Formula 1\’s Most Unwanted Records

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When we talk about Formula 1, we usually highlight those names that have achieved success in the category, such as Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna, or Lewis Hamilton. All drivers fight to be the best and fastest on the grid, and to be remembered as true legends, with many victories, podiums, pole positions, and, above all, world championships.

However, only a small part of the drivers who compete in F1 achieve success, while most of them have a discreet passage through the category or achieve occasional success. Nevertheless, there are drivers who go down in the history books, not for their successes, but precisely the opposite.

That said, today we will look at F1\’s most unwanted records.

1. F1’s Slowest Driver

Al Pease

In the last decades, we have seen some really slow drivers, who were not quite ready for Formula 1, like Yuji Ide or Nikita Mazepin. However, of all of them, Victor Pease, better known as Al Pease, has the sad honor of being the only driver to have been disqualified from a race for going too slow.

Until the 80s, for each F1 race, many drivers were registered (up to 39 drivers were registered on certain occasions), so the FIA established a cut-off in qualifying so that only the best times could run on Sunday. In this way, the FIA got rid of the slowest drivers and teams, which could hinder the race of the rest.

However, the FIA did not always get it right in \”expelling\” the mediocre ones. In the 1969 Canadian GP, local driver Al Pease was shown the black flag for being too slow, as he was many laps behind the rest. Of all the drivers who have participated in F1, only Al Pease has been disqualified in the race for lack of speed.

2. Shortest Distance Raced

Ernst Loof: 2 meters

Ernst Loof is the driver with the shortest F1 career. The German, one of the founders of the Veritas company, participated only in the 1953 German GP, held at the Nürburgring, and things did not go as planned.

In qualifying, Loof finished thirty-first, two minutes and seventeen seconds behind poleman Alberto Ascari, being the last of the Veritas cars participating in that Grand Prix.

On Sunday, things were much worse. No sooner had the green flag dropped than Loof suffered a fuel pump failure, and his race was over in just two meters, even before he crossed the starting line.

3. Most Retirements

Andrea de Cesaris: 148

Andrea de Cesaris participated in 214 races between 1980 and 1994, and despite racing with some great teams such as McLaren or Alfa Romeo and obtaining 5 podiums and 1 pole position, his racing career will be remembered for his recurrent and spectacular accidents during his time in the category.

The Italian was known from the lower categories as Andrea de \”Crasheris\”. Although he showed great speed, he was prone to the most chilling accidents, such as the one he was involved in 1976 in which Nigel Mansell broke his neck and almost became paraplegic.

The Italian was not slow. At the time, de Cesaris was the youngest driver to achieve a pole position (at the age of 23), and he also came close to winning a race. However, he had strange bursts of recklessness, which led him to retire on many occasions. In 1987 he even failed to finish any of the races.

4. Driver Who Has Been Passed More Than Any Other In A Season

Charles Pic (2012): 70 times

Frenchman Charles Pic made his Formula 1 debut in 2012 with the Marussia team, which was, along with HRT and Caterham, one of the backmarkers of the grid.

These three teams were far behind the rest of the grid, so they could practically only fight among themselves. For his rookie season, the Frenchman did not do badly, beating both HRT and Heikki Kovalainen\’s Caterham in the championship.

Pic even managed a heroic 12th place in the Brazilian GP, well above the performance of his Marussia. However, with that car the Frenchman could not do much and was overtaken 70 times in the season, beating the old record of Stefano Modena, who was overtaken 68 times in 1989.

5. Most Races & Points Without A Podium

Nico Hülkenberg: 181 starts & 521 career points

After seeing his time in the lower categories and his great skill behind the wheel, no one would have thought in 2010 that Nico Hülkenberg would hold these records. The German is one of the best drivers of his generation, but he has been incredibly unlucky during the 10 years he has been in F1.

