François Migault (1944–2012)

Having been born within earshot of the Le Mans 24-hour race in France, that François Migault took to motor racing was no surprise. He was one of those drivers who showed great early promise, especially in Formula Three where he won the Volant Shell trophy, and in Formula Two where further outstanding results illuminated a sure path to Formula One. That promise was, however, unable to be realized, like many before him and many more to come. He made his F1 debut at the 1972 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, driving for the Darnvall Connew Racing Team, but the brand-new Connew PC1-Ford failed to deliver in practice, beset by suspension problems. At best, the team could be described as a naive, fledgling, garagiste outfit run by former Surtees designer Peter Connew. Migault lost his patience with the new team on just his second outing for them, at Austria’s Österreichring, and walked away following another suspension failure.
At the 1973 Daytona 24 Hours, Migault and Milt Minter’s NART Ferrari finished a distant 2nd to the Brumos Porsche pairing of Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood. Migault’s return to Formula One, in 1974, was thanks to sponsorship from Motul, the French oil company paying for a season with the fast-fading BRM team. He managed just three finishes in minor places from 11 starts, although it must be said he was only trusted with the “current” P201 chassis for two races, regularly being left with the old P160E, while Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo drove the newer car. Midway through that 1974 season, in just his fourth attempt, success came close to home, finishing 3rd at La Sarthe driving the Matra 670C (profiled last year by VR) with teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille.
After three more F1 outings in 1975, two for Graham Hill’s Embassy Racing Team (Spain and Belgium), and one derailed by a failure during practice for Frank Williams (France) the Grand Prix racing door closed for Migault. Fortunately, he found solace in sportscar racing, and in 1976 recorded his career best placing at Le Mans, 2nd in the Mirage GR8 alongside Jean-Louise Lafosse. The Mirage team had been sold by Gulf to American entrepreneur and former racing driver Harley Cluxton III. Migault was a regular at his home race until 2002, his last outing coming in the Kondo Racing Dome S101, where he failed to finish.
Unfortunately, Migault’s career can be summed up like many of those who have shone, but not fulfilled expectations. He was a member of the club of drivers who were either with the wrong team or the right team at the wrong time, even though he didn’t let it deter him or wane his spirit and enthusiasm for the sport he truly loved. In recent years his battle has been with cancer, to which he finally succumbed at the end of January. To his family and friends Vintage Racecar offers our sincerest condolences.
By Mike Jiggle