Although the front of the F1 grid is the area with most attention as we head to Japan, at the back a small championship of it’s own has been contested since Bahrain. Spanish racers Hispania Racing Team (HRT), Virgin Racing and the resurrected Lotus Racing have been, at time, seconds off the pace all year and competing with no-one but themselves. If they were to be put in scoring positions, who would technically be on top?

The premise of this blog is simple; if there was no other cars but the new start up teams, who would be leading the “Backmarker Championship”?

The scoring system works points being awarded to all 6 runners, following the old system of 10-5-4-3-2-1. So, even if a driver drops out early (usually down to hydraulic problems, that’s the achilles heel of these new outfits) then they would still be guarunteed a single point.

And so, this is how the season has panned out so far…

Bahrain: Lotus make a dream start in Bahrain, coming home 1-2 with Heikki Kovalainen winning from Jarno Trulli. Bruno Senna, in a car Hispania didn’t even test, rounds out the podium. Virgin end up 4th and 5th with Karun Chandhok in the other Hispania retiring after only a single lap.

Australia: Kovalainen keeps up the good form by winning again, this time in the rain from a recovering Chandhok. Virgin make the podium in the form of Timo Glock while Lotus’s Jarno Trulli suffers the first of many hydraulics problems that beset the team.

Malaysia: Rookie Lucas Di Grassi secures his and Virgin’s first race win on the home track of Lotus. Chandhok finishes second again to prove Australia wasn’t a fluke, with team-mate Bruno Senna finishing third for his first podium. Lotus disappoint the home crowd with only 4th and 5th, and Glock spins in the early stages of the race.

China: Another rain affected race brings Lotus back the fore, Kovalainen scoring his third win in four races. Trulli suffers another hydraulics issue to finish 5th, but the Hispania’s again prove the doubters wrong by finishing 2nd and 3rd to complete the podium.

Spain: As F1 heads into the European legs, Jarno Trulli takes his first win of the season ahead of Virgin’s Timo Glock and Lucas Di Grassi. Lotus team-mate Kovalainen becomes the Malaysian team’s driver to suffer hydraulic issues. Hispania drop to 4th and 5th after several strong races.

Monaco: Karun Chandhok takes Hispania’s first ever win, but not without incident, with second place Jarno Trulli finishing on top of the Indian’s car at the Rascasse corner. Heikki Kovalainen extends his lead in the championship by finishing 3rd. Virgin finish in the final points positions after a poor weekend in the Principality. 

Turkey: Virgin turn it around and score a maiden 1-2 with Timo Glock on the top step from team-mate Di Grassi. Lotus suffer a double retirement due to hydraulics, meaning Hispania finish ahead of them as the second best team of the race weekend.

Canada: Kovalainen takes his fourth win of the season ahead of closest rival Karun Chandhok. Lucas Di Grassi beats his more experienced team-mate Glock to third, while brake and gearbox issues blight Jarno Trulli and Bruno Senna respectively.

Europe: At Valencia’s street circuit, Luca Di Grassi takes his second win of the year to move ahead of Glock in the standings. On Hispania’s home soil, Chandhok takes his 4th successive podium and 7th in 9 races. Timo Glock takes third to boost Virgin’s constructors chances. Kovalainen’s clash with Mark Webber costs him crucial points in the championship

Great Britain: Virgin’s home race ends with a 3rd place for Timo Glock, but it’s Lotus who take maximum points with a 1-2, Trulli taking only his second race win and first since Spain. Bruno Senna is inexplicably replaced with Sakon Yamamoto, who only picks up 2 points. Chandhok’s run of podiums ends with a 4th place finish, and a hydraulic issue relegates Di Grassi to sixth.

Germany: Timo Glock takes his second win of the year ahead of the returning Bruno Senna. Surprise of the season Karun Chandhok is replaced by Yamamoto, but he can’t improve on 5th again. Heikki Kovalainen takes third to extend his points lead over team-mate Trulli, who suffers more gearbox woe.

Hungary: Lotus sort their reliability issues to secure another 1-2, their third of the year. Kovalainen takes his 5th win of the season ahead of Trulli to yet again move further ahead in the title race. Hispania stick with Yamamoto who ends up 6th and last. Timo Glock takes 3rd place for Virgin.

Belgium: A month away from the racetrack doesn’t slow Kovalainen down, who secures  yet another race victory. Main Championship rival Timo Glock finishes behind team-mate Lucas Di Grassi, while Hispania are way off the pace in 5th and 6th, denting their hopes of overtaking Virgin Racing.

Italy: Glock wins to claw some points back over Kovalainen, but the Finn takes second to stay firmly in control of the championship. Sakon Yamamoto takes 3rd for his first podium but it’s a bittersweet day for Hispania with Senna retiring due to hydraulics.

Singapore: Virgin take their second successive win with Lucas Di Grassi returning to winning ways. Kovalainen takes second and extends his lead to 23 points over Glock, who comes home 3rd. Food poisoning keeps Sakon Yamamoto from competing, but substitute Chris Klien out-qualifies and out-races Bruno Senna to 4th. Customary hydraulic issues continues Jarno Trulli’s poor run of form.

