Reg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam "Reg" Parnell (born 2 July 1911 in Derby, died 7 January 1964 in Derby) was an English racing driver who competed in Formula 1 from 1950 onwards, driving for Maserati and Ferrari. A successful car salesman before the War, Parnell resumed racing after it, quickly becoming Britain's most accomplished racing driver. Initially driving private entries, he drove for Scuderia Ambrosiana in 1949 before signing a contract with Maserati for the 1950 Formula One season, alongside Luigi Fagioli, Piero Taruffi and Felice Bonetto. However, after the Swiss Grand Prix, he moved to Scuderia Ferrari, where he would stay for over five years.
Indeed, driving for Ferrari would prove to be Parnell's greatest success. Scoring his first win at the 1951 German Grand Prix, he would go on to score a further two wins and eight podiums, also mounting title challenges in 1952 and 1953, in which he finished third both times. An accident in the 1954 Belgian Grand Prix with teammate Dorino Serafini saw him break his leg, following which his results faded, and after a disappointing half-season in 1955, Parnell and Ferrari parted ways. Reg Parnell died in 1964 from peritonitis.
Complete Alternate Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati 4CLT/48 | Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s | GBR 6 |
MON Ret |
500 | SUI 6 |
NC | 0 | ||||||
Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 375 | Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 | BEL Ret |
FRA Ret |
ITA Ret |
||||||||||
1951 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 375 | Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 | MON | 500 Ret |
BEL 5 |
FRA | GER 1 |
NED | ITA DNQ |
6th | 11 | |||
Ferrari America | GBR Ret |
||||||||||||||
1952 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 375B | Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 | MON | ENG 6 |
BEL Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR | GER 1 |
NED | ITA 2 |
USA 4 |
AUS 3 |
3rd | 22 |
1953 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | MON 1 |
NED Ret |
BEL Ret |
FRA 3 |
GBR 3 |
GER 17 |
SUI 3 |
ITA 5 |
USA Ret |
3rd | 24 | |
1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | MON 3 |
FRA Ret |
BEL Ret |
NED | GBR | SUI | GER | USA Ret |
ITA Ret |
15th | 4 | |
1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | MON | FRA | BEL | GBR | SCO Ret |
SOV 9† |
ITA | NC | 0 | |||
1956 | Cooper Car Company | Cooper T41 | Maserati 56A 2.5 V8 | MON | FRA | BEL | GER Ret |
GDR | NC* | 0* | |||||
Coventry Climax FPF IV 2.0 L4 |
IRL 7 |
SCO Ret |
GBR 10 |
ITA | THA |
† The drive was shared with Troy Ruttman and Hernando da Silva Ramos.