Peter Warr

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Warr was born in Kermanshah, Imperial State of Iran. He served as an officer in the Guards Division of the British Army after training at Sandhurst. He joined Lotus Cars in 1958 as a salesman, later managing Lotus Components. As a driver, he won a Formula Junior race at the Nürburgring in 1962 and the 1963 Japanese Grand Prix in a Lotus 23. He became Lotus' Competitions Manager in late 1969, helping Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi win World Championships. He moved to Wolf in 1976, then to Fittipaldi, and returned to Lotus in 1981. After Colin Chapman's death, Warr took over as team boss. He hired Ayrton Senna for 1984 and secured Honda engines for 1987. He was asked to stand down in 1989. Warr died of a heart attack on 4 October 2010 in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, France.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the canvas of the pit tent at Silverstone, a relentless drumbeat that matched the anxiety inside. Peter Warr stood over the M2B, his hands stained with grease, checking the final torque on the wheel nuts while Bruce shouted instructions from the cockpit. There was no radio communication yet, just trust and the roar of the engine. 'She's ready,' Warr called out, wiping rain from his brow as he watched the car pull away, a small speck of hope against the grey English sky.

Reader's Guide

Peter Warr was not associated with McLaren Racing. His entire Formula One management career was with Lotus, Wolf, and Fittipaldi. He never worked with Bruce McLaren, nor was he involved with McLaren's early history or cars like the M2B or M3.

Did You Know?

• Warr won the first Japanese Grand Prix in 1963 driving a Lotus 23.
• He famously said of Nigel Mansell after the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix: 'he'll never win a Grand Prix as long as I have a hole in my arse.'
• Warr hired Ayrton Senna for Lotus in 1984 against the wishes of sponsor John Player & Sons.
• His book 'My view from the pit wall' was published posthumously in 2012.