So, with all points summed up, the Backmarkers Championship table would look like this:

Heikki Kovalainnen: 92 points, 6 wins
Timo Glock: 69 points, 3 wins
Lucas Di Grassi: 68 points, 3 wins
Jarno Trulli: 57 points, 2 wins
Karun Chandhok: 49 points, 1 win
Bruno Senna: 41 points, no wins
Sakon Yamamoto: 11 points, no wins
Chris Klien: 3 points, no wins

So, it’s clear to see that Kovalainnen is firmly in the driving seat for being named Backmarker Champion, and coupled with some decent points from Jarno Trulli, Lotus are also out front in the constructors. The main surprise? Karun Chandhok was easily ahead of Bruno Senna before money issues shoehorned him out of the car, to be replaced by a willing donor in the shape of Sakon Yamamoto.

And for the constructors championship:

Lotus Racing: 161 points, 9 wins

Virgin Racing: 137 points, 6 wins

Hispania Racing Team: 104 points, 1 win

With four races to go, can Virgin overhaul Lotus? The announcements that Lotus are fully focused on 2011, while Virgin are still moving forward with this years development bode well for the run in. In Hispania’s case? The driver merry-go-round and lack of funds are hampering an otherwise competitive run for Karun Chandhok. Will he be back for Korea, Brazil or Abu Dhabi? Only if his sponsors can muster the funds.

One things for sure, even though the cars at the back can’t be seen, the racing is just as intense.

1990 United States Grand Prix – Phoenix, Arizona

The Build-Up

The first round of the 1990 Formula One season was the first race since Alain Prost won the title from McLaren team-mate Aryton Senna, and then swapping seats with Gerhard Berger at Ferrari. Even though Prost was champion, Senna felt that it was a title won through inappropriate means. The winter period was focused on the war of words between the two. In other events, the tyre war between Goodyear and Pirelli raged on as teams picked sides. Most of Pirelli’s customers were lower midfield and backmarkers looking to keep costs down, while Goodyear continued to work with the front runners. Tyrrell, after 18 years of business with Goodyear, switched to the Italian company just two days before the race, to the surprise of the whole paddock. It was to prove inspirational for what was to come.

Qualifying

As the race in Phoenix was moved to March to avoid the summer heat, only to have the opposite effect. Rain affected the Friday session, meaning that the grid had to be decided on Saturday. With that, some unusual names appeared in the top ten grid, like Andre De Cesaris in a Scuderia Italia, Roberto Moreno in a Eurobrun, and the biggest shock of them all, Pierluigi Martini in a Minardi on the front row, for the first time in the small Italian teams history.

Pole position was the familiar image of a McLaren, but with Gerhard Berger behind the wheel instead of Senna, out-qualifying the great Brazilian at the first attempt. The top four read Berger, Martini, De Cesaris and the Tyrrell of Jean Alesi, starting his first full season in F1. Senna could only manage fifth.

The Race

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Race day was cool with a chance of more rain, but it stayed dry for the duration. The start was even more important than usual, because of the haphazardness of the grid positions. Berger quickly pulled ahead of Martini and moved over in front of him, but Alesi, whose F1 career had begun in his home country of France the previous summer, made an even quicker start, passed them both and outbraked Berger into the first corner. He immediately began pulling away, and led by 2.4 seconds after one lap.

Senna got by de Cesaris for third, and closed on Berger, who was giving up a half second a lap to Alesi. The Brazilian got by his teammate when, on lap 9, Berger hit a bump under braking, backed into the tire wall and damaged his rear wing. He pitted for a new wing, and recorded the fastest lap of the race, but eventually retired with a clutch problem.

When Berger spun, Senna was 8.2 seconds behind Alesi. Not knowing whether the Tyrrell’s Pirelli tires would last, Senna was reluctant to push too hard early on. The Italian rubber had proven its durability when, after 30 laps, Alesi remained in the lead.

Patiently waiting for an opportunity, Senna slipped inside Alesi on lap 34, but he was shocked when the Tyrrell held the outside line on the exit and took the inside on the very next turn. Even though his car was underpowered in comparison to the McLaren, the twisty nature of the Phoenix track and the extra grip of the Pirelli tyres meant that he had a car that could match the great Brazilian. At the very same point on the racetrack, one lap later, Senna pounced again. This time making sure he had the proper line through the short straight to the next turn to hold onto the lead.

After several attempts to regain first position, Alesi decided to conserve his tires, and let Senna go. Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet had progressed from sixth on the grid to third by lap 17. Brake trouble caused him to flatspot his tires, however, and on lap 28 he pitted for new ones. This allowed Thierry Boutsen’s Williams through, and though he battled a problem with his engine intermittently cutting out, he maintained third place to the flag. Piquet had to settle for fourth in his first drive for Benetton.

Alain Prost had fallen back to ninth at the start when he couldn’t select third gear, and, while he advanced to fourth place by lap 17, his gearbox troubles proved terminal on lap 21. In the other Ferrari, Nigel Mansell’s departure on lap 49, while running fifth, was more spectacular. On the straight at 160 mph, his clutch disintegrated and pierced the oil tank. The engine seized and erupted in a huge fireball, sliding all over the track. Mansell somehow controlled the spin and was able to stop safely.

