Hesketh

Interesting facts

Lord Alexander Hesketh's team was famous for its extravagant, sponsor-free image, arriving at races in Rolls-Royces and popping champagne regardless of the result. James Hunt joined when he was out of a drive, quickly becoming known for both his speed and his frequent crashes. The team's playboy image extended even to a provocatively worded patch stitched onto the drivers' overalls. Chief engineer Harvey Postlethwaite, a former junior designer at March, developed the Hesketh 308 that carried the team's best results. The team's sole victory came with Hunt at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, beating Niki Lauda's dominant Ferrari in mixed wet-dry conditions. Late in 1975, Lord Hesketh announced he could no longer afford to fund 'the next British world champion' and withdrew his backing; the team limped on under Anthony Horsley's management until 1978, with steadily declining results, before folding. Hesketh raced in Formula 1 from 1974 to 1978, across 5 seasons as a British team. The team scored a total of 48 constructors' championship points.