The Worst F1 Races Ever – Global Sports Planet

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When we think of Formula 1, we think of speed, overtaking, and entertaining races where drivers fight to the limit. This is not far from reality, as many races are like that, exciting from start to finish, with numerous battles and incidents.

However, there are races in which simply nothing happens, becoming real processions, either due to the lack of overtaking or battles, and others that, for reasons beyond the drivers\’ control, become awful to watch.

There are also other races where accidents occur that take away from the on-track action and the joy of watching a Grand Prix.

That said, let\’s take a look at some of the worst races in F1 history, either due to a lack of on-track action or some other circumstance that marred the Grand Prix.

1. 1961 Italian Grand Prix

The 1961 Italian Grand Prix will always be remembered as one of the worst races in history, not because it was boring, but because of the terrible accident that occurred.

The Italian GP was the penultimate race of the 1961 season, and two Ferrari drivers were facing each other for the title: Wolfgang von Trips, who had 33 points, and Phil Hill with 29. In qualifying, von Trips was first, while Hill was fourth, so everything seemed very favorable for the German.

On Sunday, however, everything changed. At the end of lap 2, when von Trips was approaching the Parabolica, he lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into the spectators, killing 15 and himself, being one of the most terrible accidents in the history of Formula 1 and motorsport.

Incomprehensibly, the FIA continued the race, which was won by Phil Hill with a wide margin over second-placed Dan Gurney, but the American\’s joy went out of him after learning what had happened. Without his closest rival, Hill won the 1961 title.

2. 1953 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1953 Argentine Grand Prix was the first F1 race held in South America and outside Europe, hosted at the Autódromo Gálvez in Buenos Aires. It was the first race of the season and there was great expectation in the country, as its driver Juan Manuel Fangio had become world champion for the first time in 1951.

Throughout that Grand Prix it was very hot (about 40º) and the free entrance to the circuit was extended from 70,000 spectators (maximum capacity of the venue) to 160,000, which caused the grandstands to collapse and many people to stand on the sides of the track.

With this panorama, Alberto Ascari was first in qualifying, followed by Juan Manuel Fangio, while Nino Farina was fourth. Despite the excessive number of fans at the venue, the race started normally, although tragedy was not long in coming.

On lap 31, Farina lost control of his car and crashed into the crowd, killing 13 spectators. Amid the chaos and panic, a child ran in front of Alan Brown\’s Cooper and was killed. The two drivers were unhurt, but it is estimated that more than 30 people were injured. Later, on lap 68, Frenchman Robert Manzon lost a wheel and injured 2 other people.

The race continued, and was won by Ascari, followed by Luigi VIlloresi and José Froilán González, but it was demonstrated that the mismanagement of a race could have very serious consequences.

3. 1994 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1994 San Marino GP is one of those cursed dates in the history of Formula 1. The San Marino GP was the third race of 1994 and was marked by misfortune from start to finish.

On Friday, in the first free practice session, Rubens Barrichello, after taking his first podium at the Pacific GP, lost control of his car at high speed and crashed into the barriers. The Brazilian lost consciousness, and at the hospital they confirmed that he was fine, but with a broken nose and arm.

On Saturday, in qualifying and after the scare of the previous day, the Austrian Roland Ratzenberger crashed almost head-on at over 300 km/h, dying on the spot. After that, the atmosphere of the Grand Prix became very dark, and many drivers, including Ayrton Senna, considered suspending the race or not running at all.

On Sunday, Senna started first, with an Austrian flag in his pocket in case he finished on the podium. However, on lap 7, the three-time world champion crashed violently into the barriers at the Tamburello corner. The Brazilian was immediately taken by helicopter to the hospital, but it was too late, as he died on the spot.

The race was resumed after the Brazilian\’s death was certified. Michael Schumacher won a race in which there was not much action on track, followed by Nicola Larini and Mika Häkkinen. There wasn\’t even a champagne ceremony, as there was nothing to celebrate that day.

4. 1981 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1981 Belgian GP, held at Circuit Zolder, was marked by chaos and tragedy, considered the worst organized and most dramatic start in F1 history. Weeks before the Grand Prix took place, many mechanics and team managers had strongly criticized the narrow pit lane at Zolder, as it could be dangerous. The organizers announced that they would build new pits and a wider pit lane for 1982.

However, these changes came too late. On Friday of the GP, Giovanni Amadeo, an Orsella team mechanic, stumbled into the pit wall and fell into the path of the Williams of Carlos Reutemann, who was unable to avoid him. Amadeo suffered a fractured skull and died days later.

After this accident, before the start of the race, many mechanics protested about the safety measures protecting them, joined by numerous drivers, who left their cars. However, the organizers started the warm-up lap at the normal time, so there was chaos between cars that went out and others that were standing with an empty cockpit

Because of this, Nelson Piquet lost his starting position and made another lap, while the other cars waited in their grid position. When Piquet arrived on the grid, many cars started to overheat, like Riccardo Patrese\’s, who turned off his engine while waiting for another formation lap.

