Walt Hansgen is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Lotus-Climax. Hansgen has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 4 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,182 ranks Hansgen 943th 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.
| 1964-10-04 | Watkins Glen | P5 | +116 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | ▸Formula 1 | Lotus-Climax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | P16 | +115 | 4,183 |
| 1963 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P18 | −205 | 4,090 |
| 1961 | ▸Formula 1 | Cooper-Climax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P18 | −107 | 4,254 |
Walt Hansgen was an American racing driver who came to Formula 1 comparatively late in his career, making his Grand Prix debut at age 41 in 1961. He competed across four seasons from 1961 to 1964, accumulating four starts for Lotus-Climax without scoring a points finish. His Formula 1 career was brief and peripheral; his average finishing position of fifth across classified starts reflects the limited opportunities he received, with his best result coming when he finished ahead of drivers of considerably higher standing in single-seater competition.[1]
Hansgen's primary reputation rested on his work as a road racing and endurance driver rather than on the Grand Prix circuit. The breadth of his competitive record shows he was capable of finishing ahead of notable professionals on occasion; he beat Jim Clark, a two-time world champion and one of the era's dominant drivers, once in their shared time on track. However, these isolated results against top-tier competition cannot be read as indicative of his standing relative to the Grand Prix grid, where his single-race appearances provided insufficient data to establish his true level against a consistent field.[2]
Hansgen remained active in motorsport beyond his Formula 1 tenure, continuing to race in longer-format competition. His career was cut short by a crash sustained during testing for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans; he died several days afterward at age 46.