Senna built his lead over Alesi to 28.5 seconds, but backed off slightly when his engine began sounding less than healthy. Stefano Modena and Satoru Nakajima, in a Brabham and the second Tyrrell, respectively, finished the scoring in fifth and sixth places. It was the 21st win of Ayrton Senna’s career and the first of six for the season. The Brazilian would go on to win his second World Championship. Alesi scored the first podium finish of his career.

Why It Should Be Remembered

It’s not often that a career defining race comes along in this sport. In recent years it has been very hard for a driver to make a name for himself in one race or at one event, but more over the course of a season. In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s it was a different story. In an under-funded, under-powered team Jean Alesi had challenged one of the best drivers in the world and given as good as he got. Another second place in Monaco, his time fending off the McLaren of Berger, only solidified the fact that a new star was rising in Formula One. The next time F1 made its way to Phoenix, Jean Alesi had replaced Nigel Mansell at Ferrari, a drive that he had dreamed of his whole career.

Five years at Maranello did not meet the potential that it could have, with only one win to his name, at Canada in 1995. The tifosi though, judges of characters that they are, took to him just like other drivers such as Gilles Villenueve. Even through the twilight years of his career at Prost and Jordan, the fire still burned occasionally. His career may have been less bright, but that overcast afternoon in Phoenix it simply exploded.

DISCLAIMER: This unfortunately is not an unbiased article. I have never been, nor will ever be, a fan of Michael Schumacher. These are merely the five worst moments I have picked, but there have been countless incidents between 1994 and 2010. I respect the opinion that people see him as the greatest driver ever. I just don’t agree.

5. 2005 USA Grand Prix

The race at the brickyard in 2005 will always be remembered for the fact that only the six Bridgestone cars on the grid took the start line. Safety concerns generated through the Michelin tyres on the other runners resulted in a protest from all the teams the French company supplied, massively depleting the grid after the parade lap. You would think that with Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi being the only cars, the Prancing Horse would ease to the flag. That all changed during the pit-stops when Schumacher, exiting the pits, pressured team-mate Rubens Barrichello into turn one with the Brazilian ending up in the gravel, even though he was able to rejoin the track.

Even in a race that his team had sewn up from the very first lap, Schumacher needed to be at the top step, no matter the cost. This may have been missed by the media, but fans remembered it, and probably planted the seed that made Rubens look to a fairer drive for 2006.

4. 2002 Austrian Grand Prix

This was the infamous race that led to the creation of Article 39.1.  At the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello led his team-mate Schumacher going into the last lap. Just before the last corner, Barrichello began to slow and Schumacher passed him on the line for the race win, and to a chorus of boos. On the podium, in response to the jeers of the crowd, Schumacher insisted that Barrichello take the top spot on the podium. Schumacher took the trophy for first place from the Austrian chancellor and gave it to Barrichello, who then took the second place trophy. Barrichello, Schumacher and Ferrari were fined one million U.S. dollars for the failure to observe Article 170 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations concerning the podium ceremony.

Another incident at the USA Grand Prix later that year, where Schumacher gifted a win to Barrichello in reply, made the FIA ban team orders from then on. Whispers of contractual obligations to maintain Schumachers title challenges shows that any team he was in was geared towards him, and him alone.

3. 2006 Monaco Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher didn’t just save his win-at-all-costs attitude for race days, as the Monaco round of 2006 proved. The final qualifying session was overshadowed by his actions in the dying moments of the session as his rival, Fernando Alonso, was on a flying lap and was, at sector two, over two tenths of a second faster than the German. However, Schumacher stopped his car in the Rascasse corner, which compromised Alonso’s lap. When asked about the incident, Schumacher responded by saying that he “locked up the front and went wide.”

The consensus in the paddock was that it was a deliberate act and the issue was raised with the race stewards. The stewards agreed and punished Schumacher by sending him to the back of the grid. Ferrari’s Managerial Director, Jean Todt, said that he was “disgusted” by the decision. Steward Joaquin Verdegay commented, “He performed some absolutely unnecessary and pathetic counter-steering, and that lasted five metres, until there was no more chances of going through the turn normally. He lost control of the car while travelling at 16km/h. That’s something completely unjustifiable.”

2. 1994 Australian Grand Prix

The next two entries on this list are strikingly similar, and demonstrate the key part of Schumacher’s driving ego that is probably the most polarising; the self-sacrificing need to win.

Adelaide 1994, the final race of the season, was to be the decisive race between the two drivers who had captivated fans all season long. Michael Schumacher arrived at the decisive race of the 1994 season with only one point lead over rival Damon Hill, who has just beaten Schumacher in a thrilling wet Japanese Grand Prix. To all intents and purposes, the drivers’ Championship was wide open. Fittingly, Schumacher and Hill dominated the race, with Schumacher leading but constantly under pressure from Hill. At around lap 20 Schumacher made a mistake: a sudden twitch from the car sent him touching a barrier with his right side wheels, only to allow Hill to close up and to try a pass in the next corner. Schumacher knew that should Hill pass him, his title hopes are gone. He also felt that the title was rightly his, as he had, after all, dominated the season whenever he was on track. So Schumacher literally shut the door and crashed into Hill, both of them subsequently retiring. 

Schumacher took the drivers’ championship title by that one point. After the race he was quick to claim that it was not a corner fit for passing and that Hill never had the room to pass there anyway. Hill himself seemed hesitant, and at that time did not directly blame Schumacher for taking him out. Until it was Adelaide all over again.

