F1's biggest playboy wore race overalls that read: Sex, the breakfast of champions

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The biggest playboy in Formula One's 72-year history is undoubtedly the late, great James Hunt, winner of the 1976 World Championship.

Hunt became infamous for his antics in the paddock, despite only being in the sport for six years. The Englishman was one of the most loved drivers in F1 as he drove for Hesketh, McLaren and Wolf, with his title battle against Niki Lauda one of the greatest in history.

Known for his partying lifestyle as much as for his racing, Hunt was rarely seen without alcohol near him. That easy-going style contrasted widely with the more traditional 'gentlemen' drivers.

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Arguably showing this difference the most was a patch that Hunt wore on his racing suit. The patch read 'Sex, the breakfast of champions' and he wore it below his name on the right side of his overalls.

Hunt later had it changed to read 'Sex is a performance thing', capitalising on his reputation as F1's biggest playboy. Though he attracted criticism for his lifestyle, Hunt remained unapologetic even after retirement.

“It was a huge change and all I could do was operate in the only way I knew — which was not to compromise myself. I just had to get on with it, in my own odd style. I refused to be shoved around," he told his biography.

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"If that meant calling a spade a spade and not toadying to middle-class ego-massaging and being dressed in jeans and T-shirt, so what? [..] I wasn’t prepared to truss myself up in a monkey suit and I always thought I turned out cleanly and comfortably dressed.

"The whole point was that I was basically getting on with my life in my own way and I didn’t really care about what anyone thought. [..] Even though it made a lot of people dislike me intensely, I said to myself: Stuff it. I’ll do it my way.”

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