Wolfgang Seidel

Wolfgang Seidel (4 July 1926 – 1 March 1987) was a racing driver from Germany. He participated in 12 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953. He scored no championship points.

Seidel and Edgar Barth won the 1959 Targa Florio, driving a Porsche 718 RSK, giving Porsche its first ever World Sports Car Championship race win.

Seidel often entered cars under his own name, or under the Scuderia Colonia banner. After having been refused a start at the 1962 German Grand Prix due sufficient laps in practice, four at over ten minutes instead of five, a fate shared with several other drivers, Seidel got in an argument with officials from the Automobilclub von Deutschland. Combined with some doubts about the level of preparation of his cars, Dan Gurney had refused to race it in the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix were Porsche remained absent, Seidel's competition licence was withdrawn, and he offered his two cars up for sale. In spite of not having a licence, Seidel competed in the non-championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix a few months later, to trigger an FIA investigation into his case, for no avail.

Seidel died in 1987 of a heart attack.

Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points 1953 Wolfgang Seidel Veritas RS VeritasStraight-6 ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0 1958 Scuderia Centro Sud Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR POR ITA MOR NC 0 RRC Walker Racing Team Cooper T43 (F2) ClimaxStraight-4 GER 1960 Wolfgang Seidel Cooper T45 ClimaxStraight-4 ARG MON 500 NED BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA NC 0 1961 Scuderia Colonia Lotus 18 ClimaxStraight-4 MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA NC 0 1962 Ecurie Maarsbergen Emeryson 1006 ClimaxStraight-4 NED MON BEL FRA NC 0 Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus 24 BRM V8 GBR GER ITA USA RSA

Non-Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1958 Scuderia Centro Sud Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 GLV SYR AIN INT CAE 1961 Scuderia Colonia Lotus 18 ClimaxStraight-4 LOM GLV PAU BRX VIE AIN SYR NAP LON SIL SOL KAN DAN MOD FLG OUL LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA 1962 Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 CAP BRX LOM LAV GLV PAU AIN INT NAP MAL CLP RMS Lotus 24 BRM V8 SOL KAN MED DAN OUL MEX RAN NAT