Kimi Raikkonen

You don’t usually see an F1 champ like Kimi without a confirmed ride at the end of an F1 season, but that’s exactly what Kimi is facing right now.

When Ferrari let him out of his 2010 contract to give Renault’s Fernando Alonso a slot for next year, Räikkönen was immediately ride-less for next season. But that piece of news isn’t getting the Finn down. He refuses to settle for anything less than what’s best for his racing career, and he’s very determined to find the right team for 2010.

Last Friday, the Flying Finn said that right now he’s weighing his options but that he’s willing to wait until he finds a team that will give him a chance to win more victories, and possibly more world titles. According to Kimi:

“It’s hard to believe that I have been in Formula One for nine years already…I am very motivated to win races and a championship again and will only remain in Formula One if I can race for a team that can give me a car to fight at the front. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

Räikkönen also made it clear that he’s also considering taking a time-off from the sport in case he can’t find a suitable team to join.

“I can do whatever I want…But like I said before, I haven’t made my decision about what I want to do yet. Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then I’ll make my decision.”

Well, I’m definitely hoping Kimi finds the right team soon—because he’s definitely one of the most talented F1 drivers right now, IMO.

Source: Formula1.com

Image: Forbes.com

Schumacher, Unable to Participate in European Grand Prix

Yes, you read right. And I’m just as disappointed as every other F1 fan out there. Michael Schumacher will not be making his Formula One comeback—at least not just yet. I saw it in the news last night, and confirmed everything after reading an article at Formula1.com.

Schumi revealed that he won’t be returning to F1 as Felipe Massa’s replacement for the European Grand Prix. The 7-time Formula One World Champion revealed that he’s experiencing pain in his neck—an injury that was brought on by a motorcycle accident from early this year.

As found in Schumi’s official website, the 40-year-old racer announced that:

“Yesterday evening, I had to inform Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali that unfortunately I’m not able to step in for Felipe… I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret it didn’t work out.”

After training hard in the last few days, Schumacher was initially pleased with his performance. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the old injury flared up. And treatment has failed to ease the driver’s discomfort.

“Unfortunately we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private Formula One day in Mugello, even if medically and therapeutically we tried everything possible…The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike accident in February, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe…

That is why my neck can’t stand the extreme stresses caused by Formula One yet. These are the clear results of the examinations we did on the course of the past two weeks and the final examination yesterday afternoon. As there were no improvements after the day in Mugello, I decided at a short notice on Sunday to do that thorough examination already yesterday,” Schumacher added.

“I am disappointed to the core. I am awfully sorry for the guys of Ferrari and for all the fans who crossed fingers for me. I can only repeat that I tried everything that was within my power. All I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed for the whole team for the coming races,” Schumi said.

Note: To be honest, I actually forgot about Schumi’s motorcycle injury. I remember writing about it before, but I always though Schumi would pass the physical test. But while the disappointment may be great, we have to remember that racing in F1 is physically taxing. And that Schumi did everything he could to get back in shape. I mean, he lost three kilos, right? But it’s better that that the F1 champ remain safe and healthy, than to force anything and risk getting injured for life.

Source: Formula1.com

Image: ThisIsLondon.co.uk

Because the next racer in our list is the last double world champion we have so far, and the driver who ended Schumi’s 5-year winning streak, I’ll be devoting an entire post to Fernando Alonso. He used to be one of my favorite F1 drivers—but right now, I’m torn between Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton. Hmmm…

So, without further ado, I present you with the:

2005 to 2006 Formula One World Champion

Name: Fernando Alonso Diaz (or simply just Fernando Alonso)

Nationality: Spanish

Team: Renault

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 2

Race Wins: 21

Races: 123, with 122 race starts

Podium Finishes: 52

Pole Positions: 17

Fastest Laps Set: 11

Brief Bio:

Born: July 29, 1981

Hometown: Oviedo, Spain

Nickname/s: El Nano

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso

It was a record-breaking win for Fernando Alonso when he was named Formula World Champion on September 25, 2005. During that time, he was the youngest driver to have ever won the title, breaking Emerson Fittipaldi’s record. Alonso was just 24 years and 58 days old when he was named F1 champ. Three years later, Lewis Hamilton would break that record–but that’s another story.

The next year, Nano went on to become a Formula One double champion. He also became the second F1 driver aside from Schumi to have scored at least 100 points in three consecutive seasons.

Like his short-time rival Michael Schumacher, Nano is also an ambassador of sorts. But while Schumi’s concentrated on being a UNESCO ambassador, Nano is one of the Goodwill Ambassadors for UNICEF. Alonso is also very active behind the scenes in F1. He acts as one of the directors of the GPDA (Grand Prix Driver’s Association).

Pre-Formula One Days

Adrian Campos

Before becoming the double champion we know today, the young Spanish driver had an early start in racing after participating in various karting competitions in Spain. His family fully-supported his decision of being a racer. In fact, his father acted not just as a manager but also his mechanic.

While Nano’s family may not have had the funds to keep racing independently, Alonso’s skill managed to attract various sponsors, and the young Fernando was able to continue excelling in the sport of his choice. In the junior category in karting, Alonso managed to win four back-to-back championships between 1993 and 1996. He also won the 1996 Junior World Cup, the 1997 Spanish and Italian Inter-A championship titles, and the 1998 Spanish Inter-A championship. After entering the European Championship, Nano managed to finish in second place.

Ex-Minardi F1 driver Adrián Campos was so impressed with Alonso that he gave Alonso his first race car in October 1998. Just after three days of driving around the Albacete circuit, Fernando managed to match the laps of Marc Gené, Campos’ former driver.

Fernando Alonso -- Back in the Minardi Days

Alonso started to race for Campos in 1999. He participated in the Spanish Euro Open MoviStar by the Nissan series. Fernando achieved his first victory during his second race, taking the championship by one point from Manuel Giao, his championship rival. In that race, Alonso not only won the championship, he also set the fastest lap in that event.

In his late teens, Nano also became a test driver for the Minardi Formula One team, prior to moving up to Formula 3000. His numerous achievements brought the spotlight to Alonso. And Minardi, spotting great potential in the young Spaniard decided to give Alonso a chance.

Alonso started racing for Minardi in 2001. Fernando didn’t really have a great start with Minardi. While he was definitely a very competitive driver, Alonso failed to score any points in the 2001 Formula One season.

Flavio Briatore, the big boss for Renault (the team that took over Benetton where Schumi tasted his first championship victory) took Alonso onboard his team as a test driver. After doing 1,642 laps of testing, Briatore was so impressed with Nano that he dropped Jenson Button and seated Alonso alongside Jarno Trulli.

2005 Formula One Season:

Fernando Alonso & Flavio Briatore

Alonso’s steady improvement from 2002 to 2004 brought him the championship in 2005. After Trulli’s relationship with Renault soured beyond repair, and he transferred to Toyota, Briatore and his crew brought on another highly-rated Italian driver to the mix: Giancarlo Fisichella.

