Prince Bira is a racing driver from Thailand who last raced in Formula 1 for Maserati. Bira has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 19 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,898 ranks Bira 383th 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.
| 1954-10-24 | Circuit de Pedralbes | P9 | +38 |
| 1954-08-01 | Nürburgring | DNF | +8 |
| 1954-07-17 | Silverstone Circuit | DNF | −21 |
| 1954-07-04 | Reims-Gueux | P4 | +112 |
| 1954-06-20 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | P6 | +33 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | ▸Formula 1 | Maserati | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | P17 | +223 | 4,997 |
| 1953 | ▸Formula 1 | Maserati | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P20 | +18 | 4,774 |
| 1952 | ▸Formula 1 | Gordini | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P23 | +71 | 4,755 |
| 1951 | ▸Formula 1 | Maserati | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P20 | −131 | 4,684 |
| 1950 | ▸Formula 1 | Maserati | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | P8 | +15 | 4,815 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇷 Juan Fangio | 6,092 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% |
| 🇮🇹 Nino Farina | 5,565 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 Mike Hawthorn | 5,537 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% |
| 🇮🇹 Alberto Ascari | 5,339 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| 🇺🇸 Harry Schell | 4,981 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇫🇷 Louis Rosier | 4,858 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇧🇪 Johnny Claes | 4,371 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
| 🇦🇷 José Froilán González | 5,180 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇨🇭 Toulo de Graffenried | 4,915 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇫🇷 Maurice Trintignant | 4,839 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
Prince Bira of Siam was a member of the Thai royal family who competed in Formula 1 between 1950 and 1954, a period spanning the championship's earliest seasons. Across 19 starts, all for Maserati, he scored no wins or podium finishes. His average grid position of P7.4 reflects participation in fields dominated by the era's strongest drivers; he was outfinished consistently by five-time champion Juan Fangio across seven shared races, by one-time champions Nino Farina and Mike Hawthorn in six races each, and by two-time champion Alberto Ascari in four races. The Maserati team he raced for had assembled a substantial driver roster and achieved nine wins across the index, but those victories came from stronger pilots within its lineup.[1]
Bira's competitive record against peer-level drivers shows occasional bright moments. He finished ahead of Stirling Moss once, Luigi Villoresi once, and Harry Schell twice; against Schell and Louis Rosier he produced an even head-to-head record of two wins and two defeats each. These results suggest competence within a field of professional drivers, yet his inability to score points against the championship contenders of his time places him in the middle tier of the Formula 1 grid across his five seasons. His racing career was one element of a broader athletic life that included Olympic sailing and piloting; he remained active in motorsport and other pursuits well beyond his Formula 1 years.[2]