Tom Belsø

Tom Belsø (27 August 1942 - 12 January 2020): Danish racing driver credited as Denmark's first Formula One driver, who competed in four Formula One World Championship race entries for Williams in 1974, qualifying for two and finishing one race in eighth place. Born in Denmark, Belsø started his racing career in touring cars, where he achieved immediate success, winning his debut race. He went on to become Scandinavian Touring Car Champion in 1969, establishing himself as Denmark's leading racing driver in saloon car competition. This championship victory marked him as a driver with genuine talent and opened opportunities to compete in single-seaters.

For the 1974 Formula One season, Belsø secured a drive with Frank Williams Racing, a small British team operating on limited resources. He attempted to qualify for four Grands Prix: South Africa, Sweden, Spain, and Belgium. His qualification success rate proved mixed—he successfully qualified for the South African and Swedish Grands Prix but failed to make the grid in Spain and Belgium, reflecting the Williams team's limited competitiveness during this period. At the South African Grand Prix, Belsø's race ended almost immediately when the clutch on his Williams FW failed on the first lap, preventing him from demonstrating his abilities.

However, at the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, Belsø completed his only full Formula One race, finishing in eighth place. While outside the points, completing a Grand Prix represented a creditable achievement and demonstrated that with reliability, Belsø possessed sufficient ability to bring cars home to the finish. After his four Formula One attempts in 1974, Belsø did not return to World Championship racing. His brief F1 career ended with four entries, two qualifications, one finish in eighth place, and zero championship points—a modest record that reflected both his own limitations and the uncompetitive Williams equipment of that era.

After retiring from top-level racing in the late 1970s, Belsø demonstrated entrepreneurial skills by founding a cereal company in 1977. He successfully established the Danish market for cereals and baked products, building a profitable business. He eventually sold the company in 2005, having achieved considerable financial success in his post-racing business career. Belsø died on 12 January 2020 at age 77.

As Denmark's first Formula One driver, he holds a unique place in Danish motorsport history, inspiring future generations of Danish racers. Known for: Being Denmark's first Formula One driver, winning the 1969 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, finishing eighth in the 1974 Swedish Grand Prix in his only completed F1 race, founding a successful cereal company in 1977 and establishing the Danish market for cereals and baked products.