Perry McCarthy: The Unlikely F1 Driver
In August 1992, Car magazine introduced Perry McCarthy with the headline, “Britain’s least successful grand prix driver.” The striking cover featured McCarthy in everyday attire, minus a crash helmet, standing at the base of a ladder that extended off the top of the page.
Turning the page revealed a portrait shot of McCarthy, which hinted at his later, more anonymous role as ‘The Stig’ on the television show, Top Gear. The interview, conducted by the late Russell Bulgin, provided a humorous yet empathetic depiction of a driver who had finally received a chance in Formula 1, albeit with a notoriously poor team, Andrea Moda. Coincidentally, McCarthy was participating in his last grand prix weekend as the magazine hit the shelves.
Despite his lack of victories, McCarthy had a network of friends and supporters who appreciated his positive attitude and potential. Bulgin, having previously backed him as the sports editor of Motor magazine, stated, “I didn’t support McCarthy because I thought he was the next Ayrton Senna; I helped him because he was the only driver who ever called.” Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher bagged his first grand prix win at Spa, overshadowing the struggles of Andrea Moda, which was facing the consequences of its owner’s legal troubles.
Initially, McCarthy made light of the Andrea Moda’s S291 car, joking it resembled a coffin when he tested it. The season also marked dominance from Williams and Nigel Mansell with their advanced reactive-suspension FW14B. As Benetton executed its own testing, the development work fell on test driver Alessandro Zanardi, until an illness left a void, prompting McCarthy to step in as a last-minute replacement.
Upon arriving at Silverstone, McCarthy, quickly realizing the lack of experience on the track, sought advice from Schumacher. He recounts, “I asked Michael, ‘How do you drive the lap?’ While most advice was familiar, Schumacher’s claim that he took the Bridge corner flat out left McCarthy skeptical. Despite his doubts, he pushed himself to attempt it, leading to a thrilling encounter with oversteer at high speed that terrified him yet fired up his competitive spirit.
After his exhilarating experience, McCarthy returned to the pits, where he raised questions about tire pressures in hopes of deflecting blame for the near mishap, only to learn that telemetry revealed he had indeed lost control while attempting Schumacher’s technique. “Michael does take Bridge flat – but when he’s on low fuel and qualifying tires,” his race engineer laughed, leaving McCarthy astonished and humbled.
Ultimately, McCarthy’s F1 career dwindled post this incident, but his interaction with Schumacher provided him a wealth of stories to share, encapsulating the unpredictability of racing. As Bulgin noted in their 1992 interview, “Things happen to McCarthy; somebody up there is having a great time with him.”
