'No reason to stop': Aston Martin director hits 600 races in F1

Andy Stevenson, who began as a Jordan mechanic, set for milestone having not missed a grand prix since 1987

- Giles Richards

Whatever happens at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, Aston Martin will be celebrating a remarkable achievement. It's viva Las Vegas for Andy Stevenson, Aston's sporting director who will mark his 600th grand prix here, a feat of longevity made all the more striking by the fact he has not missed a race since he joined the team as a callow youth in 1987.

Such was his childhood ambition to work in F1 that he committed to it in writing. "My mother recently found the paperwork from my first visit to the careers office which said I wanted to work with fast cars and travel the world," he says with a smile.

"I was always interested in anything mechanical and F1 cars are the best machines on the planet. I love competition and I love travel, so it seemed like the perfect job for me."

Stevenson, who left school at 17 and immediately set about learning his skills as a mechanic with a racing team, is a personable character, his sharp mind allied to a warm, self-deprecating wit. It was the dream job, he reflected, as he contemplated the 599 races that have led to here, under the neon glare of one of F1's grandest events.

He is at the same team, albeit now under the Aston Martin name, that had started from humble beginnings and where he had to knuckle down to prove his worth. After working for a friend's father's Formula 3000 team, Stevenson went for a job at Eddie Jordan's F3 outfit, then riding high in 1987 with Johnny Herbert having taken the British title.