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7. Masten Gregory
Active years: 1957 - 1965
38 GPs - 3 podiums
It was often said that Masten Gregory was blind as a bat without his glasses, but blindingly fast with them. Regardless, his track record in Formula 1 fails to reflect his outstanding talent as a driver.
The youngest of three children whose parents owned an insurance company in Kansas City, Masten Gregory kick started his career in 1951 when a substantial inheritance was made available to him by his mother.
The speed he displayed in International sportscar events attracted the attention of Mimo Dei, the headman of Scuderia Centro Sud, who offered Gregory his first World Championship Grand Prix start at Monaco in 1957 on board the team's Maserati
Without the slightest inhibition or constraint, the freshman put in an impressive drive to third place around the twisty and demanding street course, becoming the first American in the history of F1 to score a debut podium finish.
A move to Cooper in 1959 provided Gregory with a good environment in which to refine his skills, the American racing on a par with teammate and future world champion Jack Brabham in the latter part of the season. At the time, it was said the Aussie was so wary of Gregory's pace that he had him fired at the end of the year!
From 1960, mediocre machinery limited his efforts, although there were odd flashes of greatness from the man nicknamed 'the Kanses City flash'.
Gregory's good friend Carroll Shelby was a big believer in the short, slight-built, bespectacled racer.
"Man, those glasses were as thick as Coke bottles," the Texan once said. "But he was the fastest American that ever went over to drive a Grand Prix car. Hell, he scored more points than anyone did in their first year!"
