Tony Brooks, one of the most influential Formula One drivers of the 1950s, died on Tuesday at the age of 90, according to his daughter Giulia. The cause of death was not stated.
The British driver won six Grands Prix and came close to winning the World Championship in 1959. Brooks was the most successful driver of his era after Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, and Stirling Moss.
Brooks, along with Moss, is regarded as the best British driver never to win an F1 championship. Moss, who passed away two years ago at the age of 90, had this to say about his former teammate and friend: “Brooks was a fantastic driver, perhaps the greatest ‘unknown’ racing driver of all time, if I may say so. He was significantly superior to a number of persons who had won the world championship.”
In a statement, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Brooks, saying: “I was deeply saddened to learn of Tony Brooks’ death.
“He was one of a select number of pioneering drivers who pushed the envelope at a time when doing so was extremely dangerous. We shall miss him, and our hearts go out to his family at this time.”
Brooks, the last surviving F1 race winner of the 1950s, had a tremendous impact on the sport, winning 46 percent of the races he entered between 1956 and 1959, in an era when mechanical reliability was a major factor in motorsport.
