Strangest F1 careers

[BTCC frog]

Which F1 drivers had the strangest careers? Obviously, this question can be interpreted in many different ways. Here are some examples I thought of:

Teo Fabi
Three pole positions, but never led a lap.

Giancarlo Baghetti
Kevin Magnussen
Both had brilliant first races and then did very little after. Felipe Nasr is another possible example here.

Jan Lammers
Luca Badoer
Robert Kubica
For the enormous length of time between consecutive starts. Of the three, Kubica's story is the most remarkable.

Nigel Mansell
Sort-of retired from F1 four times.

Chris Amon
Jean-Pierre Jarier
Jean Alesi
Nico Hulkenberg
The first two had so many opportunities to win races and always had bad luck that prevented it. Alesi even more so, although he did at least get that
one win. Nico Hulkenberg is similar, but with podiums instead of wins.

Pedro de la Rosa
A career that spanned 14 years, but yielded only 107 starts, including both ends of the spectrum with McLaren and HRT.

Alexander Albon
From giving up on Formula 1 and signing for a Formula e team, to a shock call up with Toro Rosso, to a shock promotion to one of the best teams in the business, and then being sacked and dropping out of Formula 1 altogether, all in the space of two years.

Sergio Perez
How many drivers have been sacked from a midfield team, only to win their first race and then win a promotion to a top team later in the same year? Also, he raced in the midfield for ten years before finally getting to drive for a top team. What happens in the next few years could make this career even stranger.

[gert]

Markus Winkelhock - led every race he participated in

[S griffin]

Hans Heyer has got to be a candidate. DNQ/DNF/DSQ in the same race meeting!

[BTCC frog]

Originally Posted by gert

Markus Winkelhock - led every race he participated in

Oh yes, I forgot about him. That probably is the strangest career of all time, unless someone can think of a better one.

[BTCC frog]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Hans Heyer has got to be a candidate. DNQ/DNF/DSQ in the same race meeting!

Yes, another excellent candidate, particularly as it was his only race in Formula 1!

Has any other driver been given a lifetime ban from F1? Yuji Ide in a sense, but he probably would have been allowed back in the future if his driving improved. Flavio Briatore did for a time (not a driver, obviously) but then had his ban overturned.

[S griffin]

I think Heyer was only banned for the next race, but he knew he was never going to get another opportunity anyway

What about Al Pease? The only driver in F1 to be DQed for being too slow

[NaBUru38]

Heikki Kovalainen.

In 2004 he won the World Series by Nissan. In 2005 he was runner-up at the GP2 Series.

In 2007 he debuted in F1 with Renault, finishing 7th in points with one podium.

In 2008 he switched to McLaren. He got one win and three podiums, finishing 7th in points.

In 2009 he had four crashes/spinoffs, no podiums, and scored in just 6 races.

In 2010 he signed with Lotus (Later Catherham) and spent 3 years without scoring any point.

[NaBUru38]

Jaime Alguersuari

In 2008 he won the British Formula 3.

In 2009 he finished 6th in Formula Renault 3.5. He was signed by Toro Rosso for the second half of the F1 season, scoring no points.

In 2010 he scored 5 points, versus 8 by his teammate Buemi.

In 2011 he scored 26 points, versus 15 by Buemi.

Toro Rosso kicked both drivers for 2012.

In 2014/15 he scored a 4th and a 5th in Formula E, and never raced again.

[chillibowl]

is not succeeding in F1 considered a strange career?

both those drivers had enough race starts to show their quality no?

[Aysedasi]

I suspect Grand Prix history is littered with such careers.....

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

is not succeeding in F1 considered a strange career?

May be… Looking at the results Jean Pierre Jarier had in F1 and sport proto could be a good example. He missed some opportunities like not going to Ferrari because the then March boss refused to release him. He has been more convincing driving a Matra 670 which was "the" car to drive in '74.

[billy bleach]

Mike Thackwell. Maybe not a strange career but strange afterwards. Massive talent but disappeared and now lives in a Caravan and smokes weed - still it’s a free Country....

[S griffin]

Yes Thackwell, youngest driver ever in F1 at the time, but never got a proper chance. He was supposed to race with RAM in 1986, but the team never competed and eventually retired at the age of 27 in 88. Still he did a lot of good work, becoming a teacher for those with learning disabilities

[E.B]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Mike Thackwell. Maybe not a strange career but strange afterwards. Massive talent but disappeared and now lives in a Caravan and smokes weed - still it’s a free Country....

