 Pryce at Brands Hatch in 1974 | |
| Born | Thomas Maldwyn Pryce 11 June 1949 Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales |
|---|---|
| Died | 5 March 1977 (aged 27) Midrand, South Africa |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1974–1977 |
| Teams | Token, Shadow |
| Entries | 42 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 19 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1977 South African Grand Prix |
Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (11 June 1949 – 5 March 1977) was a British racing driver from Wales known for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death at age 27. Pryce is the only Welsh driver to have won a Formula One race and is also the only Welshman to lead a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix: two laps of the 1975 British Grand Prix.
Pryce started his career in Formula One with the small Token team, making his only start for them at the 1974 Belgian Grand Prix. Shortly after winning the Formula Three support race for the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix, Pryce joined the Shadow team and scored his first points in Germany in only his fourth race. Pryce later claimed two podium finishes, his first in Austria in 1975 and the second in Brazil a year later. Pryce was considered by his team and most of its contemporaries as a great wet-weather driver.
In his four seasons in the sport with the Shadow team from 1974 to 1977, Pryce was identified as a potential future race winner and future world champion. Although the car was often unreliable and rarely in the points, it was on occasion quick enough to grab headlines.
During the practice session for the 1977 South African Grand Prix, run in wet conditions, Pryce was faster than everyone, including world champion drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt. During the race, he collided at high speed with a safety marshal, Frederik Jansen van Vuuren, and both men were killed. A memorial to Pryce was unveiled in 2009 in his home town of Ruthin.