Marc White - 101 Things You May Not Have Known About Motor Racing

Title Page

101 THINGS YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT MOTOR RACING

By

Marc White

UNOFFICIAL AND UNAUTHORISED

Publisher Information

First published as an ebook in 2012 by

Apex Publishing Ltd

PO Box 7086, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 5WN, England

www.apexpublishing.co.uk

Digital edition converted and

Distributed in 2012 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright 2012 by Marc White

The author has asserted his moral rights

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition, that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate my book to my Granda Bobby McWilliams & to my Granda Johnny White. Sadly, both of these great men are no longer with us but with both of them being car enthusiasts, I very much hope they like my book.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Mattijs for allowing me to use the magnificent photograph of the Ferrari F2001 at the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix from 8W, forix.autosport.com's history section URL forix.autosport.com/8w

1 - The Birth of F1

The sport of Formula One was founded in 1946, under the name Formula A and was established under rules set out by its governing body, the Fdration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). However, in 1950 the title Formula A was dropped in favour of Formula One.

2 - Champion Both Sides of the Big Pond

Nigel Mansell won the Formula One World Drivers Championship in 1992 driving for Williams-Renault. The following year Nigel left Formula One and crossed the Atlantic to participate in the CART Indy Car World Series. Mansell won the 1993 CART to become the first driver to do so in his debut season which also made him the only driver to hold both the Formula One world title and CART title simultaneously.

3 - F1s Youngest Champion

Sebastian Vettel is the youngest World Champion in Formula One History, having won the 2010 Championship at the age of 23 years 133 days. When he successfully defended his title in 2011, he also became F1s youngest double-champion.

4 - The Constructors

1958 saw the introduction of the Constructors Championship with the first title going to a British company, Vanwall.

5 - Wunderbar

Germanys Michael Schumacher has won more Formula One World Drivers Championships than any other man in the history of the sport, 7.

6 - Under Starters Orders

The inaugural World Championship Grand Prix was held at Silverstone on 13th May 1950. Giuseppe Antonio Nino Farina of team Alfa Romeo won the race.

7 - Kiwi Champion

In 1967, Denny Hulme became the first New Zealander to win the Formula One World Drivers Championship.

8 - Top of the Table

Michael Schumacher has the highest number of race wins with a total of 91 out of 288 races. At 46.15%, Juan Manuel Fangio has the highest win percentage in races.

9 - Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

The first Formula One race (non-championship) to be held under the FIA regulations was the 1946 race in Valentino Park, Turin, Italy. The home favourite, Achille Varzi, won the race.

10 - Germanys Track Kings

Only two German drivers have won the coveted Formula One World Drivers Championship and they are Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

11 - First Quadruple Champion

In 1957, Argentinas Juan Manuel Fangio won a fourth Formula One World Drivers Championship in a row (giving him five titles), a record that stood for 47 years until Michael Schumacher won his fifth successive Formula One World Drivers Championship in 2004 (Schumachers seventh title).

12 - Pride of Britain

In 1958, Mike Hawthorn, driving for the Ferrari team, became the first British Formula One World Drivers Champion.

13 - The Professor

In 1989, Alain Prost became the first, and to date, only Frenchman to win the coveted Formula One World Drivers Championship. Prost, nicknamed The Professor, during his Formula One racing career, won four world racing crowns. He claimed his first world crown in 1985 driving for Marlboro McLaren International. He defended his title for the same team in 1986 and went on to win his third title with Honda Marlboro McLaren in 1989 and his fourth driving for Canon Williams Renault in 1993.

14 - Prancing Horse and British Lion

Up to the beginning of the 2012 Formula One World Championship season, Ferrari has won the most Constructors Championships having clinched the title 16 times. However, Great Britain has the most Constructors Championship winning teams with 10, and the most titles for any country with 33.

15 - Double Champions

In 1959, the Cooper Car Company became the first team to have a

Formula One World Drivers Champion (Jack Brabham) and also claim the Constructors Championship in the same year.

16 - By The Skin of His Teeth

In 1984, Austrias Niki Lauda won the Formula One World Drivers

Championship by a very slender point margin of 0.5 points. To date thisremains the lowest winning margin to clinch the Formula One World Drivers Championship.

17 - Super Mario

The Italian-American born Mario Andretti, winner of the 1978 Formula One World Drivers Championship, is only one of two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. The other is American Dan Gurney. Amazingly, no American racing driver has won a Formula One Grand Prix since Andretti took the chequered flag in the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.

18 - Scuderia Kings

Up to the beginning of the 2012 Formula One World Championship season, Ferrari has won more races than any other constructor, 216.

Ferraris first ever success in the sport came at the 1951 British Grand Prix.

19 - Old Man of the Track

In 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio became the oldest man to win the Formula One World Drivers Championship. The Maserati driver was 46 years and 41 days old.

20 - Always in the Race

Up to the beginning of the 2012 Formula One World Championship season, Rubens Barrichello has entered the most Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, 326. The popular Brazilian also holds the record for the most number of Grand Prix starts, 322.

21 - The Young Matador

At the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Jaime Vctor Alguersuari Escudero became the youngest driver to start a race in Formula One. The Spanish driver was 19 years and 125 days old when he raced in the Grand Prix for the Scuderia Toro Rosso team.

22 - Lucky 13 for Schuey

Michael Schumacher holds the record for most Grand Prix victories in a single season with 13 out of 18 races in season 2004.

23 - When First Wasnt Good Enough

In 1988, Alain Prost scored more points than his Marlboro McLaren-Honda team-mate, Ayrton Senna, 105 to 94, but it was Senna who was crowned the Formula One World Drivers Champion because only the best eleven of sixteen Grand Prix results counted towards the championship.

24 - F1s Youngest Winner

At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest Formula One driver to win a race aged 21 years and 73 days.

25 - Donington Pays Tribute to Ayrton

There is a memorial to Ayrton Senna in the grounds of Donington Park.

26 - Wizard of Oz

Australias Mark Webber holds the unwanted record for a driver taking the longest time to win his first Grand Prix. In 2002, he made his Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix for Minardi and did not win his first GP until competing in his 130th race at the 2009 German Grand Prix.