The Best F1 Debuts Ever – Global Sports Planet

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Thousands of drivers try to make it to Formula 1, and only a few do, so making your debut in the category is already a victory in itself. However, the pressure in F1 is very high, and performing during your first races can be crucial to the development of your racing career.

Getting it right during your first few races can get you noticed by the big teams, thus boosting your racing career, while getting it wrong can doom you forever. With that said, let\’s look back at some of the best F1 debuts that surprised everyone.

1. Nino Farina – 1950 British GP

Giuseppe \”Nino\” Farina\’s Formula 1 debut could not have been better. The Italian driver was part of the first generation of F1 drivers, competing in the inaugural championship in 1950.

The first official race in the history of the Formula 1 championship was at Silverstone Circuit, where major brands such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati came together to race and were attended by more than 200,000 spectators.

Farina, like many others, was an experienced driver who had raced in numerous competitions before and after World War II and made his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo.

In qualifying, Farina was first, ahead of the Alfa Romeos of Luigi Fagioli and Juan Manuel Fangio. In the race, no one could overtake Farina, who won the race ahead of Fagioli and Reg Parnell, thus ending the first F1 race in an unbeatable way for Farina and becoming the first winner in the history of the category.

The Italian also won the 1950 championship, going down in the history books as the first F1 world champion.

2. Johnnie Parsons – 1950 Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the 1950 Formula 1 calendar, being round 3 of 7, and paid points towards the championship. However, no European F1 driver participated. Farina initially wanted to race but his car never arrived.

Johnnie Parsons was an American driver who competed in the AAA Championship, so when he raced in the Indy 500 he participated at the same time in the Formula 1 championship. Parsons participated in the Indy 500 from 1950 to 1958, and despite not racing in any more F1 races, those entries included him in the championship standings, as did many other American drivers.

Parsons was fifth in qualifying and soon began to lead the race. The American began to have an engine problem mid-race, but thanks to the rain, the race was finished early and Parsons was proclaimed the winner of the Indy 500.

The American driver scored 9 points and temporarily took first place in the Formula 1 championship. At the end of the championship, these 9 points were enough for him to be sixth.

3. Giancarlo Baghetti – 1961 French GP

Giancarlo Baghetti\’s F1 debut could not have been better, debuting with a victory. The Italian had competed and won in non-championship F1 races but was making his debut in the championship with Ferrari at the 1961 French GP in Reims.

That weekend, four Ferrari drivers participated in the GP: Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Richie Ginther, and Giancarlo Baghetti. In qualifying, Baghetti was 12th, while the other three Ferraris were in the top three, making the Italian the last Ferrari on the grid.

However, in the race, things were different. Baghetti climbed positions as the laps went by, placing second on the last lap behind Dan Gurney\’s Porsche 718. On the last straight, Baghetti overtook Gurney and crossed the finish line 0.1 seconds ahead of the American.

After this heart-stopping debut, Baghetti raced in some F1 races until 1967, although he could not emulate this result.

4. Jacques Villeneuve – 1996 Australian GP

Jacques Villeneuve, son of legendary F1 driver Gilles, had a dream debut at the 1996 Australian GP. The Canadian had already been surprised with his results before Formula 1, winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1995. Villeneuve made the leap to F1 with Williams, who was living one of its golden years at the time.

Villeneuve took pole position in qualifying, ahead of his more experienced teammate Damon Hill, son of fellow F1 driver Graham Hill. The Canadian led most of the race, but an oil leak towards the end slowed him down, so Hill overtook him and won the race, while Villeneuve was second.

Villeneuve would have ended his debut on a high note if it had not been for the oil leak. The Canadian took his first victory three races later in the European GP and finished runner-up to Hill. In 1997 his fortunes changed, and Villeneuve won the title.

5. Kevin Magnussen – 2014 Australian GP

Kevin Magnussen made his debut in 2014 with McLaren after replacing Mexican Sergio Perez following his disappointing 2013 season. The Dane was part of the McLaren Academy and in 2013 won the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

Not only was 2014 a year of change for McLaren, but it was the first season of the V6 turbo hybrid engines, so there was a lot of uncertainty about each team\’s performance heading into the first race. In qualifying, Magnussen finished fourth, well ahead of his teammate, 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who was eleventh.

In the race, Magnussen spent most of the time in the third position, a couple of seconds behind Daniel Ricciardo\’s Red Bull, and both finished in those positions. Button, on the other hand, made a great comeback and crossed the finish line fourth.

Just when Magnussen\’s debut seemed unbeatable, it was announced that Ricciardo was disqualified from the race for breaching the maximum fuel limit, so the Dane finished second while Button was third.

Despite this great first race for McLaren in the championship, the team went downhill throughout the season and was uncompetitive. Magnussen was replaced in 2015 by Fernando Alonso. The Dane returned to F1 racing in 2016 with Renault and, in 2017, signed for Haas.

