Ask The Apex

[Boyle]

Yeah, I just watched the highlights just now. Great drives from the Maccas!

 

[KekeTheKing]

The McLaren MP4/1 was abysmal on it's Michelin qualifiers. It was so bad that Watson and Lauda failed to qualify at Monaco.

 

[Grizzly]

They were certaily not the best cars that year either, looking at the other races.

Also found out that John Watson did this the year before in Detroit, starting from 17th!

John Watson Wikipedia - For 1979, Watson moved to McLaren where he gave them their first victory in over three years by winning the 1981 British Grand Prix and also securing the first victory for a carbon fibre composite monocoque F1 car, the McLaren MP4/1. His most successful year was 1982, when he finished third in the drivers' championship, winning two Grands Prix. He was perhaps best known for his astounding drives from the back of the grid. At Detroit in 1982, he overtook three cars in one lap deep into the race on a tight, twisty track that was supposedly impossible to pass on; working his way from 17th starting position on the grid, he charged through the field and scored a victory in the process. A year later in 1983, he repeated the feat at the Long Beach Grand Prix; starting from 22nd on the grid, the farthest back from which a modern Grand Prix driver had ever come to win a race.

 

[Grizzly]

The McLaren MP4/1 was abysmal on it's Michelin qualifiers. It was so bad that Watson and Lauda failed to qualify at Monaco.

Right, so less a bad car, more accurately, bad at qualifying...

 

[teabagyokel]

In 1983 they only qualified in the top 10 once all year; 9th in Brazil for Lauda. They finished 5th in the WCC that year; the only year between 1982-93 they finished outside the WCC Top 2 and a WCC result next repeated in 2004, and the next time they were worse than 5th in the WCC was in 2007.

 

[Brogan]

Quick question - has their ever been a Grand Prix held in Decemeber before?

Quite a few, and January.

 

[RasputinLives]

Must be before my time!

 

[LifeW12]

The last race held in January was 1982 and December, 1963

 

[Brogan]

Interesting - did they move the season then or was it F1 12 months round the clock?

It was mainly South African, Argentinian GPs, etc.
Some seasons actually spanned across 2 years due to the last race being in January.

http://www.manipef1.com/grandprix/southafrica/
http://www.manipef1.com/grandprix/argentina/

 

[teabagyokel]

It was mainly South African, Argentinian GPs, etc.
Some seasons actually spanned across 2 years due to the last race being in January.

The 1st January races in South Africa were Championship openers, rather than closers. However, I suppose qualifying took place on 31st December, so those Championships (1965 & 1968) could be said to have spanned two years...

 

[Brogan]

D'oh! My mistake.
Of course they were the first races, not last.

 

[RasputinLives]

They raced on New Years Day!?!? I hope they breatherlised the drivers!

 

[Grizzly]

Doubt it, they probably had Sherry, ruby port and slow gin on the grid.

 

[The Artist.....]

Quick question - has their ever been a Grand Prix held in Decemeber before? I'm sure the season used to finish in October!

Well, you could argue that the South African GP of 1968 took place in December - Qualifying was held at the end of December, with the race being the first race of the 1968 season, held on New Year's day... Jim Clark's final victory!

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, you could argue that the South African GP of 1968 took place in December - Qualifying was held at the end of December, with the race being the first race of the 1968 season, held on New Year's day... Jim Clark's final victory!

The same also happened in 1964-5!

 

[Jen]

How many final victories did Jim Clark have? smart arse smiley needed!

 

[teabagyokel]

How many final victories did Jim Clark have? smart arse smiley needed!

Just the one. In mitigation, he did win both Grand Prix ever to be held on New Year's Day!

 

[RasputinLives]

Can someone remind me when Mclaren's deal with Merc runs out?

 

[Galahad]

Can someone remind me when Mclaren's deal with Merc runs out?

Having scanned a few other sites, it seems they have an option to continue to 2015.

http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9578

 

[Fenderman]

Tell me Galahad. Do you really ever take a breather? I get knackered just keeping up with all the threads, let alone the skipping about looking for juicy info'. to you mate!