The history of Formula 1 is a long one and over the years, crazy things have happened. It is hard to separate just a few, but we will try to do so because each season is specific and positive and negative crazy characterize it. Formula One is one of the finest motor sports, but did you know about these 15 things?
15. Hans Heyer’s Illegal Start
Hans Heyer was driving for Germany’s team ATS and he entered the 1977 Grand Prix at Hockenheim. Even though he wasn’t qualified for the race, he decided to start the race anyway, but he only went on for nine laps.
14. Expensive Diamonds Got Destroyed
At 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, the Jaguar Racing team and the movie Ocean’s 12 partnered up for promotion. The noses of cars driven by Webber and Christian Klien had $150,000 diamonds and Klien got crashed…Ups!
13. Three drivers “Shared” The Pole Time
During the qualification for the final round of the 1997 season that was held in Jerez, Michael Schumacher, Jaques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentze set the exactly same time in qualification, a 1m21.072 seconds.
12. One Driver was 24th
Even though several seasons had 24 racers, only one finished at the last place, which is the lowest finishing position of any driver in the sport. He was Narain Karthikeyan and in Valencia in 2011 all 24 starters finished the race.
11. Michael Schumacher Won in the Pitlane
Often, the finish line in a Grand Prix is several meters back from the start line and to enter the box, some teams need to pass that line. In the 1998 British Grand Prix, Schumacher received a stop/go penalty for passing another driver behind the safety car. However, the penalty came at the right time, two laps from the end of the race and Ferrari served it at the end of the final lap. Schumacher passed the finish line before he could serve the penalty and thus kept his victory.
10. Only one team has a 100% Strike Rate
One team which has 100% strike rate is Brawn GP team. They were born out of the ashes of the Honda project but they only participated in one season.
9. McLaren used the Spice Girls to launch the 1997 F1 Car
In 1997 McLaren was looking for a way to win and they launched a new car in partnership with cigarette company West. To advertise it, McLaren brought in the spice girls, which was fun and memorable at the same time.
8. Every F1 driver whose last name is Hill is an F1 Champion
Only three drivers whose last name was Hill were in F1, but they were all champions. Phil Hill was one of them and Graham and Damon Hill, who were father and son were also among the champs. Phil climbed the top in 1961, whereas Graham Hill won in 1962 and 1968. Damon Hill was triumphant in 1996.
7. Manhole Covers need to be weld down before a Monaco race
Monaco is the most famous race in F1 because it is held in the streets of the city. However, crazy precautions need to be taken before the race. Namely, manhole covers are welded down because of the enormous downforce of the vehicles.
6. Drivers Shared Cars
In the inception of the sport, drivers were allowed to share the vehicles. These cars were not that advanced and this was a common thing at first.
5. Only 1 Team Still Exists from 1950
The teams which competed in the 1950s are no longer here. Some of these were Maserati, Talbot and ERA but they all remained in the past. One team with the longest history, since the inception of F1 is Ferrari. Hopefully, they will stay active for a long time.
4. The Indy 500 used to be on the Calendar
The Indianapolis 500 is considered to be “the greatest spectacle in racing” and in the past, it was a part of the tour. In fact, from 1950 to 1960, it was an inevitable part of it.
3. More G-Force than a Space Shuttle
People are unaware of how powerful F1 cars are. The g-force they produce is the similar to the one of an airforce fighter pilot. The largest g-force produced in by a NASA space shuttle, which is a 3.5g. Hamilton’s pole lap from 2017 peaked at over 6g.
2. F1 Car won a race with a massive fan
The Brabham BT46B was a variant of the BT46 Brabham race car and it has only raced once. Despite the massive fan in the rear end, this vehicle managed to finish first.
1.The first and last race of a season was held in Australia
The season finale took place in Adelaide, but the last time that happened was in 1995 before the Australian Grand Prix moved to Melbourne. In 1995 and 1996, Australia hosted to consecutive Grand Prix and the same guy won both races. Remember Damon Hill? He won the last race in Adelaide and the first one in Melbourne.