El Nano demonstrated astounding resilience when during the first race in Australia, he managed to fight his way to third place after starting from the back. In the next two races, Alonso emerged as number one–winning the Malaysian and the Bahrain Grands Prix. But what caught everyone’s attention was how Alonso managed to beat Michael Schumacher in a 13-lap battle in the San Marino Grand Prix.

The "Iceman" : Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Räikkönen, the F1 Iceman also started showing his competitive side. Kimi went on to win the Spanish and the Monaco Grands Prix. And he almost won the European Grand Prix held at the Nürburgring. Unfortunately for Räikkönen, under-braking as he passed Jacques Villeneuve caused his wheels to lock up, this led to suspension trouble on the LAST lap. He retired, Alonso won.

Alonso was also at the receiving end of Lady Luck’s wrath when he failed to score in the United States and Canadian Grands Prix. A slew of bad luck also caused him the Hungarian Grand Prix. While Nano was able to finish the race, he finished at 11th after a collision with Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher.

During the last few races of that season, Nano managed to finish second in three races. He managed to get the right number of points to keep him on the lead. But Räikkönen was also experiencing a change of luck, managing to win the Grands Prix at Turkey and Belgium. Engine trouble at Monza meant qualifying troubles for Alonso. And his lead was reduced to just a single point.

But Alonso sealed the deal when he finished third in Brazil. With two more races in the 2005 season, Alonso worked hard to finish in third place in the Japanese Grand Prix after starting from 16th place in the grid. He went on to win the Chinese Grand Prix, giving Renault the Constructor’s Championship for 2005.

That year, Alonso also won the Prince of Asturias Award.

2006 Formula One Season

7-time F1 World Champ: Michael Schumacher

Alonso had a good start in the 2006 Formula One Season. At the first Grand Prix at Bahrain, he managed to finish first. While Michael Schumacher may have been running in front of Alonso, a well-timed pit stop ensured that Alonso was going to overtake Schumi with 18 laps left. A fuelling error, however, caused Nano to lose pole position during the Malaysian Grand Prix. He was, however, able to make a comeback, with a 1-2 Renault finish. Giancarlo Fisichella finished first and Alonso wasn’t far behind. When the Australian Grand Prix came around, Jenson Button was set to win first–that is, until Alonso managed to overtake Button in his Honda.

During the San Marino Grand Prix, the same race where Alonso managed to pass Schumacher in a long-drawn battle to first place in 2005, Alonso found himself in a similar situation. This time, however, he wasn’t able to overtake the faster Schumacher, and he lost out to the veteran F1 ace. In the next Grand Prix, Alonso managed to secure the pole position, but once again lost out to Schumacher at the European Grand Prix.

But Alonso’s luck was getting brighter. In the Spanish Grand Prix, he became the first Spaniard to win this home race in the 14th of May 2006.

Once again, Nano secured the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix. This time, Schumacher was at a losing end, after he was penalized by stewards for a race violation. According to reports, the German’s violation was: “deliberately [stopping] his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying”. This act caused a buildup of traffic behind him; denying other racers from finishing their fastest qualifying laps. Alonso won the Monaco Grand Prix, and had a five-race winning streak in the British and Canadian Grands Prix.

Alonso and Schumi Ham It Up for Cams

But Schumacher wasn’t about to give up that easily. At the race in the Indianapolis strip, Schumi finished first while Alonso was forced to settle for fifth place. Schumi made his comeback even more spectacular when he wont he French Grand Prix with Alonso trailing behind him. In the German Grand Prix, Alonso finished at fifth place once again, cutting his lead to just 11 points.

A practice infraction before the Hungarian Grand Prix also led to Alonso being penalized. Alonso was forced to start on the 15th position of the race grid. Schumi, who incurred a similar penalty was also forced to start from 11th place. Powerful determination combined with exquisite skill led Alonso to overtake most of the other racers in the wet racing grounds, and many believed that he would’ve own the race had he not crashed out when a wheel nut was dislodged from his Renault after a pit stop. Schumacher who also did pretty well (but nowhere near as great as Alonso’s performance) in that race, managed to get a single point when eighth placer Robert Kubica was disqualified from the race.

By the Turkish Grand Prix, Alonso was still leading in championship points, but had a hard time keeping his lead after finishing second in the Grand Prix with Schumacher right behind him.

The Italian Grand Prix proved to be a controversial one for Alonso, after he lost a lot of ground when he suffered a puncture at the rear of his ride during a qualifying lap. He managed to qualify for fifth place but was forced to start at 10th position after receiving another penalty from the stewards after impeding Felipe Massa’s Ferrari. Alonso sped through his competition, weaving in and out of traffic like a seasoned pro, and managed to get to third place right before his engine failed him and caused him to retire. Schumi won the race and he cut Alonso’s lead to just two points.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Alonso started from pole position but lost out to Schumacher. The 1-2 result led to a tie in standings between Schumacher and Alonso.

Engine failure in the Japanese Grand Prix forced Schumacher out of the race, and Alonso finished in first place. Once again, Alonso was leading in Championship points and Schumi was ten points behind the Spanish driver. All Alonso needed was a single point to retain the Formula One Championship title.

At the final race that season, Nano won the championship after finishing second in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Schumacher tried his best but only managed to finish in fourth place.

In 2006, Alonso became the youngest back-to-back F1 champion. As for Renault, well, the team also won the constructor’s championship.

That year, Alonso announced that he was moving from Renault to McLaren. His contract was about to expire that year, and Briatore along with the rest of the Renault folks decided it was okay for Alonso to make the move.

2007-2008 F1 Season

Fernando Alonso with McLaren

A rookie, Lewis Hamilton, was chosen as his partner for the 2007 F1 season. After a year riddled with controversies during his stay with McLaren (and there were a lot of controversies—see Spygate for the biggest F1 controversy Nano has been involved in), Alonso decided to leave McLaren. And at November 02, 2007, McLaren and Alonso announced that they have mutually agreed to terminate his current contract with the team. Fernando finished in third place that year.

He returned to Renault in 2008, where he finished fifth in Championship points.

“SPYGATE”: The 2007 F1 Espionage Controversy

Alonso and Hamilton Battle It Out for McLaren's #1 Spot

There were allegations stating that McLaren Formula One has managed to obtain confidential technical information from Formula One team Ferrari. It was also stated that Renault F1 received the technical information from McLaren.

The controversy started when Ferrari allegedly made allegations against its former employee, Nigel Stepney, Mike Coughlan (a senior McLaren engineer), and his wife Trudy Coughlan. Apparently, the team was concerned that there was some technical information thievery going on.

Ferrari filed a case against the Coughlans in the High Court in England, and the FIA started investigating the case further. An agreement was reached between the Coughlans and Ferrari, and the case was dropped. But the FIA investigations continued.

After the FIA concluded that the McLaren team was somehow involved in the “passing of confidential information to another F1 team”, the F1 team received numerous penalties. McLaren was disqualified from the 2007 Constructor’s Championship and was also asked to pay a jaw-dropping, record-breaking amount of $100 Million U.S. Dollars.

