Nigel Mansell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nigel Mansell
|
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpeg)
Mansell at the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix
|
|||||||
| Born |
Nigel Ernest James Mansell
8 August 1953 Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England
|
||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Roseanne
(m. 1975) |
||||||
| Children | 3, including Leo and Greg | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality |  British |
||||||
| Active years | 1980–1992, 1994–1995 | ||||||
| Teams | Lotus, Williams, Ferrari, McLaren | ||||||
| Entries | 192 (187 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 1 (1992) | ||||||
| Wins | 31 | ||||||
| Podiums | 59 | ||||||
| Career points | 480 (482) | ||||||
| Pole positions | 32 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 30 | ||||||
| First entry | 1980 Austrian Grand Prix | ||||||
| First win | 1985 European Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last win | 1994 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1995 Spanish Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 31 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1993) | ||||||
| First race | 1993 FAI IndyCar Grand Prix (Surfers Paradise) | ||||||
| Last race | 1994 Monterey Grand Prix (Laguna Seca) | ||||||
| First win | 1993 FAI IndyCar Grand Prix (Surfers Paradise) | ||||||
| Last win | 1993 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix (Nazareth) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 2010 | ||||||
| Teams | Beechdean | ||||||
| Best finish | DNF (2010) | ||||||
| Class wins | 0 | ||||||
Nigel Mansell (born 8 August 1953) is a famous British racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1995. Nigel won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1992 with the Williams team. He also won 31 races during his 15 seasons.
After his F1 success, Mansell moved to American open-wheel racing. He won the IndyCar World Series in 1993. This made him the only driver ever to hold both the Formula One World Championship and the American open-wheel National Championship at the same time. He is the second most successful British Formula One driver in terms of race wins. Only Lewis Hamilton has won more races.
Mansell also raced in the Grand Prix Masters series in 2005 and won the championship. He has competed in sports car races with his sons, Leo and Greg. In 2005, he was added to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Career in Racing
Nigel Ernest James Mansell was born on 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, England. His parents, Eric and Joyce Mansell, owned a tea shop. He grew up in Hall Green, Birmingham.
Nigel started his racing career slowly. He used his own money to move up through the racing levels. After doing very well in kart racing, he moved to the Formula Ford series. In 1976, Mansell won six of the nine races he entered. The next year, he won 33 of 42 races. He became the 1977 British Formula Ford champion. This was amazing because he broke his neck in a crash during a race. Doctors told him he might not drive again, but he left the hospital and returned to racing quickly.
Later, he got a chance to race a Formula 3 car. He finished fourth and decided to move to higher levels of racing.
Formula Three Challenges
Mansell raced in Formula Three from 1978 to 1980. His first season started well with a pole position and a second-place finish. However, his car was not very good. It used engines that were much weaker than those of other teams. After some races, he left that team.
The next season, he drove for David Price Racing. He won his first Formula Three race at Silverstone. He finished eighth in the championship that year. He had another big crash with another driver, Andrea de Cesaris. He was lucky to survive and was hospitalized again with broken bones in his back.
His driving skills caught the eye of Colin Chapman. Chapman owned the Lotus Formula One team. Mansell did well during a tryout with Lotus. He was chosen to become a test driver for the team.
Formula One Journey
1980–1984: Learning at Lotus
As a test driver, Mansell was very skilled. He even set the fastest lap at Silverstone in a Lotus car. This impressed Colin Chapman, who gave him three starts in F1 in 1980. He had to retire from his first two races because of engine problems. In his third race, he failed to qualify after an accident.
Despite some challenges, Chapman announced that Mansell would be a full-time driver for Lotus. Mansell's four years as a full-time Lotus driver were tough. The cars often broke down, and his teammate, Elio de Angelis, was often faster. Out of 59 races, he only finished 24. He managed to finish third five times.
