Mike Hawthorn | |
|---|---|
 Hawthorn at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans | |
| Born | John Michael Hawthorn 10 April 1929 Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 22 January 1959 (aged 29) |
| Cause of death | Single vehicle road collision |
| Children | 1 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1952–1958 |
| Teams | Privateer Cooper, Ferrari, Vanwall, BRM, Maserati |
| Entries | 47 (45 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1958) |
| Wins | 3 |
| Podiums | 18 |
| Career points | 112 9⁄14 (127 9⁄14)[a] |
| Pole positions | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 6 |
| First entry | 1952 Belgian Grand Prix |
| First win | 1953 French Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1958 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1953, 1955–1958 |
| Teams | Ferrari, Jaguar |
| Best finish | 1st (1955) |
| Class wins | 1 (1955) |
John Michael "Mike" Hawthorn (10 April 1929 – 22 January 1959) was a British racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1958. Hawthorn won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1958 with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across seven seasons. In endurance racing, Hawthorn won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1955 with Jaguar.
In 1958, Hawthorn became the first of 10 British Formula One World Champions, beating Stirling Moss to the title by one point. He announced his retirement upon his triumph, having been profoundly affected by the death of his teammate and friend Peter Collins two months earlier during the German Grand Prix. Three months after retiring, Hawthorn died in a road accident in Guildford, driving his Jaguar 3.4 Litre. The Hawthorn Memorial Trophy was established in his honour by the RAC in 1959, being awarded to the most successful British, or Commonwealth, driver in Formula One each year.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).