year later, here he is on the starting grid for the Syracuse Grand Prix (Italy) and allows Great Britain to record its first GP victory, even if the event is organized outside the championship.
His debut in the World Championship took place in 1956... and this test could have ended with a career ending when an off-track sent him into the air. With a broken leg, Tony Brooks left the BRM team for Vanwall in 1957.
The brand founded by Tony Vandervell will be his favorite environment, allowing him to win four rounds (Silverstone 1957, Spa-Francorchamps 1958, Nürburgring 1958 and Monza 1958).
Third in the final ranking in 1958, he gave in to Enzo's call Ferrari, who gave him a Dino 246 with a V6 engine in 1959. This would be his greatest opportunity to win the crown, after the deaths of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. The three-way match pits him against two other motorsport legends, Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham, but it will be the Australian who wins by just seven points despite two poles and as many victories.
Also a fan ofEndurance, Tony Brooks shone with Aston Martin with the legendary DBR1 (victory at the 1 km of the Nürburgring in 000 and at the Tourist Trophy in 1957 with Stirling Moss). He has always lacked success in Sarthe with four retirements in as many starts.
In 2017, the Goodwood Revival invited him to drive a Vanwall, with his period outfit!
AUTOhebdo sends its sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and friends of Tony Brooks.
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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