Postlethwaite and the Hesketh team

Harvey Postlethwaite (1944-1999) was a British engineer and Technical Director of several Formula One teams during the 197o’s, 1980’s and even 1990’s. During these three decades, Postlethwaite indeed was a leading engineer for the Hesketh, Wolf, Tyrrell, Ferrari and Honda F1 teams. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in Spain while supervising the testing of the aborted Honda F1 project.

After graduation, Postlethwaite joined ICI as a research scientist, but bored by this assignment, he soon began to pursue a career as a race car engineer, joining March in 1970, then aged just 26. Harvey worked on the fledgling company’s Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars, but was lured away to join the Hesketh Formula One team, who were a March customer.

The Hesketh team (picture above in 1973 with Postlethwaite second from the left behind “The Boss” Lord Alexander Hesketh) was well known for its unconventional approach to Formula One – no sponsors’ stickers allowed on the car, because considered as vulgar, and a lot of parties – so when once asked why he accepted to join the team, he said: “They got me drunk.”

Working to modify and improve the novice team’s March 731 chassis, Postlethwaite elevated the team into serious contention and the following year, designed the team’s first car from scratch. ‘Doc’ Postlethwaite 1974 Hesketh 308 secured a number of podium finishes with James Hunt at the wheel (picture below, but what is the driver doing?). The following year he further developed the car into 308B and saw his creation take victory at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix in the hands of James Hunt.