James Hunt won the 1976 championship and was known for his remarkable skills on track but he also earned the status of a playboy.
James Hunt was a British F1 idol whose rivalry with Niki Lauda from the 1973 to 1979 season is one of the biggest rivalries in the history of motorsport.
Hunt earned recognition as a fast, aggressive driver but prone to accidents. He was nicknamed ‘Hunt the Shunt (shunt, as a British motor-racing term, means “crash”). Hunt met a tragic death in 1993 aged just 45 after suffering a heart attack.
Despite being involved in a fierce rivalry with Lauda, both the drivers shared quite a wholesome relationship off the track. They admired each other for their skills. Lauda even described the Briton as an “open, honest to God pal” in his autobiography name ‘To Hell and Back.’
‘I wouldn’t mind giving him some troubles’ 😆
Niki Lauda and James Hunt
👉MaceArchive #F1 pic.twitter.com/mSDEzGXnKi
— Freeman (@FreemanLowell01) April 4, 2020
Apart from his skills behind the wheels, Hunt also garnered the status of a playboy and there are rumours about his alleged addiction to drugs.
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James Hunt bedded 5,000 women
Hunt is rumoured to have bedded 5,000 women as he lived life to the max, including 35 British Airways air hostesses during his run to the 1976 championship title.
Hunt’s son Freddie has downplayed his father’s alleged addiction to drugs but agrees with the rumours about the women.
He said, “I can’t vouch for the number of women but Dad wasn’t a junky. He just liked getting loose at parties and took coke but wasn’t a cokehead.”
“There were witnesses. There was a fresh supply of hostesses. They would come to the hotel, stop over, and then get on the plane the next day. There was a different one every night,” Freddie further added.
Furthermore, Hunt’s story was brought to the big screen by Ron Howard in the 2013 blockbuster movie titled Rush. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth was cast as Hunt to portray the legend’s iconic story.
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