F1 team Renault was also found guilty of violating FIA regulations, but was not punished.

Sources: Wikipedia and more Wikipedia for stats et al.

Let’s take a look at the Formula One Driver’s World Champions from 1998 to 2004. Seven years. Two champions. Several rivalries and numerous controversies. Yes, the years leading to 2004 definitely proved to be exciting! Once again Schumi dominated, but his back-to-back wins weren’t that easy. Mostly thanks to his greatest rival, who coincidentally is also the first champion on this list!

1998 to 1999 Formula One World Champion

Mika Hakkinen

Name: Mika Pauli Häkkinen (Mika Häkkinen)

Nationality: Finnish

Team: McLaren

Career Highlights:

Championships: 2

Race Wins: 20

Races: 165, with 161 starts

Podium Finishes: 51

Pole Positions: 26

Fastest Laps Set: 25

Brief Bio:

Born: September 28, 1968

Hometown: Vantaa, Finland

Häkkinen is a two-time F1 champion and a Finnish auto racer. He is known as Michael Schumacher’s greatest rival. (Years after the rivalry ended, mostly thanks to Häkkinen’s abrupt exit, his rivalry with Schumi was likened to the rivalry Räikkönen and Alonso had a few years ago—but that was before Hamilton entered the picture.)

According to Schumi, Häkkinen was the one rival that he respected the most throughout his F1 career.

Like almost all the other racers in our list, Häkkinen started his racing career, not with F1 right away, but with smaller sports in karting. By the time the young Finn was 18, he already had five karting victories under his belt. But it was his stint in the British Formula Three that got him noticed by the F1 execs. He was promptly promoted to F1, and started racing under the Lotus team in 1991.

In 1993, after a relatively successful stay with Lotus, the Finn decided to join McLaren—a team he stayed with until his retirement in 2001. While he started out as a McLaren test driver, his dreams of racing was quickly realized when that same year, Michael Andretti left F1 after getting disappointing season results.

1998 F1 Season:

1998, Häkkinen finally tasted F1 victory. He had the fastest car in the strip, and he had the speed and talent needed to be number one that year. The Finn started the season great. He was the top driver for several races… that was until he encountered various car problems and bad luck. Michael Schumacher, who by that time had already won a couple of championships in the past, was quick to jump on this opportunity. Demonstrating what can only be described as “inspired driving”, the German caught up with the Finn, and by the last two races, the two drivers were level in points! With two races to go, Häkkinen showed nerves of steel. Instead of folding under pressure, he actually excelled. He managed to beat Schumacher in the Luxembourg Grand Prix as they went neck-and-neck in a straight line. Schumi’s car stalled, and Häkkinen went on to win the 1998 Formula One World Championship.

1999 F1 Season:

Defending his title in 1999 proved to be a tougher job for the Finn. This time around, his McLaren car was no longer as reliable as the 1998 version. Early in the season, the Finn saw himself sliding down the ranks in driver’s points. But his luck changed when right before Schumi’s Silverstone leg-breaking accident, he managed to overtake Schumacher in driver’s standings. While Schumi was out, Eddie Irvine, Ferrari’s number two driver that year, assumed the team lead driver’s position.

Reliability problems with the McLaren car and Häkkinen’s own driving mistakes allowed Irvine to swiftly catch up with the Finn in driver’s standings. During the latter parts of the season, Häkkinen continued to make mistakes. Some of his biggest errors are said to have happened at Monza and Imola. During both times, Mika crashed out in spite of starting with a strong lead. The pressure to stay on top must have been so hard on Häkkinen. According to reports, after his crash in Monza, Mika was so overwhelmed by his major mistake that he actually started crying in front of the cameras, and later ran away from his stalled car to hide. These events led some people to think that perhaps Häkkinen could not handle the stress of being number one.

Needless to say, Irvine caught up. And the deciding race (for the championship title), ended up as the final race that season—the Japanese Grand Prix. But by that time, Häkkinen was back and in prime form. He won the race and won the 2009 F1 championship with Irvine an entire lap behind him, and Schumi a close second.

Häkkinen stayed with F1 until 2001. Initially, this was supposed to be a sabbatical for the Finn, but by mid-2002, his mini-vacation had turned into permanent retirement.

Post F1:

In 2004, Mika Häkkinen announced that he was planning on returning to F1. After talks with the F1 team Williams, no deal was reached. So instead, Häkkinen joined another racing league, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). He raced with Mercedes Benz that year. Häkkinen was pretty successful in DTM. He even had a win at a race in Spa.

2006 saw another comeback for Häkkinen—this time with DTM again. In his second season in DTM, the Finn wasn’t as successful as he was during his rookie year. His best results that year were a couple of second place finishes. Some critics say that Häkkinen’s driving style just isn’t suited for DTM.

The Finnish driver also raced for McLaren-Mercedes in the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He was more successful in Goodwood than he was in DTM.

Where is He Now?

On November 4, 2007, Mika Häkkinen announced that he was retiring from competitive motorsport for good. A year after that statement, Häkkinen announced that he was focusing on starting a new career in driver management.

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Formula One World Champion

Michael Schumacher

Name: Michael Schumacher

Nationality: German

Team: Ferrari

<click HERE for Schumi’s stats>

An "Aww" Moment for Rivals Schumacher & Hakkinen

2000 F1 Season:

After losing the title to Mika Häkkinen the previous year, Michael Schumacher managed an amazing start in the 2000 F1 season. The German racer managed to win the first three races that season. By the eight race, Schumi had already won five. But bad luck came in the middle of the year, when Schumacher was forced to retire early in three races. This allowed his biggest rival, Häkkinen to catch up in points. Mika Häkkinen secured two more wins before Schumacher finally won another race at the Italian Grand Prix. During the post race press conference that day, Schumacher broke down in tears after he managed to equal the total number of Grand Prix Wins (41) won by his racing idol, the late Ayrton Senna. The championship fight between Häkkinen and Schumi ended in the penultimate race of that season—the Japanese Grand Prix. While most fans thought it was going to be a relatively easy win for Schumi, after all, he was in pole position, he lost his early lead to Häkkinen. But after his second pit stop, in a demonstration of skill powered by will, Schumi managed to overtake the Finnish driver and he proceeded to win the race and the 2000 F1 championship.

2001 F1 Season:

This year, Schumi experienced his fourth championship win. While there were about four other racers who were able to secure race wins that season, Schumi was the only driver to have ever managed to keep other racers at bay in defending his F1 championship title. Schumacher managed to score a record-tying nine wins that season! By the latter part of the season, with four more Grands Prix on the F1 schedule, Michael Schumacher secured his fourth championship title. By the end of the 2001 season, Schumi had 123 points under his name. That’s 58 points ahead of the second placer, David Coulthard.

2001 was monumental for the Schumacher family. During the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher (Michael’s brother) managed to win the race. Schumi placed second. That’s the first 1-2 finish by brothers in the whole F1 history. In the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumi also secured his 52^nd race win, letting him break Alain Prost’s record for the most number of race wins in F1.

