Back to the Front
Pastor Maldonado's impressively controlled win in the Spanish Grand Prix saw Williams return to the winners' circle after more than seven years away - and following on from arguably the worst season in their history in 2011.
But did it represent the biggest turnaround in performance - to go from also-rans one season to Grand Prix winners the next - in F1 history?
I've ransacked the archives and come up with my top ten examples of teams who went from back to front in one season.
10. Lotus - Mario Andretti, Japanese Grand Prix 1976
Previous season: 7th in Constructors' Championship - 9 points
The Lotus Type 72, first introduced in 1970, had provided two world champions and set the template for the F1 car of the future, but producing a successor car proved one of Colin Chapman's most difficult challenges. The Type 77, introduced for 1976, will not be remembered as a great car, but returned Team Lotus to the podium, with a quartet of third places through the season. At the final race, the first Japanese GP at Fuji, Mario Andretti controlled the race from pole position despite horrendous monsoon conditions. As most of the title drama between James Hunt and Niki Lauda played out in the pits, Andretti stayed out on heavily worn wet tyres - with the canvas visible by the finish - to take Lotus' first win for over two years.
9. Ferrari - Jacky Ickx, Austrian Grand Prix 1970
Previous season: 5th in Constructors' Championship - 7 points
1969 had been a transitional season for Ferrari, as Enzo negotiated the sale of half his company to FIAT the racing team took a back seat, with only one of their outdated 312 chassis turning up to most races. For 1970 Mauro Forghieri used the team's new financial security to produce a much improved car, based around the excellent new flat-12 engine. In the hands of Ickx, it was a regular top five runner in the early races, and the Belgian lost out to Jochen Rindt in a close-fought battle for the win at Hockenheim, having started on pole. In the next race at the Osterreichring the Ferraris were unstoppable, Ickx leading team-mate Clay Regazzoni to a dominant 1-2, the first win for the Scuderia since the summer of '68. Read more
Circuit de Monaco
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Ah, Monte Carlo! The jewel in the crown of Formula One. Playground of the rich and famous. The race that they all want to win - one of the holy trinity of motor races in the world. As the beautiful people laze on their yachts in the harbour, the cream of today's racing drivers do battle over the same twisting tarmac as their daredevil forefathers - the stage upon which true legends and heroes of our sport are born.
Oh, Monte Carlo! The beauty of the inter-war years now disfigured by vulgar concrete tower blocks. Where once Grace Kelly was the epitome of style and elegance, now superannuated widows totter clumsily, expensively coiffed and with obligatory miniature poodle close behind. The circuit a ridiculous anachronism, too narrow, too tight for anything other than a lengthy procession, the cars awkward and unable to stretch their legs.
More than any other, perhaps, this event divides opinion. Present on the calendar continuously since 1955, the Circuit de Monaco is the least changed of any venue F1 will visit this year. The whole circuit is steeped in racing folklore and pages of history are written on every inch of sinuous asphalt. Whoever claims the trophy on Sunday, and adds his name to the long list of famous champions, will have achieved something extraordinary - for Monaco is undoubtedly different to all the other events. Whether he will have been involved in a race, though - that's another question entirely. Full circuit profile
Driver Standings
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Pos. | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | 61 | 13 | Bruno Senna | 14 |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | 61 | 14 | Jean-Éric Vergne | 4 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 53 | 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | 3 |
| 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | 49 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | 2 |
| 5 | Mark Webber | 48 | 17 | Felipe Massa | 2 |
| 6 | Jenson Button | 45 | 18 | Michael Schumacher | 2 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | 41 | 19 | Timo Glock | 0 |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | 35 | 20 | Charles Pic | 0 |
| 9 | Pastor Maldonado | 29 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | 0 |
| 10 | Sergio Pérez | 22 | 22 | Heikki Kovalainen | 0 |
| 11 | Kamui Kobayashi | 19 | 23 | Pedro de la Rosa | 0 |
| 12 | Paul di Resta | 15 | 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | 0 |
Constructor Standings
| Pos. | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull-Renault | 109 |
| 2 | McLaren-Mercedes | 98 |
| 3 | Lotus-Renault | 84 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 63 |
| 5 | Mercedes | 43 |
| 6 | Williams-Renault | 43 |
| 7 | Sauber-Ferrari | 41 |
| 8 | Force India-Mercedes | 18 |
| 9 | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 6 |
| 10 | Marussia-Cosworth | 0 |
| 11 | Caterham-Renault | 0 |
| 12 | HRT-Cosworth | 0 |
Flavio Briatore
It's all gone very quiet on the Briatore front, hasn't it? Having made a song and dance about how he didn't have a life ban from Formula One and he could return, as Pat Symonds has, in 2012, it seems strange that Briatore hasn't washed up in the sport. Read more
In The Stats Or The Stars?
In these times of unpredictable Formula One, there is only one place to turn to try and find the answers; not the stars, but the stat’s. Surely if anything can clear up this unpredictability it’s the good old reliable statistics, right? Read more
Schumacher's Next Two: The Decisive Weekends?
I think it is fair to say that Michael Schumacher's comeback has not gone as well as Schumacher or his fans would have hoped when it was announced he would return in 2010. His stats remain constant: 91 wins, 68 poles, 76 fastest laps and 154 podiums. Read more
