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Damon Hill used the 0 number in 1993-94 as neither Prost nor Senna wanted it. Williams team were the reigning WC but the driver had retired. Did F1 make a ruling that 0 would never be used again? If so what is their solution?Quote:
Originally Posted by inimitablestoo
Being pedantic, the 1952 German GP was not a F1 race as the Championship GPs that year were run for F2 cars.
When the system changed this year to "think of a number" the range given was 1 to 99. Until then, had the World Champion not taken part, presumably the number 0 would have been used again - although this was a Max-era rule and it may have had something to do with a spat with Williams, so maybe not ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by D28
It wasn't just a spat, the number 1 is a symbolic nod to the current World Champion; if he retires after winning, it is inappropriate to assign another to use it. Customarily the WC drivers team received numbers 1 and 2 next season, hence the rule to use 0 and 2. With Williams it happened 2 years in a row with Mansell and Prost retiring (temporarily for Mansell) It is quite likely to come up again, numbers 2 and 3 could be used, but I'm wondering does F1 have a solid plan.Quote:
Originally Posted by inimitablestoo
I would point out that the 1974 F1 season did see the number 1 awarded to the reigning constructors' champion (Lotus) rather than driver (Jackie Stewart having retired). So there was a precedent there which Max decided not to follow...
I see what you mean, Ronnie Peterson actually wearing number 1 in 1974. However, 1973 was one of the odd seasons where the driver and constructors titles were split to different teams. Williams won both titles in 92 and 93, so it would have been hard to award number 1 to another team. Again the symbolic importance of number 1 comes up.Quote:
Originally Posted by inimitablestoo
I guess giving Williams numbers 2 and 3 would have been a solution.
There was a tragic coincidence at Silverstone in 1958, concerning the number 1, when at the Daily Express meeting in May, Archie Scott Brown drove his Lister Jag car No 1 into second place in the unlimited sports car race, only to lose his life in the very next race at Spa the following weekend, and later in July, Peter Collins won the British GP in his Ferrari ,car No 1, only to lose his life in his next race at Nurburgring a fortnight later,
Most Monaco GP wins: Senna (six).
Sadly, this is Senna's only record of significance that still stands. Schumacher came close to tying, but couldn't get the sixth win.
A fair assessment. Senna'a impressive record of poles was finally surpassed by Schumacher 68 to 65; he does retain some records for consecutive poles.Quote:
Originally Posted by zako85
The 6 Monaco wins include 5 in a row, a record for consecutive wins. Virtually all F1 records favour the current or recent field of drivers, Schumacher had 90% more races than Senna for example, at 308 he is second only to Barricello.
When viewed against the much smaller number of championship GPs held when Hill won the title, the statistic looks much less unimpressive.Quote:
Originally Posted by journeyman racer
Mention of Hill reminds me of another fact (if not a 'record' in any sense) that one hopes will never be repeated: that whenever a driver from the US has won the title, their team-mate has died in, or as a result of, an accident in the race in which the title was achieved.
Both times at Monza too, by even eerier coincidence.
It's possible somebody could match the 3 career wins at least - if they only had one good season but it just happened to be the one where they made the most of it and won the title, but I reckon you'd need at least three in that one season to do it. Short of another 1982, of course, when a variety of unlikely circumstances occurred in the same season.
Well, talking of Monza (and straying even further from the subject of 'records', but never mind), another interesting feat concerns the 1967 Italian GP and its winning car. The Honda RA300 was in its first race; it won it, and only at the end of the very last lap did it lead across the line. It was never victorious again.
The Honda RA300 was built by Lola so it holds another record as the first win for a car built in one country for a company in another. In saying this I am taking Brabham and AAR Eagle as British as that's where the teams were based.
I like this quote "These engines were used briefly by McLaren at the very start of McLaren's journey into F1."