Schumi Demonstrates Fine Aerodynamic Features

2002 F1 Season:

In his decade-long career in F1, Schumacher has been involved in various controversies. But during the 2002 season, Schumi faced a very public controversy where he ended up being booed by fans as he stood on the top step of the podium.

During the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Schumacher was lagging behind his teammate, Rubens Barrichello. In the last few meters of the final lap, fans were astonished to see Barrichello slow down to let Schumacher pass so that he could win the race. According to Barrichello, he was under Ferrari orders to slow down and let Michael take the win. The fans were outraged. They booed and kept booing even as Schumacher and Barrichello stood on the podium steps. An embarrassed Schumacher attempted to make amends by trying to push Barrichello onto the top step of the podium.

The United States Grand Prix later that year, also ended in a very strange note. This time around it was Schumi leading the race, and Barrichello lagging behind him. But as Schumi slowed down near the finish line, the German racer apparently hit the brakes too much that Ferrari’s number two driver found himself in first place. That year, Barrichello and Schumacher managed to finish 9 of the season’s 17 races in the first two places.

By the end of the season, Schumacher had broken the record he shared with Nigel Mansell for the most races won in a single season (9) by winning 11 times that year. Schumi also tied Juan Manuel Fangio’s record for the most championship wins (5).

In 2002, Ferrari won 15 out of the 17 races that season. Schumacher clinched the World Driver’s Championship (F1 WDC) title with six races remaining that year. And he also became the only F1 racer to finish every race in that season on the podium.

Schumi finished with 144 points. That’s a record-breaking 67 more points than that season’s second-placer—Rubens Barrichello.

Seven-Time F1 World Champion

2003 F1 Season:

With six F1 championship titles under his belt, Schumacher managed to break Juan Manuel Fangio’s record for the most F1 championship wins. In 2003, Schumi’s biggest competitor was another Finnish driver—this time it was Kimi Räikkönen.

To say that Schumi was unlucky during the first few races would be an understatement. On that season’s first race, the German driver drove off track, causing him to lose crucial points. The next two races, he found himself on the sidelines, after getting caught in on-track collisions. After just a few races, Schumi was lagging by 16 points behind Räikkönen.

In a true demonstration of skill and expertise, Schumi managed to make an amazing comeback. He zoomed to first place in the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix and finished the next two races on top. This allowed him to close the gap between him and Räikkönen to just two points. After a win in the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumi was number one again.

Then, another title rival emerged. Juan Pablo Montoya managed to put himself between Räikkönen and Schumacher. Schumi’s lead was cut down to a point between him and Montoya, and two points between him and Räikkönen.

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, the FIA announced a slight change in rules. This time around, tire width was going to be measured. This meant that Michelin, the tire-provider for teams like Williams and McLaren would have to make changes to its tire design before the next race—the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher who was running on Bridgestone had no problems with this news. In fact, it worked to his advantage. He ended up securing two more race wins. During the United States Grand Prix, Montoya was penalized—leaving Räikkönen as Schumi’s closest rival for the title. At the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumi only needed one point to win the championship, while Räikkönen needed to win the entire race. Schumacher finished in 8^th place, earning him the only point he needed to win the championship, and Räikkönen lost the title by just two points.

2004 F1 Season:

Schumacher was incredibly dominant in 2004. He managed to win the twelve races out of the first thirteen races that season! Read: 12 race wins in 13 races. The only time he wasn’t able to finish a race was in Monaco after he locked his brakes too much during a safety car lap. That year, he won 13 out of 18 races, breaking his old F1 record for the most race wins in 2002. He also became the only seven-time World Champion in F1 history.

Sources: More and more and more Wikipedia!

Here are the Formula One World Champions from 1996 to 1997. I’m featuring just two drivers this time to make the text a bit easier to read.

1996 Formula One World Champion

Name: Damon Hill (Damon Graham Devereux Hill), OBE

Nationality: British

Team: Williams

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 22

Races: 122, with 115 starts

Podium Finishes: 42

Pole Positions: 20

Fastest Laps Set: 19

Brief Bio:

Born: September 17, 1960

Graham Hill

Damon Hill is the son of the two-time Formula One World Champion Graham Hill. Graham Hill was world champion in 1962 and 1968. In 1975, Damon Hill lost his dad in a horrific plane crash that claimed five other lives. When Graham Hill died, Damon’s family experienced some tough times, particularly after Graham Hill’s entire, uninsured estate was wiped out by the claims of the families of the other five victims.

Damon showed interest in the same line of sports his father loved—motor racing. But unlike other Formula One drivers, Damon had a pretty late start. He entered into motorcycle racing when he was already 23. After some success, he moved on to one-seaters and gradually rose up in ranks in the International Formula 3000 championships. Although Damon was pretty competitive in Formula 3000, he wasn’t able to win any championships.

In 1992, already in his early 30s, Damon became a test driver for the Williams team. Being driver number three when racing in F1 means having way-limited driving action, which is why it’s a good thing Hill found a racing seat in the middle of the 1992 season with the struggling Brabham team. Unfortunately for Damon, Brabham was a sinking ship that was in financial trouble due to lack of sponsorships. The ship sank sometime in 1992, and Damon spent the rest of the season testing for Williams again.

Nigel Mansell, William’s number one guy and the reigning world champion quickly exited Formula One in 1993 to join the North American Cart series, which meant one empty seat and one eager test driver to fill it. Hill ended up with the number “0” car, due to sport technicalities. Since the world champion gets #1 and his partner gets #2, without #1 but with #2, new driver is automatically given the “0” number. Pretty cool, huh?

During this time, his partner was no other than world champion Alain Prost! When Prost said “buh-bye” to Williams and F1 in general in 1994, Hill was joined by another world champion—Ayrton Senna. Ayrton, was William’s number one bet in 1994, but Schumi proved competitive and Senna died tragically before the season’s end. Because he was the most (and the only) experienced driver left in Williams, Hill suddenly found himself thrust into the position of team leader.

To accompany Damon, Williams promoted another test driver to take the #2 seat, David Coulthard—or DC as the media cool cats call him. Later on, Williams would bring back Mansell to share the seat with DC—the team must’ve really been gunning for another championship win during those seasons. Mansell earned 900,000 British Pounds for each of the four races he drove in, while team leader Damon Hill got paid 300,000 Pounds for the entire season. Talk about unfair!

Hill drove exceptionally well in 1994. He was second to Schumacher in points. And when Schumi got banned for two races (for overtaking Hill during a formation lap), and kept getting disqualified—Hill became the race leader. It came to the point where Schumi’s lead was reduced to just a point. Schumi also finished second after Hill during the rain-soaked race in Japan in 1994—after Schumi allegedly implied that Hill who was eight years his senior, wasn’t a world class driver. Now that’s what I call karma.

1994 title went to Schumi of course. So did the 1995. With rookie driver Jacques Villeneuve by his side, Hill dominated the entire season. Unfortunately for Hill, his bad performance the year before made Williams drop him after he won the title. No worries, Arrows picked him up. He also got his second BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, making him one of the only three athletes to have received this award, not once, but twice! That year, the Royal Automobile Club also gave him another prestigious trophy to add to his collection—the Segrave Trophy. So the year didn’t end *that* bad for Hill after all.