In 1982, Mansell was offered money to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car event. Chapman paid him not to race there, believing it was too risky. Chapman also extended Mansell's contract, making him a millionaire. Mansell became very close to Chapman. He was very sad when Chapman suddenly died in 1982.
After Chapman's death, things changed at Lotus. The new team boss, Peter Warr, did not think highly of Mansell. In 1983, Mansell did not get to drive a powerful turbocharged car until later in the season. Despite this, he finished fourth in the British Grand Prix.
In 1984, Mansell finished in the top 10 of the championship for the first time. He also got his first pole position. At the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, he surprised everyone by leading the race in the rain. However, he crashed out soon after.
Mansell is remembered for collapsing at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. His car broke down on the last lap. He tried to push it to the finish line in very hot weather (about 40°C). He fainted but still managed to get a point for sixth place.
His final race with Lotus in 1984 was difficult. He claimed the team did not give him the brake pads he wanted. His brakes failed with 18 laps left, while he was in second place. Lotus then announced that Ayrton Senna would join the team, leaving Mansell without a seat. He decided to join Williams.
1985–1988: Success with Williams
In 1985, Frank Williams hired Mansell to drive for the Williams team. Mansell was given the "Red 5" number on his car. This number became very famous because of commentator Murray Walker.
Mansell's teammate was Keke Rosberg, a former World Champion. Rosberg was initially against Mansell joining the team. However, they soon became good friends.
In 1985, Mansell's car, the Williams FW10, became much more competitive. During practice for the 1985 French Grand Prix, Mansell had a huge crash at over 322 km/h (200 mph). He got a concussion and missed the race.
He finished second at the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix. Then, he won his first F1 race in his 72nd start at the 1985 European Grand Prix in England. He won again at the South African Grand Prix. These wins made Mansell a Formula One star.
In 1986, the Williams-Honda team had a very strong car. Mansell became a serious contender for the World Championship. His new teammate was two-time World Champion Nelson Piquet. Piquet often made negative comments about Mansell.
Mansell won five races in 1986. He also had one of the closest finishes ever, losing to Ayrton Senna by just 0.014 seconds at the Spanish Grand Prix. The championship went down to the very last race in Australia. Mansell was leading in points, but his left-rear tire exploded with only 19 laps left. He safely stopped the car but lost the title to Alain Prost. Mansell was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for his efforts.
The 1986 season was tough for the Williams team off the track. Team owner Frank Williams had a terrible car accident. He was badly injured and could not return to the track for a while.
In 1987, Mansell won six more races. This included a very popular win at the 1987 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He came back from 28 seconds behind to beat his teammate Piquet. A serious crash in Japan injured Mansell's back. He missed the last two races, and Piquet won the championship.
In 1988, Mansell was the main driver for Williams. However, Williams lost their powerful Honda engines. They had to use a less powerful Judd engine. The car was also very unreliable. Mansell only finished two of 14 races, but both were podium finishes (second place). He got chickenpox that summer and missed two races. He then announced he would leave Williams to join Ferrari for 1989.
1989–1990: Driving for Ferrari
For the 1989 season, Mansell was personally chosen by Enzo Ferrari before Ferrari's death. Mansell called this "one of the greatest" honors of his career. In Italy, fans called him "il leone" ("the lion") because of his brave driving.
In his very first race with Ferrari, he won the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix. This was a big surprise because he had predicted the car's new electronic gearbox would not last. He became the first driver to win a race with a semi-automatic gearbox. He was also the first driver to win on his Ferrari debut since Mario Andretti in 1971.
The rest of 1989 had many problems with the car's gearbox. He was even banned from one race for reversing in the pit lane. However, Mansell won a second race for Ferrari at the 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix. He started 12th and drove through the field to win.
The 1990 season with Ferrari was tough. His car had more reliability problems, forcing him to retire from seven races. His new teammate was Alain Prost, who was a triple World Champion. Mansell felt that Prost had more influence within the team.
Mansell had only one win in 1990, at the 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix. He finished fifth in the World Championship. After this, Mansell announced he was retiring from Formula One.
