Willy Mairesse

Willy Mairesse
Born(1928-10-01)1 October 1928
Died2 September 1969(1969-09-02) (aged 40)
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityBelgium Belgian
Active years19601963, 1965
TeamsFerrari, ENB, Lotus, Scuderia Centro Sud
Entries13 (12 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points7
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1960 Belgian Grand Prix
Last entry1965 Belgian Grand Prix

Willy Mairesse (French pronunciation: [wi.li mɛ.ʁɛs]; 1 October 1928 – 2 September 1969)[1] was a Formula One and sports-car driver from Belgium. He participated in 13 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 19 June 1960. He achieved one podium and scored a total of seven championship points. He committed suicide in a hotel room in Ostend after a crash at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans forced an end to his career.[2]

Peter Revson once described the intensity of Mairesse before a race at Spa, Belgium. Revson looked into his car and saw Mairesse's "furrowed" face, beetled brows, and eyes which were almost tilted and their colour changed. "It was almost like looking at the devil."[3]

  1. ^ "Willy Mairesse | Motor Sport Magazine Database". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Drivers: Willy Mairesse". Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  3. ^ "What Makes Peter Revson Race". Parade Magazine. 12 March 1972. p. 103.