The Worst F1 Cars To Win A Race – Global Sports Planet

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In Formula 1, the car you have is very important. A great driver without a great car finds it very difficult to win. After all, it is a team sport, where both the driver and the team have to perform at a high level to fight for victories and championships.

However, during an F1 race, anything can happen, and there have been occasions when, due to certain circumstances such as accidents, weather, or any other variable, midfield or uncompetitive cars have managed to take a surprising victory, before the astonished gaze of the whole world.

That said, today, we will take a look at the worst F1 cars that managed to get a win.

1. Jordan EJ13 – 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix

The Jordan EJ13 of the 2003 season is arguably the worst car in F1 history to win a race. Early in the year, the team started with problems over the aerodynamic philosophy of the car. Plus, after Honda left the team, they had to use a 2002-spec Cosworth engine, so it wasn\’t the ideal start.

After two races without finishing in the points, in the third round, the Brazilian GP, the impossible happened. The race conditions were very difficult, as there was heavy rain, and Giancarlo Fisichella made an early pit stop, overtaking many drivers who crashed or stopped later.

On lap 53, Fisichella was second, just behind Kimi Räikkönen. However, Finn made a mistake, so Fisichella took the lead on lap 54. Shortly after, Mark Webber had a heavy accident at the end of the last sector involving Fernando Alonso, so the race was red-flagged and not restarted.

Initially, Kimi Räikkönen was awarded the victory, but this was later corrected, and the order was taken at the end of lap 54 when Fisichella was first. Despite this victory, Jordan\’s poor reliability and lack of pace meant that they finished ninth in the constructors\’ championship, only ahead of Minardi.

2. Lotus 43 – 1966 United States Grand Prix

Of the 5 Grand Prix in which the Lotus 43 participated between 1966 and 1967, it could only finish one, the 1966 United States Grand Prix, in which double world champion Jim Clark took the victory. The car was designed according to the new 1966 regulations that increased the engine capacity to 3 liters.

The car\’s chassis was not bad, as Clark was able to qualify the car in all races in the top three. The big problem was the BRM P75 H16 engine they were using while Cosworth developed a new engine for 1967, which was too heavy, unreliable, and unable to produce the promised power.

The only joy the Lotus 43 gave was at Watkins Glen in 1966, where after qualifying second and having an engine problem, Clark had to use a spare engine loaned by the BRM team for the race. With a bit of luck and thanks to Clark\’s tremendous talent, the car could finish first.

3. Ligier JS43 – 1996 Monaco Grand Prix

The Ligier JS43 was the car with which the Ligier team competed during the 1996 F1 season and with which they achieved their last victory, although it was not a competitive car, as it was only the seventh fastest car on the grid.

The Ligier JS43 was a mediocre car, although it was by no means the worst. Its weakest point was the brakes, which had been the subject of complaints from the drivers, Olivier Panis and Pedro Diniz. In the Monaco GP, Panis qualified 14th, two seconds behind the poleman, Michael Schumacher.

Despite this poor result and the fact that Monaco is a very difficult circuit for overtaking, the race started in the wet, which changed everything. Many drivers crashed and retired, at the same time Panis made some aggressive overtaking, which allowed him to overtake many positions.

When the rain stopped and the track dried up, Panis ran third, behind Damon Hill and Jean Alesi. Hill was 48 seconds ahead of Panis when his engine blew up and retired, and shortly after, Alesi also retired due to suspension damage, allowing Panis\’ Ligier to cross the finish line first. That was the Frenchman\’s only F1 victory.

4. Williams FW09 – 1984 Dallas Grand Prix

The Williams FW09 was the first Williams turbo-powered car with a Honda V6 engine. The car was unreliable and suffered many retirements during the 1984 season, as the car could not withstand the powerful power delivery of the Honda engine.

Nevertheless, the Williams FW09 was a fast car, which, if it didn\’t suffer any problems, could fight for podiums, as the one Keke Rosberg got in the 1984 Brazilian GP. The other moment of the brilliance of that car was at the 1984 Dallas GP. Rosberg, who was prepared for the intense heat of Dallas, as he had a water-cooled skullcap, qualified seventh.

During the first laps of the race, the Finn moved up to the fourth position, and halfway through the race, he overtook Nigel Mansell\’s Lotus, taking the lead. Rosberg was overtaken by Alain Prost shortly after, but the Frenchman, like many other drivers during that race, ended up in the wall, so Williams was able to win that race with the ill-fated FW09.

5. Williams FW34 – 2012 Spanish Grand Prix

Pastor Maldonado raced in Formula 1 between 2011 and 2015, and the Venezuelan was widely criticized and the subject of memes for his aggressiveness and tendency to be involved in accidents. However, the Venezuelan was a fairly fast driver when he had a good day and did not make mistakes, as he demonstrated in the 2012 Spanish GP.

The first half of 2012 was very close, with 7 different winners during the first 7 Grands Prix, before Red Bull made a step forward with the performance of their car. Of the 12 teams, Williams was the 8^th fastest, so it was a car that could only hope to finish in the points.

