Peter Collins

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Collins joined Ferrari in 1956 after a superb drive in the Targa Florio with Mercedes, partnering Stirling Moss to victory. His immediate impact included maiden wins at the Belgian and French Grands Prix, helping him finish third in the World Drivers' Championship that year. A pivotal moment occurred at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix at Monza; when teammate Juan Manuel Fangio suffered a steering-arm failure, Collins handed over his Lancia-Ferrari D50. This selfless act allowed Fangio to secure the championship, but it cost Collins the title himself, dropping him to third place. Fangio later praised the gesture, stating, 'I was moved almost to tears by the gesture... Peter was one of the finest and greatest gentlemen I ever met in my racing career.' In 1957, despite an underpowered Ferrari 801, Collins won non-championship races at Syracuse and Naples. The following year, with the new Dino 246, he achieved his third and final win at the British Grand Prix, beating Vanwall's Stirling Moss before handing the lead to teammate Mike Hawthorn.

In Their Own Story

The drama of the 1958 season culminated at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. Collins led from the start in an inferior Ferrari, chasing a pace set by the dominant Vanwall of Stirling Moss. For 45 laps, he drove at the absolute limit, gradually pulling away until Moss's car expired, handing Collins his final victory. Team management chose not to slow him down or flag Hawthorn through, allowing Collins to win. However, just weeks later, tensions flared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Believing the race conditions were too dangerous in a rainstorm, Collins deliberately damaged the clutch in his shared Ferrari with Mike Hawthorn and was found drinking in a pub before the race concluded, leading to his dismissal by Enzo Ferrari. The team relented only after Hawthorn flew to Modena, smashed down locked doors at headquarters, and threatened to quit unless Collins was reinstated. This restored partnership was cut short when Collins died chasing Tony Brooks's Vanwall at the Nürburgring, crashing in the Pflanzgarten section.

Reader's Guide

Collins began his career at age 17 with a Cooper 500 before moving to the JBS-Norton for his breakthrough in 1951. He progressed through Formula Two with HWM, replacing Stirling Moss for his F1 debut at the Swiss Grand Prix in 1952. Over the next four seasons, he drove intermittently for HWM, Vanwall, and Maserati, though he scored no World Championship points during this period. His primary endurance success included second places at Le Mans in 1955 with Paul Frère and 1956 with Stirling Moss, as well as a runner-up finish in the 1956 Mille Miglia. In 1958, he won back-to-back major sports car races: the 1000 km Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring with Phil Hill. Outside the track, Collins moved to Monaco in 1956 to avoid British military service and married American actress Louise King in January 1957.

Did You Know?

• Collins moved to Monaco in 1956 specifically to avoid compulsory military service in the British Army.
• He married American actress Louise King, daughter of an executive assistant to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, in January 1957.
• During the 1958 Le Mans 24 Hours, Collins was sacked by Ferrari for deliberately damaging his car's clutch and being found drinking in a pub during a rainstorm.
• Mike Hawthorn stormed the Ferrari headquarters in Modena, smashing down locked doors to demand Collins be allowed back into his seat before driving again.
• Collins finished third in the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship after switching from Cooper to a JBS-Norton.