Hülkenberg made his Formula 1 debut in 2010 with Williams and scored an incredible pole position at the Brazilian GP. Despite this, he was left without a seat for 2011, but returned to the category in 2012 with Force India, season in which he led 30 laps at the Brazilian GP until Hamilton collided with him.

Hülkenberg spent the rest of his racing career with midfield cars, with Sauber in 2013, Force India again until 2016, and Renault between 2017 and 2019, scoring points on a regular basis and being very evenly matched with his teammates, although the podium eluded him.

The German came close to a long-awaited podium finish in the 2019 German GP, marked by wet and changeable conditions, during which he was running fourth before crashing into the barriers.

6. Most Races Before Scoring Points

Nicola Larini: 44 entries

Nicola Larini participated in 75 Formula 1 Grand Prix races from 1987 to 1997, while also taking part in touring car championships, with some success.

In Formula 1, however, he was not so successful. From 1987 to 1991, the Italian raced with Coloni, Osella, Ligier and Modena, which were some of the most modest and least competitive teams on the grid, so, despite doing quite well, he was unable to score any points with them.

His big break came with Ferrari. In 1992 he replaced Ivan Capelli in the last two races of the season, but technical problems prevented him from scoring points. In 1994 he had a second chance, replacing Jean Alesi also for a couple of races. Larini seized the opportunity and achieved a podium finish at the 1994 San Marino GP, scoring his first points in F1 after 44 entries.

In 1997 he entered some races with Sauber, where he scored points in the Australian GP.

7. Most Races Without A Pole Position

Romain Grosjean: 179 starts

Romain Grosjean made his Formula 1 debut in 2009 and raced continuously in the category from 2012 until 2020, with the Lotus and Haas teams.

During his first years at Lotus, the Frenchman scored numerous podiums, as he had a very competitive car, but unlike his teammate Kimi Räikkönen he was unable to achieve any victories. Grosjean soon established himself as a fast, but aggressive driver, causing some spectacular accidents such as the one at the 2012 Belgian GP.

With the arrival of the hybrid era, Lotus declined notably, although Grosjean was still able to score an incredible last podium at the 2015 Belgian GP. In 2016 he joined Haas, a debutant team in F1, and helped consolidate the project, putting in good performances with midfield cars.

However, with Haas, Grosjean never again scored a podium, let alone pole positions, making him, with 179 starts, the driver with the most races without a pole, a record previously held by Sergio Pérez, who got his first pole position at the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP in his 216^th entry.

8. DNQ, DNF, and DSQ From One Race

Hans Heyer: 1977 German GP

Hans Heyer is perhaps the driver with the most incredible record of all, achieving a hat-trick a bit special. Heyer was a German driver who won several touring car championships at European and national levels, however, in Formula 1 he will not be remembered for his skill behind the wheel.

Heyer attempted to make the jump to single-seaters at his home Grand Prix in 1977 with ATS Racing Team, although the German failed to make the qualifying cut-off, so he was unable to qualify for the race.

After that, Heyer stayed on as a reserve driver to contest the race if any of the qualifiers didn\’t compete. On Sunday, after a little chaos at the start, Heyer started his Penske ATS and without permission or anything, he left the pitlane and joined the race.

After 10 laps, the German retired due to transmission problems, and at the end of the race, Heyer was disqualified for running without permission, becoming the only driver in history to compete in a GP without qualifying (DNQ), without finishing (DNF) and to be disqualified (DSQ).

9. Most Starts & Most Laps Completed Without Scoring A Point

Lucas Badoer: 50 starts & 2,364 laps completed

Italian Lucas Badoer had a rather unique career in Formula 1. Badoer raced 4 seasons and 2 races in Formula 1, although he never raced two years in a row.

The Italian raced in 1993 with Scuderia Italia, in 1995 and 1999 with Minardi, and in 1996 with Forti. All three teams were backmarkers, and Badoer was never able to score points, with a seventh position in the 1993 San Marino GP as his best result.

