On this week #4 - Hawthorn, a world champion haunted by the shadow of death
On January 22nd, 1959, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn died in a road accident at the wheel of his Jaguar MkII in Surrey, England; having gone out to get a typically British dinner of fish and chips. Born in Mexborough, England, on January 22nd, 1929, Hawthorn had actually retired from racing only a few months earlier, at the end of the season when he became world champion in a Ferrari. He had been suffering from a liver disease that meant he had only years to live – but destiny dictated otherwise.
In 1958, Hawthorn won only a single Grand Prix, in France, but showed fantastic consistency to score points in all the other nine races held that season. At the end of the year, he finished just a point ahead of Vanwall's Stirling Moss: the winner of four grand prix.
Hawthorn's American teammate Phil Hill was instrumental in his title, having let the Englishman past at the final grand prix in Morocco to ensuring that Hawthorn finished second to Moss and banked enough points to seal the championship.
Throughout his career, Hawthorn competed in 45 grand prix, with three wins, four pole positions, six fastest laps, and 18 podiums. His trio of wins all came with Ferrari: two at Reims in France (in 1953 and 1958) and one in Barcelona in 1954.
Hawthorn also won at Le Mans in 1955 with Jaguar, although that victory was overshadowed by the accident that killed Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators, which began when Hawthorn braked to enter the pits.
Another tragic death that marked Hawthorn's career was that of his teammate Luigi Musso, who went off while chasing the Englishman at the 1958 French Grand Prix: Hawthorn's final win.
“A lot has been said and not much written about that accident,” wrote Enzo Ferrari in his famous book” ‘Piloti, che gente'. “One fact remains: when the will to win consumes a driver prepared to give everything, incalculable risks are taken, especially when his opponent shares the same desire. In that corner, there were two men and two teammates driving equally powerful cars, with exactly the same goal.”
Hawthorn, famous for racing in an elegant bow tie, was in the words of Enzo Ferrari: “a disconcerting driver, both because of his potential and his desultoriness. He was a young man able to overcome any obstacle with his cold and calculating courage, as well as his exceptional reactions, but had a tendency as well to fall victim of frightening failures. It's important to note, to his credit, that his physical form never reflected his true health. But he was an intelligent dreamer, and that intelligence made up for his shortcomings.”
