Category | Formula One | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | British Racing Motors | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Mike Pilbeam | ||||||||
Predecessor | P160 / P180 | ||||||||
Successor | P207 | ||||||||
Technical specifications [1] | |||||||||
Chassis | Aluminium alloy monocoque | ||||||||
Axle track | Front: 1,540 mm (61 in) Rear 1,560 mm (61 in) | ||||||||
Wheelbase | 2,591 mm (102.0 in) | ||||||||
Engine | BRM 2,998 cc (182.9 cu in) V12 naturally aspirated, mid-mounted | ||||||||
Transmission | BRM 5-speed manual | ||||||||
Weight | 586 kg (1,291.9 lb) | ||||||||
Tyres | Firestone (1974) Goodyear (1975–1977) | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Stanley BRM / Team Motul BRM | ||||||||
Notable drivers | Jean-Pierre Beltoise Chris Amon Henri Pescarolo | ||||||||
Debut | 1974 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
The BRM P201 is a Formula One racing car built by British Racing Motors and designed by Mike Pilbeam, which raced in the 1974 and 1975 seasons and in P201B specification in 1976 and 1977. The P201 featured a triangular monocoque, hip-level radiators, outboard front springs and inboard brakes. [2] It used a 3.0-litre V12 engine and competed in 26 races, making 36 individual entries in total. Its best finish was second place for Jean-Pierre Beltoise at the 1974 South African Grand Prix, on the car's debut.
The car made its debut in the 1974 South African Grand Prix, driven by Jean-Pierre Beltoise, who qualified in 11th position. However, Beltoise was able to use qualifying tyres in the race due to the P201's handling, and was able to drive through the field for a second-place finish. [2] [3] At the Spanish Grand Prix, Beltoise again qualified 11th but retired after two laps, with an engine problem. [4] At Belgium, he qualified seventh and finished fifth. [5] At Monaco, Beltoise, who had qualified 11th and led the first practice times at one point, was in collision with Denny Hulme's McLaren on the first lap when the New Zealander got off-line and in attempting to rejoin, triggered a multiple accident. [6] For this race, a second P201 chassis had been produced with outboard front disc brakes rather than inboard but was not used. [6]
At Sweden, Henri Pescarolo drove the second chassis, with the brakes moved inboard, and he and Beltoise qualified 19th and 13th respectively. However, both retired, Pescarolo on lap one through fire and his teammate on lap three with an engine problem. [7] At the 1974 Dutch Grand Prix, Beltoise tried both P201 chassis and raced the newer one. Pescarolo drove the second car in one practice session only and eventually raced a P160. The earlier P201 chassis was raced by François Migault who retired on lap 60 with gear linkage problems having qualified 25th, and last, on the grid. Beltoise qualified 16th and retired on lap 19, also with a gearbox problem. [8]
At the French Grand Prix, the earlier chassis was adapted to suit Pescarolo and Beltoise drove the later car, which had modified cylinder heads. Beltoise qualified 17th and finished 10th. Pescarolo started 19th, 0.3secs behind his teammate, and retired after one lap due to clutch problems after a lengthy hold at the start. [9] At the British Grand Prix, Beltoise qualified 23rd and Pescarolo 24th, after ignition, wheel and engine problems. Both were out-qualified by Migault in a P160, in 14th place. In the race, Beltoise finished 12th, three laps behind, and Pescarolo retired on lap 65 with an engine problem. [10]
At the German Grand Prix, Beltoise was in P201/02 and a third P201 chassis had been built for Pescarolo. The two drivers qualified 15th and 24th respectively. The first P201 chassis was being rebuilt for Migault who used a P160 for this race. Pescarolo finished tenth, more than four minutes behind the winner Clay Regazzoni, and Beltoise retired on lap 5 when the engine stopped. [11] For the Austrian Grand Prix, BRM made only one entry as a result of internal difficulties and Beltoise had P201/02 and P201/03 available. He practised both cars, qualified 18th, raced 02, and retired on lap 22 with engine failure. [12]
At Monza, a fourth chassis was produced which was used by Pescarolo. Beltoise used P201/03 and Migault P201/02. Beltoise qualified 11th, Migault 24th, and Pescarolo 25th and last. Beltoise and Migault both retired after one lap with electrical and gearbox failure respectively. Pescarolo retired on lap 4 with engine failure. [13]
At Canada, Pescarolo and Migault were both dropped from the team and Beltoise was joined by Chris Amon after the closure of his own team. Amon drove P201/04, qualifying 25th and Beltoise 03, qualifying 17th. Amon finished 17th, but was 10 laps behind and Beltoise 18th, 20 laps behind. Both were officially not-classified. [14] At the American Grand Prix, Beltoise did not qualify after crashing P201/03 in practice but Amon qualified 04 in 12th position and finished ninth, 2 laps down. [15]
