Mike Thackwell

 ( New Zealand Formula One Drivers ) 

The following year, 1979, Thackwell moved up to the Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship, at the wheel of a March-Toyota 793, entered by the March works team. In a 19-race series, he managed five more wins and four other podium finishes, along with a pole position and a fastest lap. Once again, he finished the championship in third place, this time with 71 points, behind Chico Serra (103 points) and Andrea de Cesaris (90 points), but ahead of Stefan Johansson (fourth), Nigel Mansell (eighth), Alain Prost (equal 12th) and Thierry Boutsen (19th), all four of whom were later to have lengthy, and in most cases race-winning, Formula One careers.

Also in 1979, March entered Thackwell and the March 793 in two races of the -->FIA European Formula Three Championship. He achieved a win and a fastest lap, at Monza in the Gran Premio della Lotteria. In a championship won by Alain Prost, he also finished equal eighth overall, ahead of Boutsen (nine races), Arie Luyendyk (11 races), Serra (one race) and Philippe Streiff (five races) (equal thirteenth), and Jo Gartner (3 races; 21st). Thackwell and the March 793 also managed pole position and fastest lap in the non-championship RAC FOCA Trophy race at Donington Park, but finished only ninth.

For 1980, Thackwell decided to follow Serra and de Cesaris into Formula Two. However, before that he returned to New Zealand to race a Marlboro-backed works March 792 in Aurora AFX New Zealand International Formula Pacific series, alongside de Cesaris. The cars, modified F2 cars, were overweight and under performed.

His return to Europe saw him again driving a March. As early as round two at Hockenheimring he was on the pace, setting fastest lap, a feat he would repeat in the following round on the 14.272 mile Nürburgring Nordschleife. However it was at Zandvoort that he marked himself as a genuine talent.

He made his official debut a few weeks later, when Tyrrell made the third car available for him at the Canadian Grand Prix.http://www.grandprix.com.gpe/drv-thamik.html Because he took part in this event, Thackwell was often listed as the youngest driver to start a Formula One race, but this claim is arguable. On the first lap of the race, Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet collided at the first turn and were subsequently hit by a number of other cars, including Jean-Pierre Jarier and Derek Daly, both driving Tyrrells. Thackwell negotiated his way through the carnage and returned to the start/finish line undamaged by which time, the race had been red flagged. As both Jarier's and Daly's cars were too badly damaged to repair quickly, Thackwell was instructed by Ken Tyrrell to give up his car for Jarier. Under Formula One regulations, when the race is stopped after less than two full laps, the original start is declared null and void and the race starts anew.: See Articles 155 through 157 If a driver cannot bring their car back to the second start, they have technically not taken part in the Grand Prix. Using these criteria, Ricardo Rodríguez remained the youngest race starter until Jaime Alguersuari broke the record at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix; a record that was subsequently broken by Max Verstappen in 2015.

Thackwell had another opportunity at the next race with Tyrrell, the United States Grand Prix. After he suffered a fractured brake disc during qualifying, he was unable to qualify to race at Watkins Glen.