1997 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jacques Villeneuve (Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve), OQ – Order of Quebec

Nationality: Canadian

Team: Williams

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 11

Races: 165, with 164 starts

Podium Finishes: 23

Pole Positions: 13

Fastest Laps Set: 9

Brief Bio:

Born: April 9, 1971

Hometown: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

Gilles Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve is a Canadian auto racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One racer, Gilles Villeneuve. Jacques’ father was killed in 1982, while Gilles was on the final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix that season.

Aside from the 1997 Formula One World Driver’s Championship, Jacques has also won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1995 CART Championship. He is the third driver to have managed this feat—the other two being Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi.

The year Jacques became the F1 champion, Williams’ lead driver Damon Hill was dropped by the company, pushing Villeneuve to become the new team leader. To replace Hill, Williams hired Heinz-Harald Frentzen as driver number 2. While last year, Villeneuve was in a points-race for first place with his own teammate Damon Hill, this year, Villeneuve was in tough competition against another former F1 champion—Michael Schumacher.

His championship win was decided in the final race in Jerez when Schumi slammed against the side of Villeneuve’s car, damaging the Canadian’s sidepod. But while Schumi was forced to retire the race and was also disqualified for the championship, Villeneuve managed to recover and finish in third place—securing the championship title in the process.

After his win, Jacques’ career in F1 started to decline sharply. In 2006, following an alleged injury in the German Grand Prix on lap 31, Villeneuve was temporarily replaced by Robert Kubica. During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Kubica managed to finish in seventh place, but was later disqualified. The FIA discovered that the Sauber car was too light. A few days after this incident, Villeneuve and BMW Sauber announced that they were parting company, effective immediately.

Villeneuve went on to race in the 2007 Le Mans where his Peugeot team finished in second place. He also raced for NASCAR, SPEEDCAR, and V8 Supercars. He has also released a musical album that unfortunately was poorly received in 2007. And has had some TV adverts and a cameo in Driven, the 2001 Sylvester Stallone movie.

NOTE: Notice how both F1 Champions have F1 dads who both died tragic deaths?

Source: Wikipedia throughout.

This list tackles the top Formula One drivers from 1991 to 1995. If you’re a recent convert to F1 racing, then this post should give you some familiar names—including the Formula One Champ who holds the most records in the sport. Care to guess who I’m talking about? Clue: His initials: M. S.

Now if that clue’s not enough for you to correctly guess the name of the seven-time F1 champ, then you definitely have to read on to brush up on your F1 knowledge.

1991 Formula One World Champion:

Name: Ayrton Senna (Ayrton Senna da Silva)

Nationality: Brazilian

Team: McLaren

This is the third and final win for the late and great Ayrton Senna.

Senna’s Personal Life:

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Senna excelled in a lot of classes as a child. He was good at gymnastics, chemistry, and art. But he had weak points too, including: English, math, and physics. His family was pretty wealthy–his dad was a landowner. This allowed the young Senna to pursue his interests at a young age. The most prevalent of course, being motor racing.

According to people who knew him, Senna was actually very religious. Some reports even say that he would read the Bible while he was traveling from São Paulo to Europe, and back. He also had a tendency to incorporate his religious beliefs in racing, which didn’t sit too well with other racers.

He also looked to racing as a way to discover more about himself. One of his most famous quotes goes:

“The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into, areas where I have not been before. It’s lonely driving a Grand Prix car, but very absorbing. I have experienced new sensations and I want more. That is my excitement, my motivation.”

There’s also a softer side to Senna that few people knew about until after his death. Widespread poverty in his home country greatly disturbed Senna. To help out his countrymen, he privately spent millions of his own money to help less-privileged children. Before his death, Senna actually made a framework of an organization that was dedicated to helping out children from Brazil. After his death, the institution was called “Instituto Ayrton Senna”.

Right before his death, Senna also became increasingly preoccupied with trying to make Formula One a safer sport for him and other drivers. As I mentioned in my previous post, Senna was actually the one who suggested the re-formation of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association or the GPDA. The GPDA was what you could consider the “union” for F1 drivers.

(Click HERE to read more about Senna)

1992 Formula One World Champion

Name: Nigel Mansell (Nigel Ernest James Mansell, OBE)

Nationality: British

Team: Williams

Career Highlight:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 31

Races: 191, with 187 starts

Podium Finishes: 59

Pole Positions: 32

Fastest Laps Set: 30

Brief Bio:

Born: August 8, 1953

Mansell was born in Upton-upon Severn, Worcestershire in 1953. Aside from being Formula One World Champion in 1992, Mansell also won the CART World Series in 1993. This makes him the only racer to have held both titles at the same time. He also remains the only driver to have won the CART series on his debut season.

The British media, fondly called Mansell, “Our Nige”.

He spent 15 years racing in Formula One, and he spent his last two F1 seasons also racing for the CART series. In terms of Race Wins, Mansell is the most accomplished British F1 driver. He places fourth in race wins behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2008.

1993 Formula One World Champion

Name: Alain Prost (Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur)

Nationality: French

Team: Williams Renault

After taking a “sabbatical year” from Formula One in 1992, Prost made an amazing comeback in 1993. This would be his fourth and last title in the sport. This was his final year in F1.

His greatest rival and former teammate Ayrton Senna placed second behind Prost. Senna was racing for McLaren-Ford that year. And in spite of winning the Japanese and the Australian Grands Prix, Senna still lost the title to Prost after not being able to finish the race four times. Prost had 99 points that year, and Senna had 73.

According to an entry in Wikipedia, Prost returned to F1 but had a clause in a contract that forbade Senna from becoming his teammate–now that’s what I call intense rivalry.

Prior to the Portuguese Grand Prix in October of 1993, Prost announced that he would no longer be defending his world title. His contract with his team didn’t cover 1994. He opted to retire instead… and who could blame him? After all, during that time, he was the most successful F1 driver in the entire history of the sport!

On his last race in Adelaide that year, Senna was said to have been overcome with emotion. His greatest rival was leaving F1. While on the top podium, Senna embraced Prost–a touching move that certainly surprised everyone, including Prost. After retiring, Prost earned himself an OBE (The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire)–a British order of chivalry.

Prost held on to the record of being the best F1 driver (statistically), until Schumacher broke his record of having 51 Grand Prix wins in 2001.

(Click HERE to read more about Prost)

1994 and 1995 Formula One World Champion

Name: Michael Schumacher, also called “Schumi”, “Schuey”, “Schu”, and “the Red Baron” by the press; He also occasionally got called “Regenmeister” (rain master) and “Regenkönig” (rain king) for his uncanny ability to race superbly in wet weather conditions.

Nationality: German

Team: Ford (1994) and Renault (1995)

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 7!!!! (yes, you read right, 7 wins!)

