David Richards is born

David Richards was born on 3 June 1952, which eventually became useful for anyone trying to connect rallying, sports cars, Formula 1 politics and the phrase almost happened.

Richards first made his name in rallying as a co-driver, most famously alongside Ari Vatanen in the 1981 World Rally Championship. From there he built Prodrive into one of motorsport’s sharpest independent operations, the sort of organisation that could appear in rallying, touring cars, sports cars and manufacturer programmes without looking like a guest.

His Formula 1 story was less tidy, which makes it more Formula 1. Richards had senior roles at Benetton and BAR, moved around manufacturer conversations and became closely associated with Aston Martin’s racing ambitions. He was often near the structure that looked as if it might make sense, only for the sport’s politics, costs or regulations to move the furniture again.

The proposed Prodrive F1 entry is the neatest example. It was accepted for a future grid place but never made it to a race, caught in the uncertainty around customer cars and the awkward economics of joining Formula 1 at the wrong moment. Many bad ideas have reached the grid. Prodrive, which was not obviously one of them, did not. That is very Formula 1 of everyone involved.

Richards’ footprint in the championship is therefore not measured in wins or constructors’ tables. It sits in management offices, negotiations, rescue plans and the recurring belief that a serious racing organisation should be able to make Grand Prix racing behave logically. A brave theory, and one the paddock has spent decades testing with limited success.