No-Hit Wonders

[teabagyokel]

Hulk could have won in Sao Paulo in 2012. Perez should have won in Sepang in 2012. Grosjean deserved to have won one in the latter half of 2013. Japan, maybe.

Hulk surely the best driver not to get on the podium.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Good luck to Verstappen junior in F3. I shall keep a watchful eye out for him.

I wonder How hes doing now

On the current crop certainly hulkenburg. He shouldve been in a top team a few years ago. As just look at the guy in F3 euroseries, GP2 & A1GP, dominant could be hugely quick.

Perez im not sure of, i think he's a great opportunistic driver because he always finishes only 5 Dnfs in 3yrs & is perfect in a team where he can surpass expectations. But in race winning team where podiums are the minimum i worry for his consistency

 

[RasputinLives]

I think Mr Bottas is probably worth a mention on this list.

 

[vintly]

To what extent has Hulk's height hindered his hopes* to get a good drive?


* six words in a row starting with 'h', surely auspicious...

 

[FB]

Back to the original post, so many very talented drivers died in the 50's, 60's and 70's before they could even get close to their full potential it is almost impossible to gauge them. This ESPN article mentions Jean Behra (not a driver I know much about) who died in a sports car race at Avus - Top Five... Drivers to never win an F1 grand prix

This book covers the all too short lives of Tony Brise, Roger Williamson and Tom Pryce - The Lost Generation (book) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - and I must get round to reading it at some time. I recently read the biography of Piers Courage who appeared to have all the talent needed to win Grands Prix but died at the age of 28.

I think it also worth mentioning Mike Hailwood who I felt never got a decent car because the F1 drivers didn't want to be beaten by another bike racer and Bruno Giacomelli who had a couple of chances to win races but then his car broke.

 

[Olivier]

... This ESPN article mentions Jean Behra (not a driver I know much about) who died in a sports car race at Avus - Top Five... Drivers to never win an F1 grand prix

From what I've read he was the Alesi of the era (whom was really really close to be part of this thread)

 

[KekeTheKing]

Eddie Cheever had a few chances to sneak a win in the early eighties. He wasn't really that great though.

 

[Incubus]

He did however gain a reputation in 1983 as an incredible starter. At the Dutch GP that year he rocketed from 11th on the grid to second by the first corner, without the help of any incidents around him.
Nine places gained off the line. Surely that must be some sort of record?

 

[Incubus]

(Jean Behra DID win Grand Prix though. Just not amy that counted for the WDC. As did a few others on that list.

It's a shame in a way that because we tend to apply today's context to the past we tend to measure greatness in terms of what is considered great today. But the World Championship in the 50's and 60's wasn't the end-all be-all it is today. Escecially at a time when drivers competed in multople disciplines and only a small percentage of GP's counted for the championship.

 

[Wombcat]

It;s all the more a shame, because adding those non-championship races would give the drivers of the 50s and 60s a more similar amount of races per season as current drivers, which would make the stats a bit more comparable.

The fct that Schumacher won the most of races, doesn't say a lot, If Fangio had wanted to compete in as many championship races as Schumi did, he would have had to race until around 1980.

 

[Olivier]

That's an interesting factoid. Claerly not possible to achieve since Fangio debuted at age 39

 

[Incubus]

Well there was a spot of bother going on for a few years in the period before that that meant his european racing career couldn't really have kicked off earlier than it did