However, the organizers went straight to the starting sequence, and Patrese, who could not start his car, started waving his arms, while his mechanic Dave Luckett went to the car to restart it from behind. The cars took off and Patrese\’s teammate Siegfried Stohr crashed into the back of the Italian\’s car, directly into Luckett.

Despite the chilling images, Luckett survived, with a broken leg and lacerations. The race continued, even though Patrese and Stohr\’s cars were still on track, so many mechanics jumped onto the track to stop the race. Following these events, the FIA introduced a rule prohibiting mechanics from being on the starting grid 15 seconds before the formation lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj_srEHF1s8

5. 2014 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix is one of those races where disaster could have been avoided. With 5 races remaining in the championship, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were in the thick of the title fight, separated by just 3 points. However, what happened in the race would put that aside completely.

Friday and Saturday of the Grand Prix went on as normal. For the race, however, there were doubts as to whether it would be held on Sunday or postponed, as Typhoon Phanfone was expected to hit Japan on Sunday.

However, despite this, it was finally decided not to change the race schedule. The race started under Safety Car, was stopped after two laps and resumed 20 minutes later, even though the track was very wet, and visibility was poor.

The drivers were driving as best they could, and there were many collisions and run-offs. Adrian Sutil went off on lap 42 at the Dunlop Curve, and inexplicably, a crane tractor came out to pick up his car, without the Safety Car coming out; there were only yellow flags. One lap later, Jules Bianchi lost control of his car at the same corner, hitting the crane tractor.

The Frenchman spent 8 months in a coma due to severe head injuries sustained in the accident, and died on July 17, 2015, becoming the first F1 driver to die from a racing accident since Ayrton Senna in 1994. After the recklessness of bringing out the tractor crane, the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was introduced in 2015 for similar situations.

6. 2005 United States Grand Prix

The 2005 United States Grand Prix was one of the strangest races in the history of Formula 1, considered the worst race in history in terms of entertainment and management. The Grand Prix was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in its inner configuration and will always be marked by controversy.

That season there were two tire suppliers, Bridgestone, used by Ferrari, Jordan, and Minardi; and Michelin, used by the rest of the teams (led by McLaren and Renault). On Friday, in free practice, there were some accidents involving Michelin teams at the banked, high-speed Turn 13 of the track, such as the chilling one involving Ralf Schumacher.

Following an investigation, Michelin found that numerous teams suffered worrying tire damage, stating that their tires were unable to withstand the enormous stress of Turn 13 and that they could not guarantee the safety of their tires in the race.

Michelin proposed several options, such as making a chicane to avoid the high speed in that corner, but there was no agreement between F1, the FIA, and the teams. In the end, the race was held, but with only 6 drivers, as all Michelin teams did the installation lap and went to the garage, under the astonished gaze of the spectators.

In the race, there was no overtaking, and Michael Schumacher won, with Rubens Barrichello second and Tiago Monteiro third in his modest Jordan, thus achieving his only podium in the category, in a scandalous GP that will be difficult to forget.

7. 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

Many consider the chaotic 2021 Belgian GP a \”farce\”, due to the decisions made by the FIA during that race. The entire Grand Prix was marked by rain; however, its peak came on Sunday.

On Sunday, the downpour caused the start of the race to be repeatedly postponed for up to three hours beyond the scheduled time. After a quarter past six o\’clock, the stewards identified a clearing in the sky, so the race was started behind the safety car.

However, after two laps the red flag came out, as the visibility on track was zero, and the safety car and all drivers returned to the pitlane, ending the race. Max Verstappen, the poleman, was the winner, followed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, and half of the points were awarded to the top 10.

The most sensible thing to do would have been to postpone the race to the next day, but the FIA thus avoided the million-dollar penalties that are included in the contracts for each event. The 2021 Belgian GP is the shortest race in history, both in terms of laps and kilometers, and is the only world championship race to not have any running under full green flag conditions in its duration.

This shameful race provoked much criticism of the FIA\’s management of the validity and compliance with the sporting regulations, which were modified to avoid a similar scenario, establishing from 2022 onwards that for points to be awarded, all races must involve a minimum of two laps under the green flag.

8. 2018 Monaco Grand Prix

For many, Monaco is the best race on the calendar, as watching Formula 1 cars go at incredible speeds through the narrow streets of the Principality as the drivers push themselves to the limit is priceless.

However, for many others, Monaco is the worst race of all, as the narrowness of the circuit makes it very difficult to overtake, turning most of the races into real processions, dull to watch.

In this position we could have put many boring Monaco Grands Prix, however, we have chosen the 2018 one as nothing much happened from start to finish. In qualifying, Daniel Ricciardo was first, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, and in those same positions, they stayed for the whole race, without overtaking or fighting or anything.

