Best results in Formula 1

Formula 1, whose season was resumed by the Austrian Grand Prix last Sunday after an almost 4-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic (the winner was Mercedes driver Valteri Botas), is the most spectacular car show on the planet, although some say in recent over the years it has lost its luster. However, almost every season is filled with intrigue, unexpected events on the tracks, as well as, of course, failures and misunderstandings. 

Farce with tires in the USA in 2005

During the free runs at the 2005 US Grand Prix, several Michelin teams had serious tire problems, among which Ralf Schumacher stood out. This prompted the French company to announce that pilots with their tires would have to slow down before turn 13 (which is one of the fastest) because they could only complete 10 laps. Today, of course, riders can simply walk into the pits for a quick tire change, but according to the rules, the set of tires should have been enough for the entire race. Michelin tried to make corner 13 a chic one, but the FIA ​​refused, saying it would be unfair to teams using Bridgestone tires.

Thus, at the end of the warm-up, all the teams with Michelin tires went to the pits, leaving only 6 cars at the start - two Ferraris, Jordans and Minardi each. What should have been a great race with Jarno Trulli on pole ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button turned into a farce. Spectators did not stop whistling at the Michelin teams, and Formula 1 did not return to the mythical Indianapolis circuit. This was a huge embarrassment for the sport, seriously damaging its reputation in the United States ahead of its sensational return to Austin in 2012.

What happened in the race? Well, Michael Schumacher beat his Ferrari teammate and a Portuguese boy named Thiago Monteiro finished third. Two Minardi cars finished last - some things don't change.

Kimi throws a live bomb

The event for Michael Schumacher's first rejection of the sport happened on the starting grid ahead of the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix (he did so after a race in which he finished 19th and returned to the track in 2010 in a Mercedes). However, Kimi Raikkonen was not among them. On a live broadcast, ITV presenter Martin Brandl asked the silent Finn why he had missed the ceremony. Kimi replied that he had diarrhea. It's funny, but not the best thing a family can hear while sitting at the table in front of the TV.

Paid pilots

Paid drivers are nothing new in Formula 1, but some argue that buying a seat on a team means those who don't have a big enough bag of money can't settle for a team, even if they are more talented. A relatively recent example was in 2011, when Pastor Maldonado replaced then-new Nico Hulkenberg at Williams, bringing with him much-needed financial support from the Venezuelan government. Although the Pastor has had success in his career (GP2 champion) and won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, he has often crashed. Thus, there was even a whole world dedicated to eliminating it. Hulkenberg, on the other hand, never agreed to lead a Formula 1 team, which many believe he applied to his talent. Talent should always shine, but money, unfortunately, speaks for itself. Ask Mark Hines: He won the Formula Vauxhall title in 1995, the British Formula Renault championship in 1997 and the British F3 title in 1999, beating Jenson Button but never making it to Formula 1. Where is he now? He trains pilots and is an advisor to Lewis Hamilton. 

Singapore scandal in 2008

Renault bosses asked Nelson Pickett Jr. to deliberately crash into the Singapore Grand Prix to give an advantage to his teammate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard made an early pit stop when his rivals had no intention of doing so, and a teammate's crash a few laps later brought the car to safety, giving Alonso the lead and setting the stage for his victory. At the time, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and no one imagined that such a thing could happen. When Pickett was dropped from the team in mid-2009, he decided to sing everything against immunity from the FIA, which launched an investigation. This resulted in fines for team chief Flavio Briatore and chief engineer Pat Simmons (the latter for 5 years and the former indefinitely). Renault got off with a suspended sentence for taking action to fire the two, and Alonso was fully acquitted.

Protester on the track

During the 2003 British Grand Prix, a protester Neil Horan, dressed in what could be called elf dancewear, somehow rushed onto the track and drove in a straight line, waving a board of cars flying past him at nearly 320 meters. km / h. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the Catholic priest Horan (later excommunicated in 2005) was knocked down by the marshal and sent to prison. However, that wasn't the last we heard of Horan - at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he drew a marathon runner who was racing to win, and at Britain's Got Talent in 2009, he made it to the second round with an incredible Irish dance performance. We have no words.

Taki Inue is hit by a security car.

Being a Formula 1 driver is dangerous enough, and injuries and accidents are part of the game. And when this happens, a security or medical vehicle comes to the rescue. However, you don't expect to be run over by either of these two cars. However, this is exactly what happened at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 1995, when the car of the Japanese Taki Inue caught fire, he quickly parked it off the track and jumped to a supposedly safe place. As he tried to get a fire extinguisher to help the marshals put out an engine fire, a security car pushed him and injured his leg. Otherwise, he had nothing before.

Coulthard hits the wall of the box

David Coulthard raced in his last Williams race, leading the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. The last race took place on the streets of Adelaide. On the 20th lap, having a confident advantage, the Scotsman began to enter the pits for his first stop. However, Coulthard never made it to the mechanics, because he hit the wall at the entrance to the pit lane. Effective shooting.

Spy scandal between McLaren and Ferrari

Quite a big scandal on which books are written. So, let's explain this in a nutshell - 2007 was a difficult year for McLaren, as not only were there many sparks flying between Hamilton and Alonso (wasn't it great to watch?), but the team was also eliminated from the Constructors' Championship. Why? Everything revolved around a dossier containing hundreds of pages of classified information from the Ferrari factory that the FIA ​​believed McLaren was using to its advantage. Punishment? Record fine of $100 million and deduction of all points in the Constructors' Championship. In the same year, Räikkönen won his first and only Ferrari title to date.

Mansell rejoices

During the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix, Nigel Mansell's solid victory came quickly. When he waved triumphantly to the audience half a circle before the final, his car stopped. He let the engine fall too hard and he fell silent. Three-time world champion Nelson Pickett jumped ahead of him in his Benetton and finished first. Poor Nigel!

Lola's embarrassing debut

Surprisingly, Lola failed when it got into Formula 1. A big name in motorsport, supplying chassis to teams in many categories, Lola decided to try her hand at the most spectacular sport. With the support of Mastercard, the team started the 1997 season in Australia or did not start at all, as both riders did not qualify for the race itself. The team was then forced to abandon their next start in Brazil due to financial and technical problems and never again competed in Formula 1. One race, even in fact only qualifying, loss of £ 6 million and bankruptcy a few weeks later. A good start!