Joey Davies

Joey Davies

Davies in his Ferrari overalls (1993)

Driver Information

Born
28 January 1964London, England

Formula One Career Statistics

Nationality
 GBR

Status
Active

Years active
1987–present

Car number
27

Current team
Ferrari (1993–present)

Previous teams
March (1987–1988)Williams (1989–1990)McLaren (1991–1992)

Races
95 (94 starts)

World Titles
1 (1991)

Wins
17

Podiums
33

Career points
256

Polepositions
20

Fastest laps
28

First entry
1987 Brazilian Grand Prix

First win
1989 San Marino Grand Prix

Last win
1993 San Marino Grand Prix

Last entry
1993 San Marino Grand Prix

1993 position
1st (30 pts)

Joey Davies

Full name
George Joseph Davies

Date of birth
28 January 1964

Occupation
Team Owner

Employer
Motor Racing Developments Ltd.

Years active
1993–present

**George Joseph "Joey" Davies** (born 28 January 1964) is a British racing driver who currently competing in Formula One, driving for Ferrari. Davies was the 1991 World Drivers' Champion.

Davies progressed from kart racing and junior formulae, before a successful spell in Formula 3000, finishing runner-up in the 1986 Formula 3000 Championship. His performance in F3000 finally secured him an F1 seat for the March team for 1987, alongside fellow F3000 driver Ivan Capelli. 1987 proved a steep learning curve and this season saw limited success. But the 1988 season saw a significant change in fortunes, with Davies regularly finishing in the points, and three podium finishes would be enough to earn a seat with the Williams team. He would secure his first win in only his second race at the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix, but several retirements and a mid-season absence would blunt his challenge for the World Championship. A pre-season testing injury ahead of the 1990 season would see him miss the first four races, and despite a strong run of four consecutive wins towards the end of the season, he would again be unable to mount a challenge for the title.

Following disagreements with the Williams team and his 1990 team mate Nigel Mansell, he would move on to the McLaren team for 1991, and after a slow start he was soon outperforming his multi-world champion team mate, Alain Prost. Davies continued his rivalry with Mansell into 1991, and the two would battle for the title all the way to the final corner, with Davies getting the better of his fellow countryman and securing the 1991 Formula One World Drivers' Championship. He has continued to have success with McLaren into 1992 and is currently in a title battle with Mansell with the FIA taking a dim view of several instances where the pair have collided in competition. Davies recently agreed to a two-year deal with Ferrari for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.

## Background

Joey Davies was born on 28th January 1964 in London, England, the first son of Australian actress Diane Cilento, and English racing driver, Peter Davies. A member of the famous Davies motorsports family, Davies was exposed to the sport from an early age, being brought to Grand Prix across the globe to support his father. While attending the 1966 Italian Grand Prix he would have cameo in the 1966 film *Grand Prix*, in which his mother starred, and his father was technical consultant and also had a cameo role. Davies would attend Haberdashers' Boys' School in Hertfordshire along with family friend and future colleague, Damon Hill. It is rumoured it was Hill who gave Davies the moniker "Joey", owing to his being named for his grandfather, Sir George Davies, and his mother's Australian nationality. It was while at school in Hertfordshire that Davies would have the opportunity to first race in Junior Karting at Rye House.

## Motor racing career

### Before Formula One

Davies first run out in Junior Karting at Rye House in Hertfordshire. Davies would show great promise and would soon join the Essex Karting Series, which he would win three years running before have the opportunity to move onto the British Formula Ford Championship for 1983. In his rookie year, he would finish runner-up to Andrew Gilbert-Scott. The performance impressed Mike Earle at Onyx and he gave Davies a seat in the European Formula Two Championship for 1984. The Ralt RH6 would be the class of the field in 1984 and Davies' finished in an impressive third place behind Mike Thackwell and Roberto Moreno. Eddie Jordan would be impressed by this display and would sign Davies on a 4-race deal for the 1985 European Formula 3000 Championship. The partnership would immediately deliver results as Davies would finish 4th in the opening round in Silverstone. Unfortunately, the good start would not last and car failures would keep him out of the points for the remaining three races. While Jordan had wished to sign Davies for the rest of the season, Davies chose instead to drive for Lola. While he would show plenty of promise, there was limited success and he would finish the season in 7th with 14 points. For 1986, Davies remained with Lola and secured 3rd place in the championship before getting the call up to Formula One.

