Top 10 F1 drivers with the most race starts

#10 - Giancarlo Fisichella (229)

Giancarlo Fisichella's most famous moment in F1 was probably his surprise win at Interlagos in 2003

Giancarlo Fisichella ties Hamilton for 10th on this list, something he won't be able to say when Australia rolls around in March. Fisichella entered the sport in 1996, being one of many talented young drivers to get their first big chance with Minardi.

A brief stint at Jordan the year after brought his first podium but the win alluded him, even after his move to Benetton for 1998. Fisi was given the boot in favour of Alonso for 2002 and dropped down to his old team Jordan, surely he couldn't win there?

Well, that's exactly what happened in what was an extremely chaotic race in Brazil in 2003. A move to a top team eventually came in 2005, when he returned to Benetton (now rebranded as Renault). He acted as excellent backup for both of Alonso's championship campaigns before being axed once again for 2008.

The new Force India team snapped him up but the Silverstone outfit didn't look like pulling up any trees anytime soon. However, the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix provided an excellent chance for another win, but the Flying Finn, Kimi Raikkonen snatched it off him in what was an excellent drive and still Force India's best ever result (second after starting from Pole).

Ironically, Raikkonen would become Fisichella's teammate for the next race in Italy as he moved to Ferrari midway through 2009 to replace the injured Felipe Massa. This move was widely criticised after the veteran failed to score a point in his five races for the Scuderia. This effectively ended his Formula 1 career, as nobody signed Fisi for 2010, but he left the sport having achieved every Italian's dream of driving for Ferrari.