F1 ‘final playboy’ driver bonked 33 British Airways stewardesses in two weeks
The former F1 star was seemingly as effective in the sheets as he was on track and supposedly slept with 33 flight attendants in just a fortnight
James Hunt was Formula 1’s ultimate playboy(Image: Getty)
Formula 1 returns to the iconic stage of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend – known as a playboy’s playground.
Many drivers thrive around its tight bends but in all of his seven appearances at the track, F1 icon James Hunt never finished – though the same can’t be said about the legendary F1 playboy’s off-track exploits. Hunt was the antithesis of the modern, hyper-disciplined driver. The charismatic and often unapologetic Brit blessed the sport for only seven seasons but made a lasting impact in that short time.
During his years on track, Hunt drove for Hesketh, Wolf and McLaren, winning the World Championship with the latter in 1976. But he was perhaps best known for his debauchery away from the asphalt.
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Hunt could be summed up by an infamous patch he had sewn into his overalls that declared: “Sex. Breakfast of Champions.” He also smoked and drank heavily. The driver called time on his career in 1979 and transitioned to broadcasting before passing away from a sudden heart attack in 1993, aged 45.
But three years before he called it quits, Hunt wrote himself into F1 folklore with a story so outrageous that if anyone else were the subject, it’d be near unbelievable.
In October 1976, during the two weeks leading up to the title-deciding Japanese Grand Prix, Hunt was staying at the Tokyo Hilton, which also happened to be the hotel where British Airways flight crews stayed during layovers. Hunt and his partner in crime, world motorcycle champion Barry Sheene, reportedly became well acquainted with the air stewardesses who came and went.
Team manager at the time, Alastair Caldwell, claimed: “Every morning there was a fresh supply of females. James would bounce up to them in his shorts and bare feet, say, ‘Hello, I’m James Hunt,’ and take them straight upstairs for a party. This happened every day for a fortnight.”
In the two weeks leading up to the race, it is alleged that Hunt slept with 33 British Airways stewardesses. However, this didn’t impact his performance when he finally jumped into the cockpit.
The 1976 Japanese GP was hit by a torrential monsoon, leaving the track covered in standing water and with near-zero visibility.
Niki Lauda, who held a three-point advantage over Hunt in the race for the world title, withdrew during the second lap, citing that his life was more valuable than a title.
Hunt then only had to finish in the top three and earn at least four points to overtake his rival and win the crown. A fourth-place finish would also have sufficed in the end, but he dramatically ended P3 in biblical conditions, winning his sole championship.
It is then said that Hunt was incredibly intoxicated at a ceremony dedicated to him by the British Embassy and he stumbled off his 12-hour flight back to the UK, organised by ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, having “drained the plane of alcohol.” The Surrey-born racer will not soon be forgotten for his grip on the sport during the 1970s.
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