Damien Magee

Damien Magee (born November 17, 1945): A British racing driver from Northern Ireland who holds the distinction of being one of the many one-time Williams drivers during the team's early years. Magee participated in two Formula One World Championship Grand Prix entries, with only one actual race start. His Formula One debut came on June 8, 1975, at the Swedish Grand Prix, where he was called up at short notice to replace Arturo Merzario at Williams. The regular Williams drivers, Merzario and Jacques Laffite, were both absent from the Swedish race as they were competing for Alfa Romeo at the 1000km of Nurburgring, forcing team principal Frank Williams to hire substitute drivers.

According to motorsport sources, Magee's Williams Formula One opportunity was funded by Bernie Ecclestone, adding an interesting footnote to his brief F1 career. Driving the Williams FW03, Magee qualified twenty-second on the grid and went on to finish fourteenth in the race, two laps behind winner Niki Lauda. While a relatively modest result, completing the race demonstrated Magee's capability to handle a Formula One car despite the last-minute nature of his call-up. He scored no championship points from this appearance.

Magee's second and final Formula One entry came in 1976 when he attempted to qualify a RAM-entered Brabham at the French Grand Prix. Unfortunately, he failed to make the grid for this race. With just one race start from two entries, Magee joined the ranks of drivers who briefly touched Formula One without establishing a permanent place in the championship. His Swedish Grand Prix appearance remains a footnote in Williams team history and represents one of the many drivers who helped fill seats during the team's formative years in the mid-1970s before their rise to championship-winning status.