Peter Collins (racing driver) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Peter Collins

Born	(1931-11-06)6 November 1931 Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Died	3 August 1958(1958-08-03) (aged 26) Bonn, Germany
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1952 – 1958
Teams	HWM Vanwall Maserati Ferrari
Entries	35 (32 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	3
Podiums	9
Career points	47
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1952 Swiss Grand Prix
First win	1956 Belgian Grand Prix
Last win	1958 British Grand Prix
Last entry	1958 German Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career Years 1952 – 1958 Teams Aston Martin David Brown Scuderia Ferrari Best finish 2nd (1955, 1956) Class wins 2 (1955, 1956)

Peter John Collins (born November 6, 1931 – died August 3, 1958) was a famous British racing driver. He started racing cars when he was just 17 years old in 1949. He quickly became very good, finishing third in the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship.

Sadly, Peter Collins passed away during the 1958 German Grand Prix. This was only a few weeks after he won the British Grand Prix. In the 2023 movie Ferrari, Peter Collins was played by actor Jack O'Connell.

Early Life and Racing Start

Peter Collins was born in Kidderminster, England, on November 6, 1931. His father owned a car garage and a transport business. This meant Peter became very interested in cars from a young age. He even got into trouble at school for spending time at a local fairground! At 16, he left school and started working as an apprentice in his father's garage. He also began racing in local car events.

Like many British drivers back then, Peter started racing in the "500 cc" category. These were small cars that used powerful Norton motorcycle engines. His parents bought him a Cooper 500 car to start with. He became very successful after he switched to a JBS-Norton car in 1951. Many other famous F1 drivers, like Stirling Moss, also started in these small cars.

Peter got a big break when he met John Wyer, who was in charge of the Aston Martin racing team. Peter managed to get a test drive at Silverstone. While he was testing for Aston Martin, the Formula 2 team HWM was also there. By the end of the day, Peter had signed contracts with both teams!

At HWM, Peter joined a team with Lance Macklin and Stirling Moss. They raced in many F2 events across Britain and Europe. Peter showed he was very fast, but the HWM-Alta car often broke down. His best finish was second place in the Grand Prix des Sables d'Olonne. In 1952, Peter got his chance in Formula One with HWM, replacing Stirling Moss. His best result that year was sixth place in the French Grand Prix.

The HWM team did not have much success, so Peter left after the 1953 season. Peter was known for his natural driving skill, rather than his technical knowledge. He was happy for his mechanics to set up his car. In 1954, he drove the very powerful "Thinwall Special" for Tony Vandervell. This car was exciting to watch in races. He also drove the "Vanwall Special" but only finished seventh in the Italian Grand Prix.

After being a tough competitor against the BRM team, Peter joined them for the 1955 season. He drove a Maserati 250F car and won the BRDC International Trophy and the London Trophy. These wins led him to drive for the official Maserati team in the Italian Grand Prix.

Peter also had great success in sports car racing. He was a strong driver for the Aston Martin team in the early 1950s. He won the 1952 Goodwood Nine Hours race. The next year, he won the RAC Tourist Trophy with Pat Griffith in an Aston Martin DB3S. He also finished second at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1955 and 1956. He shared the car with Paul Frère and Stirling Moss in those races.

Later Career and Ferrari Success

In 1956, Peter Collins joined the famous Ferrari team. This happened after he drove brilliantly in the 1955 Targa Florio race, where he won with Stirling Moss in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. Joining Ferrari was a big moment for him. He finished second behind Moss at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix and then won the Belgian and French Grands Prix.

Collins, in a Ferrari 801, is chased by Juan Manuel Fangio's Maserati 250F during the 1957 German Grand Prix.

During his early time at Ferrari, Peter earned the deep respect of Enzo Ferrari, the team's founder. Enzo Ferrari had recently lost his son, Dino, and found comfort in Peter. He treated Peter like a member of his own family.

Peter was very close to becoming Britain's first F1 World Champion in 1956. But in the 1956 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he did something amazing. He gave his Lancia-Ferrari D50 car to his team leader, Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio's car had a problem, and Peter wanted to help him. Peter still finished second in the race. However, this act of kindness meant he ended up third in the championship. Enzo Ferrari admired Peter's selfless act. Fangio also praised him, saying Peter was "one of the finest and greatest gentlemen I ever met."

In sports car racing, Peter continued to do well. In 1956, he finished second in the 1956 Mille Miglia and the Swedish Sports Car GP. In 1957, he was second in the 1957 1000km of Nürburgring and won the 1957 Venezuelan Grand Prix. In 1958, he won the 1958 1000 km Buenos Aires and the 1958 12 Hours of Sebring. These three wins were back-to-back. His last sports car podium was another second place at the Nürburgring with Mike Hawthorn.

In 1956, Peter moved to Monaco to continue his racing career. This also helped him avoid compulsory military service in the British Army.

In January 1957, Peter married American actress Louise King. She was the daughter of an assistant to the UN Secretary General. They lived on a yacht in Monaco. That same year, Peter's good friend Mike Hawthorn joined him at Ferrari. They became very close and even agreed to share their prize money. They also had a strong rivalry with another Ferrari driver, Luigi Musso. Even though Ferrari's 801 car was heavy and not very powerful, Peter still won two non-championship races in 1957. These were the Syracuse and Naples Grands Prix.

Collins with Enzo Ferrari (centre background) before the 1957 Mille Miglia

Collins (left) and teammate Mike Hawthorn celebrate with race winner Juan Manuel Fangio, after the 1957 German Grand Prix.

The 1958 season brought a new, better car for Ferrari, the Ferrari Dino 246. Results started to get better for the team. Peter didn't have many good results early in the season. But then he won the non-championship 1958 BRDC International Trophy and finished third at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. However, Enzo Ferrari felt that Peter was not focused enough on racing. He thought Peter's lifestyle in Monaco was too much like a party.

Peter was briefly fired by Ferrari after the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He had damaged his car's clutch on purpose rather than race in a rainstorm. He was also found drinking in a pub before the race ended. Ferrari then allowed Peter to drive an F2 car. At the 1958 French Grand Prix, Mike Hawthorn refused to start unless Peter was allowed to drive an F1 car. Peter did, and finished fifth. Ferrari fired Peter again! But Mike Hawthorn flew to Italy and insisted that Peter be given his F1 seat back. Enzo Ferrari agreed.

After Luigi Musso's death at Reims, Ferrari needed another top driver. So Peter's place on the team was safe for a while. At the 1958 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Peter had one of his best races ever. He was following team orders and wanted to help his friend Hawthorn win the championship. Peter led the race from the start, pushing his car to the limit to beat Stirling Moss. Even though his car was not as good as Moss's, Peter drove incredibly fast for 45 laps. He pulled away from Moss until Moss's car broke down. Peter won the race! The Ferrari team decided not to tell Peter to slow down and let Hawthorn win, because Peter's drive was so amazing. Stirling Moss's future team owner, Rob Walker, told Peter after the race that his driving was "frightening" and he should never drive like that again. This was Peter's third and final career victory.

Tragic Death

During the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, Peter Collins was chasing Tony Brooks's car. He went into a part of the track called Pflanzgarten too fast. His Ferrari went wide and hit a ditch. Peter lost control of his car, and it flipped into the air, landing upside down. Peter was thrown from the car and hit a tree. He suffered very serious head injuries. Despite getting medical help, Peter passed away later that afternoon in a hospital in Bonn.

His death was very similar to what happened to his Ferrari teammate Luigi Musso earlier. Mike Hawthorn was so upset by Peter's death that he decided to stop racing right after winning the 1958 Drivers' Championship. Mike Hawthorn himself passed away the next year in a car accident in England.

Rivalry with Luigi Musso

Years after Peter Collins passed away, Fiamma Breschi, who was Luigi Musso's girlfriend, spoke about the rivalry between Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn, and Luigi Musso. She said that the competition between Musso and the two English drivers made all three of them take more risks. She explained that Hawthorn and Collins had an agreement to share their winnings. This meant it was "the two of them against Luigi." This rivalry, she said, actually helped Ferrari because the drivers pushed each other to go faster.

Personal Life

Peter Collins married Louise King in 1957, just one week after they met in Miami. He proposed to her after only two days! Louise was American, and her father worked for the United Nations. She became a widow in 1958 when Peter had his fatal crash at the Nürburgring. She was interviewed in the movie Ferrari: Race to Immortality.

Racing Record

Career Highlights

Complete World Drivers' Championship Results

(key)

* Shared drive

Non-Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1952	Aston Martin Ltd.	Lance Macklin	Aston Martin DB3	S3.0		DNF	DNF
1953	Aston Martin Ltd.	Reg Parnell	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	16	DNF	DNF
1954	David Brown	"Bira"	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	137	DNF	DNF
1955	Aston Martin Ltd.	Paul Frère	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	302	2nd	1st
1956	David Brown	Stirling Moss	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	299	2nd	1st
1957	Scuderia Ferrari	Phil Hill	Ferrari 335 S	S3.0	2	DNF	DNF
1958	Scuderia Ferrari	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari 250 TR 58	S3.0	112	DNF	DNF
Source:

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1953	Aston Martin, Ltd.	Geoff Duke	Aston Martin DB3	S3.0	52	DNF	DNF
1954	Aston Martin, Ltd.	Pat Griffith	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	26	DNF	DNF
1956	David Brown & Sons, Ltd.	Stirling Moss	Aston Martin DB3S	S3.0	51	DNF	DNF
1956	Ferrari Factory	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari 315 S	S5.0	198	6th	5th
1958	Scuderia Ferrari	Phil Hill	Ferrari 250 TR 58	S3.0	200	1st	1st
Source:

Complete Mille Miglia Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Pos.	Class Pos.
1953	Aston Martin Lagonda	Mike Keen	Aston Martin DB3	S+2.0	16th	10th
1954	David Brown	Pat Griffith	Aston Martin DB3S	S+2.0	DNF	DNF
1955	Aston Martin Ltd.		Aston Martin DB3S	S+2.0	DNF	DNF
1956	Scuderia Ferrari	Louis Klemantaski	Ferrari 860 Monza	S+2.0	2nd	2nd
1957	Scuderia Ferrari	Louis Klemantaski	Ferrari 335 S	S+2.0	DNF	DNF
Source:

|

See also

In Spanish: Peter Collins para niños