At the end of the 1974 season, Beltoise retired from F1 and Pescarolo left the team. BRM P201s participated in 11 of the 15 races in 1975, with one entry on each occasion. British driver Mike Wilds competed in the first two races, at Argentina and Brazil. He qualified 22nd at each race and retired from both, with engine failure (24 laps) and a broken flywheel (22 laps) respectively. He drove chassis No. P201/04 on each occasion. [16] [17]
Wilds was replaced for South Africa, by British driver Bob Evans. Evans qualified P201/02 in 24th place and finished 15th, 2 laps down. [18] At the Spanish Grand Prix, he qualified a new chassis, P201/05, in 23rd position and retired after seven laps with fuel system problems. [19] At Monaco, Evans failed to qualify chassis 05. [20] In Belgium, he qualified P201/02 in 20th position and finished ninth, 2 laps down. [21] For the Swedish Grand Prix, Evans resumed in P201/05, qualified 23rd and finished 13th, two laps behind. [22] At the Dutch Grand Prix, he qualified P201/05 in 20th position but retired after 23 laps with transmission problems. [23] At the French Grand Prix, Evans qualified P201/02 in 25th place and finished 17th two laps down. [24]
The BRM team did not appear at the British or German Grands Prix stating that the V12 engine was felt to be uncompetitive. [25] However, Evans qualified P201/02 in 22nd place but retired with engine problems (3 laps) at the Austrian Grand Prix. [26] At the Italian Grand Prix, he qualified P201/05 in 20th position, but retired on lap one with electrical problems. [27]
The BRM P201, upgraded to P201B specification, made only one appearance in each of the 1976 and 1977 seasons. [28] At the 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix, British driver Ian Ashley qualified chassis P201/04 in 21st place and retired on lap three, with oil pump failure. [29] BRM did not enter any further races in 1976 and after a non-appearance at the next race, in South Africa, the team was reported to have closed. [30]
However, the team entered nine races in 1977, with the un-competitive BRM P207 qualifying only once. In addition, Australian Larry Perkins drove P201/04 at the South African Grand Prix, qualifying 22nd and finishing 15th, five laps behind winner Niki Lauda and three laps behind the rest of the field. [31]
Of the five P201s built, four survive, and three have appeared in historic racing. [2]
(key)
Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | Motul Team BRM | BRM P200 V12 | F | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | 10‡ | 7th‡ | |||
Beltoise | 2 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | NC | DNQ | ||||||||||
Pescarolo | Ret | PO | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
Migault | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||
Amon | NC | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1975 | Stanley BRM | BRM P200 V12 | G | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA | 0 | — | ||||
Wilds | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||
Evans | 15 | Ret | DNQ | 9 | 13 | Ret | 17 | Ret | Ret | ||||||||||||||
1976 | Stanley BRM | BRM P200 V12 | G | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | JPN | 0 | — | ||
Ashley | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1977 | Rotary Watches Stanley BRM | BRM P200 V12 | G | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | JPN | 0 | — | |
Perkins | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
‡ Points were also scored by the P160 chassis.
(key)
Year | Entrant | Engine | Driver | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Stanley BRM | BRM P200 V12 | G | ROC | INT | SUI | |
Evans | 6 | 10 | |||||
1976 | Stanley BRM | BRM P200 V12 | G | ROC | INT | ||
Ashley | DNA | ||||||
Perkins | DNA | ||||||
Source: [2] |
The 1962 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Nürburgring on 5 August 1962. It was race 6 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 15-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from second position. John Surtees finished second for the Lola team and Porsche driver Dan Gurney came in third. The race was notable for having six different constructors taking the first six positions.
The 1968 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada on September 22, 1968. It was race 10 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 90-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after starting from sixth position. Hulme's teammate Bruce McLaren finished second and BRM driver Pedro Rodríguez came in third.
