The remarkable dual life of a hidden hero who worked with F1’s greats

Nearly 40 years on, it remains among the great Formula 1 images. The John Player Special Lotus, captured in moody black and white from behind, is rolling to a standstill in a drenched collecting area as bedraggled onlookers peer through a wire fence.

The driver has already thrown off his belts, his left hand cupped in glory as the chap he’s turning towards, in thick-framed Peter Sellers specs and flat cap, welcomes him with arms spread as wide as his ecstatic smile. It’s a sopping Estoril in 1985, Ayrton Senna has just logged one of the great wet-weather drives – and he’s now a grand prix winner. No wonder Peter Warr, who hasn’t relished this feeling for three years, is letting rip.