1. 1997 European Grand Prix

The scenario of the 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez was frighteningly similar to the 1994 final Grand Prix, with Schumacher leading the title hunt by a mere one point over Canadian Jacques Villeneuve.

The latter, on pole, was beaten by a brilliant start from Schumacher who took the lead by the first corner. That order maintained until soon after the second set of pit stops Villeneuve started closing in on Schumacher in ferocious rate. Whether Schumacher had some sort of a problem with his car, or whether Villeneuve was simply on a newer, better, set of rubber is unknown to this day, but realistically what is known is that Villeneuve started closing in on Schumacher, knowing that he has to make a move if he was ever to be World Champion. 

Coming to Dry Sack corner on lap 48 Villeneuve ambitiously took the inside line, braking very late and taking Schumacher partly by surprise. It can be clearly seen in the TV replays that Schumacher soon acknowledged Villeneuve on his side; first Schumacher turned away, giving Villeneuve some room and then, at what looks like an intentional move, turned into him, hitting Villeneuve’s side pod with his right front. The contact sent Schumacher straight to the gravel, but also slowed down Villeneuve enough to enable him to make the corner. Without that contact Villeneuve would have gone wide and would have opened Schumacher a gap giving him a chance to take back the lead at the exit of the corner. Nevertheless, Villeneuve cruised to finish in third place and with Schumacher out of the race; Villeneuve was crowned the World Champion by a three points lead. 

Schumacher quickly tried to blame Villeneuve for the incident. “I braked on the maximum, he braked even later”, he said and added, “He used me a little bit as a brake… If I had not been there, he would have gone a little bit into the grass.” He also dismissed any criticism saying he did not make a mistake and that “In the same circumstances, I wouldn’t do anything different.” 

The FIA saw it differently.

Stripped of all points and position in the championship, Schumacher’s reputation was tarnished forever. Nearly a decade later he had a staggering five World Titles sewn up, but that black mark of Jerez, and arguably Adelaide, are still there for the world to see.

It seems the German’s achievements are always overshadowed by one argument or another. For Michael Schumacher draws controversy no matter what he does, whether he wins or loses. Formula One fans love him or hate him, but never ignore him. He is always the centre of the story, and he has the ability – which the F1 money makers love so much – to draw endless attention from race fans all over the world.

5. 1986 – Piquet Slides into the Lead

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   

The first race held at the Hungaroring in 1986 is where we start the list. As regular readers will know, I view 1986 as the greatest season in F1. The talents of Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost and Aryton Senna all fought for the drivers title all the way until the final round. In this first race behind the Iron Curtain, the tight and twisty track began to make a name for itself, but in regular fashion these drivers broke away from the expected. In a sight that hasn’t been repeated since, Piquet overtook Senna after a previous bungled attempt by powersliding his way around his Brazilain compatriot. It’s still regarded as one of the best overtaking moments in Formula One history.   

4. 2006 – Jenson Button Breaks His Duck

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]  

Before Jenson Button won the world title last year, the Frome racer only had one race victory to his name, at Hungary in ’06. The race was the first wet race in the event’s histry and Sunday was one of the most exciting. Polesitter Kimi Raikkonen took the lead early on. Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher made their way through the field with Schumacher up into 6th place from 11th into the first corner, and Alonso climbing from 15th place to pass Schumacher on the outside of turn 5 and reach 3rd place. He then took the lead after the McLarens of Pedro de la Rosa and Raikkonen pitted. Schumacher lost his front wing battling with Giancarlo Fisichella for 5th place and was forced to pit, going a lap down. Soon after Jenson Button overtook  Felipe Massa, Fisichella and Schumacher in just under the space of 2 laps. Raikkonen struggled on his second set of tires and ended up crashing into the back of Vitantonio Liuzzi‘s Toro Rosso, vaulting the car and bringing out the safety car. Alonso then pitted, allowing Schumacher to get back on the lead lap. Another beneficiary of the safety car was Jenson Button, who decided not to pit during the safety car period and climbed up to 2nd place behind Alonso. After the period was over Button began to challenge Alonso, but soon had to pit for fuel. Alonso led, but after a pitstop for dry tires his right-rear wheel nut detached, causing the Spaniard to lose control and crash. Button inherited the lead and was never challenged from then on. Schumacher made his way up to 2nd by staying on intermediate tires as others around him pitted for dry weather ones, but this gamble backfired as the cars on dries caught him in the final laps. Schumacher defended his position (including controversially cutting a chicane on consecutive laps without penalty), but Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld both ultimately passed him. Whilst he was being overtaken Schumacher banged wheels with Heidfeld, damaging his Ferrari’s suspension and forcing him out of the race with two laps to go. Button won the race despite beginning in 14th place, with de la Rosa scoring his first podium with second place, and Heidfeld getting BMW Sauber‘s first ever podium with 3rd. After 113 race starts Jenson Button was finally a race winner.   

