Don Freeland is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Kurtis Kraft. Freeland has recorded 0 wins and 1 podium from 8 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,844 ranks Freeland 435th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1960-05-30 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | P22 | −51 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P28 | −52 | 4,888 |
| 1959 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P20 | −54 | 4,939 |
| 1958 | ▸Formula 1 | Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P22 | +90 | 4,993 |
| 1957 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P23 | −4 | 4,903 |
| 1956 | ▸Formula 1 | Phillips | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | P11 | +132 | 4,908 |
| 1955 | ▸Formula 1 | Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P26 | +22 | 4,776 |
| 1954 | ▸Formula 1 | Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P27 | +90 | 4,754 |
| 1953 | ▸Formula 1 | Watson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P20 | −136 | 4,664 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Jimmy Bryan | 4,903 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% |
| 🇺🇸 Tony Bettenhausen | 4,934 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnnie Parsons | 4,887 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
| 🇺🇸 Gene Hartley | 4,824 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Jim Rathmann | 5,075 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇺🇸 Sam Hanks | 4,988 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇺🇸 Eddie Johnson | 4,920 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 67% |
| 🇺🇸 Bob Veith | 4,900 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇺🇸 Bob Christie | 4,843 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇺🇸 Jimmy Reece | 4,843 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 67% |
Don Freeland competed in Formula 1 between 1953 and 1960, accumulating eight starts for Kurtis Kraft with a single podium finish and no victories. His Racer Rating of 4,844 places him among the upper tier of professional single-seater drivers of that era, though his brief tenure at the sport's highest level yielded limited success. His average finishing position across classified races was eleventh, reflecting a career marked by occasional strong performances rather than consistent competitiveness at the front of the grid.[1]
Freeland's record against his most frequent rivals tells a mixed story of a mid-field competitor. He held a winning head-to-head record against Johnnie Parsons, finishing ahead in three of four shared races, and split results evenly with both Tony Bettenhausen and Gene Hartley across four encounters each. However, he struggled consistently against Jim Rathmann, a notably stronger driver who outfinished him in all three of their shared races. Freeland did secure isolated victories over accomplished drivers including Sam Hanks and Paul Russo, though these represented occasional highlights rather than sustained competitiveness at their level. His time with the Phillips team, which fielded him for four of his eight starts, produced no race wins across the team's entire history on record.
Freeland's Formula 1 career ended in 1960 with a thirty-fourth-place finish in his final appearance. The limited data from his seven-year racing span suggests a journeyman professional who operated at a respectable level within the American single-seater scene but lacked the consistency or pace to establish a lasting impact on the sport.