Emilio de Villota

1.1. Birth and Childhood

Emilio de Villota was born on July 26, 1946, in Madrid. While detailed information about his childhood and formative years is not extensively documented, his early life in Madrid laid the foundation for his future career in motorsport.

2.1. Early Activities and Touring Cars

De Villota first appeared on the international motor sport scene in 1972, competing in the 4 Horas de Jarama, a round of the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). Driving a SEAT 124 SC entered by Scuderia Filipinetti and co-driven by H. Hengstenberg, he finished 15th overall. He returned to the ETCC in 1975, this time in a Ford Capri RS 2600, alongside Jorge de Bagration. Although they did not finish the Zandvoort Trophy, the Spanish pair, joined by Mário de Araújo Cabral, secured a second-place finish in their home race, the 4 Horas de Jarama, finishing five laps behind the winner.

For 1976, de Villota transitioned from touring cars to single-seaters, with the ultimate goal of competing in the Formula One World Championship. To gain experience with high-powered racing cars, he entered the 1976 Shellsport International Series, a UK-based Formula Libre championship that featured F1, F2, F5000, and Formula Atlantic cars in the same races. Racing with Lyncar Engineering Ltd., de Villota achieved two fifth-place finishes and concluded the season 14th in the overall standings.

2.2. Formula One World Championship Attempts

Emilio de Villota debuted in the 1976 World Championship at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, driving a Cosworth-powered Brabham BT44B purchased specifically for the event. He failed to qualify for this race and did not return until the following season.

In the 1977 season, de Villota undertook a more ambitious Formula One project, becoming one of the first Spaniards to participate in Formula 1 after drivers such as Alfonso de Portago and Alex Soler-Roig. Under the sponsorship of Iberia Airlines, his modest outfit, Iberia Airlines F1, contested seven European Grands Prix. They acquired a McLaren M23 car fitted with Ford-Cosworth DFV engines, painted in the airline's colors. De Villota qualified for only two of these Grands Prix: his home event, the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished 13th (five laps down), and the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, where an accident on the final lap prevented him from finishing, though he was classified 17th.

He attempted to qualify again for the 1978 Spanish Grand Prix as a privateer, driving a McLaren M25 (and later reverting to the M23 after the M25 was damaged in practice), but was unsuccessful. After this failure, he shifted his focus to the new Aurora AFX Formula One Championship.

In 1980, he again tried to qualify for the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix with a RAM Racing-prepared Williams FW07, sponsored by Banco Occidental. Although originally part of the Formula One World Championship, the race was later declared a non-championship event. During the race, he was noted for interfering with Carlos Reutemann and Jacques Laffite's battle for the lead.

His final attempts to qualify for a Formula One World Championship race came in 1982. Racing as a privateer with LBT Team March in a March 821 powered by Ford Cosworth, he unsuccessfully sought qualification for five Grands Prix. This period also marked the first time in his career that he competed outside Europe, crossing the Atlantic for these events.

2.3. British Formula One Championship

After his initial F1 attempts, de Villota found significant success in the British F1 Championship, a series that was more affordable and competitive due to its reduced reliance on sponsorships.

In 1977, alongside his F1 World Championship entries, de Villota competed in selected Shellsport G8 races in his F1 McLaren, securing two victories. He won the opening race of the 1977 Shellsport International Series at Mallory Park and later took another win at Brands Hatch. Despite splitting his season with Grand Prix racing, de Villota finished 5th in the championship.

In the 1978 Aurora AFX F1 Championship, which replaced the Shellsport Group 8 series, de Villota continued to race his McLaren, now entered under the Centro Asegurador banner. He started the season strongly with three podium finishes in the first three races, ultimately finishing 3rd overall at the end of the season.

For the 1979 Aurora AFX F1 Championship, de Villota switched to a Lotus-Cosworth 78, prepared and entered by Madom F1 Team. After a series of poor early results, he turned his season around by achieving podium finishes in six consecutive races, including four victories at Thruxton, Zandvoort, Oulton Park, and Nogaro. Despite a return to poor form with three retirements in the last five races, he still managed to finish 3rd overall.

His most successful year in the series was the 1980 Aurora AFX F1 Championship. Driving the same Williams FW07 he raced in Spain, and now fully with RAM Racing, de Villota achieved nine podium finishes in eleven races, including five wins. He won twice at Mallory Park, and once each at Brands Hatch, Silverstone, and the significant Gran Premio Lotteria di Monza in Italy. For one race, RAM switched him to their Fittipaldi F5A, in which he still finished 5th. These strong results culminated in him being crowned the Aurora AFX Formula One Champion.

