For the next instalment of our historical retrospective, I would like to look back at driver's swansong races, and which ones went out with a bang, or a whimper. Just whichever ones stand out to you I guess. I would like to nominate a few
Stellar (or good) swansong races
Martin Brundle - Japan 1996, Jordan - a good 5th place in his final race.
Michael Schumacher - 2006 and 2012 - very strong races in Brazil, overcoming problems on both occasions to finish 4th and 7th respectively.
Gerhard Berger - Jerez 1997 - 4th place, apparently slipstreaming Irvine on the final straight to steal 4th place!
And in Rallying
Tommi Makinen - Wales Rally GB 2003, Subaru - despite being a spent force by then, rallied (ahem) himself for one final push to fight with Mcrae, on a rally he hated, to score 3rd place (he only had one other podium that season, 2nd in Sweden).
Carlos Sainz (Snr) - Greece 2005, Citroen - Having retired after 2004 on a poor note having retired from Australia, Carlos got the chance to put things right by subbing for Francois Duval who was in the doghouse. He took 4th in Turkey before finishing off for good with a podium for 3rd place on the Acropolis, before promptly tersely asking Citroen if they would mind not bothering him again to do any more rallies!
And now the bad...
Have to choose Damon Hill for Jordan in 1999 sadly; slipping off at the Spoon curve as in '95, having been nowhere. He then parked his healthy car and slinked off, and that was that.
I would also have to choose Nigel Mansell as well then. Nowhere in Spain 1995 for McLaren, went off lazily then trundled back to the pits a lap down (only a third of the race gone?), basically went "sod this" and walked off not to be seen again. All this while Ron Dennis of all people, wanting everything to be just so, had top brass from Marlboro visiting that race!
Nick Heidfeld - 2011 Hungarian GP, Lotus - Went out in an inferno.
Sutil and Gutierrez last year - 15th and 16th in Abu Dhabi, though the car would have to take some blame.