Peter Connew's path to building his own Formula One car began in 1969 when, at the age of 23, he resigned from his job after his employer refused to give him time off to attend the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. On returning, he was hired by the Surtees Formula One team as a draughtsman. After falling out with team principal John Surtees, Connew left to pursue designing his own car.
In December 1970 he rented a garage in Chadwell Heath and began constructing the chassis jig. His primary assistants were Roger Doran, who worked as a shopfitter, and his cousin Barry Boor. Connew's design philosophy emphasised that a car should be efficient but also straightforward to work on and maintain. The team had no formal engineering support but made use of a wind tunnel at a local technical college for aerodynamic testing.
During the build, established drivers including Tony Trimmer, Howden Ganley, and Gerry Birrell visited and inspected the car. Trimmer commented it was one of the most comfortable racing cars he had ever sat in.
The team secured a second-hand Cosworth DFV engine via a deal with McLaren. French driver Francois Migault signed to drive and also provided a Ford truck to transport the car to races.
An initial plan to debut at the Monaco Grand Prix was derailed by a sudden regulation change that required a different type of aluminium for the chassis, forcing construction of a revised tub. The truck broke down before reaching the French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, and the team instead tested at the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans.
At the 1972 British Grand Prix, the car appeared in practice but was withdrawn before the race when an unusual rear suspension arrangement proved unsuitable. Repaired overnight and prepared for loading the following day, a cracked rear upright was discovered and the car was again withdrawn. At the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, the team showed up without having made a prior entry, and officials denied them access.
The Connew PC1 finally made its single World Championship race start at the 1972 Austrian Grand Prix. Migault qualified at the back of the field despite engine trouble during practice. He worked his way past four competitors over 22 laps before a rear wishbone mounting point failed, causing the car to swerve sharply towards the barriers on the start-finish straight. Migault brought the car to a halt without damage and the team retired from the race.
The Connew appeared at the non-championship end-of-season World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch with David Purley, but could not start due to an electrical malfunction. Purley had requested a cut-off switch on the steering wheel; it triggered incorrectly on the warm-up lap and the engine stopped.
The PC1 was modified to Formula 5000 specification for the 1973 European Formula 5000 Championship, fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine. Swiss driver Pierre Soukry drove at Mallory Park, qualifying 21st but unable to start due to a split oil pipe. The car failed to qualify at a subsequent Brands Hatch round. At the season finale, again at Brands Hatch, Tony Trimmer drove but collided with a barrier, damaging the chassis beyond repair. With the car destroyed, the team closed.
Connew Racing represents the extreme end of the privateer constructor tradition that characterised early 1970s Formula One — a team built by a small group with no racing industry backing, entering one championship race and retiring at half-distance. Peter Connew's PC1 was an entirely self-initiated project, designed, built, and raced with almost no support beyond a borrowed engine and the labour of the founder and two assistants. The car's single World Championship appearance, at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1972, remains one of the more improbable entries in the Formula One record books.