2.4. Sportscar and Endurance Racing

In 1981, de Villota shifted his primary focus to the World Endurance Championship of Drivers. He joined Team Lola, racing their Group 6 Cosworth DFV-powered Lola T600 alongside Guy Edwards. After a difficult start with two retirements, they finished 8th at the 1981 1000km of Nürburgring. For the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, they were joined by Juan Fernández, and the trio finished 15th overall and 3rd in class. Inspired by this result, de Villota and Edwards went on to win their next race, the Coppa Florio, 6 ore Enna-Pergusa, by two laps, albeit against a field primarily composed of Italian Group 6 Championship entrants. They secured another victory in 1981 at the season finale, the Flying Tiger 1000, winning by an impressive eight-lap margin in intermittent rain.

In 1982, alongside his final F1 attempts, de Villota continued to race sportscars in the new Group C category with the under-financed Grid Plaza Racing team. They had a limited program in the World Endurance Championship for Drivers and Manufacturers and Camel GT Championship. Their only points finish came at the Shell Oils 1000 Kilometres at Brands Hatch, where de Villota, joined by Derek Daly and Fred Stiff, finished 10th.

De Villota continued with Grid Racing into 1983. Their Cosworth-powered Grid S1 remained unreliable, with de Villota only finishing in the points once, again at Brands Hatch, in the European Endurance Championship race. For the Grand Prix International 1000km, he was joined by Skeeter McKitterick and Dudley Wood, bringing the Grid S1 home in 8th place.

In 1984, Grid Racing produced a new car, the Grid-Porsche S2. De Villota raced this car in the Budweiser Grand Prix of Miami but did not complete a lap, and did not race again that season.

With Spanish backing from Danone for 1986, John Fitzpatrick Racing sought two Spanish drivers. De Villota was one, joined by Fermín Velez. Although they raced only seven times, they achieved five top-ten finishes in the Porsche 956. This included a 3rd place in the ADAC Kouros 1000 km Nürburgring and a 4th place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This marked de Villota's final appearance at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours.

The opening two races of the 1987 World Sport-Prototype Championship were held in Spain, and Kremer Racing paired de Villota with Paco Romero in a Marlboro-sponsored Porsche 962C. The duo finished 10th at Jarama and 8th at Jerez.

2.5. Other Racing Activities

Beyond his main campaigns, de Villota also participated in various other racing series. In 1983, he competed in two races of the European Formula Two Championship, achieving a 9th place at Silverstone with James Gresham Racing in a March-BMW 832 and a 13th place at Jarama for Minardi Team Srl in a Minardi-BMW M283. That same year, driving a Ford Capri RS3000, de Villota won the Spanish Touring Car Championship.

In 1985, he returned to the ETCC for two races with Escuderia Mezquita, co-driving a Volkswagen Golf GTi with Francisco Romero. They finished 18th in the Vallelunga 500 km and 17th in the Donington 500. In 1987, after stepping away from Group C racing, he competed in the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup, finishing 8th overall.

De Villota retired from international racing by 1988 but continued to compete at a national level in Spain. He notably won three Spanish Porsche Carrera Cup Championships in four years (1993, 1995, and 1996). In 1996, he raced a Porsche 911 Bi-Turbo in the Gran Premio Repsol Resistencia Del Jarama, a round of the BPR Global GT series, alongside Pablo de Villota and Fulvio Ballabio. Five years later, in 2001, he reappeared at Estoril, racing a Porsche 911 GT2 in a Spanish GT race. He has continued to race, mostly in Spain, including participating in the Spanish Prototype Open Championship in 2011, where he finished 5th in the Proto 1 class driving a Radical SR3.

3.1. Emilio de Villota Motorsport

Emilio de Villota currently leads and operates Emilio de Villota Motorsport, a racing team and school that he founded. This organization serves as a platform for aspiring racing drivers and a continued presence for de Villota in the world of motorsport.

3.2. Children's Racing Careers

Both of Emilio de Villota's children pursued careers in racing. His son, Emilio de Villota Jr., has competed in categories such as Formula Three and Formula 3000.

His daughter, María de Villota, also became a racing driver and achieved significant recognition as a test driver for the Marussia F1 team. In July 2012, María de Villota suffered a serious accident during a straight-line aerodynamic test for Marussia F1 at Duxford Airfield. The incident resulted in life-threatening injuries, including the loss of her right eye and severe head trauma. Tragically, in October 2013, María de Villota died suddenly at the age of 33 due to neurological damage related to the injuries sustained in her 2012 crash.

4.1. Career Highlights

4.2. Complete Formula One World Championship Results

4.3. Non-Championship Formula One Results

4.4. Complete Shellsport International Series and British Formula One Championship Results

(Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

4.5. Complete World Sportscar Championship Results

(Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

4.6. Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

4.7. Complete European Formula Two Championship Results

(Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)