INTERVIEW: ROB WIDDOWS
Alastair Caldwell’s life in motor racing began in early 1967, stepping off the plane from New Zealand and onto the first rung of the ladder as a fabricator for Bruce McLaren at Colnbrook. By Monza in the autumn he was Bruce’s mechanic on the Formula 1 car. Three years later the team would be ripped apart when Bruce was killed testing his Can-Am car at Goodwood. Caldwell stepped up alongside Teddy Mayer, holding the team together, keeping the Kiwi badge on the grid as the founder would have wanted.
As team manager he presided over two world championship wins, for Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and James Hunt in 1976. Then came Brabham, working with Gordon Murray and Nelson Piquet until ’81, when the Brazilian won his first world title. Midway through that year he went to ATS, but not for long, as he was already thinking about leaving the pitlane. Caldwell departed to start what is now a successful self-storage firm. He talks to Motor Sport about life at the pinnacle of the sport.
Motor Sport: What was your first impression of Bruce McLaren when you came to the UK?
AC: “I didn’t meet Bruce until my second day there. I’d started as a cleaner, became a fabricator and then a mechanic on the cars. He was immediately very friendly, nice to me, and asked me about the trip from New Zealand. I came by plane because, if you do that journey by ship, you’re off work for six weeks. Bruce was a natural leader. He never criticised people, he led by praise and positive encouragement, so if there was no praise you knew you hadn’t done a good
