Henry Surtees

Henry Surtees
Born	Henry John Surtees (1991-02-18) February 18, 1991
Died	July 19, 2009(2009-07-19) (aged 18) Brands Hatch, England
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	2006–2009
Known for	British motorsport competitor, son of John Surtees

Henry John Surtees (18 February 1991 – 19 July 2009) was a British motorsport competitor and the son of former Formula One World Champion John Surtees. He tragically lost his life during a Formula Two event at Brands Hatch when he was hit by a wheel that had come off another vehicle.

Formula BMW UK

In his inaugural season in Formula BMW UK, Surtees secured 7th place overall and was runner-up in the Rookie Cup, competing with Carlin Motorsport. Despite facing penalties and a disqualification at Oulton Park, he managed to achieve one pole position at Thruxton Circuit, claim victory in a race at Donington Park, and set two fastest laps at both Rockingham and Snetterton. The latter part of the championship was largely dominated by fellow rookie Marcus Ericsson.

Formula Renault

Surtees participated in two races during 2007 before committing full-time to the 2008 Formula Renault UK season with Manor Competition. He ended the year 12th in the standings, with a notable podium finish on Silverstone's National Circuit. During the Winter Series, he placed 13th in 2007 and challenged for the title in 2008, ultimately finishing behind champion James Calado.

Formula Three

During the 2008 British Formula Three season, Surtees competed in the National Class at Donington Park for Carlin Motorsport. Across two races, he achieved a victory and a runner-up finish.

Formula Two

Surtees joined the revived FIA Formula Two Championship in January 2009, racing under car number seven. His highlights included a third-place podium at Brands Hatch and securing pole position at Brno. He concluded the season ranked fourteenth overall.

Death

On 19 July 2009 at Brands Hatch, Surtees suffered a fatal injury when a wheel detached from Jack Clarke’s car after Clarke spun into a barrier. The 29 kg wheel struck Surtees’s helmet while his vehicle was traveling at approximately 161 kph, imparting an estimated kinetic energy of around 30,000 joules. Surtees lost consciousness immediately; his car then collided with the barriers before coming to a stop.

He was promptly extracted and taken to the circuit medical center before being transferred to Royal London Hospital, where he was declared brain dead at just 18 years old. The fatal injury was caused by severe head trauma due to the wheel impact rather than the crash itself. Surtees’s parents generously donated his organs, saving five lives. His funeral took place on 30 July at Worth Abbey in West Sussex. He was laid to rest in Lingfield, Surrey; his father John Surtees was buried alongside him in 2017.

Legacy

In June 2010, friends from Surtees’s school undertook relay swims across the English Channel to raise funds for charity in his memory. Additionally, a café at his former school was named The Pit Stop as a tribute.

Additional wheel tethers

The circumstances surrounding Surtees’s death, along with an increasing number of incidents involving wheels detaching during races, led to the introduction of a regulation for the 2011 Formula One World Championship requiring two wheel tethers per wheel—doubling previous safety standards.

Halo cockpit protection

The FIA mandated the use of a titanium-carbon fibre halo cockpit protection system starting from the 2018 Formula One and Formula 2 seasons. Crash simulations based on Surtees’s accident indicated that this device might have improved his chances of survival. Although initially met with some resistance, the halo’s effectiveness became evident during the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, where it deflected a wheel from Fernando Alonso’s airborne car, likely preventing serious harm to Charles Leclerc. Since then, it has been widely recognized for significantly enhancing driver safety and saving lives.

Henry Surtees Award

Introduced in 2010, the Henry Surtees Award honors the most exceptional achievement by an emerging racing driver each year. The first winner was Formula Renault UK champion Tom Blomqvist, with the following year's recipient being British and European Formula Ford champion Scott Malvern in 2011.

Henry Surtees Foundation

Founded in 2010 by his father John, the Henry Surtees Foundation is a nonprofit entity focused on supporting individuals affected by accidental brain injuries and advancing safety measures in both driving and motorsport disciplines.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2006	Ginetta Junior Championship	N/A	12	3	0	3	6	236	3rd
2007	Formula BMW ADAC	ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg	2	0	0	0	0	24	29th
	Formula BMW UK	Carlin Motorsport	18	1	1	2	8	491	6th
	Formula Renault 2.0 UK		2	0	0	0	0	13	22nd
	Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series		4	0	0	0	0	35	13th
2008	British F3 National Class	Carlin Motorsport	2	1	0	0	2	35	11th
	Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup	Manor Competition	2	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	Formula Renault 2.0 UK		align=center 20	align=center 0	align=center 0	(aligned center) 0	(aligned center) 1	(aligned center) 203	(aligned center) 12th
	(aligned center) British Formula Renault Championship (Formula Renault Winter Series)		(aligned center)4	(aligned center)1	(aligned center)1	(aligned center)0	(aligned center)3	(aligned center)113	(aligned center)style=background:#DFDFDF; 2nd
align=center 2009	2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season	MotorSport Vision	align=center 8*	align=center 0	align=center 1	align=center 0	align=center 1	align=center 8	align=center 14th
Source:

† As Surtees participated as a guest driver, he was not eligible to earn points.

• Surtees lost his life during the eighth round out of sixteen in the series.

Complete FIA Formula Two Championship results

(legend) (bold text denotes pole position) (italic text signifies fastest lap)

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Position	Total Points
2009	VAL 1 7	VAL 2 12	BRN 1 Ret	BRN 2 Ret	SPA 1 15	SPA 2 Ret	BRH 1 3	BRH 2 Ret	DON 1	DON 2	OSC 1	OSC 2	IMO 1	IMO 2	CAT 1	CAT 2	14th	8