The 10 best curios of non-championship Formula 1
By their very nature, non-championship Formula 1 races frequently threw up unusual car/driver combinations, from young talents getting an F1 debut to old warhorses having one last crack of the whip. Here we select some of the best
Since 1983, Formula 1 events have exclusively formed part of the world championship, but that hasn't always been the case.
In the early decades of the world championship, non-championship races served as a useful proving ground for young drivers looking to make an impression against the establishment, and for teams trying out new cars.
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Marcus Simmons is the Deputy Editor of Autosport magazine. As a child he was a regular on the chalk banks of Thruxton – hence his unhealthy obsession with 1970s Formula 2 and F3 – before he became an MSA timekeeper at the age of 17. At 19, his reporting debut for Motoring News arguably overshadowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal as the sporting moment of June 1986, and he joined the staff in 1990 after graduating from his degree course in Plymouth. A parallel Formula First career – which was as incident-packed as his childhood exploits in show-jumping and hunter trials – finished when he wrote off his car and put himself in hospital in 1991.
Marcus moved to Autosport in the summer of 1996. Since then he has had two stints as a freelancer and a brief spell as editor of Motor Sport magazine, during which the revered green cover was revived, before he rejoined Autosport in 2008. He lives in Teddington with his wife (who, gratifyingly, grew up within earshot of Castle Combe), daughter, stepson, dog, cat and guitars, and additionally has an adult daughter and stepson.
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