Peter Revson

Peter Revson, an American driver born in 1939, made thirty Formula 1 starts in a career that came in two distinct halves. He first appeared in 1964, at 25, in Lotus-BRM machinery, then vanished from the World Championship for seven seasons before returning with Tyrrell in 1971.

It was with McLaren that his career took flight. In 1972 he scored 23 points and finished fifth in the drivers' championship; in 1973 he went better still, taking both of his career victories, 38 points and fifth place again. Those back-to-back top-five championship finishes made him one of the leading American road racers of his generation at Formula 1 level.

His career totals — two wins, eight podiums, a pole position and 61 points — were accumulated almost entirely in those two McLaren seasons. For 1974 he moved to Shadow, a campaign that brought no points before his record closed.

From an unheralded one-season debut in the mid-1960s to consecutive fifth places in the world championship a decade later, Revson's thirty starts trace one of the more striking second acts among drivers of the era.