### Formula One

#### March (1987–1988)

##### 1987

Davies was offered a position with March for the 1987 season, racing alongside fellow F3000 driver Ivan Capelli. The March of that year was powered by the naturally aspirated Ford Cosworth engine and struggled to compete with turbocharged competitors. This would see Davies struggle in qualifying and race, but March also suffered from poor reliability. Davies's best performance would come at the Monaco Grand Prix, where the slow speed nature of the track best suited the naturally aspirated engine. Davies would achieve his best qualifying result of 12th and he would run as high as 7th until an engine failure forced retirement. His best result of the season would come at the Portuguese Grand Prix, finishing 9th and matched that the following race at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Despite his strong performance for the year, Davies would finish the season with 0 points and 14th in the championship.

##### 1988

Davies second season with March would see more success with the Adrian Newey designed March 881 and new Judd engines. Davies would again be partnered by Capelli for 1988. The team was successful from the first round with Davies securing 6th place in Qualifying, as well as 7th place and the fastest lap in the race. Capelli would go one better and finish 5th, securing the first points finish for March since 1976. At the following race at the San Marino Grand Prix Davies would secure his first career points finish with 6th place. The Monaco Grand Prix would again see one of Davies's best performances of the year, where he qualified second and took the lead at the start, leading most of the race and securing fastest lap before an on track collision with Philippe Alliot and subsequent fuel pressure issues would see Davies retire. Davies would again pick up points with 6th places at the United States Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, before he secured his first podium finish with second at the German Grand Prix, fending off a strong challenge from Nigel Mansell throughout the race. Davies would secure two further second place finishes at the Portuguese Grand Prix and Mexican Grand Prix. Davies strong showing would impress Frank Williams and he would be signed for Williams on a two-year deal.

The strong performance in 1988 would see Davies finish the season with 21 points and an impressive 7th in the championship.

#### Williams (1989–1990)

##### 1989

Davies' move to Williams promised much success and he was accompanied by the experienced Riccardo Patrese, who Davies hoped to match in performance. The first race of the year at the Brazilian Grand Prix appeared to offer this promise when Davies secured his first pole position, but in the race, he soon lost the lead to Alain Prost. He would have a close fight for second with Ayrton Senna until engine failure would deny Davies a podium in his first race for Williams. The next race in San Marino would prove a more rewarding weekend as a front row start would convert to his first career race win, holding off a hard fighting Prost and then Senna to secure victory. He would then secure fourth at the European Grand Prix, before his fortunes would take a drastic turn. Davies's crash in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix would see him sidelined for two further races, being replaced in these races by Coloni driver Roberto Moreno. Davies would return for the French Grand Prix and it appeared his form had also returned after he secured pole for the race, but would retire after contact with Mansell. Davies once again secured pole for his home race at the British Grand Prix and would win, despite an early spin that appeared to rule him out for the win. This would prove to be the highlight of the season and he would gain only one more points finish with 3rd at the Belgian Grand Prix. The season concluded with a disappointing performance at the Australian Grand Prix, where he was handed a two-race suspended ban for a collision with Martin Brundle in qualifying, before receiving a two-race ban after being found guilty of dangerous driving during the race.

With only six finishes in the 1989 season, it was not surprising that Davies finished the season with only 25 points and 7th in the championship, behind his team mate Patrese who finished in 5th.

##### 1990

At winter testing ahead of the 1990 season, Davies would have a heavy accident that would result in him breaking both legs. He would miss the first four races of the season, being replaced for these by the team's test driver, Mark Blundell. Davies returned for the Canadian Grand Prix and immediately returned to form, securing pole and leading for much of the race, before an easy victory was denied him when he suffered engine failure. He would come close to victory at the British Grand Prix, but would eventually finish second after a late race battle for the lead with Ayrton Senna. Despite his title challenge being over, Davies would secure four consecutive wins at the European, Portuguese, South African and Japanese Grand Prix for a positive end to the 1990 season. Davies found himself unable to settle at Williams and signed for McLaren for 1991.

Four wins and 48 points would see him secure 3rd in the championship behind Nelson Piquet and the champion Ayrton Senna, and significantly ahead of his more experienced team mate Mansell, who finished 6th in the Championship. With the form at the end of the season, Davies had demonstrated that should McLaren deliver a competitive package for 1991, he could be a title contender.

