Going back in time: Formula One Race Records
Retirements
The highest number of retirements were witnessed at the 1951 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis when 33 drivers started the race. However, only 8 could finish it off as 25 drivers retired from the race. In percentage terms, the 1996 Monaco GP had the highest retirement percentage when 18 out of 21 drivers or 86% of the starters retired from the race. On the other side, there are three races in the history of the sport where all starters finished the race. This includes the 1961 Dutch Grand Prix with 15 starters, the Italian Grand Prix in 2005 with 20 starters and the U.S. Grand Prix in the same year with 6 starters.
Races Finishes
Three is the minimum number of drivers that finished a race. This feat occurred in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix which saw 18 retirements. Only 3 drivers crossed the finish line.
Pit Stops
The record for the highest number of pit stops in a race so far sits at 75 in the 2007 European Grand Prix. 9 out of the 22 starters did not finish the 60 lap rain hit race.
Victory Margin
The smallest victory margin to date has been recorded at a flimsy 0.01 second. It happened at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix which was won by Peter Gethin from Ronnie Peterson. This race also boasts of recording the closest margin finishes between other positions. For the 1st – 3rd margin, the victory margin sat at 0.09 seconds, 1st – 4th was 0.18 seconds and the 1st – 5th margin was at 0.61 seconds.
On the contrary, the largest victory margin was recorded at a whopping distance of 2 laps and it happened on two occasions. The first such instance occurred in the 1969 Spanish GP which was won by Jackie Steward form Bruce McLaren. The feat was repeated in the 1995 Australian GP which was won by Damon Hill from Olivier Panis.
Race Speed
The fastest average race speed ever recorded was at 247.6 km/h in the 2003 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. This speed is the average of all the cars that finished on that eventful day.
Number of Races
The most number of races in a season sits at 19 in both the 2005 and 2010 seasons. The least number of races in a season has been recorded at 7 and this was between the years 1950 and 1955. With that number today, the 2010 season would already have Mark Webber as the new champion.
Race Length
The 1991 Australian Grand Prix was the shortest race ever race lasting for only 14 laps or 23 minutes and 34 seconds. There rain hit race was started on several occasions before it was eventually abandoned. 20 drivers were classified after the race but it received only half the points. The 1954 German Grand Prix was the longest race in Formula One history which lasted for 3 hours 45 minutes and 46 seconds.
Safety Cars
The most number of times a safety car was deployed in a race was on 4 occasions in one race. Not only this, but it happened in four different races in the sport’s history. Canada in 1999, followed by Australia in 2006 were the first two incidents such as this. Canada repeated the feat in 2007 and the latest incident being this year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Qualification
The longest qualification session ever to occur in Formula One racing was at the latest race weekend in the Brazil. The qualifying session of the 2009 Grand Prix at Interlagos lasted for 2 hours and 41 minutes due to repeated delays on account of a tropical storm. Local driver Barrichello however managed to win the pole position at the end of the perpetual session.
Red Flags
The record for the maximum number of times a race was stopped sits at 3 and this happened in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka where the red flag was waved on three occasions following the accidents on Heikki Kovalainen, Tismo Glock and Jaime Alguersuari.
Race Leaders
During the 1965 Italian Grand Prix the leading position changed on 41 different occasions before Jackie Stewart finally won the race.
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