Brian Henton


Brian Henton is a former racing driver from England. He won both 1974 British Formula Three Championships and the 1980 European Formula Two Championship. He participated in 38 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1975, but never scored any championship points.
Henton came from a modest council house background and did not start racing until he was 23. On winning the minor British Formula Vee championship in 1971, ever-conscious of the value of public relations, he announced that he was going to be World Champion. This aim eluded him, but he enjoyed a successful career in Formula Three and Formula Two.
Henton's F1 debut came in 1975 for Lotus, theoretically a good drive but the team was in turmoil with the Lotus 72 finally uncompetitive and its replacement the Lotus 76 a failure, so nothing concrete was achieved. Between 1975 and 1978 he mixed Formula One and Formula Two drives, never quite establishing himself in either category, but clinched the 1980 F2 championship for Toleman, who took him into F1 for 1981. The first Toleman-Hart was something of a disaster, overweight and underdeveloped, and Henton only managed to qualify once. Unfruitful outings for Arrows and Tyrrell in 1982 led to no more success, though he did set the fastest lap at the British Grand Prix - Henton is the only driver in Formula One history to have set a fastest lap without ever scoring a championship point.
Perhaps fittingly, his last Formula One outing was at the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in April 1983, which also turned out to be the last non-championship F1 race in the modern era.
Following his retirement from the sport, he returned to running a car dealership and later moved into property development and in recent years has diversified into other areas, notably engineering. He has occasionally driven at historic events and holds equestrian events at his home in Ingarsby Hall, Leicestershire.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314Pts
March Racing TeamMarch 742BMWBARHOCPAUSALHOCMUG
6
KARPERHOCVAL22nd1
Brian HentonMarch 752HartESTTHR
8
HOC
NÜR
10
PAU
DSQ
HOC
Ret
SAL
13
ROUMUG
Ret
PER11th10
Wheatcroft RacingWheatcroft 002Ford BDASIL
3
ZOLNOGVAL11th10
Wheatcroft RacingWheatcroft R26AbarthHOCTHR
DNS
VALSALPAUHOCROUMUGPERESTNOGHOCNC0
Netherton & Worth Boxer CarsBoxer PR276HartSIL
DNS
THR
1
HOC
NÜR
9
VALPAU
9
MUGROUNOGPERMISEST10th12
Ardmore RacingChevron B40HartDON
7
10th12
Brian HentonMarch 782HartTHR
Ret
HOC
17
NÜR
5
PAU
Ret
MUG
15
VAL
8
ROU
14
DON
11
NOG
Ret
PER
6
MIS
11
HOC
Ret
16th3
Toleman Group MotorsportRalt RT2HartSIL
3
HOC
4
THR
Ret
PAU
Ret
HOC
Ret
ZAN
5
PER
DSQ
MIS
1
DON
4
2nd36
Toleman Group MotorsportMarch 782HartNÜR
2
VAL
Ret
MUG
1
2nd36
Toleman Group MotorsportToleman TG280HartTHR
1
HOC
2
NÜR
2
VAL
1
PAU
3
1st61
Toleman Group MotorsportToleman TG280BHartSIL
NC
ZOL
2
MUG
1
ZAN
12
PER
2
MIS
2
HOC1st61

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617WDCPoints
1975John Player Team LotusLotus 72FFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAESPMONBELSWENEDFRAGBR
16
GERAUT
DNS
ITAUSA
NC
NC0
1977Team Rothmans InternationalMarch 761BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAUSW
10
NC0
1977British Formula One Racing TeamMarch 761Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ESP
DNQ
MONBELSWEFRAGBR
DNQ
GERAUT
DNQ
NC0
1977HB Bewaking AlarmsystemenBoro 001Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8NED
DSQ
ITA
DNQ
USACANJPNNC0
1978Team SurteesSurtees TS20Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAUSWMONBELESPSWEFRAGBRGERAUT
PO
NEDITAUSACAN
1981Candy Toleman MotorsportToleman TG181Hart 415T 1.5 L4 tUSWBRAARGSMR
DNQ
BEL
DNQ
MON
DNPQ
ESP
DNQ
FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNQ
AUT
DNQ
NED
DNQ
ITA
10
CAN
DNQ
CPL
DNQ
NC0
1982Arrows Racing TeamArrows A4Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8RSA
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
USW
Ret
NC0
1982Team TyrrellTyrrell 011Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8SMR
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON
8
DET
9
CAN
NC
NED
Ret
GBR
8
FRA
10
GER
7
AUT
Ret
SUI
11
ITA
Ret
CPL
8
NC0

Henton drove Rupert Keegan's No. 18 Surtees during practice for the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix but was not officially entered for the race.