Listen to Johnny Dumfries on being team mates with Senna and driving vans for Frank Williams

Many of you may not have heard of this week’s guest on Beyond The Grid. To give him his official title, he’s John Crichton-Stuart, the 7th Marquess of Bute – though fans familiar with F1 in the 1980s will know him as Johnny Dumfries, one-time team mate of the great Ayrton Senna at Lotus.
A descendant of famed King of Scotland Robert the Bruce, Johnny was far from your average F1 driver – though if you think his connections made his route to the top easy, think again. He worked numerous jobs before entering Grand Prix racing – including as a painter and decorator.
LISTEN: Hear more fascinating F1 tales in our Beyond The Grid archive
On this week’s show, he opens up about his unique career, with stories on Senna, Enzo Ferrari, winning Le Mans and being employed by Frank Williams… as a van driver!
You can listen to Johnny Dumfries’ incredible story in the player above – or head over to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite podcasting platform to tune into the episode.
Next Up
Related Articles
Beyond The GridThe best of 2025, from Norris’ evolution to Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’
Our writers on the best drivers and stories from 2025
Ferrari confirm launch date for 2026 campaign
Winners & Losers5 Winners and 5 Losers from the 2025 season
GALLERY: Check out renders of the innovative 2026 car
ExclusiveHow APXGP was brought to life by costume designer Julian Day