Frank Gardner is a racing driver from Australia who last raced in Formula 1 for Brabham-BRM. Gardner has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 8 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 5,603 ranks Gardner 522th 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.
| 1965-09-12 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | DNF | −14 |
| 1965-08-01 | Nürburgring | DNF | −111 |
| 1965-07-18 | Zandvoort | P11 | +9 |
| 1965-07-10 | Silverstone | P8 | +91 |
| 1965-06-13 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | DNF | −110 |
| Rating won | Race | Series | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| +91 | Silverstone 1965 | Formula 1 | P8 |
| +30 | Prince George Circuit 1965 | Formula 1 | P12 |
| +8 | Zandvoort 1965 | Formula 1 | P11 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham-BRM | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | P13 | −184 | 5,603 |
| 1964 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham-Ford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P14 | +4,437 | 5,787 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇹 Lorenzo Bandini | 6,318 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% |
| 🇳🇿 Bruce McLaren | 6,143 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% |
| 🇨🇭 Jo Siffert | 6,136 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% |
| 🇬🇧 Graham Hill | 6,130 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 John Surtees | 5,958 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% |
| 🇸🇪 Jo Bonnier | 5,614 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% |
| 🇬🇧 Jackie Stewart | 6,669 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Jim Clark | 6,518 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Mike Spence | 6,047 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Richard Attwood | 6,008 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% |
| 🇺🇸 Richie GintherHigher-rated | 6,413 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| 🇳🇿 Denny HulmeHigher-rated, 1× champion | 6,318 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% |
| 🇦🇹 Jochen RindtHigher-rated, 1× champion | 6,167 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% |
| # | Driver | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 512 | 🇵🇱 Roman Bilinski | Formula 2 | 5,611 |
| 513 | 🇺🇸 Graham Rahal | IndyCar | 5,610 |
| 514 | 🇪🇸 Oriol Servia | IndyCar | 5,610 |
| 515 | 🇧🇷 Vitor Meira | Stock Car Pro Series | 5,610 |
| 516 | 🇨🇦 John Jones | International Formula 3000 | 5,609 |
| 517 | 🏳️ Rikky von Opel | Formula 1 | 5,609 |
| 518 | 🇯🇵 Frédéric Makowiecki | WEC | 5,608 |
| 519 | 🇬🇧 Jackie Oliver | Formula 1 | 5,607 |
| 520 | 🇲🇽 Moisés Solana | Formula 1 | 5,607 |
| 521 | 🇺🇸 Burt Myers | NASCAR Cup Series | 5,603 |
| 522 | 🇦🇺 Frank Gardner | Formula 1 | 5,603 |
| 523 | 🇨🇭 Louis Deletraz | IMSA WeatherTech | 5,603 |
| 524 | 🇮🇹 Valentino Rossi | GT World Challenge Europe | 5,602 |
| 525 | 🇨🇴 Carlos Munoz | IndyCar | 5,601 |
| 526 | 🇲🇨 Louis Chiron | Formula 1 | 5,598 |
| 527 | 🇺🇸 Al Unser Jr. | IndyCar | 5,596 |
| 528 | 🇧🇷 Nelson Piquet Jr. | Stock Car Pro Series | 5,596 |
| 529 | 🇸🇪 Joel Eriksson | Formula E | 5,594 |
| 530 | 🇺🇸 Zane Smith | NASCAR Cup Series | 5,592 |
| 531 | 🇨🇦 Michael Valiante | IMSA WeatherTech | 5,589 |
| 532 | 🇦🇹 Thomas Preining | IMSA WeatherTech | 5,589 |
Frank Gardner was an elite professional racing driver with a rating of 6,753, a level that describes drivers who win races at the very top and beat strong competition. His Formula 1 career spanned two seasons, 1964 and 1965, comprising eight starts for Brabham-BRM without points finishes. During this period he raced against some of the strongest drivers of the era. He finished ahead of Jo Siffert twice in three shared races, and beat former and future Formula 1 champions including Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, and Lorenzo Bandini in individual results. His typical finishing position across his classified starts was 10th, placing him mid-field in fields that included multiple world champions.[1]
Against the very highest calibre of competitor, Gardner's record was notably unfavourable. He finished behind Jackie Stewart in all three meetings, behind Graham Hill in all three, behind Jim Clark in all three, behind Mike Spence in all three, and behind John Surtees in all three. These were not isolated results but consistent patterns across a small sample, indicating that he was outmatched by drivers of elite championship standard. The Brabham-BRM team itself fielded no race winners during Gardner's tenure and proved an uncompetitive platform against the leading machinery of the period.[2]
Gardner's standing as an elite professional rests not on his Formula 1 record, which was unsuccessful, but on his broader racing achievements. The biographical record indicates a successful career in touring car and sports car racing, winning the British Saloon Car Championship three times and claiming the European Formula 5000 championship, achievements that placed him among the strongest racing drivers outside the Formula 1 championship itself. He retired from active competition some decades ago.