Top 5 underdog race wins in F1

Over the years Formula One has provided us with moments to remember. There have been times when the most expected driver has won races but then there is even more when you do not expect a driver to win but then he takes the win when least expected. That truly requires some skill.It could be in a car which was average or just that the driver was able to hang on in the most treacherous conditions on a race track. But the eventual winner was able to hang on and take the podium against the odds.Here is a list of best underdog race wins in Formula One.

#5 Keke Rosberg 1984 Dallas Grand Prix

Having won the Championship in 1982 with a remarkable one race win victory (at the British GP), Rosberg’s win at the 1984 Dallas GP was quite unexpected. The race was under consideration for cancellation due to track damage but eventually went ahead.

After the intial laps, a group of cars ran together with Nigel Mansell leading the pack of 5 cars. Rosberg had moved into fourth before taking on the Lotus of Niki Lauda for third and having passed the other Lotus of Alain Prost.

Mansell lost the lead to Rosberg hitting the wall on the way and pushed down even further with the damage. Prost was faster than Rosberg, but he too hit the wall and stalled the car due to a damaged front wheel. Rosberg was able to hang on without any mistakes and win the race. It was the first win for the v6 turbocharged Honda engine.

#4 Johnny Herbert - 1999 European Grand Prix

Last of the three wins of his Formula One career, Herbert’s win at the European GP was quite a fairytale victory. Herbert and his teammate Rubens Barrichello started 14th and 15th respectively.

The Nurburgring underwent quite a change of weather and from a dry track it turned into a horrid one with rain pouring down. With the safety car out at the end of the very first lap as Damon Hill’s Jordan suffered an electrical failure that caused Alexander Wurz to send the Sauber of Pedro Diniz into a barrel roll.

What followed was a remarkable flip-flop thanks to the rain. Car failures and mistakes from the race leaders that included Heinz Herald Frentzen (electrical failure) and David Coulthard (crash), Giancarlos Fischella (crash) and Ralf Schumacher (puncture).

Herbert meanwhile steadily moved up the order before taking a remarkable victory under the most remarkable circumstances followed by Barrichello in third place. It was the only win for Jackie Stewart as a team-boss.

#3 Oliver Panis - 1996 Monaco Grand Prix

The race at Monaco went down in the history of Formula One for the fewest number of cars to be running at the end of a race and arguably one of the most craziest races(if not the most) in the history of the sport. Monaco known for it’s twisty corners needs grip and handling rather than pure speed and when it rains expect the unexpected.

And thats exactly what transpired. Within the first three laps of the race, almost one third of the cars had retired. The casualties included Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Schumacher, Hill and Jean Alesi all led at some point in the race but retired, the latter pair through mechanical failures. When the chequered flag fell two hours later, there were only three ars cleft on the circuit.

Oliver Panis who started 14th on the grid for Ligier-Honda won the race managing to keep the car on the track and overtaking the likes of Irvine enroute to the lone win of his Formula One career.

Panis showed throughout the race with some determination and great driving to gain the lead of the race when the opportunity arose and he was rewarded with a cracking race win for his hard work. It will also be remembered as the only race ever won by the Ligier team.

#2 Michael Schumacher - 1992 Belgian Grand Prix

In what was the beginning of a remarkable Formula One career, Michael Schumacher won the Belgian GP in changing conditions, and against the almighty Williams-Renault FW14Bs. And so was born a legend in the history of the sport.

The year was dominated by Williams, and it needed something special to outplay the Grove outfit. Schumacher showed the world his racecraft which would later become a trademark of his career. In tricky and typical Spa conditions where the track was wet in places and dry in others, the frontrunners including Schumacher pitted early on for wets. But as the rain eased off and a reasonable dry line emerged it was Schumacher who gambled, switching back to slicks first among the leaders.

Nigel Mansell (Williams) and Jean Alesi (Ferrari) then suffered a dramatic moment, as they collided at La Source. This forced Jean out of the race and allowed Riccardo Patrese (Williams) past Mansell. It was quite an exchange of race lead between the fron runners before Schumacher was able to gain the advantage on the pit-stops and take an empahtic victory.

#1 Sebastian Vettel - 2008 Italian Grand Prix

The first of many wins and a remarkable dominance by Vettel at the senior team Red-Bull. On a wet and miserable weekend, Vettel never put a foot wrong in the Toro Rosso and managed to produce probably the upset of the 21st century F1 racing.

The win brought back Gerhard Berger to the Monza podium as the winning team boss after almost 20 years. While the team wasn’t really an underdog, no one had expected Vettel to win the race. It was a rain soaked afternoon in Monza and while Vettel had pole position(the youngest driver in the history of Formula One to take pole position), the conditions were too treacherous for some to think that Vettel would be able to hold on to the lead.

The race started with a safety car immediately as Sebastian Bourdaid stalled on the grid. After the second lap the safety car pulled off into the pit lane whereupon Vettel got away perfectly. He had the best view upfront with the rain coming down. He made the most of the opportunity. He made his first stop on lap 18 but had built up a lead of twelve seconds over Heikki Kovalainen(Mclaren-Mercedes).

Vettel temporarily dropped to fourth place, but as Kovalainen, Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari) came in for their stops, he retook the lead, and hung on to it till the end to pull off an amazing victory. Till date it remains the only victory for the Toro-Rosso team.

Edited by Staff Editor