Single question quiz - winner poses the next question

[Jos the Boss]

Earlier!

 

[teabagyokel]

Dijon in 1979

 

[Mephistopheles]

Well he retired in Monaco 1979 half way though the season but I don't know if he did any commentating that year I'm gonna be silly and say Great Briton 1979 as a guest commentator...

 

[Jos the Boss]

This was the battle

so teabagyokel you're right!

 

[Mephistopheles]

PANTS

 

[teabagyokel]

In how many different years have Formula One races been held with no past World Champions on the starting grid?

 

[tooncheese]

'78 and '94 I think.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Kin ell teabagyokel

 

[soccerman17]

1950 too

 

[teabagyokel]

I'll help you all out by ruling years in and out until you feel you can confidently answer:

1978: No. Lauda, Fittipaldi and Hunt were all present.
1994: Yes. Between Senna's death and Mansell's return.
1950: Yes.

 

[tooncheese]

1958 (except Argentina and France), and 1959 spring to mind after Fangio's retirement and Hawthorn's death.

 

[teabagyokel]

1958 & 59 saw pretty much the whole seasons without a World Champion. So they're in.

By the way, I won't be counting a year if only the Indy500 didn't have a World Champion.

 

[Jos the Boss]

4?

 

[teabagyokel]

No. More.

You've got 1950, 1958, 1959 and 1994, which had extended periods without World Champion involvement. Now you need to think when there would be an individual race without a World Champion starting.

 

[Jos the Boss]

18?

 

[gethinceri]

7.

 

[Jos the Boss]

8.

 

[mjo]

30.

 

[teabagyokel]

8.

Got it.

Those years:

1950 - All races, obviously
1958 - Retirement of Fangio
1959 - Death of Hawthorn
1960 - Italian GP - boycott
1975 - Spanish GP - race boycotted by field's only World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi
1982 - San Marino GP - boycott
1994 - Death of Senna
1996 - French GP - the only World Champion Michael Schumacher had engine failure on warm-up lap

 

[Jos the Boss]

What feat happened for the first time in 2009 and hasn't been repeated since?