1,000 races and counting!
Last Sunday, the 1,000th F1 Grand Prix took place in Shanghai, China… and to celebrate the occasion the race was won by Lewis Hamilton with his Mercedes team-mate Valttieri Bottas second and Sebastian Vettel third. This was Hamilton’s sixth victory in China.
The first F1 race took place at Silverstone on 13 May 1950 when Italy’s Giuseppe Farina, in an Alfa Romeo, took the chequered flag in front 50,000 spectators.
In those days, races were much longer, and drivers were significantly heavier and the average lap speed of a top-class F1 car was 125mph with 180 mph being the fastest recorded by Farina. The top speed of a F1 car today is around 240mph.
The only sponsors 69 years ago were well-known oil and tyre companies including Shell who supplied various products in exchange for logos on cars, drivers and team crews.
Over a period of eight years (1950-58) the top drivers were Farina, fellow countryman Alberto Ascari, the Argentine duo of Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilan Gonzales, Aussie Jack Brabham, who drove on until 1970) and British’s pair of Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn.
Into the 1960s we had Scotsman Jim Clark (the best F1 driver I ever saw), American Mario Andretti and Austria’s Jochen Rindt, followed in the ‘70s/early ‘80s by Brits James Hunt and Jackie Stewart, Brazilians Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet, Niki Lauda and Carlos Ruetemann. In the late ‘80s/early ‘90s the stars of the track were Alain Proist, Lauda, Jacques Villeneuve, Ayrton Senna, Rubens Barrichello and Britain’s Jensen Button, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell.
After that bunch came the likes of Fernando Alonso, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, Keke and Nico Rosberg, Vallteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and of course Lewis Hamilton, while the upand-coming stars include Charles LeClerc, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, among others.
I’ve missed a few out, so as not to upset too many, here are a few more drivers from the past, listed in A-Z order, who produced the goods in F1 racing: Jean Alesi, Dan Gurney, Denny Hulme, Phil Hill, Alan Jones, Jody Scheckter, John Surtees, Jos Verstappen and Mark Webber.
Fact File:
* Nelson Piquet won the 500th Grand Prix in Australia in 1990.
Most F1 GP wins – 91; most world titles 7 and most podium finishes 155 – all records held by Michel Schumacher.
Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Lewis Hamilton (5), Alain Prost (4), Sebastian Vettel (4), Jack Brabham (3), Niki Lauda (3), N elson Piquet (3), Ayrton Senna (3), Jackie Stewart (3), Jim Clark (2), Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Mikka Hakkonen (2) and Graham Hill (2) follow Schumacher in the number of F1 World titles won.
Most laps led in GP races – 5,111 by Michael Schumacher; Hamilton has over 4,050 to his name.
Youngest F1 race winner – Max Verstappen, aged 18 (Spain 2016).
Oldest race winner – Luigi Fagioli, aged 53 (France, 1951).
764 different drivers have competed in F1 racing and 107 have won at least one GP.
With 323, Rubens Barrichello has driven in most races.
Alberto Ascari was nicknamed Cicciuo (Fatty) and Froilan Gonzalez was known as ‘El Cabezon’ (fat head). They both smoked heavily and ate anything!
NB: The 1,001st F1 Grand Prix takes place a week on Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan.