Brian Henton (born 19 September 1946) 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.

Brian Henton
Henton after winning a Formula Vee race in 1971
Born (1946-09-19) 19 September 1946 (age 78)
Chaddesden, Derby, United Kingdom
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years1975, 1977, 19811982
TeamsLotus, non-works March, Boro, Toleman, Arrows, Tyrrell
Entries37 (19 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps1
First entry1975 British Grand Prix
Last entry1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix

Henton (nicknamed "Superhen" in the British racing press) 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 (including a spell in a private March for his own British Formula One Racing Team), 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.[1]

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.[2]

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1973 John Player European British Formula Three Brian Henton Racing 9 1 0 1 2 42 10th
Lombard North British Formula Three 8 1 0 2 1 9 10th
Forward Trust BARC British Formula Three 7 1 1 1 1 13 8th
1974 Lombard North British Formula Three March Racing Team 11 7 4 11 9 78 1st
Forward Trust BARC British Formula Three 10 8 5 8 9 81 1st
European Formula Two 1 0 0 0 0 1 22nd
1975 European Formula Two Brian Henton 7 0 0 1 1 10 11th
Wheatcroft Racing 1 0 0 0 1
Formula One John Player Team Lotus 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Japanese Formula Two Victory Circle Club 1 0 0 ? 1 0 NC
1976 Shellsport International Series Netherton and Worth-Boxer Cars 3 0 0 0 2 27 11th
1977 European Formula Two Netherton and Worth-Boxer Cars 4 1 0 1 1 12 10th
Ardmore Racing 1 0 0 0 0
Formula One Team Rothmans International 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
HB Bewaking Alarmsystemen 1 0 0 0 0
Shellsport International Series Hexagon Racing 1 0 0 0 1 12 16th
1978 European Formula Two Brian Henton 12 0 1 1 0 3 17th
Japanese Formula Two 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1979 European Formula Two Toleman Group Motorsport 12 2 3 2 4 36 2nd
1980 European Formula Two Toleman Group Motorsport 11 3 2 7 9 61 1st
1981 Formula One Candy Toleman Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1982 Formula One Team Tyrrell 13 0 0 1 0 0 NC
Arrows Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos. Pts
1974 March Racing Team March 742 BMW BAR HOC PAU SAL HOC MUG
6
KAR PER HOC VAL 22nd 1
1975 Brian Henton March 752 Hart EST THR
8
HOC
3
NÜR
10
PAU
DSQ
HOC
Ret
SAL
13
ROU MUG
Ret
PER 11th 10
Wheatcroft Racing Wheatcroft 002 Ford BDA SIL
3
ZOL NOG VAL
1976 Wheatcroft Racing Wheatcroft R26 Abarth HOC THR
DNS
VAL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG PER EST NOG HOC NC 0
1977 Netherton & Worth Boxer Cars Boxer PR276 Hart SIL
DNS
THR
1
HOC
5
NÜR
9
VAL PAU
9
MUG ROU NOG PER MIS EST 10th 12
Ardmore Racing Chevron B40 Hart DON
7
1978 Brian Henton March 782 Hart THR
Ret
HOC
17
NÜR
5
PAU
Ret
MUG
15
VAL
8
ROU
14
DON
11
NOG
Ret
PER
6
MIS
11
HOC
Ret
17th 3
1979 Toleman Group Motorsport Ralt RT2 Hart SIL
3
HOC
4
THR
Ret
PAU
Ret
HOC
Ret
ZAN
5
PER
DSQ
MIS
1
DON
4
2nd 36
March 782 NÜR
2
VAL
Ret
MUG
1
1980 Toleman Group Motorsport Toleman TG280 Hart THR
1
HOC
2
NÜR
2
VAL
1
PAU
3
1st 61
Toleman TG280B SIL
NC
ZOL
2
MUG
1
ZAN
12
PER
2
MIS
2
HOC

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1975 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 72F Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA ESP MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBR
16
GER AUT
DNS
ITA USA
NC
NC 0
1977 Team Rothmans International March 761B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW
10
NC 0
British Formula One Racing Team March 761 ESP
DNQ
MON BEL SWE FRA GBR
DNQ
GER AUT
DNQ
HB Bewaking Alarmsystemen Boro 001 NED
DSQ
ITA
DNQ
USA CAN JPN
1978 Team Surtees Surtees TS20 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT
PO
NED ITA USA CAN
1981 Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman TG181 Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t USW BRA ARG SMR
DNQ
BEL
DNQ
MON
DNPQ
ESP
DNQ
FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNQ
AUT
DNQ
NED
DNQ
ITA
10
CAN
DNQ
CPL
DNQ
NC 0
1982 Arrows Racing Team Arrows A4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
USW
Ret
NC 0
Team Tyrrell Tyrrell 011 SMR
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

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

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1
1977 British Formula One Racing Team March 761 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
4
1983 Theodore Racing Team Theodore N183 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
4

References

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Sporting positions
Preceded by British Formula 3 Championship
BARC Series Champion

1974
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Tony Brise
1973 BRSCC North Central Lombard Series Champion
British Formula 3 Champion
BRSCC Series Champion

1974
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
Tony Brise
1973 BRSCC JPS Series Champion
Preceded by European Formula Two
Champion

1980
Succeeded by