1991–1992: Return to Williams and Championship Glory
Mansell's retirement plans changed when Frank Williams convinced him to return to Williams. Mansell had a list of demands, including being the clear number one driver. Williams agreed, and Mansell became the highest-paid British sportsman at the time.
His second time with Williams was even better. Back in his famous 'Red 5' car, he won five races in 1991. At the 1991 Spanish Grand Prix, he raced wheel-to-wheel with Ayrton Senna at over 320 km/h (200 mph). After winning the 1991 British Grand Prix, Mansell famously gave Senna a lift back to the pits on his car after Senna's car stopped.
The team had some early problems with their new semi-automatic gearbox. Mansell also lost a race in Canada when his car stopped near the finish line. Despite a strong middle part of the season, he finished second in the championship again, behind Senna.
In 1992, Mansell started the season with five straight victories. This was a record at the time. At the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix, he was leading but had to pit late in the race. He came out behind Senna and tried hard to pass him but couldn't.
Mansell became the most successful British driver ever when he won the 1992 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He passed Jackie Stewart's record of 27 wins. Mansell finally became the Formula One World Champion at age 39 at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix. He won the title in the fewest races since the 16-race season started. He also set a record for most wins in one season (9) and most pole positions (14).
Mansell won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award again in 1992. He is one of only four people to win it twice.
CART IndyCar World Series Adventure
After winning the F1 World Championship, Mansell had a disagreement with Williams. He felt Williams had not been honest about their plans for 1993. He decided to leave F1.
Mansell then signed with Newman/Haas Racing to race in the CART series in America. He joined Mario Andretti on the team. In his very first CART race in Australia, he became the first "rookie" to get pole position and win. A few weeks later, he had a bad crash that injured his back.
At the 1993 Indianapolis 500, Mansell led the race but finished third after a poor restart. On his 40th birthday, he won a race at New Hampshire. He went on to win five races in the 1993 CART season. This was enough to win the championship. This made Mansell the only driver in history to hold both the Formula One and CART championships at the same time.
After this successful season, Mansell received several awards. His car was less reliable in 1994, and his results were not as good.
Brief Return to Formula One
1994: Back with Williams
In 1994, after the CART season, Mansell returned to F1 with the Williams team. The team had changed a lot. Damon Hill was now a full-time driver. Sadly, Ayrton Senna had joined Williams but was killed in a crash early in the season.
Williams needed an experienced driver. They got permission for Mansell to race for them in some races. Mansell was paid a lot of money per race. His return was important for F1, which needed a world champion driver. Mansell won his final Grand Prix in Adelaide, the last race of the season. He started from pole position and helped Williams win the Constructors' Championship.
Williams decided to hire a younger driver for 1995, so Mansell did not stay with the team.
1995: Short Stint with McLaren
In 1995, Mansell signed to drive for McLaren. However, he could not fit into the narrow car at first. Another driver, Mark Blundell, raced for him in the first two races.
Mansell's car was ready for the Imola race. He finished 10th. At the next race, the 1995 Spanish Grand Prix, Mansell was frustrated with the car's handling. He decided to retire after only two races with the team. He felt there was no hope of the car being competitive.
1997: Almost a Jordan Comeback
Mansell did some testing with F1 teams, including Jordan. There were talks about another comeback in 1997, but it never happened. Jordan said Mansell decided against it after the tests.
British Touring Car Championship
.jpg)
Mansell took part in the 1993 TOCA Shootout at Donington Park. He drove a Ford Mondeo with his famous red number 5. The race ended badly for Mansell. He was knocked out after a crash. He lost control and hit a concrete wall.
Mansell returned to racing in 1998 in the British Touring Car Championship. He drove a Ford Mondeo for three rounds. He used the number 55. At his first event, he retired from the first race. But in the second race, as the track got wetter, Mansell found himself leading for several laps. He finished fifth, which many fans remember as one of the best touring car races ever. This was his best finish in the series.