3. 1997 – So Close For Damon Hill

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   

Every World Champion wants a chance to retain his title the following year, but for Damon Hill, it was more of case of saving face while at Arrows in 1997. By holding out for more money from Williams in 1996, he was left with very few competitive seats when Frank Williams ultimately signed Heinz-Harold Frentzen. Struggling all year, the Hungaroring was a welcome relief for the driver and team as the under-powered Yamaha engine wouldn’t be as big as a factor as on other tracks. The use of Bridgestone tyres also helped as Hill qualified an impressive third. At the start, he passed Eddie Irvine to move into second, and by lap seven was harrasing Michael Schumacher for the lead, passing into turn one in a truly surreal moment. The reigning champion then went on to scamper into the distance, holding onto the lead throughout the pit-stops. The chequered flag was within sight, but with two laps to go Hill began to slow as a result of a throttle linkage failure. Second placed man Jacques Villenueve caught and passed Hill, putting two wheels on the grass to do so. Hill still managed second as Johnny Herbert was too far back to capitalise. After the poium celebrations, it emerged that the problem that cost Arrows the victory was a faulty rubber washer valued at a mere 50p. For one afternoon the team was on top of the F1 pile, a champion had a chance to reign supreme after a poor season, and Britain was captivated.   

2. 1989 – Nigel Mansell Achieves the Impossible

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   

The Hungaroring is a place of strong memories and emotions for any Nigel Mansell fan. It was here in 1987 that a faulty wheelnut cost him the race win, and ultimately the title. That low was replaced by the high of sealing a long awaited World Drivers crown by mid-season, a feat that wasn’t matched until Michael Schumacher did the same in 2004. But, the best memory of Nigel Mansell came three years earlier, during his first season at Ferrari. Already a race winner at the opening round in Brazil, by the time the season got to Hungary it was clear that the Ferrari wasn’t as fast as the other teams around them. On the Saturday he qualified 12th, but by the first corner on Sunday he had moved up to 8th. Regular backmarker Alex Caffi had surprisingly qualified in third, but it was clear he was holding up much faster cars as the race wore on. Before long he had been passed by both McLarens of Gerhard Berger and Alain Prost, and was holding up a train of cars consisting of William’s Thierry Boutsen, Alessandro Nannini’s Benetton, Mansell and Derek Warwick’s Arrows. Nannini exited the train when he pulled in to change tyres. This promoted Mansell to 7th, which he quickly turned into 5th by passing Boutsen and Caffi in quick succession. He then set about closing the 17 second gap to the leaders, and was promoted fourth when Berger pitted for tyres. Having caught up to the leading group, Mansell passed Prost for third. Ricardo Patrese’s Williams then began to develop a problem which bunched up the leading group. Eventually, Patrese’s problem became so bad that both Aryton Senna and Mansell were able to pass him in the space of a few corners. Patrese retired form the race shortly afterwards. Mansell now began to pressurize Senna, clearly faster but unable to pass due to the extra power of the McLaren’s Honda engine. Meanwhile, Prost pitted for tyres and rejoined sixth, while Berger only inherited third briefly before he retired with gearbox problems, leaving Senna and Mansell on their own. Eventually, the pair came up to lap Stefan Johansson’s Onyx. Senna caught him at an awkward moment, just at the accelerating zone out of turn 3. The Brazilian uncharacteristically hesitated, briefly lifting off allowing Mansell to draw alongside as they went past and use the Ferrari’s greater momentum to surge past take the lead. After that, Mansell had an unchallenged run to victory from Senna, with Boutsen completing the podium. It was a magnificent victory on a track notorious for no overtaking, but Mansell made it look easy.   

1. 1998 – Michael Schumacher Proves His Class 

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   

I remember watching this race and thinking at the time that Michael Schumacher could claim to be the greatest driver of all time off this performance alone. The build up to this race was the same as it had been all season long; the McLaren’s were the fastest car on the grid and everyone else had to perform out of their skin to beat them. Qualifying was the usual far of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard on the front row, with Schumacher in third, a feat made more impressive considering it was on the harder tyre compound.  At the start of the race Hakkinen built up a lead of around three seconds, while Coulthard found himself under attack from Schumacher’s Ferrari. Eddie Irvine disappeared early in the race with gearbox trouble, which left Damon Hill in fourth place. When the pit stops began it was still unclear which cars were running which strategies but soon afterwards Schumacher’s remarkable pace indicated that he might be stopping three times. The McLaren strategists spotted this and prepared to bring Hakkinen and Coulthard in as soon as Schumacher made a move: in this way the German would be bottled up in the vital laps when he needed to be lapping quickly. Schumacher’s second stop came on lap 43 and immediately the McLarens were called in. Schumacher’s pace in those vital laps was so fast, however, that he was ahead of both McLarens when he re-emerged. The Ferrari star then had to push incredibly hard to build up a sufficient advantage to stay ahead of the McLarens during his third pit stop. As Schumacher charged away Hakkinen began to struggle with a shock absorber problem. Coulthard radioed that he was being held up by the Finn but he was trapped until the team gave him the go-ahead to overtake. This did not happen for four laps during which time David lost vital seconds to Schumacher. The German was pushing so hard up front that at one point he went off the road. Although Coulthard pushed hard, his tyres would not allow him to lap any faster and when Schumacher pitted the Ferrari stayed ahead and won. Absolutely breathtaking stuff. 

That’s it for this week’s edition of the Top 5. After this weekend’s race there will be a three-week gap before the next Grand Prix, and in that time I’ll be looking for any ideas for future columns. If you have anything you’d like to see, feel free to add to the comments section underneath. Thanks for reading! 