#### McLaren (1991–1992)

##### 1991

For the 1991 season, Davies joined Prost at the McLaren team and he was hopeful of early success and showing himself the measure of his more experienced team mate. Poor qualifying for the first part of the season meant he was unable to get the most out of the competitive McLaren MP4/6, and Prost would stand out as the team's principal title challenger for the first part of the season. The Monaco Grand Prix would be his best performance in this first part of the season, securing second to Prost. However, it would be his fight with Mansell in that race that would be a prelude to a stormy and often ill-tempered season-long battle with his fellow countryman. Davies would be penalised with relegation to the back of the grid for the following race at the Canadian Grand Prix, and would have no more luck in the race, retiring after a collision at the start of the race. In the meantime, Prost would go on to win, but this would be the high point of his season as he would suffer a dramatic change in fortune and it would be his last visit to the top step all season. The change in fortunes for Prost would see an equal change in fortune for Davies as the next race at the Mexican Grand Prix would see him secure pole and fastest lap before taking his first win of the season. He would repeat the feat again at the British Grand Prix, putting him back in contention for the title. Mansell's win in Belgium would see him gain position over Davies, while Prost continued to hold a lead in title. Davies would be back to winning ways at the Portuguese Grand Prix, and would secure another valuable win at the Spanish Grand Prix, which would put him top in the title battle. Davies's retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix would see Mansell retake the lead in the title race. Prost would be within a point of Davies, so that the finale would decide between four contenders. In the final race, Mansell led into the final lap of the Grand Prix until Davies attempted a late braking manoeuvre into the final corner, and while it forced him into a spin, it obstructed Mansell, and Davies was able to cross the line in first to win the Grand Prix and the title for 1991.

Davies would secure five race wins on his way to the Formula One World Title for 1991 and with a total of 69 points he would finish one point ahead of Mansell and helping to secure the Constructor's Championship for McLaren. With Prost's exit for 1992 and the arrival of prodigious talent Michael Schumacher, it would prove a challenge to retain his title in 1992.

##### 1992

For the 1992 season, Davies was partnered with the surprise talent of 1991, Michael Schumacher, who joined McLaren from Jordan at the end of the previous season. Schumacher would also bring with him Mercedes-backed Ilmor power units to replace the outgoing Honda engine. For the first half of the season, Williams would be the class of the field and it was not until the Monaco Grand Prix that Davies would be back on the top step. At which point, Davies was a mere 7 points behind Mansell in the title battle. Williams and Mansell failed to exploit their technical advantage, and Mansell would often be involved in close battles with Davies. This would come to a head when a retiring Mansell would take Davies out of the race and a likely first place finish at the German Grand Prix, resulting in a one race ban. Davies was unable to take advantage of his competitors' absence, and even after the Belgian Grand Prix, where Mansell was back racing for Williams, the gap between Davies and Mansell remained, as of the German Grand Prix, at 13 points. Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Davies announced he would be driving for Ferrari for 1993 and he sealed a stellar weekend by winning the race and closing the gap to 9 points. At the Japanese Grand Prix, a win for Davies and retirement from Mansell meant Davies went into the final round with a one-point lead. In the finale, Davies lead in the early laps only to collide with a retiring Senna, that dropped him back down the field. He would eventually finish 4th while Mansell finished 1st and secured the 1992 driver's title.

Davies would secure four race wins as he would secure runner-up spot for the Formula One World Title for 1992. Davies had decided to move on to the Ferrari team for the 1993 season.

#### Ferrari (1993–present)

##### 1993

Ahead of the 1993 season, Davies would lead a consortium of investors to purchase the Brabham team. This drew some criticism from Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo that the Brabham team may be a distraction for Davies in the fight for the 1993 championship. In pre-season testing, the Ferrari F93A showed flashes that it could compete with the all dominant Williams package for the World Championship, but, reliability was a concern. At the season opener in South Africa, Davies was outqualified by teammate Gerhard Berger but Davies had two spells leading the race before finishing in second place. In Brazil, Davies led much of the opening of the race, but was unable to keep pace with Ayrton Senna's Williams, settling for third place. Davies's first win for *la Scuderia* came at Donington Park in an epic European Grand Prix, that saw Davies hold off Ayrton Senna in the final laps as the Brazilian attempted to use his fresher tyres to his advantage. Davies further placed himself in Ferrari lore with a dominant victory at Imola, where he put his car on pole, over a second ahead of his rivals, and led almost the entire race (Senna briefly led for a couple of corners in the early going), being serenaded by the *tifosi* in the victory celebrations.

