Peter Gethin

Interesting facts

Gethin got his Formula One break at the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix for McLaren, stepping in just weeks after team founder Bruce McLaren was killed testing a Can-Am car at Goodwood. At Monza in 1971 he came through from fourth on the final lap to snatch victory by a mere 0.01 seconds over Ronnie Peterson, the tightest finish in Grand Prix history at the time, despite not having led a single complete lap all afternoon. That Monza race also produced the highest average speed of any Formula One race, 242.6 km/h, a mark that stood until Michael Schumacher beat it on the same circuit in 2003. Much of his real racing pedigree was built in Formula 5000 rather than F1; he returned to the category as his grand prix career wound down, finishing runner-up in the European title chase in both 1974 and 1975 and winning the 1974 Tasman Series outright. Remarkably, the Monza triumph stayed his only Formula One podium across 31 starts, and his last grand prix came as a one-off drive for Embassy Hill at the 1974 British GP. After hanging up his helmet in 1977 he moved into team ownership and administration, launching his own Formula 3000 outfit in 1986 and later serving as a director of the British Racing Drivers' Club from 2005 to 2008. Peter Gethin made his Formula 1 debut in 1970 and raced until 1974, 5 seasons in total as a British driver. He scored a total of 11 championship points over his career.