5. Johnny Herbert takes his first win

[youtube LR60EhxzslY]

It took many years of hard work and perseverance for British crowd favourite Johnny Herbert to get a seat at a top team, and when he joined Benetton in 1995 it was seen by many to be the opportunity he had worked to hard to achieve. But as future team-mates of Michael Schumacher found out, second fiddle was the best he could expect. When the season got to Silverstone, a coming together of Schumacher and arch rival Damon Hill promoted to him to the lead of the race, but with Hill’s team-mate David Coulthard closing fast. Coulthard would pick-up a stop-go penalty however, and Herbert was free to cruise home for an emotional first win, epitomised by every team waving him over the line.

4. Aryton Senna hitches a lift back to the pits

 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

1991 was the last time the great Brazilian would claim the World Drivers title. Dominant at the start of the year, it took a strong effort from the Williams team and lead driver Nigel Mansell to prevent it from being a total walkover. By the time the British Grand Prix came round, Williams had fixed their reliability gremlins and Mansell duly put his car on pole, with Senna close behind. As predicted, these two scampered off into the distance, until the final lap when the McLaren slowly ground to a halt. Mansell, seeing Senna stranded and a track invasion imminent, stopped to give his great rival a lift back to the pits, with the Brazilian gripping onto the airbox throughout the Victory Lap.

3. Lewis Hamilton dominates in the wet

 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

A more recent entry on the list is also the last British winner of the race. The English summer of 2008 delivered a rainy day for Lewis Hamilton’s second attempt at winning his home race, and what occurred that afternoon was one of the most dominant displays of wet-weather driving by someone without the surname Schumacher. By the time Hamilton crossed the finish line, he was a monumental 68 seconds ahead of second-placed man Nick Heidfeld, and another 14 ahead of third placed Rubens Barrichello. Everyone else in the race had been lapped. No one had dominated a Grand Prix in such a manner for over 13 years, and it set the ball rolling for the young Brit to claim the World Drivers crown many months later in Brazil. On that wet day in July, a new superstar was born.

2. Michael Schumacher wins in the pitlane

 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

How can we have an F1 list without a little sprinkling of Michael Schumacher controversy? In 1998, the Red Baron had been battling with Mika Hakkinen for the title all season long, and moving into the British Grand Prix, both drivers were at the sharp end of the grid. Yet again, race day was rainy and damp, and both drivers moved ahead of the field, Hakkinen was in front and built a heavy gap. A mistake led to a spin and fron wing damage though, and a safety car period would define the race in the history books. Schumacher would lap Alexander Wurz under the safety car whilst keeping up with Hakkinen, and the race stewards issued a penalty at the very end of the race, but it was unclear whether it was a 10 second stop-go, or 10 seconds added to his race time. Making sure they obeyed protocol, and now that Schumacher had a healthy gap ahead of Hakkinen, Ferrari brought their lead driver in for a stop-go penalty, crossing the line in the process. Due to the race stewards bungling, the result stood, even after McLaren protests, but yet another controversial decision had been attributed to the German’s already chequered past.

1. Nigel Mansell and the “Silverstone Two-Step”

 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

No driver has captured the British public’s imagination quite as much as Nigel Mansell. In 1985, he finally secured his maiden win, on British soil at Brands Hatch at the European GP, and then made it one better a year later by winning at Silverstone. But, another 12 months later would prove to be his most impressive victory. By the time the 1987 season began, it was plain to see that the Williams-Hondas of Mansell and Nelson Piquet were the cars to beat, as they traded wins and podiums throughout. Silverstone that year was no different, as both drivers worked their way to the front. By mid-distance, Mansell had picked up a wheel vibration and made an unplanned stop for tyres, and rejoined 29 seconds behind his team-mate with 28 laps remaining. In that period, not only did Mansell catch Piquet, but also broke the lap record a stunning eleven times. On lap 62, while being right behind Piquet, Mansell faked to pass right, only to dive down the inside left, taking the lead and holding on until the end. On his Victory Lap, Mansell’s car ground to a halt, petrol tank empty, and the Silverstone crowd engulfed their hero.

The Good

Although the annual driver’s merry-go-round doesn’t really kick in until the end of the summer, this year’s speculation has already started, focusing on who will be sat alongside Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next season. The purple patch that Mark Webber has found himself in has, in some circles, put him favourite to replace Felipe Massa, something which at the start of the season was pretty much unthinkable. Another man on form is the lead driver for Renault, Robert Kubica. Previous readers will know of the French teams usual placing in The Good after most races, especially after Kubica’s podiums in Australia and Monaco. But, have both men really done enough to be offered a place at Maranello?

Webber has the experience, and has mastered a car which in turn has mastered the 2010 version of the regulations. His experience throughout his career in weaker cars is probably his greatest strength. His luck has been an issue, almost jinxing Williams into the state they’re in now, having good finishes snatched away from him through mechanical issues, and even five non-scoring finishes in a row after scoring that elusive first win in Germany last year. The mindset he now has is his key asset, knowing how to deal with those situations, brush himself off and move on. The rise of Webber is parallel with the rise of Red Bull, and he has grown with the team. Moving into a institution like Ferrari though, may be a bit too much.

