He is regarded as one of the best drivers in F1 racing. He was born on 8th of August 1953 in England, near to Birmingham. At the age of nine, he witnessed Jim Clark’s victory in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix and was inspired to follow in the legendary Scottish driver’s footsteps. He started his racing career at the age of ten in a hand-built go-kart. As an adult, he made a long road to Formula One success: he quit his engineering job and sold his valuables to earn enough money to enter the 1977 Formula Ford championship, which he won, in extraordinary way: he broke his neck in the first race and was left almost paralysed. Doctors banned him from driving, but he escaped from hospital and continued the season. A few years later, after his first race win, he was again involved in an accident and was hospitalised with a fractured vertebrae. Despite his injuries, he accepted an invitation from the Lotus team to test drive. Because he performed well, he was signed on. In 1980, he took part in three races with Lotus team, but was unlucky in each case. The following year, the tables were turned: the team’s number one driver, Mario Andretti, left the team and Mansell got his car. In his first full season he competed in 14 races and finished 14th overall. In 1982, the Lotus boss signed him for two years and he became the team’s number two driver. He finished on the podium three times. In 1985, he joined the Williams team, and in a free practice session that year, he crashed into a barrier at 322 kilometres per hour, breaking the record for the highest speed crash. Fortunately for him, apart from a concussion, he was unhurt. The incident did not put him off racing and he won two Grand Prix at the end of the season. The change of teams brought him the victories he had been waiting for. In 1987 he won six times, but he suffered a serious accident in the penultimate race. The following year, the Williams team had no competitive engine and Mansell finished only 9th in the points. Then the Ferrari offered him a contract, what he accepted, making him the last man to be signed by the legendary Enzo Ferrari. He won three races in 1989, but his relationship with his team-mate deteriorated and he decided to retire at the end of the season, but Frank Williams persuaded him to stay and he won four races in a row in 1991, and finishas the second overall. In 1992 he finally made it: the long-awaited world title. Five consecutive victories, followed by a second place at the Hungaroring, gave him the chance to realise his dream. It was the peak of his career, and in the years that followed he still won races, but he was unable to repeat his illustrious successes of the past. In 1993, he also made victories in the American IndyCar series, with Mario Andretti as his teammate.
Mansell was best known for his spectacular overtaking. He suffered a total of 32 accidents during his racing career. In F1, he raced for 15 seasons, starting 187 times, scoring 31 victories, 59 podium finishes and 30 fastest laps. He retired from racing at the age of 41. He is the second most successful British driver in terms of victories after Lewis Hamilton.
In 2001, he took part in the first and only two-seater Formula 1 race. In 2005 he was inducted into the International Motorsport Hall of Fame. Also interesting that the Hungaroring’s Turn 4 is known as Mansell’s Turn. He wore a distinctive, large moustache, which made him easily recognisable on F1 circuits around the world.