Redman began racing in 1959 and advanced through the British club racing scene before earning his first major international opportunity with John Wyer Automotive Engineering in 1968. Partnered with Belgian driver Jacky Ickx in a Gulf-liveried Ford GT40, Redman won the first of his four World Manufacturers Championships that year. The pairing became a formidable force in endurance racing, combining consistency with pace over long-distance stints.
Redman participated in 15 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1968. His best Formula One result came at the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished third in a Cooper-BRM behind Graham Hill and Denny Hulme. His F1 career was curtailed early: at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, his Cooper-BRM suffered suspension failure at the Les Coombes corner, and Redman crashed heavily with a badly broken arm. He returned to race for McLaren in 1972, scoring fifth places at Monaco and Germany while driving a Yardley McLaren, finishing his championship career with eight points across drives for Cooper, McLaren, Shadow, and Williams.
Redman's true vocation was endurance racing, where he achieved a remarkable breadth of victories across the world's premier events. As a Porsche works driver in 1969 and 1970, he added multiple wins at Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring, Daytona, Watkins Glen, the Osterreichring, and Monza. In 1970, Redman won the Targa Florio for Porsche in Sicily — one of motorsport's most distinctive road races. Driving the Ferrari 312 PB in 1972, he again collected multiple major victories. Over his sports car career, Redman won at Spa-Francorchamps five times, the Nürburgring three times, Daytona twice, Sebring twice, Brands Hatch twice, Monza twice, and Kyalami twice. He also claimed class victories at Le Mans on two occasions.
Redman also won the 1970/71 South African Springbok series, demonstrating his versatility across race formats and conditions.
In 1973, Redman relocated to North America to race full-time. Driving for the Carl Haas and Jim Hall Chaparral team in a Lola T330/332C, he won the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976 — three consecutive titles against strong opposition including Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Jody Scheckter, Jackie Oliver, and Alan Jones. He was employed at Haas's business office in Highland Park, Illinois, during this period.
At the first race of the 1977 Can-Am season at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Canada — the successor series to F5000 — Redman's new car became airborne at around 160 mph, travelling some 40 feet in the air and landing inverted. He suffered broken bones and bruising to the brain. The ambulance transporting him to hospital blew a tyre en route. Redman was declared dead at the scene, though he survived. His recovery took nine months.
Redman returned to racing in spectacular fashion by winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1978 in a Porsche 935. He continued with Dick Barbour Racing through 1979 and 1980, before winning the IMSA Camel GTP Championship in 1981 driving the new Lola T600, claiming victory in the opening race at Laguna Seca and securing the title. His final year of professional racing came aged 52, driving for the works Aston Martin team in the 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship.
Road America hosts the WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman, one of the largest and most prestigious vintage racing events in the United States. Redman is inducted into the Daytona International Hall of Fame, the Sebring Hall of Fame, the Talladega Hall of Fame, the Motor Sport Hall of Fame (UK), and the Long Beach Pavement of Fame. He later co-managed the Redman Bright racing team. His career stands as a testament to longevity and adaptability across formats, continents, and machinery spanning three decades.