Obituary: Charlie Whiting - 1952-2019
The sudden death of race director Charlie Whiting on the eve of the 2019 season has left Formula 1 reeling. We look back at his life and career, and his journey from Hesketh mechanic to shaping modern F1
Charlie Whiting, who sadly passed away in Melbourne on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix, was a constant presence in the Formula 1 paddock for over 40 years.
Hugely respected by several generations of drivers and team personnel, he grew from humble beginnings as a club racing mechanic to play a significant role in the development of modern F1 through the multiple functions he filled with the FIA over the decades.
Share Or Save This Story
More from Adam Cooper
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Russell: Dirty air is causing F1 helmet turbulence problems
Vasseur: No guarantee that Ferrari F1 tyre issues are resolved
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
Latest news
Shanghai F1 grass fire mystery remains; emergency team on standby
Live: F1 Chinese GP updates – Sprint Race & Qualifying
The Haas F1 updates that have bucked a sprint race trend
Long Beach IMSA: Derani takes pole for Cadillac by 0.009s, then wrecks
Autosport Plus
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.