Various names from the Formula 1 world have paid tribute to legendary former driver Tony Brooks, who has passed away at the age of 90. Brooks came to prominence in the 1950s, where he raced alongside the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss. Known to many as the "racing dentist", Brooks had been studying at dental school when he received the call to make his non-championship debut in the Syracuse Grand Prix of 1955. Despite missing the opening day of practice, the Briton beat some of the home favourites to win the event for the Connaught team, and in the process claimed the first international Grand Prix victory for a British car since 1924. Brooks went on to focus on racing full-time from 1956, and won his first World Championship event at the 1957 British Grand Prix, in which he shared his car with Moss. He followed this with solo wins in 1958 and 1959 with Vanwall and Ferrari but, after the 1961 campaign, Brooks retired from the sport. Before his passing, Brooks had been the last surviving race winner from the 1950s era, and has been remembered fondly by many in F1. The sport's CEO, Stefano Domenicali, was amongst those to pay tribute, saying of Brooks: "He was part of a special group of drivers who were pioneers and pushed the boundaries at a time of great risk. He will be missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time."
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Bon voyage Tony. @BRDCSilverstone #TonyBrooks #f1 pic.twitter.com/kkOeOby94S — Damon Hill (@HillF1) May 4, 2022
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We pay homage to Tony Brooks, a fantastic driver who contributed to our legacy. Our thoughts are with his beloved ones ❤️ #essereFerrari 🔴 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ynCyE0XlFd — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 4, 2022
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The FIA pays tribute to former @F1 driver Tony Brooks, who passed away at the age of 90. Winner of prestigious Grands Prix such as Spa, Nürburgring & Monza, team-mate of Stirling Moss & Dan Gurney, he was Vice-World Champion in 1959. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/mgxprnLeR6 — FIA (@fia) May 4, 2022
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Tony Brooks was a lovely man; one of the last of a generation made of different stuff. https://t.co/TkEEloyT0e — Alex Brundle (@AlexBrundle) May 3, 2022
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Stefano Domenicali statement: “I was saddened to hear the news that Tony Brooks has died. He was part of a special group of drivers who were pioneers and pushed the boundaries at a time of great risk. He will be missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.” pic.twitter.com/aodzebMsWG — F1 Media (@F1Media) May 3, 2022
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We are saddened to learn of the passing of Tony Brooks. Among his many achievements, Brooks took victory for @astonmartin in the '58 RAC Tourist Trophy alongside Sir Stirling Moss: pictured here together in the DBR1. Our thoughts are with Tony's family and many friends. 💚 pic.twitter.com/PlLt6jXAbA — Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) May 3, 2022
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