.... and looks after his handicapped son.

Interesting article on Mike Thackwell now (well, this time last year).
https://www.goodwood.com/grr/race/hi...of-motorsport/

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Yes Thackwell, youngest driver ever in F1 at the time, but never got a proper chance. He was supposed to race with RAM in 1986, but the team never competed and eventually retired at the age of 27 in 88. Still he did a lot of good work, becoming a teacher for those with learning disabilities

People forget he was entered in 2 or 3 rounds in '84, 85. A Tyrrell at Hockenheim last minute but dnq'd by a tad and then in a RAM in Montreal in '85 where he was beating Alliot the team regular but in hopeless cars.

If it wasn't for his '81 crash which set him back at least a year in momentum he probably would have been one of Honda's F1 drivers through the 80's and 90's

[Gerard C]

Hence sometimes the strange career list hits the what if one…

[S griffin]

What about Andrea Montermini? Every team he raced for went under within a year

[billy bleach]

No one mentioned Perry McCarthy yet. The whole Andrea Moda was very odd

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

No one mentioned Perry McCarthy yet.

A driver that the team didn't want but weren't allowed to get rid of.

A driver that the team didn't have a functioning car for.

A driver for whom the team didn't bother running a car even when they had one.

A driver who the team sent out to lap Spa with a steering rack that was known to be defective.

A driver who was sent out on wets to 'qualify' on a dry circuit.

Any one of those would be strange, all of them is impressively bizarre - enough in there for the basis of a good book

[S griffin]

Brazil: Travelled there, only to have his superlicence taken away
Spain: Fire in garage, then grounds to a halt just after leaving the pits
SM: Most normal session
Monaco: Only 2 or 3 laps
Canada: No engines, team mate Moreno borrows a Judd engine from Brabham
France: Team fail to make it past the lorry driver blockade
GB: Sent out on wet tyres on a drying track
Germany: Only one fast lap and then excluded for technical infringement
Hungary: let out with less than a minute to go, meaning he can’t get across the line to start a fast lap, even though the team were guaranteed to get through pre qualifying due to Brabham going down to one car
Belgium: Team put dodgy steering rack that was on Moreno’s car without telling him and as a result, only just avoids a big crash at Eau Rouge/Radillion. Leaves team immediately. Poetic justice then happens as the team boss is arrested for fraud and the team is thrown out the championship for bringing the sport into disrepute

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Brazil: Travelled there, only to have his superlicence taken away
Spain: Fire in garage, then grounds to a halt just after leaving the pits
SM: Most normal session
Monaco: Only 2 or 3 laps
Canada: No engines, team mate Moreno borrows a Judd engine from Brabham
France: Team fail to make it past the lorry driver blockade
GB: Sent out on wet tyres on a drying track
Germany: Only one fast lap and then excluded for technical infringement
Hungary: let out with less than a minute to go, meaning he can’t get across the line to start a fast lap, even though the team were guaranteed to get through pre qualifying due to Brabham going down to one car
Belgium: Team put dodgy steering rack that was on Moreno’s car without telling him and as a result, only just avoids a big crash at Eau Rouge/Radillion. Leaves team immediately. Poetic justice then happens as the team boss is arrested for fraud and the team is thrown out the championship for bringing the sport into disrepute

And if that doesn't finish F1 career aspirations, nothing will.....

[canaglia]

Not exactly the strangest career but Kimi Raikkonen debuted in F1 in 2001 as consequence of a jawdropping test he had at mugello on a sauber f1, he is maybe the only driver of recent past who debuted in f1 coming directly from formula renault UK skipping both F3 and GP2.

[peebee2]

Perhaps Marco Apicella. Twenty seven years of F3000 followed by 500m in F1.

Or Pel...

[chunterer]

Ricardo Londono Bridge!!

[wnut]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

A driver that the team didn't want but weren't allowed to get rid of.

A driver that the team didn't have a functioning car for.

A driver for whom the team didn't bother running a car even when they had one.

A driver who the team sent out to lap Spa with a steering rack that was known to be defective.

A driver who was sent out on wets to 'qualify' on a dry circuit.

Any one of those would be strange, all of them is impressively bizarre - enough in there for the basis of a good book

I am convinced Bert - Winner in my book!