After four races in which, due to accidents or car problems, he could only finish one, Maldonado qualified in an incredible second position for the Spanish GP. And if that was not enough, the poleman, Lewis Hamilton, had a grid penalty, so the Venezuelan started from pole position.

As everyone expected, Fernando Alonso\’s Ferrari overtook Maldonado early in the race, but the Venezuelan stayed close to the Spaniard the whole time. Thanks to a magnificent strategy in which Maldonado undercut Alonso while the Spanish was getting caught in traffic, the Venezuelan took the lead and crossed the finish line first, thus obtaining his only victory in Formula 1.

However, the celebration was short-lived, as the Williams garage burned down shortly after the end of the race, and 31 people were injured.

6. Shadow DN8 – 1977 Austrian Grand Prix

The Shadow DN8 was designed in 1976 and raced in Formula 1 for three seasons. It was a car that could fight to finish in the points, which it achieved in the 3 seasons in which it raced, but which reliability problems and lack of pace meant that on many occasions, it retired or finished out of the points.

1977 was its best season, thanks in part to future world champion Alan Jones, who outperformed the car on many occasions. It was at the Austrian GP that Jones\’ talent combined with luck to bring the Shadow DN8 to an unexpected victory.

Jones started fourteenth, and early in the race, which was marked by rain, he was able to move up many positions, taking advantage of the slippery conditions, as most front runners started on slicks. By lap 16, Jones was already second, just behind James Hunt\’s McLaren.

However, the lucky break that Jones needed to win happened, as just 11 laps from the end of the race, Hunt retired due to engine problems, so the Shadow DN8 crossed the finish line in the first place, 20 seconds ahead of Niki Lauda, this being the only victory for the Shadow team in F1.

7. Ferrari 625 – 1955 Monaco Grand Prix

Like the 1954 season, 1955 was dominated by Juan Manuel Fangio and Mercedes. In 1955, Ferrari had a slower car than Mercedes and Maserati, making it very difficult for the Prancing Horse cars to win.

However, the Italians\’ luck changed at the Monaco GP, although it did not start well. The first Ferrari in qualifying was Maurice Trintignant, who was ninth, 3.3 seconds behind pole-sitter Fangio and behind the Mercedes, Lancia, and Maserati.

The Silver Arrows dominated the race\’s first half, with Fangio first and Stirling Moss second. However, Fangio retired due to transmission problems, and shortly after, Moss also retired when his engine blew.

Alberto Ascari took the lead but crashed his Lancia into the barriers at the harbor, exited the tunnel, and retired, leaving the victory to Maurice Trintignant, who thus achieved his first victory in Formula 1.

8. Toro Rosso STR3 – 2008 Italian Grand Prix

Red Bull entered Formula 1 in 2005, and just one year later, in 2006, debuted its second team in the category, Toro Rosso, which would be dedicated to bringing promising youngsters into Formula 1 to be promoted to the first team when they were ready, where they would fight for podiums and victories.

That\’s how it was intended, and that\’s how it has worked for so many years, but in the beginning, it wasn\’t exactly like that, as surprisingly, Toro Rosso got an F1 win before its big brother. Toro Rosso and Red Bull were very evenly matched all year, being the sixth and seventh fastest teams on the grid.

However, a young Sebastian Vettel shone in the 2008 Italian GP, which was held in the wet. The German took the pole position, and, in the race, no one was able to overtake him. Apart from the tremendous talent of Vettel, who was promoted to Red Bull in 2009, one of the keys to the victory was that Toro Rosso moved the car\’s weight distribution further back, which improved traction out of Monza\’s slow chicanes.

9. AlphaTauri – 2020 Italian Grand Prix

12 years after their first Formula 1 victory, Toro Rosso, now renamed AlphaTauri, won again at the same venue, thanks this time to Pierre Gasly. 2020 was a very competitive year for the team, in which they scored 107 points and scored regularly, although they were only the seventh fastest car.

The Frenchman qualified tenth, so on Sunday, he would try to get some good points, but a crazy race made all the grid positions change. There was an early safety car with some drivers stopping and others not, including Gasly, who moved up to third.

Shortly after the safety car came out, a heavy crash by Charles Leclerc caused a red flag, and at the restart, Gasly moved into second place, just behind Lewis Hamilton. However, Hamilton lost the lead because he received a penalty for stopping when the pit was closed.

From there, Gasly held the lead the whole time, suffering in the last stages of the race from the attacks of Carlos Sainz\’s McLaren, who finished just 0.415 seconds behind the Frenchman. Lance Stroll\’s Racing Point completed the podium, so no frontrunner car was on top.

10. Ferrari 126CK – 1981 Monaco & Spanish Grand Prix

After a successful period in the late 1970s with naturally aspirated engines, Ferrari designed the 126CK as its first turbocharged F1 car, thus adapting to the new times. The Italian team was experimenting with two types of forced induction, turbocharging and a new compressor, a \”Comprex\” supercharger, thus building a 126CK and a 126CX version.

After many tests, the 126CK was the one that was decided to be used for the 1981 season due to its performance and potential. However, the season did not start well, as both Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi retired in the first 3 races.