During the 2000s, Badoer was a Ferrari test driver, and his big break came in 2009, when he replaced Felipe Massa after the serious accident he suffered in the Hungarian GP, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

However, Badoer was not up to the task, and after two races without being competitive at all and far behind the pace, he was replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella for the rest of the season, thus extending his record of most starts (50) and most laps completed (2,364) without scoring points.

10. Least Points Scored Whilst Teammate Won Title

Dave Walker (1972): 0 points

Australian Dave Walker entered 11 Formula 1 races between 1971 and 1972 with the historic Lotus, one of the most successful and competitive teams of the time.

For the 1972 season, Lotus built a very fast car, so the team was called to do great things with its drivers, the Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi and Walker. Fittipaldi did not disappoint, and took 5 wins and 3 podiums, winning the championship, 16 points ahead of runner-up Jackie Stewart.

However, with such a competitive car, Walker did not even manage to score any points in the 10 of the 12 races of the season in which he participated. It is true that he had some mechanical problems in some races, but the Australian\’s pace was not even close to Fittipaldi\’s.

Evidently, Lotus did not renew Walker for the following season, and the Australian never raced in F1 again.

11. Most Laps Led & Most Pole Positions Without A Win

Chris Amon: 183 laps led & 5 pole positions

Chris Amon was one of the best drivers of his generation, but despite his great skill behind the wheel, the New Zealander was incredibly unlucky, achieving the records for most laps led (183) and most pole positions (5) without a single victory.

Amon participated in 108 Formula 1 Grand Prix between 1963 and 1976 and drove for 13 teams, including Ferrari, March, Martra, and Tyrrell.

The New Zealander scored 11 podiums, but victory eluded him, largely due to the consistency and reliability of his cars, which never matched his skill and talent, and that is why he is considered the best driver never to have won a race.

Outside of Formula 1, Amon proved that with a car to match he was one of the best drivers, as he demonstrated in 1966 by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside compatriot Bruce McLaren.

12. Most Podiums Without A Win

Nick Heidfeld: 13 podiums

If Chris Amon holds the record for most laps led and pole positions without a win, Nick Heidfeld holds the record for most podiums without a win.

The German entered 185 races between 2000 and 2011 with Prost, Sauber, Jordan, Williams, BMW Sauber, and Renault. Heidfeld never had winning cars, but he did have strong midfield cars, with which he established himself as a fast and consistent driver.

In his entire F1 career, Heidfeld scored 13 podiums, 1 pole position, and 2 fastest laps, but victory eluded him. His best seasons were 2007 and 2008 with BMW Sauber, finishing fifth and sixth in the championship respectively. In 2001, with Sauber, he also did quite well, finishing eighth.

13. Most Podiums Without A World Championship

Rubens Barrichello: 68 podiums

One step above Heidfeld is Rubens Barrichello, one of the great talents of his generation, who will be remembered as one of the best (if not the best) wingmen of all time.

Barrichello entered 326 Grands Prix between 1993 and 2011, making him the third driver with the most races in history, behind only Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. In his racing career, Barrichello scored 11 victories, 68 podiums, 14 pole positions, and 17 fastest laps, but never won a world championship.

He achieved most of his success with Ferrari during its period of absolute dominance in the category, between 2000 and 2004, when the Prancing Horse won every possible title.

At that time, Barrichello acted as the second driver to Michael Schumacher, who was uncatchable, and the Brazilian was runner-up in the 2002 and 2004 championships, third in 2001, and fourth in 2000 and 2003.

Barrichello\’s other great opportunity to win a championship came in 2009 with Brawn GP, but once again, the Brazilian finished behind his teammate, Jenson Button, who won the title. Barrichello finished third in the championship, taking 4 podiums and 2 wins.

14. Most Career Points Without Being World Champion

Valtteri Bottas: 1,784 career points

Like Rubens Barrichello, Valtteri Bottas has driven for the top team for many seasons, acting as the second driver while his teammate won the championships.

