Paul Frère

Born in Le Havre in 1917, Frère was also a highly accomplished rower before his motorsport career. He won three Belgian national rowing championships: two titles in the coxless four in 1946 and 1947, and the coxed four title in 1946. He began his car racing career in 1948.

Frère made his Formula One debut on June 22, 1952, driving for HW Motors at the Belgian Grand Prix. He competed in eleven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1952 and 1956. During his championship appearances, he achieved one podium finish, a second place at the 1956 Belgian Grand Prix driving for Scuderia Ferrari. He accumulated a total of eleven championship points. Frère also participated in non-Championship Formula One races, winning the 1952 Grand Prix des Frontières and the 1960 VI South African Grand Prix.

Frère's most significant on-track achievement was winning the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, co-driving a Ferrari 250 TR with fellow Belgian Olivier Gendebien. He had previously achieved a second-place finish at Le Mans in 1955 with Peter Collins in an Aston Martin DB3S. He also secured victories in other endurance events, including two wins at the Reims 12 Hours with Olivier Gendebien in 1957 and 1958.

After retiring from active racing in 1960, Frère transitioned to a highly influential career in automotive journalism. He served as the European Editor for Road & Track magazine and was known for his technical insight and ability to analyze and explain motorsport as a skill. Alongside writers like Piero Taruffi and Denis Jenkinson, he was among the first to treat racing as a subject that could be systematically taught. His 1963 book, Sports Car and Competition Driving, became a foundational text for performance driving and influenced the development of competition driving schools. He also authored The Porsche 911 Story, considered a definitive work on the model. Frère maintained close relationships with manufacturers, including Honda and Mazda, and acted as a consultant. He continued to test vehicles into his later years, notably testing the Audi R8 at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans at the age of 86.

Frère made a cameo appearance in the 1967 Belgian film The Departure. In January 2007, shortly before his 90th birthday, he was seriously injured in an accident near the Nürburgring, requiring hospitalization. He died on February 23, 2008. In recognition of his contributions to motorsport, Turn 15 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, formerly part of the Stavelot corner, was renamed in his honor.

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