John Hogan, who died in January of a Covid-related illness at the age of 76, was a pioneering commercial figure in Formula 1 who commanded significant influence in the paddock. But he was also so much more. ‘Hogie’, as he was universally known, was a genuine motorsport enthusiast whose intuitive understanding of F1 made him a popular character and close friend to many drivers, including James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
In F1 circles, Hogie will be remembered as the real ‘Marlboro Man’ (even if he didn’t wear the hat), having joined parent company Philip Morris in 1973 as the cigarette brand was embarking on its long commercial relationship with F1. Until 2002, when he finally left the company, Hogan was Marlboro’s man in the paddock who…