In the race, there were only 4 overtakes, 3 of them televised, and the top 6 in qualifying stayed in those same positions in the race. There was no Safety Car or anything, just an accident on lap 72 between Charles Leclerc and Brendon Hartley, which brought a brief yellow flag, but that\’s all. Most of the position changes happened because of pit stops, but that\’s about it.

9. 2009 European Grand Prix

From 2008 to 2012, the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain hosted the European Grand Prix. The Valencia circuit was intended to be a spectacular and innovative venue running along the city\’s harbor, including a section over a 140-meter-long swing bridge, but it was a very difficult circuit to overtake, which often offered boring races.

Of the 5 races it hosted, the only exciting one was in 2012. The rest were rather boring, especially the 2009 race, in which there was no overtaking on track. Lewis Hamilton started on the pole, followed by his teammate Heikki Kovalainen and Rubens Barrichello.

In the race, the Brazilian\’s strategy was better, so Barrichello ended up winning, with Lewis Hamilton second and Kimi Räikkönen third, without any on-track action.

Not only was the Valencia Street Circuit controversial for the lack of overtaking opportunities it offered, but the circuit, which was scheduled to be operational until at least 2015, was abandoned shortly after the 2012 race. It was a circuit that cost a lot of money and of which there was talk of financial irregularities on the part of the Valencian government at the time.

10. 1992 South African Grand Prix

The 1992 South African Grand Prix was the opening round of the season and was held at the Kyalami circuit in Midrand. After the domination of Ayrton Senna and McLaren in 1991, there was great anticipation for the new season, as Williams seemed to have the best car.

However, the race was rather boring and uneventful. Williams\’ Nigel Mansell started first, followed by the McLarens of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger. Mansell soon pulled away from the rest, while his teammate Riccardo Patrese took second, followed by Ayrton Senna.

There was a total of 22 overtakes in the race, but none were televised, nor were any incidents. The camera direction merely followed Mansell, Patrese, and Senna throughout the race, who were within about 20 seconds of each other the entire time, with no realistic chance of any battle taking place.

Mansell won 24 seconds ahead of Patrese, confirming that Williams was the strongest team of the season, as it was for the rest of the year.

11. 1995 Australian Grand Prix

The 1995 Australian Grand Prix was the final round of the season and was held at the Adelaide Street Circuit for the last time, before being moved to the Melbourne circuit the following year.

Despite being the last race of the year, the championship had already been decided for some time, as Michael Schumacher was 43 points ahead of the second, Damon Hill, who mathematically could no longer win the championship.

The Williams of Damon Hill and David Coulthard started in the front row, followed by the Benetton of Michael Schumacher. The race soon became a race of attrition, in which little by little, either due to accidents or mechanical problems, all the front-running cars retired except for Hill.

Of the 23 drivers who started, only 8 finished. With no rival to match, Hill was alone the whole race, so he won easily, 2 laps ahead of second, Ligier\’s Olivier Panis. Third was Gianni Morbidelli. This was the last race in which the winner lapped all the drivers on the grid.

12. 2006 British Grand Prix

The 2006 season gave us some very good and entertaining races, but also some very boring ones, such as Malaysia, Europe, Spain or Great Britain. The latter was especially hard to watch, as practically nothing happened.

Fernando Alonso was first in qualifying, followed by Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher, who finished in the same positions on Sunday. In the race there were only 4 overtakes in total, and the most interesting thing was the accident on the first lap between Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber that left both drivers out of the race.

A little later in the race, Jenson Button\’s engine burned out, so he also had to retire. After these early incidents, nothing really happened, as most of the drivers were about ten seconds behind the car in front, with virtually no chance to battle with them.

13. 2019 French Grand Prix

Except for the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Circuit Paul Ricard has hosted the French GP since 2018. Circuit Paul Ricard is a track with modern and innovative facilities and is considered one of the safest circuits in the world, which stands out for its characteristic red and blue stripes in the run-off areas.

However, in terms of spectacle, Circuit Paul Ricard does not usually offer very entertaining races (although there have been exceptions). The 2019 edition was rather uneventful and boring, as nothing much happened.

Lewis Hamilton started from pole position and finished first, followed by Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen, who also started from those positions. In the race, all the front-running cars were separated by more than 5 seconds, so there was no fight between them.

In the midfield and among the last ones there were some overtaking, although most of them with DRS. There have been more entertaining processions than that race.

\"\" — Editorial credit: motorsports Photographer / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

Whether because of some disaster that occurred during the race, or because they were uneventful, these are some of the worst races in the history of Formula 1.

While they may not be our favorite to watch, we can always learn from these types of races, whether it\’s from the recklessness that has been committed, or in terms of learning how to improve the spectacle on track. And don\’t worry, because not all F1 races are like these!