Peter Whitehead (racing driver)
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| Nationality |
 British |
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| Born | Peter Nield Whitehead 12 November 1914 Menston, Yorkshire, England |
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| Died | 21 September 1958 (aged 43) Lasalle, France |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
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| Active years | 1950–1954 |
| Teams |
Ferrari, (incl. non-works) non-works Alta and Cooper |
| Entries | 12 (10 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 4 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1954 British Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
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| Participating years | 1950–1955, 1957–1958 |
| Teams | Peter Walker, Jaguar Cars Ltd., Cooper Car Co., David Brown, A. G. Whitehead |
| Best finish | 1st (1951) |
| Class wins | 1 (1951) |
Peter Nield Whitehead (12 November 1914 – 21 September 1958) was a British racing driver. He was born in Menston, Yorkshire and was killed in an accident at Lasalle, France, during the Tour de France endurance race. A cultured, knowledgeable and well-travelled racer, he was excellent in sports cars. He won the 1938 Australian Grand Prix, which along with a 24 Heures du Mans win in 1951, probably was his finest achievement, but he also won two 12 Heures internationales de Reims events. He was a regular entrant, mostly for Peter Walker and Graham Whitehead, his half-brother. His death in 1958 ended a career that started in 1935 – however, he was lucky to survive an air crash in 1948.
Yorkshireman Whitehead, coming from a wealthy background, gained from the wool industry, started racing in a Riley when he was 19. He moved up to an ERA B-Type the following season and then scored the first major result for the Alta, when he finished third in the Limerick Grand Prix, a Formula Libre race. In 1936, he shared his ERA with Walker, and finished third in the Donington Grand Prix. He took the ERA to Australia in 1938 while touring on business, where he scored his first major victory, winning the 1938 Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst, as well as the inaugural Australian Hillclimb Championship. He returned in England in 1939 and gained a third place in the Nuffield Trophy.
During World War II, Whitehead was a pilot with the Royal Air Force, and he was back in competition as soon as racing was revived, taking his trusty ERA to second place in the British Empire Trophy, held at the Douglas Circuit on the Isle of Man in the summer of 1947. He also raced in the Lausanne Grand Prix, finishing sixth.
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