Formula One drivers from Ireland

There have been five Formula One drivers from the Republic of Ireland.[1][2]

This article is about Formula One drivers from the Republic of Ireland. For drivers from Northern Ireland, see Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom.
Formula One drivers from Ireland
Drivers5
Grands Prix81
Entries93
Starts67
Highest season finish12th (1980)
Wins0
Podiums0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
Points16
First entry1950 British Grand Prix
Latest entry2003 Japanese Grand Prix
2020 driversNone

Former drivers
Firman driving for Jordan in the 2003 French Grand Prix

Joe Kelly was Ireland's first F1 driver, racing in the first two World Championship British Grands Prix.[3] His privately entered Alta failed to be classified in either race.[3][4]

Having taken the 1977 British F3 title, Derek Daly was promoted to Hesketh Racing for what would be their final three Grands Prix, failing to qualify for any race.[5][6] He was quickly snapped up by Ensign for the rest of the season and took points in the final race of 1978.[6][7] The next four seasons saw sporadic stints with Ensign, Tyrrell, March, Theodore and Williams, with a best finish of 4th in the Argentine and British Grands Prix of the 1980 season.[6]

As runner-up of the 1979 British Formula One season, David Kennedy's prize was promotion to a World Championship Shadow seat for 1980.[8] However, the team was chronically underfunded and had a poorly engineered chassis and despite Theodore's intervention mid-season Kennedy only qualified for 1 of the 8 Grands Prix he was entered in – the Spanish Grand Prix, an event subsequently stripped of its World Championship status due to the FISA–FOCA war.[9][10]

Following Jan Lammers' quitting of the Theodore team in 1982, Tommy Byrne made his debut at the Austrian Grand Prix.[11] He entered the final five races of the season, qualifying twice but failing to finish either of the races he qualified for.[11]

Eddie Jordan, keen to promote an Irish driver, settled on 2002 Formula Nippon season champion Ralph Firman for his eponymous team's 2003 championship assault.[12] He raced in all but two Grands Prix that year, having injured himself in a practice crash in Hungary.[13][14][15] He scored a single point in Spain however his efforts were not enough to keep him a place on the grid for 2004.[16][17]

Timeline
Former drivers
Joe Kelly 1950–1951
Derek Daly 1978–1982
David Kennedy 1980
Tommy Byrne 1982
Ralph Firman 2003
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References
  1. "Irlande - Grands Prix started". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  2. "Irlande - Drivers". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. "Joe KELLY - Grands Prix started". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  4. "Drivers: Joe Kelly". Grandprix.com GP Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  5. "Derek DALY". StatsF1.com (in French). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  6. "Derek DALY - Involvement". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  7. "Derek DALY - Points". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  8. "David KENNEDY". StatsF1.com (in French). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  9. "David KENNEDY - Grands Prix not started". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  10. "David KENNEDY - Involvement Non World Championship". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  11. "Tommy BYRNE - Involvement". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  12. "Ralph FIRMAN". StatsF1.com (in French). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  13. "Ralph FIRMAN - Involvement". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  14. "2003". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  15. "Crash rules out Firman". www.telegraph.co.uk. 23 August 2003. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  16. "Ralph FIRMAN - Points". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  17. Henry, Alan (28 November 2003). "Jordan take up Heidfeld option". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
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