Bottas debuted in F1 with Williams in 2013, and after 4 seasons in which he scored 9 podiums and established himself as one of the young promises of the category, in 2017 he signed for Mercedes, the dominating team of the hybrid era, after the retirement of Nico Rosberg.

In 5 seasons with the Silver Arrows, Bottas scored 10 victories, 58 podiums, and 20 pole positions, although he was always far behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who won 4 titles in a row between 2017 and 2020. The Finn was runner-up in 2019 and 2020.

In 2022, Bottas signed for Alfa Romeo, a strong midfield team, and in his sporting career he has accumulated a total of 1,784 points so far, being the driver with the most points without being a world champion. It is worth noting that Bottas holds this record because the points system used since 2010 distributes more points than those of previous decades.

15. Most Races Without A Win

Andrea de Cesaris: 208 starts

Andrea de Cesaris not only holds the record for the most retirements, but also the record for the most races without a win. As previously mentioned, the Italian was prone to many accidents, although when he had a good day, he was a very fast driver.

It is true that de Cesaris achieved some podiums in the category, but victory always eluded him. His best season was 1983 with Alfa Romeo when he achieved two-second places in the German and South African GPs.

However, the closest he came to winning a race was at the Belgian GP that season, when he led for much of the race but had to retire due to a mechanical problem.

16. Shortest Time Elapsed Before Earning A Penalty

Sebastian Vettel: 9 seconds into his career as an F1 driver

Despite being one of the best drivers in history with 4 world championships, Sebastian Vettel\’s Formula 1 career did not start as he had hoped.

The German made his debut at the 2006 Turkish GP, and at just 19 years and 53 days, he became the youngest driver in history to make his F1 debut up to that point. However, the stewards reported that just nine seconds after leaving the garage in the first free practice session, the young German had been caught exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane, going 64.3 km/h (40.2 mph).

Despite this, Vettel performed well that weekend with BMW, so fortunately not all faith was lost in the German.

17. Most Races Before First Win

Sergio Pérez: 190 starts

After 190 starts, Mexican driver Sergio Pérez has been the driver who has waited the longest to win a race in Formula 1. Pérez made his debut in 2011 with Sauber, and in 2012 he already achieved his first podiums in the category, proving to be a very fast driver.

After a brief stint at McLaren, the Mexican signed in 2014 for Force India, later renamed Racing Point and currently Aston Martin. Pérez spent 7 seasons at Force India, racing in the midfield and fighting for occasional podiums, but nowhere near the strongest teams.

At the end of 2020, the Mexican had no seat for 2021, as the team did not renew him, and it looked like it would be his last season in F1. However, in the chaotic Shakir GP, the Mexican driver achieved a heroic victory in a great comeback after an accident on the first lap.

This victory earned him a contract with Red Bull in 2021, giving Pérez a car with which to fight for victories for the first time since his F1 debut.

18. Most Races Before Scoring A Podium Finish

Carlos Sainz Jr.: 101 starts

Like Pérez with his first win, Carlos Sainz also had to wait a good few years to get his first podium. The Spaniard made his F1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso, putting in good performances and scoring points on a regular basis until the end of the 2017 season, when he signed for Renault.

With Renault, he also scored in most races, but the car was not too competitive, so he could not fight for podiums or victories. In 2019, Sainz signed for McLaren, which was booming in performance.

Sainz had a spectacular year, dispelling all doubts about his driving, and at the Brazilian GP, he scored the first podium of his racing career and McLaren\’s first since 2014.

In this way, Sainz broke Martin Brundle\’s record of 91 starts before his first podium. Up to that point, all drivers who drove their first 100 races without a podium finish, ended their careers without ever getting on the podium. Sainz returned to the podium in 2020, and after signing for Ferrari in 2021 has added 10 more podiums and 1 win to date.