Race Wins: 91

Races: 250, with 248 starts

Podium Finishes: 154

Pole Positions: 68

Fastest Laps Set: 76

Brief Bio:

Born: January 3, 1969

Hometown: Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany

Schumacher (so far) is statistically the best racer in the whole of Formula One history. So far, Schumacher is the only German to have ever won the Formula one World Championship.

He holds the records for the most Championship wins, the most Grand Prix wins, the most number of fastest laps set, the highest number of races won in a single season, and the most number of pole positions. In 2006, Schumi was also voted as the most popular driver in F1. In 2002, Schumi became the only driver to have ever had an entire season filled with podium finishes.

From 2000 to 2004, he won five consecutive championships with Scuderia Ferrari.

Aside from being the most successful F1 driver in history, Schumi is also one of the most controversial racers in the sport. He has had many controversial driving moves that has even resulted in his disqualification in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. That year, Schumi collided with Jacques Villeneuve. He retired from Formula One officially in 2006.

When he’s not driving race cars or racing in motorbikes Schumi is also a UNESCO ambassador. He’s also a spokesperson for driver safety. Since the start of his career, he has been involved with various humanitarian efforts and has donated tens of millions to charitable causes.

Schumi is the brother of the ex-F1 racer, Ralf Schumacher. Ralf is currently with the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). They are the only brothers to have ever won races in F1. They even had a 1-2 finish once.

2008 saw Schumi as a special test driver and an advisor for the F1 Ferrari team. July last year, he also launched a worldwide drinking and driving campaign named “Champions Drink Responsibly”.

1994 and 1995 Formula One Seasons

Schumi’s first championship win was one that was marred by two deaths: Ronald Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna–both of which happened in the San Marino Grand Prix. He also had a controversial start in the championship ring after his team, Benetton, was accused of having broken F1’s technical regulations.

The team, along with McLaren, was fined $100,000 (each) that year for having hidden functionality in their software. There was never any evidence of Benetton or McLaren having used this software during a race, but the FIA stood by the rules.

During the British Grand Prix, Schumi was also penalized after overtaking while on a formation lap. Instead of following the orders, Schumi ignored a black flag and the penalty. The black flag indicates that the racer should immediately make his way to the pits. After this stint, Schumi was disqualified. He was also given a two-race ban.

After winning the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumi was once again disqualified after it was discovered that his skidblock had illegal wear. Benetton tried to argue with the FIA saying that the damage on the skidblock was created when Schumi was cornering, but the FIA officials would hear nothing of their excuses.

And during the Australian Grand Prix, Schumi, who was close in points to Damon Hill, collided with Hill when Hill made a move to pass him. Schumi crashed out of the race, and Hill was forced to retire early. Schumi won the championship by a single point. Talk about a controversial win!

When 1995 came around, Schumi managed to win over Hill with 33 more points than the latter. That year, Schumi became the youngest driver to have ever won a back-to-back F1 championship.

Sources: A Lot of Wikipedia

This post tackles F1 Legends/ World Champions from the year 1985 to 1990. You’ll see from the list that the next few years were some of the most competitive years in Formula One history—with two drivers dominating in the circuit.

1985 to 1986 Formula One World Champion

Name: Alain Prost (Alain Marie Pascal Prost), OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur

Nationality: French

Team: McLaren

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 4

Race Wins: 51

Races: 202, with 199 starts

Podium Finishes: 106

Pole Positions: 33

Fastest Laps Set: 41

Brief Bio:

Born: February 24, 1955

Alain Prost is one of the most popular F1 drivers in the circuit. And rightfully so, after all, there are only two drivers who has won more F1 championships than Prost: Schumacher and Fangio. For 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, Prost kept the record for having the most Grand Prix victories. Prost had 51 Grand Prix wins under his belt. But during the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher managed to snatch this title away from the Frenchman.

In 1999, Prost was awarded the “World Sports Awards of the Century”, an award that was given only to the best athletes of this century, including Graf, Lewis, Ali, and Pele.

Prost started out pretty young. He started karting at the tender age of 14. In a few years’ time, he managed to win the European and French Formula Three championships.

At the age of 25, Prost joined the McLaren F1 team, where he experienced his first race victory at his home Grand Prix that year. A year later, he started driving for Renault.

Prost is well-known not just for his achievements but also due to his long-standing and exciting public rivalries with other F1 legends like Nigel Mansell and especially with the late and great Ayrton Senna.

Prost took a sabbatical in 1992, but returned in 1993 where he continued his on-track rivalry with Ayrton Senna. During the 1993 Australian Grand Prix, Prost’s last Grand Prix, Senna actually pulled Prost to the top of the podium for a friendly hug.

And when Senna was killed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Prost was actually a pallbearer at the Brazilian driver’s funeral.

After F1, Prost went on to work as a TV pundit for TF1 and as a Renault PR guy. In 1997, he also founded Prost Grand Prix, an F1 racing team that lasted five seasons. Last I heard of Prost, he was participating in bike races (bike=bicycles not motor bikes), and pwning them!

1987 Formula One World Champion

Name: Nelson Piquet (Nelson Piquet Souto Maior)

Nationality: Brazilian

Team: Williams

(Click HERE to Read More about Nelson Piquet)

1988 Formula One World Champion

Name: Ayrton Senna (Ayrton Senna de Silva)

Nationality: Brazilian

Team: McLaren

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 3

Race Wins: 41

Podium Finishes: 80

Pole Positions: 65

Fastest Laps Set: 19

Brief Bio:

Born: March 21, 1960

Died: May 1, 1994

Ayrton Senna is arguably the most famous Formula One racer to have ever lived. There is no denying his talent, having won three Formula One World Driver’s Championships in ten years. His popularity extends years after he was laid to rest in Brazil in 1994.

Senna started his career in motorsports with karting. He later moved on to the British Formula 3 championships in 1983. The next year, he made his Formula One debut with Toleman Racing. This didn’t prove to be too fruitful at first. For in the next three seasons, Senna won just a total of six Grands Prix.

In 1988, Senna decided to join McLaren-Honda, where he and the Frenchman Alain Prost were able to win 15 out of the 16 Grands Prix that season. That year, Senna won the World Championship as well. The battle for “number one” between the teammates brought on a rivalry unlike any other. The extent of the rivalry between Prost and Senna was evident during the two championship-deciding Grands Prix collisions that happened in the 1989 and the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix.

Senna is now known as one of the greatest racers in Formula One history. He had astonishing speed and excellent control over his vehicle. From 1989 to 2006, Senna held the Formula One record for the most pole positions and was named the third most successful driver in F1 history based on race wins. He currently holds the record for the greatest number of victories at the Monaco Grand Prix.

While driving for Williams in 1994, Senna got into an accident on the third race of the season—the San Marino Grand Prix. Senna, who had not been able to finish the first two races that started the 1994 Formula One season decided that the Imola race would be his starting point in contending for the championship title. Who knew that this “starting point” would be the end of Senna as well?

For the final time, Senna held on to the pole position. His 65th pole. But while this should have been a good omen for the driver, Senna wasn’t feeling all too well that day.

