F1 community mourns Wilson’s death

In the wake of Justin Wilson’s untimely passing, tributes have been pouring in all day from members of the racing world, including the F1 community.

The Briton died at the age of 37, succumbing to the severe head injury he sustained in a crash during the latest IndyCar round held at Pocono Raceway last Sunday.

Having learned the ropes in karting, Sheffield-born Wilson then switched to single-seaters and rose to prominence in 1998 when he became a finalist of the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. Although he eventually lost out to future F1 champion Jenson Button, the South Yorkshire racer still graduated to the International Formula 3000 championship, a series he won in 2001 by defeating Mark Webber.

Wilson was promoted to Formula One in 2003, driving for Minardi in the first 11 grands prix before Jaguar called him up to replace Antonio Pizzonia alongside the same Webber. Despite picking up a point by finishing eighth in the US Grand Prix, Wilson was not retained for 2004 and elected to go racing stateside instead.

The Brit would enjoy a successful open-wheel career in America, finishing Champ Car runner-up twice before becoming a regular feature and multiple race winner in IndyCar, while also securing victory at the 2012 Daytona Hours. A true jack of all trades, Wilson also competed at the 2004 Le Mans 24 Hours and took one Formula E race start for Andretti Autosport at Moscow last June.

Justin Wilson is survived by wife Julia and their two daughters.

RIP Justin Wilson. All my thoughts and prayers for his family