### CART IndyCar World Series

#### Team Penske (1993)

As early as 1990, Davies expressed an interest in American open wheel racing, with Carl Haas offering Davies a seat in 1991 to replace the outgoing Michael Andretti. When McLaren's partnership with Ilmor was announced, Davies said he was hopeful that the partnership would enable him to participate in the Indianapolis 500, a lifelong ambition of his. During negotiations for his Formula One career in September 1992, Davies confirmed that he would attempt the 1993 Indianapolis 500, which was considered a "deal-breaker" by Ferrari advisor Niki Lauda.

In April 1993, Davies confirmed that he would attend the rookie orientation programme, driving a third entry for Team Penske, with his number and chief sponsor to be confirmed. Davies is the first active Formula One World Championship driver to contest the race since Teo Fabi in 1984.

## Personal life

Davies is the elder of two sons of Diane Cilento and Peter Davies. His younger brother, Raphael, is an investment banker for Lloyd's of London. Davies also has an older half-sister, Giovanna Volpe, from his mother's first marriage to Andrea Volpe. Giovanna is an Italian socialite and fashion designer.

Davies has gained a reputation as a "playboy" in the mould of another British World Drivers' Champion, James Hunt, and often appears in the UK red tops. Davies has been linked with several celebrities with whom he is believed to have had relationships, including Kim Wilde, Elizabeth Hurley and fellow Formula One driver, Giovanna Amati. His relationship with Wilde would see several disputes with Mansell, after Davies alleged Mansell had an interest in Wilde and his suspicion this would lead to marital troubles for Mansell. Davies's relationship with Amati occurred when she was in a relationship with Benetton boss, Flavio Briatore, and led to Briatore discovering the pair in bed in his Milan apartment. Davies has also been covered in a number of occasions for his wild party lifestyle, including an occasion where he was arrested by Rio de Janeiro police after he and Ayrton Senna commandeered two police vehicles and drove on Copacabana beach in September 1992. His close friendship with Senna and Austrian F1 driver Gerhard Berger is well noted and Davies has expressed his appreciation of these personal relationship saying,

> "I could not bear this sport were it not for my friends, having to race my friends is a great privilege, but also a great burden. Every battle with my friends is perhaps my most exhilarating and stressful times at once".
>
>

Davies' attributes his difficult relationship with the UK Tabloid Press to his openly expressed criticism of their actions and has been an outspoken support of press intrusion, with a particular objection to *The Sun* saying,

> "The Sun is the filthiest rag an Englishman could read; I couldn't pick it up with a gallon of Dettol! That MacKenzie fella' is a wrong-un".
>
>

Davies is also a fan of indie rock and house music and has been seen attending The Haçienda in Manchester. Davies has said his favorite artists are Happy Mondays, New Order, and The Stone Roses among others.

## Formula One Statistical Overview

### Formula One Record

Notes

* \* – Season still in progress.

### Complete Formula One results

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

Notes

* \* – Season still in progress.

## Notes

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Gp2Joey/status/1480218005934116866
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/Gp2Joey/status/1574524879851905025
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/Gp2Joey/status/1661761200336642052
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Gp2Joey/status/1748184034214068399

## External links

* Official Website

**1951**: J. M. Fangio
**1952**: A. Ascari
**1953**: A. Ascari
**1954**: J. M. Fangio
**1955**: J. M. Fangio
**1956**: J. M. Fangio
**1957**: J. M. Fangio
**1958**: M. Hawthorn
**1959**: J. Brabham
**1961**: P. Hill
**1962**: G. Hill
**1963**: J. Clark
**1964**: J. Surtees
**1965**: J. Clark
**1966**: J. Brabham
**1967**: D. Hulme
**1968**: G. Hill
**1969**: J. Stewart
**1971**: J. Stewart
**1972**: E. Fittipaldi
**1973**: J. Stewart
**1974**: E. Fittipaldi
**1975**: N. Lauda
**1976**: J. Hunt
**1977**: N. Lauda
**1978**: M. Andretti
**1979**: J. Scheckter
**1981**: N. Piquet
**1982**: K. Rosberg
**1983**: N. Piquet
**1984**: N. Lauda
**1985**: A. Prost
**1986**: A. Prost
**1987**: A. Prost
**1988**: A. Senna
**1989**: A. Prost
**1991**: **J. Davies**
**1992**: N. Mansell