Lord Alexander Hesketh brightened up Formula 1 in the 1970s with his unique Grand Prix team, run from a stately home. Amidst the frequent parties and plentiful supply of champagne it may not have looked like a serious effort, but with the services of James Hunt Hesketh managed to beat the established Formula 1 teams of the era.
Hesketh and James Hunt
Hesketh started his involvement with motor racing by entering his great friend Anthony ‘Bubbles’ Horsley as a driver. Horsley competed in Formula 3 with little success, but when a young James Hunt was taken under the team’s wing Hesketh’s fortunes changed.
Initially, progress was far from smooth. Horsley and Hunt succeeded in demolishing the team’s Formula 3 cars, and the former subsequently retired as a driver. In 1972 Hesketh’s efforts were concentrated on Hunt, who was entered in the Formula 2 championship driving a March chassis.
For 1973 Hesketh and Hunt remained in Formula 2, but this time with a Surtees. The car lasted until Pau, where Hunt comprehensively destroyed it. Undaunted, Hesketh decided it would be better to go straight into Formula 1 than waste time in a lower formula any longer.
The Hesketh team made its debut at the 1973 non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch. Hunt showed the potential of both himself and Hesketh by taking his rented Surtees TS9 to third position.
Hesketh’s Formula 1 World Championship debut came at Monaco in 1973, by which time the team had bought a March 731 chassis, powered by the ubiquitous Ford DFV. Hunt again performed well, running as high as sixth before an engine failure. The rest of the season saw the team make good progress, with the highlights being podium appearances in Holland and America.
1974 saw the team take the ambitious step of entrusting Harvey Postlethwaite with the design of a brand new car, designated the 308. It was quick straight out of the box, with Hunt winning on the car’s debut in the International Trophy at Silverstone.
Hesketh and Hunt Win 1975 Dutch GP
Hunt was again a regular visitor to the podium throughout 1974, but a World Championship victory eluded the team. That all changed at Zandvoort in 1975. Hunt displayed tremendous composure under intense pressure from Niki Lauda’s Ferrari to win the Dutch Grand Prix. This, combined with other solid performances throughout the year, saw Hunt and Hesketh finish fourth overall in the Formula 1 World Championship.
The Hesketh team suffered two major blows ahead of the 1976 season, with Hunt leaving for McLaren and Postlethwaite taking his ideas to Wolf. While Hunt went on to win the title that year his old team faultered. No points were scored all season, with Harald Ertl recording a best finish of seventh.
Hesketh continued in Formula 1 through 1977 and 1978 with a variety of drivers, but there was little to celebrate. A brief reminder of the good old days came at the 1978 International Trophy, where Derek Daly’s Hesketh diced with Hunt’s McLaren for the lead before the former retired. It was the final high point before the team folded for good.
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