Gerhard Mitter


Gerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.

Early life and career

Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart.
After racing motorbikes, he switched to Formula Junior, becoming the best German driver with 40 victories. In addition, he sold two-stroke engines for FJ. In 1963, Mitter won the Formula Junior Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring.

Formula One

Mitter also participated in seven Grands Prix, debuting on 23 June 1963. He scored a total of three championship points in his home 1963 German Grand Prix with an old Porsche 718 from 1961. Impressed by this, Team Lotus gave him a chance in the following years.

Sportscar driver

In sportscar racing and hillclimbing for Porsche, he scored many wins, e.g. the 1966-1968 European Hillclimb Championships against Ferrari, the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1969 Targa Florio as his final major win.

Return to Formula One and death

Due to the long Nürburgring track, it was possible to take part in the German Grand Prix with Formula 2 cars that were classified in their own contest. Mitter was killed there at Schwedenkreuz while practising for the 1969 German Grand Prix with BMW's 269 F2 project. As a suspension or steering failure was suspected, the BMW team with Hubert Hahne and Dieter Quester withdrew from the race, as did Mitter's teammate at Porsche, Hans Herrmann. Udo Schütz, his driving partner at Porsche in the 1969 World Sportscar Championship season with whom he had won the Targa three months earlier, had survived a bad crash at the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, and retired.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910Pts
Gerhard MitterBrabham BT23FordSNESILNÜR
HOCTULJARZANPERBRHVAL15th2
Roy Winkelmann RacingBrabham BT23CFordHOCTHRJARPALTULZANPERHOC
Ret		VALNC0
Bayerische Motoren WerkeBMW 269BMWTHRHOCNÜR
Ret		JARTULPERVALNC0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results