10 Curiosities From the World of Formula 1
Since 1950, Formula 1 continues to amaze millions of people worldwide. It is a sport with weird facts and rules, but that’s what makes it one of the most popular sporting series in the world. Anything can and will happen in Formula 1. You’ve come to the right spot to find out about 10 strange but true facts about Formula 1, which you may not know about.
Sharing Their Success
The three most successful drivers of the current era, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel, have raced 167 races and obtained 277 podiums competing simultaneously, but only on three occasions they found themselves together on the same podium: Austin 2012 with Hamilton in front of Vettel and Alonso, then Canada and Belgium 2013 with Vettel ahead of his two rivals on both occasions.
An Inglorious Hat-trick
The German driver Hans Heyer is the only one to have obtained the unenviable triple disqualifications of DNQ, DNF, and DSQ in a single race, in the history of Formula 1. It was in the 1977 German Grand Prix, Heyer was at the wheel even though he failed to qualify for the race. After retiring from the race due to a gearbox issue, he became the only driver in history to receive a hattrick of disqualifications.
Three Drivers Sharing Pole Position
Probably the most striking case in the history of Formula 1 was in the 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain. Whilst qualifying, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen got the same time to the thousandth: 1m 21.072s.
It isn’t All About Pole Position
A part of the history of Formula 1 belongs, involuntarily perhaps, also to Teo Fabi. Unfortunately for him, he is the only driver to have obtained the pole without ever leading a lap of the race. Fabi has won 3 pole positions in his 64 races: Germany 1985 with Toleman, Austria and Italy 1986 with Benetton.
Father-and-Son Champions
Of the twelve father-son pairs that have appeared in Formula 1, it is the Hill’s Father and Son champion combination that has achieved the greatest successes. They were the first to win races and the only ones to be world champions.
The Magic Circles
If Senna-Prost remains the strongest rivalry of the last years of Formula 1, the two drivers can be similar in something. Prost won Senna’s debut, as the latter won the last race of Prost. But they are not the only ones to enjoy this curious magic circle. Alan Jones won the debut of Prost and so Prost went on to win the last race of Jones, Schumacher, and Button the same thing, whilst Raikkonen triumphed in the debut of Hamilton and Alonso in the debut of Rosberg.
Incredible Senna
The best race of Ayrton Senna is undoubtedly the masterpiece in the first round of the European GP Donington 1993, when he dominated the whole race with an embarrassing pace for his pursuers. Not everyone knows, however, that Senna had one of his fastest laps going through the pit lane and aborting a pit stop. At that time, there was no speed limit in the pit lane and the Brazilian went straight through the pit-lane as the mechanics were not ready.
A Game For Young People
The physical and mental effort to drive today’s Formula 1 cars hardly allows us to see drivers who are over 40. The first seasons of the World Championship were something different. Just to make a comparison, the average age of the podium of the race in Switzerland in 1950 was 46 years and 9 months. The average age of this year’s race podium in Germany was 25 years and 10 months.
The Best Rivalry?
Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve battled throughout 1997 until the final race in Jerez, where the famous collision between the Ferrari driver and the Williams driver took place. In that year the two drivers scored 12 victories, 7 for Villeneuve and 5 for Schumacher. Curiously, they never climbed together the same rostrum.