Kubica has tasted a sustained driver’s title push only as little as two years ago, before a dip in form, and BMW’s change of focus to the next year’s car, dropped him out of the running. Arguably the most consistent man outside of McLaren and Ferrari that year, the withdrawal of BMW at the end of the next left him without a drive. This year’s consistent form at Renault has brought the spotlight back to him, made extra special as the car is not on pace with McLaren and Ferrari, and still nowhere near Red Bull.

Both drivers are worthy of at least a try at Massa’s seat, and the battle between them both over the remaining rounds, starting this Sunday in Turkey, will be a straight fight, winner take all.

Speaking of Red Bull, rumours have started that the team will be selling it’s naming rights to a “luxury brand” starting next season, reportedly for an estimated £30m. Cue the alcohol based jokes. Smirnoff Vodka Red Bull anyone?

The Bad

Force India doesn’t get a lot of mentions in this column, not because I don’t like them, just because they don’t do anything of note. This week they make it as they have decided against running Paul Di Resta in Friday practice in Turkey this weekend so their race drivers can get used to the new upgrades they’ll be bringing. On the Formula1FanCast Forums, I brought up the lack of track time for Friday drivers already, and this decision only backs up what I was saying; no young drivers get the chance they used to in F1 anymore. Prevously mentioned drivers Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica got their chance through running cars in Friday practice, then being promoted to the race seat because of that. Other current drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Kamui Kobayashi also had testing roles before stepping into race seats.

The ban on testing has also helped remove younger drivers from the opportunities of race seats. We all understand why the ban was put in place (carbon footprint and all that), but it’s just too much to ask of a driver to test for maybe 3 sessions at the start of the year, then step into the same car halfway through the season and be expected perform. Ask Luca Badoer. There is no feasibility of lifting the testing ban, so should every team name a Friday driver? Maybe, but the sport needs a young driver programme to support and nurture drivers into the sport in the safest way possible.

The Backmarkers

Big news for Hispania fans this week; the team has severed links with the Italian car maker Dallara. The car has had upgrades delivered, and have been running them since Spain, but questions have been raised whether the team can keep pushing as much out of this car as possible, or move on to 2011 after only six rounds. Both technical advisor Geoff Willis and reserve driver Chris Klien have been outspoken in the product the team received. In my eyes, no more upgrades means no more speed, so 2011 is the more feasible target. I just hope the money doesn’t dry up before either another supplier or the necessary equipment, then they really will be in trouble.

Lotus won’t use KERS in 2011, according to team boss Tony Fernandes, due to the team sourcing parts all of this year and building up to replacing those parts with in-house ones next year. That’s pretty understandable, as the inclusion of KERS last year meant a massive risk on weight distribution, and for a team like Lotus it’s about doing what they know until they can do it well. Adding more development issues such as including KERS will only slow down the teams aim to be established as soon as possible.

That’s it for this week’s rants and/or raves. Did you agree or disagree? I want to know! Don’t forget to check out all the other weekly articles on the site, including the first edition of a new column The 3-Stop Strategy, and it’s still not to late to check out the Monaco edition of The Top 5 as well. Finally, don’t forget to put your thoughts down in words in the Forums, the only place for F1 banter. See you in seven days!

5. 1988 – Prost out-thinks Senna

1988 was a season for McLaren that every other team dreams of. The team dominated the season, only failing to win one race all year, and clearly had the two best drivers on the grid in the shape of Alain Prost and Aryton Senna. At Monaco, a track where both had the front row locked down yet again with Senna on pole, the wilyness of Prost secured him the win. After a boggy start, he was third behind Gerhard Berger, but after wearing him down and taking second place he began to trade fastest laps with Senna. Aryton responded with two scintillating laps before making an error and spinning at Portier, finishing his race and handing it to Prost. Senna would lock himself away in his Monaco property and not re-emerge for several hours. 

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] 

4. 1992 – Mansell vs. Senna III

 The third mention of these two battling, after last weeks Spanish Moments had two. Nigel Mansell in 1992 was pretty much the man to lose the championship. His Williams-Renault was the quickest car on the grid, driven by the most determined driver. Coming to Monaco, Mansell had won all the previous rounds and was on course to do the same in the principality, when late on in the race, a loose wheel nut forced him into the pits and brought him out behind the only man that could really challenge him on a high downforce track: Aryton Senna. Within two laps of coming out behind the Brazilian, Mansell has cut the lead down from six second to two, and then spent the last five laps desperately trying to get past the McLaren. But, Senna was just too clever, taking the chequered flag and his fifth Monaco win, then equalling Graham Hill’s record, one he would break a year later. 

 3. 1984 – Prost wins in controversial circumstances

Probably one of the more controversial race held at Monte Carlo, the 1984 race saw not only the first win for Alain Prost at the event, but also the emergence of the two drivers at number four in the list. The rain came down heavy that afternoon, and after a delay of nearly 45 minutes the race began. Prost led from pole, but was rapidly caught and passed by Nigel Mansell in his Lotus, who then sped away at a lead of two seconds a lap. Mansell first taste of leading a grand prix ended with a bitter taste, losing grip on a white line heading up to Casino Square six laps later. Prost reassumed the lead, heading a certain Brazilian rookie in a Toleman-Hart; Aryton Senna. Only, with Senna gaining rapidly, Prost felt the conditions were undriveable and waved to the marshals several times to stop the race between laps 29 and 31, finally being granted his wish by head steward Jacky Ickx. The controversy was, Ickx was a Porsche sports car driver and the McLaren were powered by Porsche engines, and Ickx didn’t consult any other stewards before finishing the race. Karma would affect Prost though, as he would lose the championship by half a point, mainly due to this controversial finish earning him half points. 

