Derek Bell: from Ferrari F1 debut at Monza to five Le Mans wins

F1 Beyond The Grid

karenellenbevan

Leisure, Sports News, News, Sports, Technology, Automotive

4.8 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A whirlwind rise to Formula 1 with its most famous team in the 1960s, and one of the greatest sportscar racing drivers in the world during the ‘70s and ‘80s, Derek Bell has established an incredible legacy in motorsport.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Derek talks about being personally picked by Enzo Ferrari to make his Formula 1 debut for the team at their home race and what it was like going out for dinner with Ferrari’s founding father.

While he only registered one championship point during his F1 career, Derek went on to have incredible success elsewhere – winning five Le Mans, three Daytona 24 races and two World Sportscar Championships.

Derek explains why he achieved so much in sportscars, particularly alongside Belgium’s former F1 driver Jacky Ickx, and what it was like helping to make the Le Mans movie with Hollywood icon Steve McQueen.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Yeah, I'm one of their biggest fans. I've got all the vinyl. First saw them at a tiny little place in Camden. Then as festival headliners a few years back. Now that was special. So there's no chance I'd miss their world tour in London, Lisbon and LA. Good thing I've been saving.
0:19.9	From down the road to across the globe, saving gets you there.
0:23.7	Join the millions of people already saving with NS&I.
0:27.3	Visit NS&I.com.
0:36.3	Ferrari and McLaren.
0:38.6	Two Formula One teams founded by passionate races.
0:42.3	To drive for one of them is an honour.
0:45.3	To drive for both is extraordinary.
0:49.1	Derek Bell did just that.
0:50.9	I mean, it was just absolutely phenomenal.
0:53.5	The biggest surprise, and I never had confidence on myself. I never felt it was just absolutely phenomenal. The biggest surprise, and I never had
0:55.1	confidence on myself. I never felt that I was able to do that. But you're right. I mean,
0:59.9	it's in Formula 3 for two years and had my first Formula 2 race, and two races later,
1:05.8	I'm signed up by Ferrari. I mean, I don't know how that happened. Derek was personally chosen by the great
1:13.0	Enzo Ferrari and he made his debut of all places at the team's home race. Beyond Formula One,
1:20.0	he showed his talent behind the wheel of sports cars, winning the Lamour 24 hours five times.
1:26.2	And he was seen on the big screen with Hollywood icon Steve McQueen. I didn't know he'd done so much racing. To me, he was just an actor. And he was a bloody good driver. I got on with him so. I liked him a lot. But, you know, you drift apart after a couple of years. He wrote to me three weeks before he died, you know. I got a letter from him saying that he'd been ill and that sort of thing.
1:48.3	I didn't think of that ill.
1:49.8	It was amazing, really.
1:56.4	Here on F1 Beyond the Grid with me, Tom Clarkson,
2:00.4	Derek takes me through a hugely successful
2:02.8	and diverse racing career that span more than 40 years. Derek tells me what it was like
	...

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