Two things were bothering him. One: Roland Ratzenberger, an Austrian F1 driver, was killed during a practice run in Imola the day before. And two days before, Senna’s protégé Rubens Barrichello was injured in a serious accident that prevented him from participating in the race.

That morning, Senna spent the day meeting up with fellow Formula One drivers, urging them to form a Drivers’ Safety Group, “Grand Prix Drivers’ Association”, where he volunteered to be the leader.

Right before the start of the Grand Prix, there was a massive accident at the start line. The safety car ran a few laps with the drivers following without overtaking. During the restart lap, Senna drove furiously at high-speed, and just when he entered the Tamburello corner on his next lap, his car skidded off the tracks in high speed–hitting the concrete wall at approximately 135 mph.

Sid Watkins and his medical team extracted Senna from the car. The Brazilian champion was airlifted to Bologna hospital, where he was declared dead.

Reports and speculations indicate that it’s possible that what killed Senna was a right front wheel that dislodged itself from the car and hit the front area of his helmet at the right side. The force of the wheel hitting his head must have forced Senna’s head back against his car’s headrest, causing deadly fractures to the skull. There was also a piece of upright connected to the wheel that had partially punctured his helmet, creating a huge mark on his forehead. Reports also indicate that there was a piece of the upright assembly that had gone through the visor of his helmet, hitting him just on top of his right eye. Any one of these possible injuries could have killed him.

Amazingly enough, when the track officials decided to look through the wreckage of his car for evidences, what they found was a furled Austrian flag. Apparently, the good-hearted Brazilian racer was planning on winning the race and raising the Austrian flag to honor Roland Ratzenberger who had died the day before.

1989 Formula One World Champion

Name: Alain Prost (Alain Marie Pascal Prost)

Nationality: French

Team: McLaren

Another win for the highly-competitive Frenchman!

(Scroll Up read more about Prost)

1990 Formula One World Champion

Name: Ayrton Senna (Ayrton Senna da Silva)

Nationality: Brazilian

Team: McLaren

Senna Tidbit:

Senna’s death was a national tragedy. Even the Brazilian government felt the loss of the people’s idol, and even declared national mourning that lasted for three days. The day of his funeral, approximately three million people lined the streets to say their “goodbyes” to the great Brazilian racer. Some of the most famous motor racing figures also attended his funeral. Damon Hill, Senna’s rival Alain Prost, and former F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi were pallbearers. Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One Management president, wasn’t allowed to attend the event.

FIA president Max Mosley, however, opted not to attend Senna’s funeral. Instead, he made his way to Salzburg Austria to attend Ratzenberger’s funeral. Ten years later, Mosley explained his decision by saying: “I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna’s. I thought it was important that somebody went to his.”

Sources: A Whole Lot of Wikipedia

On the fourth part of this multi-part post, we’re going to be seeing the debut of some of the best Formula One racers to have ever lived. We’re also going to be seeing some recurring names in this list.

So, without further ado, the list of Formula One World Champions from 1966 to 1970.

1966 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jack Brabham–his third and final F1 championship win.

Nationality: Australian

Team: Brabham Racing Team

<click here to read more about Brabham>

Interesting Tidbits about Sir Jack

Brabham is a distinguished member of the Order of Australia, and the Order of the British Empire. He was active in Formula One for 15 years! He made his debut in 1955, and retired from the sport in 1970.

1967 Formula One World Champion

Name: Denny Hulme (Denis Clive “Denny” Hulme), OBE (member of the Order of the British Empire)

Nationality: New Zealande

Team: Brabham Racing Team

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 8

Races: 112

Podium Finishes: 33

Pole Positions: 1

Fastest Laps Set: 9

Brief Bio:

Born: June 18, 1936

Died: October 4, 1992

1966 and 1967 was a back-to-back victory for the Brabham F1 team, thanks to Brabham and Hulme. Hulme had a relatively short career in F1. He started racing in 1965, and retired from the sport after just 9 years (1974). After his brief stint with Brabham, Hulme started racing for the McLaren team in F1, participating in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup Series designed specifically for Group 7 sports cars. He became a CanAm champion in 1968 and 1970. At the end of the 1974 season, Hulme decided to retire from F1, but continued racing at the Australian Touring Cars.

Before becoming a part of Formula One, Hulme was known as “The Barefoot Boy from Te Puke”, as he refused to drive without any shoes on. He only started wearing racing shoes in 1960.

One of his favorite racing events was the Bathurst 1000. A race that was held at the world-famous Mount Panorama track in the land down under. During the 1992 event, while driving a BMW M3, Hulme complained about blurred visions over his radio. Apparently, the racing star had suffered a major heart attack while he was driving. He veered into a wall, but managed to keep the car from crashing. The car came to a stop, and by the time the marshals arrived on the scene, they found Hulme still wearing his safety belt and already dead.

1968 Formula One World Champion

Name: Graham Hill (Norman Graham Hill)

Nationality: British

Team: Lotus

<click here to read more about Hill>

This was Hill’s final championship win in Formula One.

1969 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jackie Stewart (Sir John Young “Jackie” Stewart), OBE

Nationality: British

Team: Matra

Career Highlights

Championship Wins: 3

Race Wins: 27

Races: 100, with 99 starts

Podium Finishes: 43

Pole Positions: 17

Fastest Laps Set: 15

Brief Bio:

Born: June 11, 1939

Jackie Stewart was given the nickname “The Flying Scot” during his racing days. This Scottish F1 driver had an 8-year career in Formula One, where he won a total of three Formula One World Drivers’ Championships. He was also a Can-Am or Canadian-American Challenge Cup, and is well-known in the United States as one of the color commentators in the racing TV broadcasts. He was also a pitchman for Ford and was team principal for the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One team.

1970 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jochen Rindt (Karl Jochen Rindt)

Nationality: Austrian

Team: Lotus

Career Highlights

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 6

Races: 62, with 60 starts

Podium Finishes: 13

Pole Positions: 10

Fastest Laps Set: 3

Brief Bio:

Born: April 18, 1942

Died: September 5, 1970

The German-Austrian driver was the first and only driver to have ever won the Formula One World Championship posthumously. Aside from being very gifted in F1 racing, Rindt was also very successful in other motorsports including sports car racing. He actually won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1965.

Rindt was killed in a practice session for the Italian Grand Prix. According to Hulme who was following Rindt during the session, Rindt’s car made a weaving motion before sharply swerving and crashing into a barrier. The barrier then parted and the suspension pressed into the barrier and the car then hit a stanchion hard. The entire front area of the car was destroyed. Reports say that Rindt had taken to wearing a lap belt, and that the driver had slid down when the belt buckle cut open his throat.

Investigations conducted by the Italian court released findings that the accident was caused by the failure of the vehicle’s right front brake shaft, but that what killed Rindt were poorly-installed barriers.

Rindt was the second team leader from Lotus to have died in two years. Jim Clark was killed in 1968.