6. Reine Wisell – 1970 United States GP

Reine Wisell was a Swedish driver who had a great debut in Formula 1 but could not exploit his full potential in the category. After winning the Swedish F3, Wisell made the jump to Formula 1 with Team Lotus in the United States GP held at Watkins Glen.

After the death of its star driver, Jochen Rindt, and the retirement of his teammate John Miles, Lotus signed Wisell and Emerson Fittipaldi to replace them. Wisell had never raced in F1, while the Brazilian made his debut at the British GP that year.

In qualifying, Wisell was ninth, while Fittipaldi was third. In the race, Wisell gained positions and finally finished third, being the only driver next to Pedro Rodriguez not to be lapped by the winner, Fittipaldi.

After this great race for both Wisell and Fittipaldi, Colin Chapman, the owner of Lotus, hired both for the 1971 season. However, Wisell was consistently outperformed by Fittipaldi, and he left the team at the end of the year, never again participating full-time in F1 and never being able to score another podium finish.

7. Lewis Hamilton – 2007 Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton was part of the McLaren academy during his early years, achieving success in all the categories through which he passed. After winning GP2 in 2006, the Briton jumped to Formula 1 with the Woking team, which had also signed reigning double-world champion Fernando Alonso, so there was a lot of pressure on Hamilton.

However, Hamilton did not crumble under pressure and proved to be up to the task since his first race, the 2007 Australian GP held in Melbourne. In qualifying, Hamilton was fourth, which was pretty good for his debut, while Alonso was second.

In the race, Nick Heidfeld overtook Alonso at the start, and Hamilton made a fantastic move on the outside of Turn 1 and overtook the Spaniard, moving into third. Hamilton spent most of the race between second and fourth and even led the race for four laps, but finally finished third behind Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton was the first driver since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 to finish on the podium in his debut race, and during the season, he proved he was as fast as Alonso, causing great internal tension in the team that saw both miss out on the title by just one point behind Raikkonen, and forcing the Spaniard\’s departure for next season.

8. Johnny Herbert – 1989 Brazilian GP

Johnny Herbert not only made a great debut in his first Formula 1 race, but it was also a heroic feat after a serious accident he had. Herbert raced in Formula 3000 in 1988 and had a serious accident at Brands Hatch that left him with severe hand and leg injuries that left him unable to walk or exercise.

Despite the threat of amputation or never walking again, Herbert made a rapid and amazing recovery and, in 1989, began driving in Formula 1 for Benetton, making his debut in the category just six months after the accident, in the opening round at the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio de Janeiro.

Hebert was experiencing terrible pain when using the pedals and needed help getting in and out of the car, but he was still able to complete the Grand Prix and achieve a great result. Hebert qualified in a great tenth place, just ahead of his teammate Alessandro Nannini, and in the race, he climbed up to fourth and finished the race just one second behind third, a truly admirable result.

Herbert competed in F1 until 2000, achieving 3 victories and 7 podiums, and was Michael Schumacher\’s teammate during his second world championship in 1995. He is currently a prestigious F1 racing commentator.

9. Jean Alesi – 1989 French GP

Alesi made his Formula 1 debut with the then midfield Tyrrell team in his home Grand Prix, the French GP, held at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Frenchman replaced Michele Alboreto, who left the team in the previous race.

Alesi qualified sixteenth, which was quite good considering that the grid consisted of 30 drivers, while his teammate Jonathan Palmer was ninth.

In the race, things were different, and Alesi made a great comeback, running as high as second place. Late in the race, his tires started to burn out, so he had to pit for a change, and he finally finished fourth, a phenomenal result for his debut.

Alesi had a long career in Formula 1, competing until 2001. He raced with various teams, including Ferrari, Sauber, and Benetton, and scored one victory and 32 podiums.

10. Vic Elford – 1968 French GP

Vic Elford made his Formula 1 debut with Cooper at the 1968 French GP, held at the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit, and from the way, his weekend started, no one could have imagined how it ended.

Elford had experience in endurance racing and was also a very versatile driver. In 1967 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the S Class, and in 1968 he won the Rally Monte Carlo and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Elford wanted to try his luck in Formula 1 and participate with Cooper during the second half of the 1968 season. Elford was last in qualifying on an 18-car grid at the French GP, so it didn\’t look like the dream debut in the category.

However, things got better in the race, and Elford made a great comeback and spent most of the laps battling with Piers Courage and Denny Hulme, who were established and experienced drivers in the category.

Elford crossed the finish line fourth, which is a rather impressive result, and even more so considering that an engine problem during the final laps slowed him down, so he could have achieved an even better result.

Elford took part in 12 more races in Formula 1 but without improving his debut result and focused more on his sporting career in endurance racing.

11. Mark Webber – 2002 Australian GP

Like Vic Elford, Mark Webber\’s Formula 1 debut starkly contrasted between qualifying and the race. The Australian made his debut in his home Grand Prix with Minardi, one of the weakest teams on the grid but one of the most beloved.

Webber qualified eighteenth, while his teammate Alex Yoong was last, so the weekend was not looking good for Minardi. In the race, Webber avoided the carnage that occurred at Turn 1, where six drivers were left out, thus gaining many positions.

