A very happy 70th birthday to British F1 hero Nigel Mansell, one of F1's greatest and most charismatic drivers.
The 1992 world champion certainly didn't have the easiest start to his GP career though. Making his debut for Lotus in 1980, Mansell was at times out-performed by team-mate Elio de Angelis. Several podium finishes still weren't enough to convince the team to keep the Englishman for 1985, with his boss Peter Warr making a famously explicit – and ultimately wrong – prediction on the Brit's future F1 chances.
Mansell moved to Williams for 1985. His car was adorned with a red No5, and the resulting nickname soon stuck. Partnering '82 champ Keke Rosberg, Mansell proved previous employer Warr wrong by taking his first ever F1 victory in that year's European GP at Brands Hatch. His second win would come within weeks at Kyalami.
Over the following seasons, Mansell would establish himself as one of the top drivers in the sport. Between 1985 and 1987, the Englishman won more races than any other driver on the grid. World championship glory eluded him, however, through a combination of mechanical woes and intra-team friction with fellow Williams driver Nelson Piquet.
Mansell moved to Ferrari in 1989, becoming the last driver to be personally selected by the great Enzo Ferrari. He quickly became a favourite of the Tifosi, earning the nickname 'Il Leone', on account of his fearless driving style.
Mansell moved back to Williams in 1991. After narrowly losing out to Ayrton Senna on title glory that year, he followed it up with a dominant season in 1992. The Englishman won nine races in the active suspension Williams FW14B and finally achieved his dream of becoming Formula 1 world champion. Mansell then took a surprisingly different path by opting to driver for Hollywood star Paul Newman in the US IndyCar series, where he became the first – and still only – person to hold both the F1 crown and American single-seater title at the same time.
Mansell would return to GP on a part-time basis in 1994 and 1995, filling in at Williams and McLaren respectively before finally retiring for good part-way through the latter season.
He remains one of the most popular and memorable drivers in Formula 1 history.
Browse this email for the best collectibles and memorabilia on Nigel Mansell.
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