Kindred Spirits

Over the course of nearly seven decades of Formula One history, only three men have ever won a World Championship Grand Prix race in a car of their own construction. Of course, none of them actually designed or built their cars all by themselves, they simply conceived, established, directed, managed and contributed to the organizations that did.

They shared an affinity for precision, exploration and invention. Their active, inquisitive minds made them resourceful and drove them to succeed. They raced in the days when Formula One was more of a family gathering—a veritable band of gypsies assembling at and dispersing from sites around the globe on a regular basis—than the corporate environment in place today. That meant they could also be friends—as well as, we shall see, teammates—but they were first and always rivals. In those days F1 had not yet become every driver’s sole focus, so their worlds intersected on multiple levels beyond sharing their singular achievement.