The Superbear: the story of Hesketh’s unusual mascot

A teddy bear was far removed from its natural habitat, transplanted into the intense landscape of F1, but nothing about Hesketh sought to follow the norm. Lord Hesketh’s financial independence freed his team from sponsor obligations, and while the playboy reputation was cultivated off track, the simple look of the Hesketh car emphasised its presence on the grid.

Even before Hesketh arrived in F1 in 1973, its cars sported a predominantly white design. Early models had pinstripes, but “neither of them worked” according to Lord Hesketh. He floated the idea of a transatlantic design, crossing the stars and stripes with the Union Jack, “then I thought, ‘well there’s already been British American Racing several times’,” he explained in a 2020 interview with The Apex.  

Consideration of class also came into it. Thoughts of adding a heraldic symbol were dismissed because of the anticipated “flack” it would generate, considering Lord Hesketh’s elevated position. Instead, he turned from the serious to a “spoof”.

“Someone had a postcard of a teddy bear. So I put a crash helmet on it with a Union Jack,” Hesketh explained. “And then we decided instead of having cross flags, we would put the English flag for my father because he was English, though with an American mother, my grandma, and Scots St. Andrews cross for my mother. So that's why there's two flags on the car and the teddy bear.”

What came to be known as the Superbear was, if anything, a reflection of the fun, youthful energy Hesketh brought to F1, and of the team’s independence from the sport’s usual financial structures. Of all the messages Hesketh wanted to emphasise on its car, this was the one it chose.

That said, while the bear absorbed these meanings, it wasn’t conceptualised with any in mind, except drumming up interest — ironically to attract a sponsor.

Lord Hesketh retold how he paid for a billboard outside London featuring the bear and the slogan ‘Racing for Britain and racing for you. Hesketh Racing — the biggest little racing team in the world.’ The abstractness of the messaging was an intentional marketing ploy.

“The whole point was it was so odd that it got quite a lot of coverage because it got photographed by the newspapers. It was actually a zero non-message. But of course, as a result, people became more interested in it because they thought there was some subtle and deep meaning behind it, which there wasn't."

As it was, sponsors were reportedly turned off from Hesketh because “we were too big a celebrity”. An individual team with that much interest would be lucrative in today’s F1, but Hesketh’s frequent press was “considered as drawing away from the brand,” according to the boss himself.

Sponsorship (or lack thereof) played its role in Hesketh’s end, but the Superbear gave it a unique image that lingered in fans’ imaginations, reserving the team’s place in people’s affections still today. No doubt we’ll be seeing one or two Superbears pop up during our upcoming celebrations of ‘The James Hunt Years’ at the 83^rd Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport.

The 83^rd Members' Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport takes place on the 18^th & 19^th April 2026. Tickets are on sale now for GRRC Members and Fellows, with Saturday and weekend passes now limited.

You can sign up for the Fellowship now. Click here to find out more.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.