Last updated: August 2026
| Net Worth | Approximately $10 million (estimated, at time of death) |
| Born | February 11, 1934 (died March 10, 2017) |
| Profession | Racing Driver (Formula One & Motorcycle World Champion) |
| Nationality | 🇬🇧 British |
John Surtees was a British racing driver with a net worth estimated at around $10 million at the time of his death in 2017. He remains the only person in history to win world championships on both two wheels and four wheels.
Early Life & Family
John Surtees was born on February 11, 1934, in Tatsfield, Surrey, England, into a family with a background in motorcycle racing. He was introduced to bikes and racing by his father from an early age and began competing himself as a teenager.
Rise to Fame
Surtees first made his name in motorcycle grand prix racing, winning the 500cc World Championship four times, in 1956, 1958, 1959, and 1960. His dominance on two wheels made him one of the most feared competitors in motorcycle racing before he made the switch to car racing in the early 1960s.
Career History
Surtees moved into Formula One, racing for teams including Lotus, Cooper, and BRM, before finding his greatest success with Ferrari. In 1964, he won the Formula One World Championship with Ferrari, becoming the only man ever to win world titles in both motorcycle grand prix racing and Formula One. He later raced for Honda and founded his own Formula One constructor team, which competed through the 1970s.
How They Built Their Wealth
Surtees built his wealth through his racing earnings across both motorcycle and car racing, followed by income from his own Formula One team ownership and involvement in the design and development of racing cars and motorcycles after his driving career wound down.
Personal Life
Surtees suffered immense personal tragedy in 2009 when his son, Henry Surtees, was killed in a Formula Two racing accident at Brands Hatch. In his son’s memory, Surtees established the Henry Surtees Foundation, which supports people who have suffered brain and other injuries. John Surtees died of respiratory failure on March 10, 2017, at St George’s Hospital in London, at the age of 83.
John Surtees’s net worth was estimated at around $10 million at the time of his death, a legacy built on an unmatched racing career spanning both two wheels and four, and carried on today through the foundation established in his son’s name.