In 2021 David Brabham was asked if the family name might return to Formula 1. It’s an enquiry he’s accustomed to fielding, since the team founded by his father was one of the giants of F1 before it fizzled out in ignominy. The answer is usually “no” – and with good reason, since it took many years, much expense and a great deal of legal wrangling to regain the rights to use the Brabham name in motor racing.
This time, though, he opened the door just a crack. “Never say never,” he replied. “If something in Formula 1 came up… It can’t be anything – it’s got to look right and have the right backing, because I’ve been in F1 without the right backing and I’m not going to do that again. So it would have to have significant funding to sway us.”
David’s determination not to have the family name sullied again is founded upon first-hand experience. As the Brabham F1 team was passed around like a tray of cakes to a succession of ‘owners’ with big dreams but shallow pockets, David was persuaded to drive for it in a bid to rebuild some credibility – or at least attract sponsors. It nearly destroyed his career.
The death of Elio de Angelis in 1986 was the beginning of the end of Bernie Ecclestone-era Brabham: technical director Gordon Murray lost his enthusiasm for F1 and only regained it when Ron