F1 Debuts

[ArrowsFA1]

Lewis Hamilton's performance in the Australian GP got me thinking about previous drivers and their first start. I took a look at previous WDC's:

Nino Farina: Qualified 1st Race 1st
Juan Manuel Fangio: Q 3rd R rtd
Alberto Ascari: Q 7th R 2nd
Mike Hawthorn: Q 6th R 4th
Jack Brabham: Q 25th R rtd
Phil Hill: Q 13th R 7th
Graham Hill: Q 15th R rtd
Jim Clark: Q 11th R rtd
John Surtees: Q 15th R rtd
Denny Hulme: Q 8th R 8th
Jackie Stewart: Q 11th R 6th
Jochen Rindt: Q 13th R rtd
Emerson Fittipaldi: Q 21st R 8th
Niki Lauda: Q 21st R rtd
James Hunt: Q 18th R rtd
Mario Andretti: Q 1 R rtd
Jody Scheckter: Q 8th R 9th
Alan Jones: Q 20th R rtd
Nelson Piquet: Q 21st R rtd
Keke Rosberg: Q 24th R rtd
Alain Prost: Q 12th R 6th
Ayrton Senna: Q 16th R rtd
Nigel Mansell: Q 24th R rtd
Michael Schumacher: Q 7th R rtd
Damon Hill: Q 26th R 16th
Jacques Villeneuve: Q 1st R 2nd
Mika Hakkinen: Q 13th R rtd
Fernando Alonso: Q 19th R 12th

A bit of a pointless exercise really : but those in bold matched or bettered Hamilton's qualifying and/or race result.

Are there any other equally memorable debut drives in the history of F1?

[BDunnell]

If we're extending this to teams, Wolf must take the honours. Surely no team has ever had as successful a debut season, even discounting that victory first time out.

As for drivers, I can't add much to the above.

[ChrisS]

Luigi Fagioli Qualified 2nd and finished 2nd

Reg Parnell Qualified 4th and finished 3rd, same as Hamilton

The Media are also mentioning Hamilton debut as the best debut for a British driver since Mike Parkes finished second in a Ferrari at the French Grand Prix in 1966, though Parkes did also try to qualify for the 1959 British GP

Also since the Indy 500 used to be part of F1 but F1 drivers didn't race there then the top 4 qualifiers and top 3 finishers of the 1950 race matched or bettered Hamilton's qualifying and/or race result.

What I would like to point out is that though these drivers in the 50s were technically making their F1 debuts, in reality they had raced (and won) Grands Prix before. Farina, Ascari etc... were racing and winning Grands Prix before WWII

[futuretiger9]

If we're extending this to teams, Wolf must take the honours. Surely no team has ever had as successful a debut season, even discounting that victory first time out.

As for drivers, I can't add much to the above.

Although Walter Wolf was involved in F1 prior to 1977, that was his first year as a constructor in his own right. The achievement has tended to be overlooked by F1 historians. Sadly they could not sustain the success, and by 1981 they were effectively out of F1.

[D-Type]

How about Giancarlo Baghetti . he won his first three Formula 1 races - the 1961 non-championship Syracuse and Naples GPs and the French GP. Sadly after that great start he never really achieved anything. He made the same disastrous move as Phil Hill in1963 when he followed Ing. Chiti and the others from Ferrari to ATS.

Incidentally, Ascari never drove prewar - his debut in cars was the 1940 Mille Miglia. Although the Indy 500 was a World Drivers' Championship qualifier from 1950 to 1960, it was NEVER a Formula 1 race.

[GJD]

I should like to cite the debut in a Formula One car of one CAS Brooks. It was at the Gran Premio di Siracusa October 1955 in a B-Type Connaught, with the Alta engine.

First race in an F1 car, first win. Not bad eh!

He'd driven Connaughts in races including F1 cars during 1955, but always in an F2 Connaughts, the Type A with the Lea-Francis engine.

I seem to remember Jean Alesi had a stunning debut, finishing 4th but running as high as 2nd at one point in a Tyrell that was average at best (although had scored a podium in the previous race).

Not that 'debut' races should be seen as the proof of a great talent.....basically anyone who is in the points on their debut is either supremely talented or a very lucky bugger.

For example, Mark Webber probably falls closer to the second category than the first.

[ArrowsFA1]

Not that 'debut' races should be seen as the proof of a great talent...

Absolutely which is why I said my trawl through the stats was a pointless exercise in a way but the responses have thrown up a number of names I wouldn't have thought of, and I completely forgot about Alesi's debut...French GP IIRC...a debut that effectively ended Jonathan Palmer's career.

[courageous]

Not to take anything away from them, but examples like Villeneuve did have 1 advantage - none of the other drivers at Melbourne had driven the circuit before either; if anyone can be bothered I would be interested in seeing the above list with this excluded.

[Bolton Midnight]

JV had done thousands of miles of testing so knew the car very well, but I couldn't help but notice on ITV that they seemed to had completely forgotten that Jacques was on pole for his first race. Which even with a Williams is an awesome achievement.

I can't see Alonso being in the least bit worried about Hamilton, he had the measure of him all weekend.