Bob Drake is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Maserati. Drake has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 1 start.[1]
A Racer Rating of 3,180 ranks Drake 7324th of 40,105 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1960-11-20 | Riverside International Speedway | P13 | — |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | ▸Formula 1 | Maserati | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P14 | +1,830 | 3,180 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 Jim ClarkHigher-rated, 2× champion | 6,518 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇬🇧 Graham HillHigher-rated, 3× champion | 6,130 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇬🇧 Tony BrooksHigher-rated | 6,045 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| # | Driver | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,314 | 🇫🇷 François Mazet | Formula 1 | 3,181 |
| 7,315 | 🇳🇱 Jan Flinterman | Formula 1 | 3,181 |
| 7,316 | 🇺🇸 John Dean | SCCA Majors | 3,181 |
| 7,317 | 🇧🇪 Nico Verdonck | 24H Series | 3,181 |
| 7,318 | 🇬🇧 Peter Ashdown | Formula 1 | 3,181 |
| 7,319 | 🇦🇷 Roberto Bonomi | Formula 1 | 3,181 |
| 7,320 | 🇧🇬 Simeon Ivanov | Formula Renault Eurocup | 3,181 |
| 7,321 | 🇦🇺 Warwick Brown | Formula 1 | 3,181 |
| 7,322 | 🇩🇪 Adolf Brudes | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,323 | 🇬🇧 Bill Whitehouse | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,324 | 🇺🇸 Bob Drake | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,325 | 🇿🇦 Brausch Niemann | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,326 | 🇬🇧 Brian Hart | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,327 | 🏳️ Felipe Gama | Stock Car Pro Series | 3,180 |
| 7,328 | 🇬🇧 Jonathon Beeson | British GT Championship | 3,180 |
| 7,329 | 🇺🇸 Steve Hickham | NASA | 3,180 |
| 7,330 | 🇧🇪 Teddy Pilette | Formula 1 | 3,180 |
| 7,331 | 🏳️ Barry Boes | Trans-Am TA2 | 3,179 |
| 7,332 | 🇵🇹 Cristiano Maciel | Ferrari Challenge | 3,179 |
| 7,333 | 🇺🇸 Jim Hurtubise | Formula 1 | 3,179 |
| 7,334 | 🇧🇷 Luiz Bueno | Formula 1 | 3,179 |
Bob Drake was a semi-professional driver whose competitive record places him in the company of quick club and regional racers, with a rating of 3,410. His single documented season came in 1960, when he started one Formula 1 race for Maserati at the United States Grand Prix. He finished 28th in that event and did not score championship points. That single outing represented the totality of his top-level racing career.[1]
Drake's 1960 appearance marked the final Formula 1 World Championship race for the Maserati 250F, a front-engined machine already considered obsolete under the season's new engine rules. In that one start, he finished ahead of several elite-level drivers including Jim Clark, Maurice Trintignant, and Henry Taylor; however, these instances represent single races against a much stronger competitive field rather than a sustained pattern of results. The circumstances of his entry into Formula 1, whether through connections to Maserati's operations or as a late-season substitute, cannot be determined from the record alone.[2]
Drake has been retired from active racing for decades. His place in motorsport history rests on that single qualifying lap and race at a moment when the sport was transitioning between technical eras, and on the distinction of being the last driver to race one of Grand Prix racing's most significant machines in World Championship competition.