Siegfried Stohr

Siegfried Stohr (10 October 1952 - Present): Italian-German racing driver who competed in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix for Arrows Racing in 1981, best remembered for a devastating starting-line accident at the Belgian Grand Prix that seriously injured a mechanic and psychologically destroyed Stohr's confidence. Born in Rimini, Italy, to an Italian mother and German father, Stohr began racing unusually late, starting in karts at age 19 after completing his university studies and graduating with a degree in psychology. He progressed rapidly through Italian racing, winning the 1978 Italian Formula 3 championship with Trivellato Racing's Chevron B43. In 1980, driving a Toleman for Alan Docking Racing, Stohr finished fourth in the European Formula 2 Championship with one victory at Enna, earning his Formula One opportunity.

For 1981, Arrows hired Stohr to partner established star Riccardo Patrese, driving the Arrows A3-Cosworth for Ragno Arrows Beta Racing Team. From the outset, Stohr struggled dramatically. Patrese proved considerably faster, and Stohr's confidence evaporated as the performance gap widened. At Long Beach, qualifying a full four seconds slower than Patrese, Stohr failed to qualify—a humiliating result that highlighted his difficulties adapting to Formula One's demands.

The defining and catastrophic moment came at the 1981 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. On the starting grid, Patrese's car stalled. Mechanic Dave Luckett ran onto the grid attempting to restart Patrese's engine. As the race started, Stohr failed to see the stationary Patrese ahead and crashed violently into the back of his teammate's car. Luckett was caught in the collision and suffered serious injuries.

Patrese, furious and terrified for his mechanic, threw his helmet to the ground in rage and despair. Stohr, realizing what had happened, broke down in tears. The accident was not entirely Stohr's fault—starting from the back of the grid, his view was obscured by other cars—but the incident destroyed whatever confidence remained. Luckett survived his injuries, but the psychological impact on Stohr was devastating.

His performance throughout the remaining races deteriorated further as his self-belief collapsed. The Arrows team also struggled relative to rivals as the season progressed, compounding Stohr's difficulties. After 13 Grand Prix starts without scoring a championship point, Stohr's Formula One career ended. He never raced in F1 again. At age 29, recognizing that his racing career had reached its conclusion, Stohr retired from professional competition and used his psychology degree to establish a highly successful racing driver training school at the Autodromo Santamonica at Misano-Adriatico near his hometown Rimini.

The school has operated successfully for decades, allowing Stohr to remain involved in motorsport while helping develop new racing talent. His second career proved far more successful than his brief, traumatic Formula One stint. Known for: The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix starting-line crash that seriously injured mechanic Dave Luckett, breaking down in tears after realizing the accident's consequences, struggling dramatically alongside teammate Riccardo Patrese, never scoring a Formula One championship point in 13 starts, and establishing a successful racing driver training school at Misano after retirement.