The Australian continued to move up throughout the race, and in the closing laps had to hold off the faster Toyota of Mika Salo to cross the finish line fifth, which was a spectacular result for Minardi. It was a very eventful race, and only 8 of the 21 drivers on the starting grid crossed the finish line.

Webber scored two points, the only points the team scored that season, and had an impromptu podium ceremony after the race.

12. Felipe Nasr – 2015 Australian GP

Brazilian Felipe Nasr made his Formula 1 debut in the 2015 Australian GP with the Sauber team after finishing third in GP2 the previous year. The Brazilian brought with him a major sponsor, Banco do Brasil, so the team livery changed completely for the 2015 season, being blue and yellow.

However, Nasr wanted to prove that he was in Formula 1 because of his talent and not just because he had a big sponsor behind him. On Saturday, Nasr qualified eleventh, more than two seconds faster than his teammate, Marcus Ericsson, who was sixteenth.

In the race, the Brazilian had an incident with Pastor Maldonado in the first corner but came out intact, and after spending the whole race fighting with faster cars, he crossed the finish line fifth, being one of only four drivers not to be lapped by winner Lewis Hamilton.

Despite this great result in his first race, the team was very uncompetitive during both 2015 and 2016, and Nasr was unable to match this fifth position. Despite outperforming Ericcson in both seasons, the Brazilian was replaced for 2017 by Pascal Wehrlein.

13. Kimi Raikkonen – 2001 Australian GP

With only 23 single-seater races competing in lower categories, Kimi Raikkonen jumped to Formula 1 in 2001 with Sauber after the team discarded Enrique Bernoldi, the favorite candidate of the team\’s sponsor at the time, Red Bull.

Some, like the then president of the FIA, Max Mosley, questioned giving the Super License to the Finn because of his lack of experience. However, knowing Raikkonen\’s character, he didn\’t care about that and simply came to race and be fast.

Raikkonen qualified thirteenth, while his teammate Nick Heidfeld was tenth. The Finn took his first Formula 1 weekend in his stride, and 30 minutes before the race, he was asleep in his room, under no pressure whatsoever.

However, Finn awakened his inner beast when he put on his helmet and had a fantastic race, climbing up to the sixth position and scoring a great debut that extinguished all the criticism or doubts previously cast on him.

14. Innes Ireland – 1959 Dutch GP

Innes Ireland was a British driver who made his Formula 1 debut in the 1959 Dutch GP with Team Lotus after competing in some non-championship races. The 1959 Dutch GP was held at the Zandvoort circuit, and the reason why Ireland is not higher on this list because of the grid\’s size, as only 15 drivers raced.

In qualifying, Ireland was ninth, and in the race the Briton climbed up the standings to finish fourth. Ireland not only made a great comeback, but also beat established drivers in the category such as Jean Behra, Phil Hill and Graham Hill, which adds more merit to his result.

Ireland raced in Formula 1 until 1966 and scored one victory and four podium finishes during his entire racing career.

15. Carlos Reutemann – 1972 Argentine GP

Carlos Reutemann had humble origins and did everything possible to reach Formula 1, standing out in the lower categories. In 1972 he made the leap to F1 with Brabham, and the opening round of the season was at the Buenos Aires circuit, making it a dream debut for the Argentinean, who was racing at home.

Reutemann surprised everyone by taking the pole position, as together with Mario Andretti, they were the only drivers to have taken the pole in their first Grand Prix. Reutemann had destroyed his teammate, double world champion Graham Hill, who qualified sixteenth, and had beaten experienced drivers such as Jackie Stewart and Peter Revson.

In the race, however, Reutemann was not able to stay in the first place, and ran in the podium positions for most of the laps. However, the Argentinean had to pit for a tire change during the closing stages of the race, so he finally finished seventh, which probably didn\’t seem enough after what he had experienced in qualifying, but it\’s still a great result for a rookie.

16. Nico Rosberg – 2006 Bahrain GP

Nico Rosberg, son of 1982 F1 champion Keke, made his Formula 1 debut at the 2006 Bahrain GP with Williams, after winning the GP2 Series in 2005. Rosberg wanted to prove that he was not only \”son of\”, but that he deserved to be in the category for his driving ability.

Rosberg qualified twelfth, while his teammate, Mark Webber, was seventh. In the race, the young German climbed to seventh place and finished just behind Webber.

In addition to this good result, Rosberg set the fastest lap of the race, and at 20 years and 258 days became the youngest driver to do so. Rosberg held this record until it was broken at the 2016 Brazilian GP by Max Verstappen at age 19.

Rosberg had a long racing career in Formula 1, and became world champion in 2016, proving he was worthy of competing in the category. With his world championship, the Rosbergs became one of only two father-son pairs to both be world champions, alongside Graham and Damon Hill.

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Conclusion

These drivers had dream debuts, which is desired by everyone. However, as we have seen in many cases, having a great F1 debut does not necessarily mean that your career will be prolific, although it does give you more advantages.