Hunt found immediate success in the sport, taking podiums in his rookie season at the Dutch and United States Grands Prix.

Amidst a fierce title battle with Niki Lauda, Hunt won the World Drivers' Championship by a single point in his debut season with McLaren.

After a winless season for McLaren in 1978, Hunt moved to Wolf and retired after the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix, having achieved 10 race wins, 14 pole positions, eight fastest laps and 23 podiums in Formula One.

[13] Hunt was involved in a controversial incident with Dave Morgan during a battle for second position in the Formula Three Daily Express Trophy race at Crystal Palace on 3 October 1970.

Both men were summoned by the RAC and after hearing evidence from other drivers, Hunt was cleared by a tribunal and Morgan was given a 12-month suspension of his racing licence, but was subsequently allowed to progress to Formula Atlantic in 1971.

Hunt also made a brief venture into sports car racing at the 1973 Kyalami Nine Hours, driving a Mirage M6 along with Derek Bell, finishing second.

[26] Hunt's season highlight was a victory at the BRDC International Trophy non-championship race at Silverstone, against the majority of the regular F1 field.

With no other top drivers available, the team management signed Hunt to McLaren – in a deal brokered by Marlboro's John Hogan – for the next season on a contract involving a $50,000 retainer and a good share of the prize money.

Over the course of the year he would drive the McLaren M23 to six Grands Prix wins, but with superior reliability reigning world champion and main rival Niki Lauda had pulled out a substantial points lead in the first few races of the season.

At the British Grand Prix, Hunt was involved in a first corner incident on the first lap with Lauda which led to the race being stopped and restarted.

At the next round in Canada, Hunt found out that he had been disqualified from the British Grand Prix and Lauda had been awarded the victory and thus received three additional points.

At the penultimate round in the United States at the daunting Watkins Glen track, Hunt started from pole and took victory after a close battle with Jody Scheckter.

The race saw Hunt suffer a collision with Jody Scheckter's Wolf and another with Patrick Depailler's Tyrrell, but he still managed to finish fourth.

The McLaren M26 was problematic in the early part of the season, during which Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti and Jody Scheckter took a considerable lead in the Drivers' Championship.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Hunt retired after a collision with team-mate Jochen Mass and was fined $2000 for assaulting a marshal and $750 for walking back to the pit lane in an "unsafe manner".

Harvey Postlethwaite persuaded Hunt to join Walter Wolf Racing – a one-car team where he would have found an atmosphere similar to the one he had experienced at Hesketh at the beginning of his career.

Warr recalled Hunt telling him that he discovered that if he nudged the car up against the barrier and give it a squirt of throttle in second gear, it would break a driveshaft.

He often heavily criticised drivers he did not think were trying hard enough – during the BBC's live broadcast of the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix he described René Arnoux's comments that non-turbo cars did not suit the Frenchman's driving skills as "bullshit".

[54] Other than Arnoux, Hunt's other frequent targets included Andrea de Cesaris, Philippe Alliot, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Riccardo Patrese.

Hunt criticised Jean-Pierre Jarier for blocking leaders, calling him "pig ignorant", a "French wally" and having a "mental age of ten" during live broadcasts.

This opportunity came about when regular driver Alain Prost broke his wrist during practice for the previous round in South Africa, and the French rookie was not fully fit to drive at Long Beach.

Hunt attempted to persuade John Hogan, VP Marketing of Philip Morris Europe,[62] to support the possible comeback, and presented him with bank statement for proof of being indebted.

[63] Hunt made a brief appearance in the 1979 British silent slapstick comedy The Plank, as well as co-starring with Fred Emney in a Texaco Havoline TV advertisement.

[65] Hunt was hired by John Hogan as an adviser and tutor to drivers who were sponsored by Marlboro, instructing them in the tactics of driving and the approach to racing.

[71][72] On a visit to Doncaster, Hunt was arrested for an assault, which was witnessed by two police officers, and was released on bail after two hours with the charges against him later being dropped.

The relationship brought new happiness to Hunt's life, among other factors which included his clean health, his bicycle, his casual approach to dress, his two sons and his Austin A35 van.

"[79] After winning the world championship in 1976, Hunt inspired many teenagers to take up motor racing,[80] and he was retained by Marlboro to give guidance and support to up and coming drivers in the lower formulae.

In early 2007, Formula One driver and 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen entered and won a snowmobile race in his native Finland under the name James Hunt.

Hunt's helmet featured his name in bold letters along with blue, yellow and red stripes on both sides and room for the sponsor Goodyear, all set on a black background.

[84] During his comeback year to Formula One in 2012, 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen sported a helmet with the James Hunt's name printed on it during the Monaco Grand Prix.