Everyone knows the world of Formula One is a fishy business, but former BAR Honda Chief Mechanic Alastair Gibson has gone to extreme lengths to show the link with top flight motorsport.
For several years Gibson combined his career as one of the top F1 mechanics with his love for art, but has now hung up his spanners and fully submersed himself in his sculpting hobby.
His latest work, entitled ‘Racing Mako’, will go on display at the Chelsea Art Fair, where visitors will get the chance to see Gibson’s unique style of sculpture that combines F1 parts into some familiar sea creatures.
Made with a carbon fibre body, Racing Mako is two and a half metres long, and uses real parts from F1 cars – presumably discarded bits from several years worth of hopelessly unreliable Honda F1 cars – to form the detailed parts of the shark’s body. Each part used in the sculpture’s creation is logged and accompanies the art work, so if you really want to know what makes those Mako teeth look so menacing you can look it up.
Also on display at the Chelsea Art Fair will be ‘Racing Piranha’, another F1 car/fish creation. Gibson’s other works include a mackerel, hammerhead shark and our personal favourite, a trout called... (you guessed it) Racing Trout.
Alastair's work will be on display at the Chelsea Art Fair from 23 April - 26 April. Details of the rest of his 'Racing' collection can be found at www.carbonart45.com.