12 F1 drivers we still can’t believe won a Grand Prix

In Formula 1, there’s a strong chance that the best-prepared driver from the best-prepared team will win a grand prix. And yet, this sport has an endless capacity to surprise us.

Today, we’re taking a look at some of the most surprising F1 winners of all time, from Richie Ginther all the way to Esteban Ocon.

F1’s most surprising race winners

Pastor Maldonado, Spain 2012

Few wins were as shocking as Pastor Maldonado’s victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.

The Venezuelan racer’s on-track behavior made him something of a menace, with fans avidly tracking his crashes — and at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, he managed to secure pole position after Lewis Hamilton, who had outqualified him, failed to supply a fuel sample to the FIA.

Though he lost the lead at the start, Maldonado managed to return to the front of the charge after near-perfect pit stops — and held onto his front running position all the way to the checkered flag, even as Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari chased him down.

But… that was about it as far as Maldonado’s F1 career went.

He lingered on the grid for a while longer, but his single win was his magnum opus.

Olivier Panis, Monaco 1996

Only four cars took the checkered flag at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix — but leading the charge was Olivier Panis.

As will become a common theme in this story, heavy rain started falling before the race, enough to warrant a wet-weather practice session before the start.

Panis started 14th, but he found himself at the front of the grid thanks to some good luck, some exceptional passes, and plenty of attrition by the competition.

The race ran right up to its two-hour time limit, but Panis brought his Ligier home for his only F1 victory.

Esteban Ocon, Hungary 2021

A soaked starting grid saw Valtteri Bottas kick off the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a huge collision — and thus fell the first domino leading to Esteban Ocon’s first (and thus far only) F1 victory.

Four drivers retired from the race, while Max Verstappen continued on with heavy damage and Lewis Hamilton was put on the wrong tires.

Ocon slipped into the lead, just ahead of Sebastian Veettel.

Hamilton carved his way through the field but arrived too late to do anything about the gap Ocon had built up as the Alpine driver took victory.

Pierre Gasly, Italy 2020

Pierre Gasly had seen the worst Formula 1 had to offer by the time he arrived at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

He’d been promoted to Red Bull Racing after impressing the field as a rookie, only to be demoted to Toro Rosso 12 races into his sophomore season.

Front-running drivers Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Sebastian Vettel retired, and a safety car for Kevin Magnussen neutralized the race on lap 19 — and resulted in a closed pit lane.

Gasly, who had pitted the lap before, was sitting pretty, and inherited the lead when Lewis Hamilton was penalized for entering the pit lane illegally.

The race restarted with Gasly third, but it was red flagged for Leclerc’s crash.

The drivers lined up for a standing restart, and Gasly launched ahead of second-placed Lance Stroll and inherited the win after Hamilton served his penalty.

Robert Kubica, Canada 2008

Robert Kubica arrived in Formula 1 with heaps of promise that unfortunately never quite came to fruition.

He secured his share of podiums, but the Polish driver’s single win came at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Part of what made this race so spectacular was what led up to it. At the very same event the year prior, Kubica’s BMW had launched into the air and crashed into a concrete barrier. Concussed, he had to miss the following race at Indianapolis.

But in 2008, Kubica was ready. His challengers all either crashed or suffered a penalty, handing the Polish racer a lead that he never relinquished.

He and BMW teammate Nick Heidfeld enjoyed a podium together.

It would be Kubica’s only victory.

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Alessandro Nannini, Japan 1989

“I must say, I would prefer to win by actually crossing the finish line in first place.”

Such was Alessandro Nannini’s assessment of his singular Formula 1 victory at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix.

That infamous race saw McLaren teammates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost collide. Senna rejoined the race after taking a service road, a move that saw him disqualified from first position — and that saw a win handed to Nannini.

Sadly, Nannini’s career came to an early end after a helicopter crash that saw him lose a limb.

Vittorio Brambilla, Austria 1975

A last-lap crash couldn’t stop Vittorio Brambilla from taking his first and only win at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix.

It was a rainy event that saw the usual running order thrown for a loop, and as the conditions got worse, Brambilla got better.

He managed to snatch the lead from James Hunt and kept motoring his March in a well-earned lead.

But on lap 29, the conditions were bad enough that the race was called off early — and as Brambilla neared the finish line, the arrival of the checkered flag threw him for a loop. Wasn’t it too early for the race to end?

Brambilla spun into the barriers and bounced across the track, but he still managed to cross the finish line for his one win and final podium in F1.

Jochen Mass, Spain 1975

Jochen Mass’ win at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was unbelievable, albeit for its tragedy.

The weekend was a mess from the start, as drivers arrived at the Montjuic track to find the barriers in a state of disarray.

In order for anything to be done about it, they had to protest the race — and miss out on critical practice laps.

Then, at the start, a four-way collision dumped oil on the track, catching out one driver after another. Mass, who started in 11th on the grid, had made his way up to the lead on lap 26 of 75.

But then, Rolf Stommelen crashed. His rear wing sheared off and sent him into a crowd at top speed, killing five spectators in the process.

The race paced for four more laps until it was called off, handing Mass a bloody win.

Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Monaco 1972

Though Jean-Pierre Beltoise was a master of two-wheeled competition in France, his move to Formula 1 never amounted to much success — at least, not until the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix.

With heavy rain soaking the grid at the start of the race, Beltoise mustered all his spirit to launch into the lead on the inside of St. Devote. That was that.

With heavy spray kicking up rooster tails behind him, Beltoise remained unchallenged all the way through to the checkers.

His only F1 victory came with a massive lead of 38 seconds.

Peter Gethin, Italy 1971

British racer Peter Gethin’s singular Formula 1 victory came at the most exciting race in the sport’s history: The 1971 Italian Grand Prix.

The track was always renowned for its slippery aerodynamic challenge, and that fact only became more true as wings entered the equation.

In the race, the grid broke up into several packs of drivers, all of whom were battling fiercely for the lead.

And it was a battle that went down to the wire. Gethin was racing hard against Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood, and Ronnie Peterson on the approach to the finish — but it was Gethin that nosed over the finish line just 0.01 seconds ahead of the competition.

It was the only victory he’d have in the series before retiring after 1974.

Ludovico Scarfiotti, Italy 1966

In 1963, Luduvico Scarfiotti said he’d never race in Formula 1 again.

The following year, he was back behind the wheel — and two years later, he secured his only Grand Prix victory at Monza.

The Italian driver was racing for Ferrari, and despite taking the lead at the start of the race, he dropped back to seventh by the start of the second lap.

It took Mike Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini, both of Scarfiotti’s teammates, to hold off the rest of the pack, but Scarfiotti made it.

Shockingly, he remains the last Italian racer to win the Italian Grand Prix.

Richie Ginther, Mexico 1965

Richie Ginther had no business winning the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.

The American racer was a strong competitor in his own right, but that season he was driving a Honda — a car that had debuted the season prior in very unimpressive fashion.

But in Mexico, Ginther made magic happen.

He qualified third behind Jim Clark and Dan Gurney, and by the first corner, he had both men beat.

Ginther remained there through to the checkered flag to take the only win of his career with a car that had retired from more races than it finished.

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