Sources: Wikipedia and More Wikipedia

As the third part to this multi-post on the Formula One World Driver’s Championship winners, we’re going to be looking at the champions from 1959 to 1965.

First up, we have the 1959-1960 F1 World Champion, Jack Brabham.

1959 and 1960 Formula One World Champion

Name: Sir John Arthur “Jack” Brabham

Nationality: Australian

Team: Cooper Car Company

Career Highlights

Championship Wins: 3

Race Wins: 14

Races: 128, with 126 starts

Podium Finishes: 31

Pole Positions: 13

Fastest Laps Set: 12

Brief Bio

Born: April 2, 1926

This Australian Formula One World Champion didn’t grow up racing cars. In fact, he started out as a flight mechanic for the Royal Australian Air Force. He also ran an engineering workshop prior to racing. In 1948, he started racing midget cars. His numerous wins led him to the United Kingdom where he raced for Cooper Car Company’s racing team. He would later win the Formula One World Driver’s Championship a total of three times: 1959, 1960, and 1966.

In 1962, Brabham left Cooper to open the Brabham marque along with Ron Tauranac. He founded the Brabham race car constructor and racing team. He retired in 1970. And as of last year, is the world’s oldest surviving F1 World Champion.

1961 Formula One World Champion

Name: Phil Toll Hill, Jr. (Phil Hill)

Nationality: American

Team: Ferrari

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 3

Races: 51, with 48 starts

Podium Finishes: 16

Pole Positions: 6

Fastest Laps Set: 6

Brief Bio:

Born: April 20, 1927

Died: August 28, 2008

Phil Hill is one of the only two American drivers to have ever won the F1 World Driver’s Championship, and is the only American-born racer to have won this title. In 1991, the champion who was described by many as “gentle, and peace-loving”, was officially inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Hill died in August of last year, due to a short illness brought on by Parkinson’s Disease.

1962 Formula One World Champion

Name: Norman Graham Hill (Graham Hill)

Nationality: British

Team: BRM

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 2

Race Wins: 14

Races: 179, with 176 starts

Podium Finishes: 36

Pole Positions: 13

Fastest Laps Set: 10

Brief Bio:

Born: February 15, 1929

Died: November 29, 1975

Graham Hill was a two-time F1 World Champion and the only driver to have ever clinched the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

He died in November 1975, when his Piper Aztec airplane, which he was piloting at that time, crashed somewhere near the 4^th green of the Arkley Golf Course situated in North London. Hill and the rest of the members of the Embassy Hill team were returning from the French Paul Richard Circuit. Other casualties in the crash included the up-and-coming racing star, Tony Brise, Ray Brimble—the team’s manager, Andy Smallman—one of the designers, and Terry Richards and Tony Alcock who were both team mechanics.

Because Hill was uninsured, the victims’ families sued his estate. Just settling all those claims eventually wiped out Hill’s estate.

Graham Hill, in Silverstone village and Graham Hill Bend found at Brands Hatch are named in his honor.

Hill officially became a part of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Quotes From Hill: “Time is of the essence and I don’t have much essence left.” – quote was taken from Hill’s biography that was published after his death.

“ I’m an artist, the track is my canvas, and the car is my brush.”

1963 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jim Clark OBE (Order of the British Empire) – Born James Clark, Jr.

Nationality: British

Team: Lotus

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 2

Race Wins: 25

Races: 73, with 72 starts

Podium Finishes: 32

Pole Positions: 33

Fastest Laps Set: 28

Brief Bio:

Born: March 4, 1936

Died: April 7, 1968

Clark was a Scottish F1 racer. He was one of the most promising young racers during his time. He won a couple of Formula One World Championships in 1963 and 1965. He had won 25 Grand Prix races, and 33 pole positions—astounding numbers for such a short career. He was active in F1 from 1960 to 1968.

Aside from F1, Clark also tried his luck in the Indianapolis 500, 5 times. And he actually won one in 1965.

When he was starting out in Formula One, Clark was involved in a fatal and horrific racing accident. Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, another great F1 driver, was set to earn his first championship win when his Ferrari hit Clark’s Lotus. Trips’ car then spun a couple of times before becoming airborne, crashing straight into one of the side barriers. Trips was then thrown out of the car, killing fifteen fans.

Seven years later, another ugly car crash put an end to Clark’s brilliant racing career. On the 7^th of April, 1968, Clark was set to drive in the BOAC 1000KM race that was going to be held at Brands Hatch. But the racer decided to compete in a Formula Two race for Lotus instead. Some say that the decision was due to contractual obligations, which he had with Firestone. While racing on the fourth lap, the Lotus 48 that he was driving went off the track where Clark crashed into the trees. He suffered a skull fracture and a broken neck, and died while on his way to the hospital. While no one knows for sure what caused the track, some investigators believe that it might have been due to a rapidly deflating rear tire.

1964 Formula One World Champion

Name: John Surtees, OBE (Order of the British Empire)

Nationality: British

Team: Ferrari

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1 in Formula One,

3 (1958, 1959, 1960) in a 350cc motorcycle, 4 (1956, 1958, 1959, 1960) in a 500cc motorcycle.

Race Wins: 6

Races: 113, with 111 starts

Podium Finishes: 24

Pole Positions: 8

Fastest Laps Set: 10

Brief Bio:

Born: February 11, 1934

Surtees is the only racer to have ever won championship titles for both four and two wheels. Aside from having been an accomplished F1 driver, Surtees had also been a Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer—talk about versatile! Surtees is also the Racing Steps Foundation’s ambassador.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. And since he was already an MBE—or a Member of the Order of the British Empire, he was made into an OBE—Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2008.

1965 Formula One World Champion

Name: Jim Clark

Nationality: British

Team: Lotus

<scroll up to read more about the short but amazing career of Jim Clark>

Sources: Wikipedia

Here’s a look at the Formula One World Champions from 1954 to 1958. You’ll only see a couple of drivers in this list—all thanks to Juan Manuel Fangio’s amazing driving skills!

1954-1957 Formula One World Champion

Name: Juan Manuel Fangio

<click here see his career highlights and bio>

1954 Team: Maserati-Mercedes

1955 Team: Mercedes

1956 Team: Ferrari

1957 Team: Maserati

Juan Manuel Fangio does a four-peat!

1958 Formula One World Champion

Name: John Michael Hawthorn, or simply Mike Hawthorn

Nationality: British

Team: Ferrari

Career Highlights:

Championship Wins: 1

Race Wins: 3

Races: 47

Race Starts: 45

Podium Finishes: 18

Pole Positions: 4

Brief Bio:

Born: April 10, 1929

Died: January 22, 1959 (car accident)

Hawthorn is the third driver on the list to have died from a car accident—and the youngest one too. He died just a few months before his 30^th birthday. Hawthorn was a promising driver, debuting at the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix where he immediately placed fourth. The next year, he won the 1953 French Grand Prix. Two years later, he would go on to win the controversial 24 hours of Le Mans race where a car crash killed 82 spectators. And of course, he became the F1 World Champion in 1958. Definitely a short career with a lot of highlights.

Source: Wikipedia