As Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, fans around the world are taking a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the giants of the sport — legends like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, and Juan Manuel Fangio.

Closer to home, British names such as Sir Stirling Moss, Lewis Hamilton, Nigel Mansell, and James Hunt are fondly praised for their achievements.

But among these titans, there’s one name that deserves to shine brighter than it often does: Mike Hawthorn, the UK’s first-ever Formula 1 world champion.

Although born in Mexborough, West Yorkshire, Hawthorn’s name is indelibly tied to the town of Farnham and the county of Surrey, where his story truly began — and tragically, where it ended.

Mike’s father, Leslie Hawthorn, was a professional motor enthusiast and businessman who moved the family south in pursuit of his own motorbike racing career.

In 1931, Leslie opened the Tourist Trophy Garage on the site of a disused hop kiln in East Street, Farnham - a location chosen for its proximity to the renowned Brooklands race track in Weybridge, then the epicentre of British motorsport.

Mike spent much of his boyhood immersed in the world of engines and oil, soaking up the atmosphere of the family garage. He was educated locally at Barfield School in Runfold, remembered as a cheerful if unremarkable student, far more captivated by sports and machines than academics. It wasn’t long before that early exposure to motors ignited a passion for speed.

Hawthorn's career began on two wheels in bike racing, but he soon graduated to cars. He made his Formula 1 debut in 1952 and quickly made an impression with his bold, aggressive driving style. Racing for teams like Cooper, Ferrari, and BRM, Hawthorn claimed four Grand Prix victories over the course of his career.

His dogged consistency paid off in 1958 when he narrowly beat Stirling Moss to claim the World Drivers' Championship — a landmark moment in British motorsport history.

But the victory was bittersweet. That same year, his close friend and Ferrari teammate Peter Collins died during the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, when his Ferrari flipped off the track, landing in a ditch before crashing into a tree. Thrown from the vehicle, Collins struck the tree and sustained fatal head injuries.

Though crowned champion, Hawthorn’s heart was no longer in racing. Deeply shaken by the loss of his friend, he announced his retirement immediately after securing the title. His career had lasted only eight years, but his impact was everlasting.

Tragedy, however, was not far behind.

On January 22, 1959, just three months into retirement, Hawthorn was killed in a car crash on the A3 near Onslow Village, not far from Farnham.

Driving his heavily modified Jaguar 3.4-litre saloon, he lost control while overtaking a Mercedes-Benz driven by his acquaintance Rob Walker. On a bend, he clipped a traffic bollard, struck an oncoming lorry, and crashed into a tree. He was only 29.

Speculation swirled for years about whether Hawthorn and Walker had been racing. Decades later, Walker admitted that they had, but was warned at the time not to speak of it further to avoid incriminating himself.

Though the exact cause of the accident was never definitively established, there were signs that Hawthorn may have suffered a blackout. He had lost one kidney to infection and was known to be struggling with health issues that may have contributed to the crash.

Mike Hawthorn was laid to rest in West Street Cemetery in Farnham. Yet his spirit lives on in the town.

Today, near the site of the original Tourist Trophy Garage is Hawthorns, a local car dealership founded in 1994 by enthusiasts who sought to honour Mike’s memory.

As Formula 1 looks ahead to its next chapter, Farnham remembers one of its own: Britain’s first F1 champion whose life was fast, fearless, and tragically short.