Hap Sharp is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Brabham-BRM. Sharp has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 6 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,812 ranks Sharp 476th 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.
| 1964-10-25 | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | P13 | −32 |
| 1964-10-04 | Watkins Glen | DNF | +19 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham-BRM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P23 | −13 | 4,824 |
| 1963 | ▸Formula 1 | Lotus-BRM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P18 | +24 | 4,837 |
| 1962 | ▸Formula 1 | Cooper-Climax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P20 | +4 | 4,813 |
| 1961 | ▸Formula 1 | Cooper-Climax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P18 | +9 | 4,809 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 Jim Clark | 5,692 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Graham Hill | 5,097 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| 🇺🇸 Dan Gurney | 4,902 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| 🇳🇿 Bruce McLaren | 5,136 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Innes Ireland | 4,610 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇸🇪 Jo Bonnier | 4,402 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
Hap Sharp was an American racing driver who competed in Formula 1 between 1961 and 1964, making six Grand Prix starts for Brabham-BRM without recording a victory or podium finish. His single-seater career was brief and uncompetitive at the highest level. In his shared races against the era's leading drivers, Sharp consistently finished behind them; he failed to out-qualify or out-race Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney, or Bruce McLaren in any of their multiple encounters, and he matched or bettered only minor figures in the field. His average finishing position of P10.3 across classified starts reflects a driver operating well outside the front-running envelope. A solitary win over Jo Siffert, Jim Hall, and a handful of other respected competitors each occurred once and did not establish a pattern of competitive advantage.[1]
Sharp's reputation and lasting legacy in motorsport stem not from his Formula 1 tenure but from his parallel career in sports car racing, where he was co-owner and driver of the Chaparral marque alongside engineer Jim Hall. The Chaparral 2 and its descendants became pioneering machines in aerodynamic design and innovation, particularly remembered for their influence on racing car development in the mid-1960s. Sharp's contribution to sports car competition and automotive engineering history far exceeded his brief and unsuccessful attempt at the Grand Prix grid.[2]