Who is the only former F1 and IndyCar driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsports? All you need to know

Triple crown winner is the most prestigious title in the Motorsports world. Graham Hill is the only former F1 and IndyCar driver to win the title to this day.

But what is the triple crown in Motorsports? It is not a championship but a title bestowed upon the driver. Triple Crown consists of three races, which take place between May and June. These races include the Le Mans 24 Hours, Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 which now belongs to the IndyCar series.

Graham Hill at Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty Graham Hill In The Pits - Source: Getty G

The triple crown title is a difficult one to achieve since all of these races belong to different divisions of Motorsports and sometimes end up taking place on the same day which makes it difficult for the drivers to participate. It was also the fact that many of the non-American drivers refused to travel to the US to partake in the Indy500.

However, a few of the drivers over the years have managed to participate and win two of the three races. A.J. Foyt won the Indy500 in 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1967 but he never participated in the Monaco Grand Prix. As for Bruce McLaren, the founder of McLaren racing, he did not participate in the Indy500 however he won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1966 and the Monaco Grand Prix in 1962. In recent years Fernando Alonso has been the only driver who came close to winning the triple crown but he finished his Indy500 race in 21st place and hence did not qualify for the title.

Graham Hill has been the only driver to attain this prestigious title in Motorsports. Hill won the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1963 after which he went on to win the event four more times because of which he also won the title 'Mr. Monaco'. Hill also won the Indy 500 in 1966 in his debut race. Although he won two of three races fairly easily he found the Le Mans 24 Hours to be challenging one.

Hill's best result was in 1964 where he finished second, however the race on June 11 in 1972 changed it all. He won the race that year and claimed the triple crown title for himself.

As for Hill's IndyCar career he entered Indy500 two more times in 1967 and 1968 where he finished the race in 32nd and 19th respectively, after his initial win in 1966.

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The Le Mans race that won the rookie Indycar winner Graham Hill the triple crown

The former Indycar driver won the triple crown title in 1972 after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours race with Matra along side Henri Pescarolo. Pescarolo recalls how he thought Hill to be one of those drivers who wouldn't take risks.

"At his age (43), I didn’t expect him to take any risks. However, I realised that this was no ordinary driver. As it turned out, the way he drove in the night rain was decisive in the win.” Pescarolo said. (Via 24H le mans)

Hill had won the Indy500 ( now associated with Indycar) in his first trial but found it difficult to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. It was only after his second attempt he gained victory.