Rikky von Opel is a racing driver from Liechtensteiner who last raced in Formula 1 for Brabham. von Opel has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 11 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,417 ranks von Opel 761th 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.
| 1974-06-23 | Circuit Park Zandvoort | P9 | +80 |
| 1974-06-09 | Scandinavian Raceway | P9 | +86 |
| 1974-05-12 | Nivelles-Baulers | DNF | −83 |
| 1974-04-28 | Jarama | DNF | −99 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P21 | −15 | 4,417 |
| 1973 | ▸Formula 1 | Ensign | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | P22 | −368 | 4,432 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann | 5,765 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇦🇹 Niki Lauda | 5,364 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni | 5,253 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson | 5,168 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇬🇧 James Hunt | 4,930 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇧🇪 Jacky Ickx | 4,915 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
Rikky von Opel, the only Formula 1 driver to represent Liechtenstein, competed in the sport for two seasons between 1973 and 1974, securing eleven starts across that span. Driving for Brabham in 1973 and later Ensign, he raced in a field of substantial depth that included multiple champions and drivers of considerable international standing. His most frequent competitors were among the era's leading talents; he regularly shared grids with Niki Lauda (a three-time world champion), James Hunt (the 1976 champion), Ronnie Peterson, Clay Regazzoni, and Carlos Reutemann, all rated substantially higher than his own Racer Rating of 4,417. Against this calibre von Opel finished without wins or podium finishes across all outings.[1]
His head-to-head record against these rivals reflected his position in the field. He failed to finish ahead of Lauda, Hunt, Peterson, or Regazzoni in any of their shared races, though he did beat Reutemann once across three encounters and outran Jacky Ickx on one occasion. His average finishing position of 11th place, taken across his classified starts, situates him in the middle ranks of the grids he entered but below the front-running tier. His strongest individual results came against drivers such as John Watson and Vittorio Brambilla, whom he outpaced in single races, suggesting occasional competitive moments rather than consistent strength against professional-level opposition. By the conclusion of 1974 he had retired from the sport, leaving a brief record as a club-level competitor in a premier series.[2]