Peter Collins (racing driver)

British Formula One driver who won three Grands Prix.

Peter John Collins was a British racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1958, winning three Grands Prix. He also achieved success in endurance racing, including a victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1958. Collins is remembered for his sportsmanship and his fatal crash at the Nürburgring.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Peter John Collins
Born: 6 November 1931
Birthplace: Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Died: 3 August 1958
Place of death: Bonn, West Germany
Cause of death: Injuries sustained at the 1958 German Grand Prix
Spouse: Louise King (1957)

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

Collins married Louise King in 1957, one week after they met in Miami, having proposed after two days.
Collins was portrayed by Jack O'Connell in the sports drama film Ferrari (2023).
Collins was twice runner-up in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin.

Early life and racing career

Collins was born on 6 November 1931 and grew up in Mustow Green, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. His father owned a motor garage and a haulage business, and Collins developed an interest in motor vehicles early. He was expelled from school at 16 for spending time at a fairground during school hours, then became an apprentice in his father's garage and began competing in local trials races. His parents bought him a Cooper 500 from the Cooper Car Company, and he started racing in the 500 cc category, which became Formula Three in 1950.

After switching to a JBS-Norton in 1951, he found success. At a party hosted by Kay Petre, Collins met John Wyer of Aston Martin, earning a test drive at Silverstone. During that test, he also impressed the HWM Formula Two team and secured contracts with both. At HWM, he joined Lance Macklin and Stirling Moss in a three-car team, competing in Formula Two races across Britain and Europe.

His best result was second place in the Grand Prix des Sables d'Olonne. Collins made his Formula One debut in 1952 with HWM, replacing Moss, and his best World Championship result that year was sixth at the French Grand Prix. He left HWM after 1953. In 1954, Tony Vandervell signed Collins to drive the Thinwall Special in Formula Libre events, and he also drove the Vanwall Special, finishing seventh at the Italian Grand Prix.

Collins joined BRM for 1955, racing a Maserati 250F owned by Alfred Owen, and won the BRDC International Trophy and the London Trophy. These results earned him a drive with the works Maserati at the Italian Grand Prix.

Later career

Collins joined Ferrari for the 1956 season after a strong drive in the 1955 Targa Florio, where he partnered Moss to victory in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. At Ferrari, he finished second at the Monaco Grand Prix and won the Belgian and French Grands Prix. Enzo Ferrari, devastated by the death of his son Dino, treated Collins as a family member. At the 1956 Italian Grand Prix, Collins handed his car to team leader Juan Manuel Fangio after Fangio suffered a steering-arm failure.

Collins finished second in the race, but the points gained by Fangio demoted Collins to third in the championship. Fangio praised Collins as one of the finest gentlemen he met in racing. In sports cars, Collins finished second in the Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 860 Monza and at the Swedish Sports Car GP with Wolfgang von Trips in 1956. In 1957, he finished second at the 1000km of Nürburgring with Olivier Gendebien and won the Venezuelan Grand Prix with Phil Hill.

In 1958, he won the 1000 km Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring with Phil Hill. His last World Sports Car Championship podium was second at the Nürburgring with Mike Hawthorn. Collins moved to Monaco in 1956 to avoid compulsory military service in the British Army.

Death

During the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, Collins crashed while chasing Tony Brooks's Vanwall. He entered the Pflanzgarten section too quickly, causing his Ferrari to run wide into a ditch. The car flipped and landed upside down, throwing Collins out. He struck a tree and sustained critical head injuries, dying later that afternoon at a hospital in Bonn. His death was similar to that of his Ferrari teammate Luigi Musso. Teammate Mike Hawthorn was so disturbed by Collins's death that he retired after winning the 1958 Drivers' Championship. In his autobiography, Tony Brooks recalled driving harder in that race than at any other time in his life.

Rivalry with Luigi Musso

Years after Collins's death, Fiamma Breschi, Luigi Musso's girlfriend, revealed in a television documentary that Collins, Hawthorn, and Musso had a rivalry. Breschi said that Hawthorn and Collins had an agreement to share winnings equally, uniting them against Musso. This antagonism encouraged all three to take risks, which was favorable to Ferrari as it increased the likelihood of a Ferrari win.