The 1970 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 10 May 1970. It was race 3 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Jochen Rindt scored the last victory for the famous Lotus 49.
The 1974 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Buenos Aires on 13 January 1974. It was race 1 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 53-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from tenth position. Niki Lauda finished second for the Ferrari team and his teammate Clay Regazzoni came in third.
The 1974 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nivelles on 12 May 1974. It was race 5 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 85-lap race was won by Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi, driving a McLaren-Ford, with Austrian Niki Lauda a close second in a Ferrari and South African Jody Scheckter third in a Tyrrell-Ford. This race also marked the debut of Tom Pryce, making his first start for the newly formed Token team.
The 1982 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It comprised two competitions run concurrently over the course of the year, the 33rd Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 25th Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers. The championship featured sixteen races contested between 23 January and 25 September. The Drivers' Championship was won by Keke Rosberg and the Manufacturers' Championship by Ferrari.
The 1971 Formula One season was the 25th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 22nd World Championship of Drivers and the 14th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over eleven races between 6 March and 3 October. The season also included a number of non-championship races open to Formula One cars.
The 1968 Formula One season was the 22nd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 19th FIA World Championship, which commenced on 1 January, and ended on 3 November after twelve races, and numerous non-championship races. Graham Hill won the second of his World Championship titles, with Lotus.
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, and a total of eight podium finishes.
Henri Jacques William Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium and 12 championship points. Pescarolo also drove in the Dakar Rally in the 1990s, before retiring from racing at the age of 57. In 2000 he set up his eponymous racing team, Pescarolo Sport, which competed in Le Mans until 2013. He wore a distinctive green helmet, and wears a full-face beard that partially covers burns suffered in a crash.
Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.
The Hill GH1 was a Formula One car used by Embassy Hill during the 1975 Formula One season. It was designed by Andy Smallman. The car was initially designated as the Lola T371, but when Smallman left Lola to work full-time for Embassy Hill it was renamed as the Hill GH1. GH1 cars participated in 12 World Championship Grands Prix in 1975, with 21 entries in total using six different drivers. Two points finishes yielded 11th place in the World Constructors' Championship, with three points.
The Jochen Rindt Gedächtnisrennen or the VI Rhein-Pokalrennen was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 13 June 1971 at the Hockenheimring, Germany. The race was run over 35 laps of the circuit, and was dominated by Belgian driver Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari 312B.
The BRM P160 was a Formula One racing car designed by Tony Southgate for the British Racing Motors team, which raced in the 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 Formula One seasons. It was powered by a 3.0-litre V12 engine.
The March 701 is a Formula One racing car model, designed by Robin Herd with Peter Wright, and built by March Engineering. The 701 was March's first Formula One design – following their one-off March 693P Formula Three prototype of 1969 – and was designed and built in only three months. The March 701 made its race debut a month after its public unveiling, at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. In total, eleven 701s were constructed, with March supplying many privateer entrants as well as their own works team. The 701's career started well, March drivers taking three wins and three pole positions from the car's first four race entries, but lack of development through the 1970 Formula One season resulted in increasingly poor results as the year wore on. The 701 was superseded by the March 711 in 1971, and made its last World Championship race appearance at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix.
The Matra MS5 is a Formula Two and Formula Three racing car, designed, developed, and made by Matra, which was used in the Formula Two class of two World Championship Grands Prix in 1966 and 1967. It was actively used in motor racing competitions between 1965 and 1969.
The Matra-Simca MS670 was a Group 5 prototype race car introduced in 1972 for the World Championship for Makes. The MS670 replaced the previous Matra-Simca MS660C.
The Matra MS620 was a Group 6 sports prototype built by Matra in 1966, and was the second such car built by the company. Fitted with a 1.9 litre version of the BRM Formula One V8 engine, four cars were built, but were mostly used as developmental cars. In 1967, the MS620 was replaced by the 3 litre Matra MS630, although it was used in the Le Mans Test of that year, fitted with a 4.7 litre Ford V8 engine.
The Williams FW was a Formula One car used by Frank Williams Racing Cars during the 1973, 1974 and 1975 seasons. It was designed by John Clarke.
Henry Leslie Brooke, was a British racing driver from England. He competed in various classes of racing, including non-championship Formula One, the Le Mans 24-hour race and the Monte Carlo Rally, in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.