Coulthard vs Hill

Lore & Background

Mansell won 31 Grands Prix across 15 Formula One seasons. He is the only driver to have simultaneously held both the World Drivers' Championship and the American open-wheel National Championship. He won the CART title in his debut season, becoming the first person to do so. He held the record for most pole positions in a single season, later broken by Sebastian Vettel. He was the last Formula One driver to win a Grand Prix over age 40 until Lewis Hamilton's win at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Reader's Guide

Mansell raced in Formula One from 1980 to 1994, with his final two full seasons of top-level racing in CART. He won the Grand Prix Masters championship in 2005. He drove a Ferrari F430 GT2 for Scuderia Ecosse at Silverstone on 6 May 2007. He competed 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.

Did You Know?

• Mansell broke his neck in a qualifying session at Brands Hatch in 1977 but returned to racing three weeks later.
• He sold most of his personal belongings to finance his move into Formula Ford.
• Colin Chapman paid Mansell £10,000 not to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1982.
• Mansell's first Formula One race ended with first and second degree burns from a fuel leak.