Callum McAllister

Callum McAllister is a Spanish racing driver who drove for Williams in Formula One during the late 70s and early 80s. He holds the record for the only driver to have ever won at two consecutive Grands Prix held in the same country (The 1979 and 1980 Australian Grands Prix), around the same track, whilst driving the same car powered by the same engine.

Early life and career

For Phoenix to fill in

Formula One

Williams - 1979-1980

McAllister burst onto the F1 scene in early 1979 amidst radical change in Formula One. He had been scouted by Frank Williams, after impressing in junior formulae, and he would partner South African Jody Scheckter, who had 2 wins under his belt already.

This all-new line up for Williams was convincing, a young rookie partnered by a reletively experienced hand with a couple of wins, and thinks were to look even better for McAllister when the circus arrived in Argentina for the first race of the season. The event was very much a heralding in of the new, and so it was quite fitting for McAllister,a rookie, to take pole around the complex circuit. The Williams FW07 had marked a big change in direction from the fundamentally slow FW06 of 1978, and it appeared to have worked, with the car no match for the turbo Renaults, or the normally aspirated Ligiers and Ferraris. Engine failure after a few hundred yards put McAllister out of the race, with the Ulsterman Edward Kevin taking the flag, but he was confident he was in the right car.

Brazil and Interlagos saw McAllister take his second pole position, but he was unable to keep ahead of Scheckter or Arnoux's Ferrari, eventually finishing 3rd for his first podium and points. A poor race around the streets of Long Beach was followed by an unlucky engine failure in Spain after taking pole and leadin.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, the first race to be held around the hallowed tarmac for several years, was a great race race for McAllister. Starting reletively low down the grid, McAllister kept the car on the road when both Ferraris, Scheckter, both Renaults, and Laffite dropped out to take the first win of his career and the lead of the championship.