Teddy Pilette

Theodore "Teddy" Pilette (26 July 1942 - Present): Belgian racing driver who competed in four Formula One World Championship Grand Prix entries between 1974 and 1977, primarily remembered for his 1974 Belgian Grand Prix appearance with Brabham and his unsuccessful attempts to qualify the dying BRM team's cars in 1977. Born in Brussels, Belgium, into a racing family—his uncle André Pilette was also a racing driver—Teddy achieved considerable success in junior formulae and sports car racing before reaching Formula One. His greatest success came in Formula 5000, where he won the European Formula 5000 Championship twice: in 1973 driving a Chevron B24 and again in 1975 with a Lola T400, establishing himself as one of the category's leading drivers.

For the 1974 Belgian Grand Prix at Nivelles-Baulers, Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team gave Pilette a one-off opportunity to drive the Brabham BT42. Pilette qualified 27th out of 31 drivers on the grid and finished the race in 17th position, several laps behind the leaders but completing his home Grand Prix. This represented his only Formula One race start. In 1977, wealthy Italian businessman Vittorio Capparelli arranged for Pilette to drive with the BRM team, which was in its final, desperate season.

Pilette attempted to qualify the bulky BRM P207 for the German, Dutch, and Italian Grands Prix. However, the V12 engines were unreliable, frequently dropping valves, and the car proved hopelessly off the pace. Despite Pilette's best efforts on four occasions, he failed to qualify the BRM for any of these races. His final Formula One qualifying attempt came at the 1977 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, marking the end of both his Formula One career and BRM's participation in the sport.

After his Formula One attempts ended, Pilette continued his successful Formula 5000 career and also competed in the Aurora AFX Formula One Championship in 1978 alongside his BRM campaign. His two European F5000 championships remain his most significant racing achievements. Known for: Winning the European Formula 5000 Championship in 1973 and 1975, finishing 17th in his only Formula One race start at the 1974 Belgian Grand Prix for Brabham, failing to qualify the BRM P207 for three races in 1977 during the team's final season, and being part of a Belgian racing family.