Gradually, however, some glimpses of the engine\’s potential were seen. After finishing fourth in the Belgian GP, Villeneuve qualified second for the Monaco GP, just 78 thousandths off the pole. On Sunday, the Canadian absolutely dominated the race. Villeneuve overtook reigning champion Alan Jones and took 40 seconds off him at the end of the race.

In the next race, the Spanish GP, Villeneuve, won again after starting seventh. It was a very close victory, as Jacques Laffite, the runner-up, crossed the finish line just 0.22 seconds behind Villeneuve, and three more cars finished less than a second behind. However, the rest of the season was marked by unreliability, with more retirements than races completed.

11. McLaren MP4/1C – 1983 United States Grand Prix West

In 1981, McLaren designed the MP4/1, which it used during the 1981, 1982, and 1983 seasons with some success. The MP4/1C for the 1983 season was the penultimate revision of the original MP4/1 design, which had a focus on turbocharging, replacing naturally aspirated after some years of struggle.

The MP4/1C was a competitive car which could fight for podiums. However, it was unreliable, resulting in many retirements, and did not qualify for both John Watson and Niki Lauda.

The best Grand Prix for the MP4/1C was the 1983 United States GP at Long Beach, although it did not start very well, as Watson qualified 22nd and Lauda 23rd, four seconds off the pole. On Saturday, teams running Michelin tires, including McLaren, struggled badly against those running Goodyear.

On Sunday, however, everything changed. The high temperatures suited the Michelin teams, especially McLaren. Both Watson and Lauda overtook many positions early in the race, and after some accidents that left some front-running cars out of the race, the two McLarens continued to overtake. Watson finished first and Lauda second in a fantastic display.

12. Alpine A521 – 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

For the 2021 season, the historic Renault team rebranded Alpine to promote its new car brand while signing double world champion Fernando Alonso, who would join Esteban Ocon in the team.

Despite the great expectation that was placed on the team after these changes, the car was somewhat disappointing, as both Alonso and Ocon had to outperform it to score good points. However, luck smiled on the French team in the chaotic Hungarian GP, which was marked by rain.

Ocon qualified eighth, while Alonso was ninth. However, in the race, there was carnage at the first corner, and Ocon moved up to third. After a red flag and a mess of drivers pitting, the Frenchman took the lead from Lewis Hamilton, who made a late stop.

From there, the Frenchman led the race, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, while Hamilton climbed positions, threatening the victory. However, Alonso made an impressive defense against the Englishman, which made him lose a lot of time and did not give him time to reach Ocon.

This was the first victory by a French driver driving a French car powered by a French engine since Alain Prost won the 1983 Austrian GP in a Renault car.

13. Ferrari F60 – 2009 Belgian Grand Prix

In 2009, the FIA introduced major aerodynamic changes that made the cars thinner and taller, something that many people did not like. Among the changes that took place, the use of double-deck diffusers was allowed, something very new and which offered a great advantage, as demonstrated by the Brawn GP team.

Ferrari, however, did not agree with the regulation, so it did not use it for the F60 in what ended up being a rather disappointing and uncompetitive season. The car struggled to score points in many races due to its lack of pace, although in others, it was somewhat more competitive.

It was Kimi Räikkönen who saved the team, taking 5 podiums and 1 victory, achieved at his star circuit, Spa-Francorchamps, where he has won four times. The Finn qualified sixth, and on lap 4 he was already second, after some accidents at the head of the race, behind Giancarlo Fisichella.

Räikkönen overtook Fisichella\’s Force India on lap 5 and from there, remained in the lead throughout the race, followed closely by the Italian, who finished less than a second behind the Finn.

14. McLaren MCL35M – 2021 Italian Grand Prix

2021 was a transition year before the big aerodynamic changes that the FIA planned to make for 2022. After having a great 2020 season in which they came third in the constructors\’ championship, McLaren introduced a second version of the MCL35, called MCL35M, which the biggest change it had was the Mercedes engine after breaking its alliance with Renault.

The MCL35M was a car that aspired to be the best midfield car, which could score on a regular basis, but was far away from the frontrunners Mercedes and Red Bull. Lando Norris scored 4 podiums during the season, being very consistent, while Daniel Ricciardo struggled to adapt to the car, having less pace than the Briton.

However, to everyone\’s surprise, the Australian achieved the best result of the season at the Italian GP. Ricciardo was third in Saturday\’s sprint race, and due to a grid penalty for Valtteri Bottas, he started second on the grid.

Ricciardo took the lead into the first corner and held off attacks from Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen until they collided and both retired. From there, Norris moved into second, and the two McLarens stayed there, securing a 1-2 and the team\’s first win since the 2012 Brazilian GP.

\"\" — Editorial credit: Sergey Kohl / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

The most common thing in Formula 1 is that the best cars win the races, which sometimes makes it very predictable and monotonous.

However, this is not always the case, and there are occasions when drivers and teams that nobody expected to win, either by a stroke of luck, the driver\’s great skill, or both, so in Formula 1, nothing can ever be ruled out.