Peter Collins

British racing driver and three-time Grand Prix winner for Ferrari who became the first Briton to win the British Grand Prix, before dying in a crash at the 1958 German Grand Prix at age 26.

Born on 6 November 1931 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, Peter Collins made his Formula 1 debut in 1952 and joined Ferrari for the 1956 season, a turning point in his career. That year he finished runner-up to Stirling Moss at Monaco and won the Belgian and French Grands Prix, taking the championship lead before famously handing his car to teammate Juan Manuel Fangio in the season finale at Monza to help Fangio secure the title, a selfless gesture that cost Collins any chance of the championship himself. Collins's finest individual moment came at the 1958 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he won ahead of teammate Mike Hawthorn — with whom he had formed a close friendship — becoming the first British driver to win the British Grand Prix. Hawthorn, who returned to the pits to accept a celebratory pint of beer from Collins after the race, described their friendship as one of the closest of his career. Tragedy struck at the very next round, the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, where Collins was chasing Tony Brooks's Vanwall through the demanding Pflanzgarten section when he lost control, ran into a ditch, and was thrown from his flipping Ferrari, sustaining critical head injuries. He died later that day at age 26, in circumstances tragically similar to the fatal crash of teammate Luigi Musso weeks earlier. Collins's death devastated Hawthorn, who went on to win that year's World Championship before immediately retiring, profoundly affected by the loss of his friend. Collins finished his career with three Grand Prix victories and nine podium finishes.

Fast, committed racer known for exceptional pace at the Nürburgring

Remembered for his talent, sportsmanship and a friendship with Mike Hawthorn that defined 1950s Formula 1