Chris Amon

Chris Amon is widely regarded as the greatest Formula 1 driver never to win a World Championship Grand Prix, a New Zealander whose immense talent was repeatedly undone by misfortune across a 13-year career.

Chris Amon won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 alongside Bruce McLaren and dominated the 1969 Tasman Series, yet across 96 World Championship Grand Prix starts he never once won a race — a record widely cited as the finest Formula 1 career without a victory. Spotted by British team owner Reg Parnell at Lakeside, Australia, in 1963, the 19-year-old was invited to join Parnell's independent Formula 1 team, making his World Championship debut that year. Amon joined Ferrari in 1967, and despite three seasons with the sport's most famous team, and leading numerous races, he never converted his pace into a Grand Prix win, developing a reputation for extraordinary misfortune; fellow driver Mario Andretti famously joked that 'if he became an undertaker, people would stop dying.' Away from Formula 1, Amon excelled in sports car racing, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 alongside Bruce McLaren for Ford, and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967 for Ferrari, and dominated the 1969 Tasman Series with four wins. Amon continued racing for March, Matra, Tecno, Tyrrell, BRM, and Ensign through the 1970s, briefly running his own constructor team in 1974, and started 96 Grands Prix across 13 seasons without ever winning one, finishing with 83 championship points and 11 podiums — a record widely cited as the finest F1 career without a victory. He retired in 1976 and returned to New Zealand, working as a farmer and a well-known television motoring personality and Toyota consultant. Amon died of cancer on August 3, 2016, at age 73, and remains a cherished figure in New Zealand motorsport history.

Exceptionally quick, versatile driver renowned for smooth car control and technical feedback, undone repeatedly by mechanical misfortune

A beloved figure in motorsport history, whose immense natural talent and extraordinary misfortune have made him a symbol of Formula 1's cruellest near-misses

• 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner (1966, with Bruce McLaren)
• 24 Hours of Daytona winner (1967, Ferrari)
• Tasman Series champion (1969)
• 11x Formula 1 podium finisher without a win
• Record for most different constructors raced for in F1 history