Incredible Feats of Outsiders in Formula 1

The performances of Alex Albon this season can only be called a feat: driving the undisputedly worst car of the championship, the Thai has already hit the points twice. And at the British Grand Prix, Nicholas Latifi suddenly surprised everyone. Not only he made his way in the rain to the third qualifying segment, but also fought for points in the race for a long time.

Such sudden success of outsiders is one of the reasons why we love Formula 1 and sports in general. Sometimes this result is the result of luck, sometimes – skill and courage. Let’s look at the stories of noteworthy outsiders who have come to success.

In the history of Formula 1, there are enough such episodes for several materials, so here we will turn to those that happened in the 21st century and select those that impressed us the most.

2002 Australian Grand Prix

For seasoned Formula 1 fans, the Minardi team is associated with an underdog who defies circumstances and the super-rich giants of this sport. And although this team has passed a whole crowd of rental drivers, it also gave way to several young and very talented pilots. One such young talent was Mark Webber in 2002.

The young Australian made his debut at his home track in Albert Park. Qualification, despite the rain, brought no surprises. Webber qualified in 18th place, almost a second and a half faster than teammate Alex Yoong.

Accidents and pit stops allowed Mark to climb to seventh place. The achievement for the team and the entire nation was so significant that the embarrassed rider was dragged to the podium with the Australian flag after the main ceremony. For Minardi, these were the first and last points of the season.

This was an achievement that still remains one of the most powerful ones in the history of Formula 1. To put everything simply, imagine you are playing at the https://www.playamo.com/en-CA/games/live-casino against opponents and being an underdog, you pull off an incredible combination. That’s what happened in the race!

2003 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 2003 season was the beginning of the resounding fall of Jordan. Favoured by fans for their rock ‘n’ roll image and charismatic owner Eddie Jordan, the team was in serious financial trouble. Results fell, and the future looked foggy. The Irish needed a miracle.

The role of the saviour was assigned to Giancarlo Fisichella, who had returned from Benetton, and rent-driver Ralph Firman was put in the second car. The first two races were depressing: the team approached the Brazilian Grand Prix with zero points.

The rainy qualifying ended in the eighth position for Fisichella and 16th for Furman. What happened on Sunday is rightfully called one of the craziest races in the history of Formula 1. The start was postponed due to heavy rain. The rain stopped and eight laps later the green light was given.

The rules require that the classification, in this case, be given according to the results two laps before the stop, which means that Kimi Raikkonen rises to the top step of the standings. In Jordan, after the race, the results were disputed and proved that at the time of the stop, Fisichella managed to start the 56th lap and the classification should be given according to the 54th lap – Giancarlo won!

2016 Austrian Grand Prix

The Manor entered the 2016 season with restrained optimism. The team with the Indonesian rental driver Rio Haryanto included talented Pascal Wehrlein. In addition to the fast junior, the British acquired the engines of the championship team. However, the tournament situation has not changed in any way.

In the first qualifying segment, Wehrlein set the 10th time: Kvyat’s accident and Sainz’s breakdown did not allow his rivals to improve their results, and Pascal made his way further. There Wehrlein also showed an excellent time and finished in 12th place.

At the start, the German almost earned a penalty, having taken the wrong position, but corrected himself in time. Massa, who started from the pit lane, left a free space in front of Pascal, which allowed the Manor pilot to accelerate better. Nevertheless, it was not possible to immediately win back the positions.

This score was the last in the history of the long-suffering team, which finished the season in last place and did not go to the start again. The talented Wehrlein did not have a successful career in Formula 1.