Sebastian Vettel’s[1] victory at Suzuka last weekend continued his sensational run in the Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel has now won on four of his five appearances at Suzuka, and is yet to finish off the podium or start from anywhere but pole position.
But Vettel is by no means the only driver to stamp his authority on a particular Grand Prix. Here are ten other drivers who have pulled something out of the bag at their favourite racetrack.
Michael Schumacher and Magny-Cours
Michael Schumacher[2] could warrant a list of his own, so great was his supremacy of Formula 1 in his Ferrari heyday. Incredibly, he won five or more races at ten different circuits during his Grand Prix career.
He took an astonishing eight victories at Magny-Cours between 1994 and 2006. The most memorable of which was undoubtedly his 2002 triumph, snatched from Raikkonen in the final laps. That allowed Schumacher to secure his record-equalling fifth world championship victory – and win the title earlier than anyone ever has.
Kimi Raikkonen and New Spa
Given that-Spa Francorchamps is considered the ultimate driving challenge on the F1 calendar, it says a lot for Kimi Raikkonen’s[3] talent that he has enjoyed such success in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Between 2004 and 2009 he took four victories in five races at Spa. Another victory looked possible in 2008 until he crashed out of a battle for the lead on the penultimate lap in slippery conditions.
Were it not for Raikkonen’s sabbatical in 2010 and 2011, and had the Belgian Grand Prix not been left off the calendar in 2003 and 2006, he might well have chalked up even more victories in the Ardennes.
Jim Clark and Old Spa
Long before Raikkonen was even born, another quiet man with an extraordinary talent was bossing a very different Spa. Jim Clark took four consecutive victories on the original 14 kilometre track, a terrifyingly quick and perilous blast through the Belgian countryside.
No one could touch Clark at Spa from 1962 to 1965. His 1963 victory was one of the greatest examples of his driving genius. On a typically rainy Spa day, Clark flew from eighth on the grid into a five-minute lead, lapping all but one of his competitors on his way to the chequered flag.
Yet he held no affection for the circuit, which had claimed the lives of fellow British racers Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey in a pair of appalling crashes at the 1960 race.
Jacky Ickx and the Nurburgring Nordschleife
Jacky Ickx’s astonishing grand prix debut at the Nordschleife in 1967 marked him out as a star of a the future. Driving an F2 car, Ickx set the third-fastest time in qualifying, beaten only by Denny Hulme[4] and Jim Clark’s F1 cars.
Under the rules of the time he had to start at the back with the other F2 cars but in the race quickly made his way up to fifth before retiring.
He went on to take two wins at the track despite not always enjoying the best machinery, and took four poles in five years.
Lewis Hamilton and the Hungaroring
Lewis Hamilton’s first victory for Mercedes at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this year was his fourth at the Hungaroring, making him the joint most successful driver at the Budapest circuit along with Schumacher.
In fact, in the seven races Hamilton has started in Hungary, only once was he not in contention for victory. A puncture meant he was unable to capitalise on Felipe Massa’s[5] late retirement from the lead in 2008, while he was the architect of his downfall three years later, throwing away a likely win thanks to a run in with Paul di Resta and a poor tyre choice during a mid-race rain shower.
Hamilton also has an impressive record in Canada. He has won on three of his six visits to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – including his first ever Grand Prix victory – and started from pole on four occasions.
Alain Prost and Jacarepagua
There were few complaints when the Brazilian Grand Prix was moved from the dull Jacerapagua circuit in Rio de Janeiro back to Sao Paulo’s Interlagos in 1990, but Alain Prost[6] can be forgiven for being disappointed with the switch.
The four-times had a superb record at Jacerapagua, winning half of the ten F1 races held on the circuit from 1982 to 1989. However the first of these was deeply controversial: Prost finished third on the road but was handed the win when Nelson Piquet[7] and Keke Rosberg were disqualified for being underweight.
The Jacerapagua circuit has since been consigned to the history books, as it was recently demolished to make way for a training ground to be used by athletes during the 2016 Olympic Games.
Mika Hakkinen and the Circuit de Catalunya
The Circuit de Catalunya is an ‘aero’ circuit and with Adrian Newey’s McLarens at his disposal Mika Hakkinen[8] took three wins on the trot – and narrowly missed out on a fourth.
Leading comfortably at the end of the 2001 race Hakkinen’s McLaren suffered a disastrous last-lap clutch failure.
With his victory in the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez also on his record, Hakkinen was more successful in Spain than any other country during his F1 career. Curiously, since he left the team McLaren have only won one of the subsequent 17 races held in Spain.
Nigel Mansell and Silverstone
Nigel Mansell[9] famously claimed that the support of the British fans shaved seconds off his lap time around Silverstone.
Given his record on home ground we should not be too quick to doubt him. After a debut Grand Prix victory at Brand Hatch in 1985, Mansell went on to take four victories for Williams at Silverstone between 1986 and 1992.
The most memorable triumph was his 1987 victory, in which he reeled in team mate Piquet and, ignoring the warnings from his fuel gauge, dived past his team mate to win. He ran out of fuel after crossing the finishing line, and was mobbed by delirious fans.
Nelson Piquet and Monza
Surely the most overlooked driver to have won three world championships, Nelson Piquet[10] was a top-drawer talent who won races and championships against the likes of Prost, Senna and Mansell.
Piquet revelled in power tracks and Monza was suited him to a tee. His record at the Italian Grand Prix was excellent: he won four races at Monza during the eighties while at Brabbham and Williams.
In 1987, en route to his third title, he scored an especially sweet victory, putting one over rival Brazilian star Senna, inheriting victory when the Lotus driver skidded off at the Parabolica late in the race.
Ayrton Senna and Monaco
No circuit is more synonymous with the Ayrton Senna[11] legend than Monaco. From his famous charge through the field in a Toleman in 1984 to holding off a race long challenge by Mansell in his dominant Williams in 1992, many of the great Senna memories were forged on the streets of the principality.
The Brazilian star topped the Monaco podium six times between 1987 and 1993, his success only interrupted when he crashed out of a 50-second lead in 1988. Senna put that unhappy memory to bed with a run of five consecutive wins on the street circuit, and we’ll never know how long that record might have stretched if it were not for his tragic death at Imola in 1994.
Of course before Senna came along Graham Hill was ‘Mr Monaco’. Five victories on the harbour-side circuit between 1963 and 1969 accounted for more than a third of his career total of 14 race wins.
Over to you
Which other drivers do you consider masters of a particular track – in F1 and other motor sports? Have your say in the comments.
F1 top tens
Read more top tens[12]
Image © Red Bull/Getty, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Williams/LAT, Ferrari/Ercole Colombo, Donington/Sutton
References
- ^ Sebastian Vettel (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Michael Schumacher (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Kimi Raikkonen (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Denny Hulme (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Felipe Massa (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Alain Prost (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Nelson Piquet (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Mika Hakkinen (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Nigel Mansell (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Nelson Piquet (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Ayrton Senna (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
- ^ Read more top tens (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
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