George Follmer

George Follmer, an American driver born in 1934, had one of the more unusual Formula 1 careers of the 1970s: a single season, entered at an age when most Grand Prix drivers have long since retired. He was thirty-nine when he made his championship debut in 1973.

All twelve of his starts came that year with the Shadow team, an American-backed newcomer to the championship. Follmer took to the challenge quickly, scoring five points over the course of the season.

His tally included a podium finish, a considerable achievement for a debutant team and a rookie driver of his age, and it helped him to thirteenth place in the 1973 drivers' championship.

Follmer did not return for a second season, leaving a Formula 1 record of twelve starts, one podium and five points — a one-year career, but a genuinely productive one.