The Grand Prix Drivers Club General Assembly was held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Silverstone during the Silverstone Festival. At this meeting, the Grand Prix Drivers Club announced the appointment of a new Vice President, Thierry Boutsen, former Belgian Grand Prix driver. Thierry, alongside Mario Theissen, will replace Tim Schenken who served as VP for 14 years.
Thierry: “The Grand Prix Drivers Club is an exclusive club for retired Grand Prix drivers. It has a very rich history : founded in 1962 by the great Juan Manuel Fangio alongside other drivers such as Nino Farina, Luis Chiron, Tuolo de Graffenried, and Paul Frère, the purpose of the Club is to preserve the spirit and the heritage of Grand Prix Racing and foster a social connection among former drivers.
I would like to thank our president Emanuele Pirro, who has managed the Club for many years and who asked me a few months ago to take on this position alongside Mario Thiessen, which I accepted with great pleasure. We have a duty to perpetuate the history of motorsport; we have an exceptional heritage to share.”
Emanuele: “We are delighted to welcome Thierry as vice president. With his experience, he will certainly help us to revitalize and grow the Club’s reputation, and we hope that many drivers will join us in this adventure.”
Thierry Boutsen competed in his first Formula 1 Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in 1983 driving an Arrows-Cosworth and went on to compete in 163 Grand Prix races.
Fourth in the Drivers’ World Championship in 1988, he won three Formula 1 Grand Prix races for the Williams-Renault team in 1989 and 1990 (Canada, Australia, and Hungary). His victory in Hungary was the most memorable: he crossed the finish line 0.288 seconds ahead of Ayrton Senna, the second closest finish ever recorded in a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
His last Grand Prix was in 1993, driving for the Jordan team.
Thierry moved to Monaco in 1984 and, after retiring from racing, founded Boutsen Aviation, a brokerage company specializing in the sale and acquisition of business jets. He has also been running a classic car sales business in the Principality since 2018.