Reg Parnell

Reg Parnell, a British driver born in 1911, competed in the World Championship from its inaugural season, making seven starts between 1950 and 1954. He was nearly 39 when the championship began, and his debut year was his most productive: driving for Alfa Romeo, he scored four points and a podium finish, taking eleventh in the standings.

In 1951 he switched to Ferrari machinery and improved to tenth in the championship with five points, the best final position of his career. Appearances with Cooper in 1952 and Ferrari again in 1954 followed, though without further points; BRM and Maserati equipment also feature in his career record.

Parnell's totals of nine points and one podium from seven starts were earned when points ran only a few places deep, and his top-eleven championship classifications in the first two seasons mark him as one of the more effective British drivers of the championship's earliest years.