Nigel Mansell's 1986 Spa Victory
The only driver to hold both the Formula One World Championship and the American open-wheel National Championship simultaneously.
Nigel Mansell is a British former racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship with Williams and the IndyCar World Series in 1993.
Lore & Background
Mansell's career in Formula One spanned 15 seasons, with his final two full seasons of top-level racing spent in the CART series. He was the reigning F1 champion when he moved to CART, becoming the first person to win the CART title in his debut season, and remains the only driver to have simultaneously held both the World Drivers' Championship and the American open-wheel National Championship.
Reader's Guide
Mansell won 31 Grands Prix across 15 seasons. He held the record for the most pole positions set in a single season, which was later broken by Sebastian Vettel. He was the last Formula One driver to win a Grand Prix over the age of 40 with his win at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, until Lewis Hamilton's win at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Did You Know?
- Mansell raced in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans with his sons Leo and Greg.
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Mansell won the Grand Prix Masters series in 2005.
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