Former Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly, whose horrific near-death crash inspired Sonny Hayes’ wreck in the F1 movie, is preparing to ‘find closure’ as he returns to the cockpit of an F1 car in Adelaide over 35 years on.
The British driver suffered a mechanical failure in his Lotus F1 car during qualifying for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, which led him to crash into the barriers. Donnelly has taken part in F1 demonstration events since, but has not done anything more than that.
This weekend, he will return to the track he was meant to race at after the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix but, understandably, couldn’t.
Donnelly confirmed he had “a certain amount of trepidation” about returning to the car when speaking to Good Morning Ulster about the upcoming outing in Adelaide.
“With a certain amount of aggression, I won’t be just out there going slowly,” he said of how he will approach the track time.
In another conversation with BBC News NI, the 61-year-old said he was “looking for some closure”, before adding: “The emotions inside my head will be, I’m sure, going hypersonic. I do hope sincerely I find that closure.”
Donnelly will drive a Hesketh 308, owned by Northern Ireland house builder James Hagan, at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival. “When the Adelaide Motorsport Festival approached me about showcasing the car this year, I agreed immediately,” Hagan said. “Seeing Martin Donnelly drive it in Adelaide adds a completely different dimension. Given what that city represents in his story, this is far more than a demonstration.”
Martin Donnelly, Lotus 102 Lamborghini
Photo by: Ercole Colombo
Footage of Donnelly’s 1990 crash was used in the F1 movie, after executive producer Lewis Hamilton called the former Arrows and Lotus F1 driver for permission. Brad Pitt’s character, Hayes, returns to F1 three decades after suffering a similar crash.
“I said ‘Is he talking to me, is he referring to me?’ It is one of those memories I will cherish for life. It was just a surreal moment. A highly rated A-list star like Brad Pitt asking me for advice and direction,” Donnelly told the BBC at the London premiere of the blockbuster.
“It was something only I could appreciate. After one of the operations the surgeon said, ‘that is it – you will never drive an F1 car again.'” Donnelly explained. “But he does not know the mind of a racing driver. We are stubborn and determined and selfish.”
He added: “On 23 February 1993 I drove a Jordan car around Silverstone and that was me giving my surgeons the pledge to say you know your books, but you do not know me, and here I am.”
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