F1 driver quit racing after crash killed 84 before fleeing UK over serious allegations Formula 1 has a glorious history but 75 years of the World Championship has also featured plenty of dark parts and shady characters.
It remains the most lethal accident in motorsport history and led to a temporary ban on racing in many countries, including in Switzerland where many forms of motorsport remain prohibited to this day.
The exact death toll has been disputed but most sources, including a BBC Four documentary on the disaster, suggest 83 spectators were killed along with Levegh, while around 120 more suffered injuries.
He took that decision in the aftermath of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, which remains one of the darkest days in motorsport history.
He raced just once in the World Championship which was still very much in its infancy when he competed in his second-hand Connaught Type A at the 1954 British Grand Prix.
