The ultimate motorsport, Formula 1 has thrilled thousands of spectators since the creation of the International Racing Formula in 1946, which marked the official start of the competitions. Between impressive records, close victories, and incredible speeds, the highlights of Formula 1 history are sure to amaze you.
The Greatest Records
Formula 1 competitions have produced some impressive records. For example, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello holds the record for the most Grand Prix starts, with 326. He is closely followed by the iconic Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen and the equally legendary Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, with 315 starts each.
The record for the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix was set by Dutchman Max Verstappen in 2015 at the Australian Grand Prix. His age? 17 years and 166 days, an age when many are still in high school. Impressive! This record, moreover, will almost certainly never be broken, as the FIA has decreed that every driver must now be at least 18 years old and hold a valid driver’s license. Conversely, the record for the oldest driver was set in 1955 at the Monaco Grand Prix by Louis Chiron, then 55 years and 292 days old.
Some people collect stamps, others prefer world titles. The undisputed champion in this category is Michael Schumacher. The German driver won no fewer than 7 titles between 1994 and 2014. He is closely followed by Briton Lewis Hamilton with 6 titles, the most recent of which was won in 2019. Perhaps 2020 will be the year this record is equaled? To find out, you can check out predictions for the 2020 Formula 1 season on specialized websites. What surprises does this new season hold in store for us?
Speed freaks
Formula 1 is above all about impressive speeds. The official speed record was set on July 21, 2006, by South African driver Alan Van der Merwe, who managed to push his car to 397.481 km/h.
On a circuit, the highest recorded speed is held by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who reached 372.6 km/h at Monza on August 25, 2005. Finally, the record during a Grand Prix was also set in 2005, this time by Kimi Räikkönen. The Finnish driver broke the previous record by pushing his car to 370.1 km/h during the 2005 Italian Grand Prix. Speaking of speed, it’s worth noting that the record for the longest Grand Prix in history was set at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. Disastrous weather conditions forced drivers to slow down, and the race was even stopped after lap 25 due to heavy rain. The final time for this Grand Prix? 4 hours, 4 minutes, 39.537 seconds. A record for slowness!
Victories by the skin of their teeth
Some moments in competition proved particularly breathtaking, and some victories were truly decided by the narrowest of margins. This was notably the case with Alain Prost’s win at the Australian Grand Prix, a major event that still electrifies crowds today. Trailing Briton Nigel Mansell by six points, the legendary driver Alain Prost snatched victory in the final race thanks to an incredible twist of fate that prevented Mansell from finishing in the top four, which would have been enough for him to clinch the win. The 1971 Italian Grand Prix, meanwhile, holds the record for the smallest margin of victory on the podium. Indeed, only 0.09 seconds separated the victorious driver Peter Gethin from third-placed François Cevert. Even more astonishing, the silver medalist, Ronnie Peterson, missed out on victory by a mere 0.01 seconds. Even more impressive, the top five finishers in this race crossed the finish line
in less than a second Sometimes, the margins are incredibly small.
In qualifying, the smallest gap occurred during the 1997 European Grand Prix, with… 0.000 seconds separating the first and third qualifiers. Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all achieved exactly the same time. Ultimately, it was Jacques Villeneuve who took the victory. Sometimes, reality seems impossible.
An intense sport par excellence, Formula 1 thrills us with its impressive records, breathtaking speed, and victories that are sometimes decided by tenths of a second. A sport that leaves no one indifferent!
