The BRM P138 was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

Len Terry Leonard E. Terry (11 February 1924 – 25 August 2014) was an English racing car designer and engineer, known for his work with Team Lotus, Lotus, British Racing Motors, BRM and All American Racers, Eagle. He also designed chassis for many othe ...

which raced in the and Formula One seasons. It was powered by a 3.0-litre

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The fi ...

Racing History

1968

The P138 raced twice in 1968 but retired from both races due to engine failure, Mexican Pedro Rodríguez at round nine in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and American

Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. Fo ...

at round eleven in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. BRM finished the season in fifth place in the Constructors' Championship with twenty eight points, although all had been scored by the BRM P126 and

BRM P133 The BRM P133 was a Formula One racing car which raced in the 1968 and 1969 Formula One seasons. Design The P133 was the works built version of the Len Terry designed P126, the three examples of which had been built by Terry's Transatlantic ...

1969

The first race of the 1969 season was the

South African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, Richa ...

with John Surtees and Jackie Oliver driving, Surtees drove the P138 and Oliver in the

, Surtees retired from the race with engine failure. Surtees finished fifth at

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

saw Surtees retire with a broken gearbox due to him missing a gear and the

Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...

of Jack Brabham crashing into the back of Surtees. The Englishman finished ninth at

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. BRM skipped the French Grand Prix because of the team rebuilding, with Tony Rudd departing and the horrible start of the BRM P139. The P138 was not used at Britain because Surtees drove the P139 but the P138 reappeared at the German Grand Prix with Jackie Oliver driving but retired with an oil leak. The P138 was not used at

because Oliver had a second P139 to drive but the P138 reappeared at the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports ...

with Canadian

Bill Brack William Brack (born 26 December 1935) is a Canadian former racing driver. Brack raced in Formula One and the Atlantic Championship. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Brack originally became involved in auto racing in the early 1960s, in the for ...

driving but was ten laps down and not classified. Brack was replaced by Canadian

George Eaton George Ross Eaton (born 12 November 1945) is a Canadian former racing driver who is a member of the prominent Eaton family. Life and career Eaton was born in Toronto, he is the youngest son of John and Signy Eaton. He gained attention as a Can ...

but retired from the final two races of 1969, engine failure at the

and a broken gearbox at

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. BRM finished the season in fifth place in the Constructors' Championship with seven points for the second season running, although all but two had been scored by the

and BRM P139.

Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) Points also scored by the BRM P126 and

.
Points also scored by the

and BRM P139.

References

BRM Formula One cars 1968 Formula One season cars 1969 Formula One season cars {{F1-stub