Chris Bristow


Christopher William Bristow was a British Formula One driver. Bristow was the son of a garage owner from London, and was unmarried. Bristow was called the "wild man of British club racing", as he had spun or had collisions on almost every race track on which he had raced. He started four Formula One World Championship races and scored no championship points.
He was killed during the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix at the very fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in warm, dry, sunny conditions. Bristow wrecked his Yeoman Credit Racing Cooper T51 at the Burnenville corner on lap twenty while fighting to stay in front of the Ferrari of Willy Mairesse.
Bristow and Alan Stacey died in close proximity and within a few minutes of one another. They both crashed at Burnenville, the same extended fast right hand bend at which Stirling Moss had been severely injured the previous day. Cars regularly sped through the Burnenville corner at 120 miles per hour. There was a four-foot embankment there and barbed wire in the meadow about ten feet back from the road. Bristow's Cooper hit the bank and rolled over; he was hurled into the barbed wire, which decapitated him.
With regard to Bristow's unruly driving style, a friend of his said after the accident, "We all knew this was going to happen. It does no good to say now, but Chris simply did not have the experience to drive that way in Grand Prix racing."
The winner of the annual Autosport BRDC Award for promising young British drivers is also presented with the Chris Bristow Trophy.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YrEntrantChassisEngine12345678910WDCPoints
1959British Racing PartnershipCooper T51 Borgward Straight-4MON500NEDFRAGBR
10
GERPORITAUSANC0
1960Yeoman Credit Racing TeamCooper T51Climax Straight-4ARGMON
Ret
500NED
Ret
BEL
Ret
FRAGBRPORITAUSANC0

Non-championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456
1959British Racing PartnershipCooper T51Climax Straight-4BUEGLVAININTOUL
3
SIL
1960Yeoman Credit Racing TeamCooper T51Climax Straight-4BUEGLV
3
INT
DNA
SILLOMOUL