Mário de Araújo Cabral facts for kids
| Born | 15 January 1934 Cedofeita, Porto, Portugal |
|---|---|
| Died | 17 August 2020 (aged 86) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Portuguese |
| Active years | 1959–1960, 1963–1964 |
| Teams | Derrington-Francis non-works Cooper |
| Entries | 5 (4 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1964 Italian Grand Prix |
Mário Manuel Veloso de Araújo Cabral (born January 15, 1934 – died August 17, 2020) was a famous racing driver from Portugal. People often called him "Nicha" Cabral. He competed in Formula One, which is the highest class of international racing. He took part in five Formula One World Championship races, starting on August 23, 1959. He did not score any championship points during his Formula One career.
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Racing Career Highlights
Mário Cabral was seen as one of Portugal's best drivers in the late 1950s. He raced in the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1959 and 1960. In 1959, he finished in tenth place. In 1960, he had to stop racing before the end of the race.
First Portuguese Formula One Driver
In the 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix, which took place at the Circuito de Monsanto, Mário Cabral made history. He was the very first Portuguese driver to start a Formula One race. During this race, he was involved in an accident with Jack Brabham, who later became a three-time world champion. Cabral collided with Brabham while being passed, causing Brabham's car to spin and crash. Luckily, Brabham was thrown from his car and was not seriously hurt. Cabral finished that race in 10th place.
Later Formula One Races
Mário Cabral did not race full-time in Formula One. His racing career was paused for a while because he served in the military as a paratrooper. He returned to Formula One in 1963 with the Scuderia Centro Sud team. He had to stop racing early in the 1963 German Grand Prix and did not qualify for the 1963 Italian Grand Prix. His last Formula One race was the 1964 Italian Grand Prix, where he also had to stop early while driving for the Derrington-Francis team.
Accident and Retirement
In 1965, Cabral was seriously injured in a Formula Two race at Rouen-Les-Essarts. This accident kept him away from racing until 1968. When he returned, he mostly raced sportscars and sometimes in Formula Two. He finally retired from racing in 1975.
