
Photo: Yu Chu Chin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Martin Donnelly is one of those names that Formula One fans of a certain era say with a particular weight — not just because of his talent, but because of what almost took him away entirely. The guy came up through Formula Three and International Formula 3000 turning heads, won the 1987 Macau Grand Prix, and had genuinely quick hands. His 1990 Spanish Grand Prix crash at Jerez was one of the most violent accidents the sport had seen, and the footage is still shocking today — the car was essentially scattered across the track while he was left strapped to his seat. That he survived, let alone walked again, is remarkable. He never raced in Formula One after that, which is one of those quiet tragedies the sport carries. But the ability was absolutely real, and anyone who watched him in F3000 knew it.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Martin Donnelly
- Name (Japanese)
- マーティン・ドネリー
- Reading
- まーてぃん・どねりー
- Born
- March 26, 1964 (age 62)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dragon
- Origin
- Belfast, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- racing automobile driver / Formula One driver
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Martin Donnelly born?
Born March 26, 1964 (age 62).
Where is Martin Donnelly from?
Martin Donnelly is from Belfast, United Kingdom.
What does Martin Donnelly do?
Martin Donnelly works as racing automobile driver, Formula One driver.
Racing automobile driver — see all → · Formula One driver — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.