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] 

2. 1996 – Olivier Panis is 1st…of only 4 cars

In races of attrition, it’s usually the man who keeps his head down who ends up on top. Olivier Panis in his Ligier one rainy day in the principality showed that having the fastest car is not always the best way to score a victory. The Frenchman qualified only 14th in his Ligier but was first across the line after an afternoon of extraordinary drama. The race, which started on a wet track that gradually dried, really should have belonged to either Michael Schumacher, who started from pole in his Ferrari, or Damon Hill, alongside him on the front row in his Williams. Schumacher was taken out of the reckoning when he most uncharacteristically crashed on the first lap and for a long time after that Hill controlled the race, pulling away into a commanding lead over Jean Alesi’s Benetton. The Renault engine of the Williams suffered a rare failure around half-distance and that handed the lead to Alesi, ruining Damon’s chances of emulating father Graham’s success. Alesi lasted only another 20 laps before suffering suspension failure – and that put Panis into the lead. The Ligier driver was in that position after working his way to the front of a queue of cars that had built up behind Eddie Irvine’s fourth-placed Ferrari in the opening laps. Panis passed the Ferrari in a forceful move at the Loews hairpin and once Hill and Alesi were out, all he had to do was hold off the McLaren of David Coulthard – who was wearing Schumacher’s helmet after a problem with his own – for his only grand prix win and Ligier’s first for 15 years. It was to be their last. Out of twenty-two cars that started the race, only four finished and only three of those crossed the finish line after the two hour time limit. Survival of the fittest had never been so entertaining. 

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] 

1. 1982 – Waiting for a Winner

This race is famous for one of the most unexpected finishes in Formula One history: on the last 2 laps of the race, five race leaders went off, but one recovered. By lap 74, when a light rain began, Alain Prost was leading, and then crashed into the Armco barriers coming out of the Chicane du Port. On lap 75, Riccardo Patrese led, spun and stalled at Loews. On the last lap, Didier Pironi led into the tunnel and ran out of fuel, Andrea de Cesaris also ran out of fuel before he could take over the lead, and Derek Daly, the next leader, already had a car with no front or back wing- and then a damaged gearbox which seized up before he could start the final lap. Patrese, who had managed to restart his car by rolling downhill and bump-starting, won the race. Pironi and de Cesaris were classified 2nd and 3rd, with Daly sixth. BBC commentator and 1976 world champion James Hunt famously commented, “Well we’ve got this ridiculous situation where we’re all sitting by the start-finish line waiting for a winner to come past and we don’t seem to be getting one!”. Murray Walker has also stated over the years that this is his favourite grand prix that he’s ever commentated on. 

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] 

Thus concludes this week’s race weekend edition of the Top 5. Do you agree with this week’s list? With this weekends Monaco grand prix on the horizon, what will it have in store for us? As always, let me know in the large white comment box below! 

Don’t forget to follow Formula1FanCast.com on Twitter for all the latest Formula 1 News and Blogs and you’re sure to Like our Facebook Page as well!

Team:

Karun Chandhok was named as the second driver for Hispania Racing after the new Spanish Formula 1 team, formerly known as Campos Meta, secured their future in F1. Chandhok will be the second Indian driver in the history of Formula 1 and teams up alongside fellow F1 novice and former GP2 teammate Bruno Senna for HRT in 2010. The 26 year old became the youngest ever Asian Formula Champion in 2001 and since then Chandhok competed in the British Formula Three National class and became an instructor at the well-renowned Silverstone Race School in 2003. Prior to singing for HRT the promising Indian racing driver has competed in GP2, where he won 2 races in 3 years.

Click here for our Karun Chandhok Gallery!

Team:

Picked up from the departing Toyota F1 team, Kobayashi is an inexperienced driver having completed just 2 Grands Prix but will bring enthusiasm to the Sauber outfit. The 23 year old from Japan started karting in his homeland when he was 9 and was signed up by Toyota’s Driver Academy in 2006. After progressing through the Formula Renault and Formula 3 series he became a test driver for the Toyota F1 team. After one season in GP2 Kobayashi finally got his chance in F1 in 2009 following an injury to Timo Glock. 10th and 6th placed finishes in the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix respectively represents an encouraging start in F1 that the youngster will be hoping to build on in 2010.

Click here for our Kamui Kobayashi Gallery!

Team:

Sauber’s mix of youth and experience in 2010 sees the 37 year old de la Rosa take up the role of the wise head on the team. De la Rosa hasn’t competed in a full Formula 1 season since driving for Jaguar in 2002, but the Spaniard has been involved in F1 for over a decade. He started as a test driver for Jordan in 1998 before competing for Arrows in the 1999 F1 season. Then after 2 seasons with Jordan, de la Rosa spent an extended period of time with the McLaren F1 team, where he was mainly a test driver. However, in his 8 races in 2006 he managed to secure a podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix and will need to show that hunger in 2010 after 3 years without an F1 race.

-

Click here for our Pedro de la Rosa Gallery!