We all know the greatest Formula 1 drivers who rewrote the history books, but what about those records that no one would want to hold?
F1’s plethora of statistics means that someone inevitably has to end up wearing an unwanted label – and some of them will be very difficult, if not impossible, to weed out as the sport evolves.
So who owns the most unwanted disks? We’ve selected 10, many of which are unlikely to change hands for the foreseeable future.
Most race starts without a podium – Nico Hulkenberg (181)
Let’s start with one of the most famous examples. Hulkenberg has had nine full seasons in F1, plus a few substitute appearances, without finishing in the top three – his best finish has been P4 at two Belgian Grands Prix and once in Korea.
Of course, there was potential for his career to take a different course when he started on pole position for the 2010 Brazilian GP after a rainy qualifying session, but he fell to eighth in the race.
“The Hulk” has 53 starts ahead of his nearest rival in this category, Adrian Sutil, and will not be threatened by any of the current drivers for several years.
Most race starts without scoring – Luca Badoer (50)
At least Hulkenberg has scored 521 points, most recently at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix. Badoer has failed to emerge from the pack in half a century of attempts.
The Italian was never closer to doing so in terms of position than at the fourth start of his career when he was seventh in the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix for Lola – despite being a lap down on the P6.
After 10 years away from the grid, the Ferrari test driver had a remarkable chance to open his account when he replaced broken leg victim Michael Schumacher at Valencia and Spa in 1999. However, he performed poorly both times and was quickly replaced as Schumi’s replacement by Giancarlo Fisichella.
Most World Championship finalists finish without winning a title – Sir Stirling Moss (4)
Moss was sadly an “almost” man in terms of the championship, despite winning 16 of his 66 Formula 1 starts with points – with at least one victory every year between 1955 and 1961.
In the first four of those seasons he finished runners-up to champion Juan Manuel Fangio the first three times and then fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn.
For the next three campaigns, Moss finished third in the Championship before his career was effectively cut short by an accident at Goodwood in April 1962.
Most entries without starting a race – Claudio Langes (14)
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, pre-qualifying was a thing in F1. There were simply too many teams for the number of places on the grid so, a bit like in a golf tournament, the cut had to be made on a Friday.
Langes had arrived after two rather lackluster years in international Formula 3000, having secured a seat in the EuroBrun team for the 1990 F1 season alongside Roberto Moreno.
Moreno – who went on to finish runner-up for Benetton at Suzuka – pre-qualified twice but Langes failed in all 14 attempts before EuroBrun quit the sport for good with two rounds remaining, never having reached the top 10 in three seasons. .
Most retirements – Andrea de Cesaris (148)
There is speculation as to whether it is 147 or 148 DNF for De Cesaris, simply because he ran out of fuel and pushed his car over the line at the 1987 Belgian Grand Prix to finish third.
But whether he’s a front or a tie with fellow Italian Riccardo Patrese, the man cruelly nicknamed De Crasheris well deserves his inclusion here because of his terribly poor record in 1986 and 1987.
In the first of those campaigns, he only saw the checkered flag in the penultimate round of 16 in Mexico, while the following year there was a streak of 12 more DNFs after that. Spa podium for Brabham.
Most pole positions without leading a grand prix – Teo Fabi (3)
And you think Charles Leclerc has a bad conversion rate from his nine pole positions in 2022? At least the Ferrari driver has three victories.
Fabi was fastest in qualifying three times for Benetton in 1985 and 1986, but did not lead either of those races, suffering for the first time from a slipping clutch at the German Grand Prix, which ultimately caused his abandonment.
The following year, in back-to-back races in Austria and Italy respectively, Fabi was overtaken by teammate Gerhard Berger at the start before his engine blew up, and in his home race at Monza he never even was able to achieve his pole position – he had to start at the back of the grid because he couldn’t get off the line for the formation lap!
Most races without leading a lap – Martin Brundle (158)
One of the sports the most familiar faces and voices on our television screensfor many of us, Brundle is the source of all F1 knowledge – but not only has he never won a race, he hasn’t led a lap either.
It’s a startling stat considering the Briton has racked up nine podium finishes, including two as runners-up in Italy (1992) and Monaco (1994).
But the one that got away was the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix. Racing for Benetton in a season when – in the style of his King’s Lynn ‘neighbor’ George Russell – he finished in the top five 11 times First in 12 races, Brundle was closing in on eventual winner Berger in Montreal when he was cruelly sent off due to transmission problems. .
Kevin Magnussen is second in this category, 21 races behind Brundle.
Driver with the most overtakes in a single season – Charles Pic (70)
No, it’s not Nicholas Latifi. Be careful, it’s difficult to be overtaken too often when you often start behind (sorry Nicolas).
In 2012, his first campaign for Marussia, Pic was ranked in 15 out of 20 races but it wasn’t until the final round, in Brazil, that he topped 15th.
It was a similar story in 2013 at Caterham when the Frenchman’s F1 career ended without him scoring a point. He is now the owner of the DAMS team which competes in Formula E and Formula 2.
Most driving penalties in a season – Pastor Maldonado (10)
It still remains one of the most “WTF” moments in modern F1 that Maldonado won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix for williams.
It was also his only podium, but the penalties and reprimands inflicted on the hapless Venezuelan during his five years on the grid were certainly not lacking.
His crime sheet was at its longest in 2014 and we won’t catalog his misdemeanors here, but suffice it to say that if the current stewards thought they had their work cut out for them with Yuki Tsunoda, then life is a game. child compared to when Maldonado wreaked havoc. ravaged.
Driver with fastest career elapsed time before receiving a penalty – Sebastian Vettel (six seconds)
Most wins in a season, most pole positions in a season, most podiums in a season, most consecutive wins, youngest poleman, youngest world champion. Vettel claims them all, along with other variations on those themes.
But when he made his first appearance at an F1 race weekend aged 19, as he headed into opening free practice in a BMW Sauber at the Turkish Grand Prix 2006, Vettel was immediately timed speeding in the pit lane – slapped with a $1,000 fine.
Even those with many accomplishments worthy of great pride may also find themselves holding records they would rather lose.
Read more: The four drivers are fighting for the last two places on the 2023 F1 grid
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