Later Appearances and Activities
On 16 July 2005, Mansell took part in a "Race of Legends" event in Germany. He raced against other Formula One champions like Jody Scheckter and Alain Prost.
Mansell also became a driver in the new Grand Prix Masters series. He won the first race of the series in South Africa in November 2005. He also won the season opener in Qatar in April 2006.
In May 2007, he raced in the FIA GT Championship at Silverstone. He drove a Ferrari 430 GT2 and finished seventh in his class.
Mansell and his son Leo tested a Le Mans prototype car in 2008. In 2009, Mansell raced in the Le Mans Series with his son Greg.
Mansell raced a Ginetta-Zytek car in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans with both of his sons. This was the first time a father raced at Le Mans in the same car as his two sons. However, he crashed after only five laps due to a tire problem. He later said the accident left him unable to talk or recognize his family. To help his brain recover, he started learning magic. He is now a member of the Magic Circle and performs magic around the world.
Since 2010, Mansell has often been a former driver on the stewards' panel for Formula One races. This means he helps make decisions during races.
Books by Nigel Mansell
Mansell has written several books about his life and racing:
- In the Driving Seat (1989)
- Driven to Win (1990)
- Mansell and Williams: Challenge for the Championship (1991)
- Indycar Racing (1993)
- My Story (1995)
- Staying on Track (2015)
Television and Video Games
Mansell appeared in Prince Edward's charity TV show The Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.
Three video games were named after Mansell: Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix (1988), Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing (1993), and Newman/Haas IndyCar (1994). He also appears as a playable driver in the video game F1 2013.
In 2023, a wax figure of Mansell was featured in the Amazon show The Grand Tour.
Personal Life
Nigel Mansell married his wife, Roseanne, on 19 April 1975. They met when they were college students.
During most of his F1 career, he lived on the Isle of Man. He now lives in Jersey, Channel Islands. For 11 years, he worked as a Special Constable (a volunteer police officer) on the Isle of Man and later in Devon. He also developed a golf course in Devon.
Mansell loves golf and even played in the 1988 Australian Open. He used to own a sports car dealership called Nigel Mansell Sports Cars Ltd.
He was also the owner of the Team UK Youth cycling team.
His sons, Leo and Greg, are also former racing drivers. His daughter, Chloe, is a designer.
Mansell has owned some cool cars, including a Ferrari F40, a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC, and a 1984 Audi Quattro.
Helmet Design
Mansell's racing helmet was blue with two red and white arrows on each side. These arrows formed a design like the Union Jack flag at the front. When he joined Williams, a blue ring was added to the white part of his helmet. His sons, Leo and Greg, use similar helmet designs.
"Red 5" Fame
Mansell is strongly linked to the number 5. This started when he joined Williams in 1985. Williams was given car numbers 5 and 6. To make his car easier to spot, Mansell's car number 5 was painted red. BBC F1 commentator Murray Walker started calling him "Red Five," and the name stuck.
He kept the red number 5 during his first time at Williams. When he returned to the team in 1991, Williams still had the number 5 car, so he was "Red Five" again. When he went to CART in 1993, his team, Newman/Haas, also used the red number 5. Even when he returned to Williams for a few races in 1994, his car's number 2 was painted red. Mansell is so connected to "Red 5" that in 2004, he named his yacht Red 5.
Awards and Honours
Mansell won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice, in 1986 and 1992. Only four other people have won it more than once. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. He also won the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy seven times. This award is for the best British or Commonwealth driver in F1 each year.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2012. This was for his work with children and young people as president of UK Youth. He also received a medal for his service as a Special Constable.
In 2015, turn 17 of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez race track was renamed in his honour. Mansell had won the Mexican Grand Prix there twice. In 2018, he received The London Classic Car Show Icon Award. He was also inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2006.
Images for kids
-
Mansell's Lotus 91 from 1982 on display
