Formula 1 racing is the pinnacle of motorsport. Through it’s long and storied history, there have always been fantastic stories, statistics, wins and losses. So many in fact, that it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Today we’re looking at some of the more arbitrary facts surrounding the world’s premier motorsport.
THE OLD F1 LOGO HAD A HIDDEN "1"
A lot of people may not be aware of this, incorrectly assuming that the strange shape alongside the “F” in the Formula One logo was a “1”, but if you look in-between the two, you’ll see a “1” in the negative space. This can be seen in a lot of modern logo’s like FedEx for example, where the negative space makes an arrow. Regardless, the sleek new logo change, while generating a fair amount of uproar, is generally appreciated and feels slick, modern and marketable.
THE INDY 500 USED TO BE AN F1 RACE
Once upon a time, the Indy 500 wasn’t the jewel of the IndyCar series, but rather an actual Formula 1 race on the Formula 1 calendar. The race featured on the F1 calendar in the '50s and ‘60s, but not every F1 driver warmed to the idea of it being on the calendar. It was soon dropped, although drivers like Jim Clark and Graham Hill still came to take on the challenge of the ‘500.
THE UNBEATABLE 'FAN CAR'
In 1978, Brabham made the legendary BT46B to gain an advantage over the rest of the grid. The car was fitted with a large fan on the back that effectively sucked the car to the ground and gave it a huge amount of downforce. Niki Lauda raced it once and won that year's Swedish Grand Prix. Lauda had won the race by over half a minute. It was subsequently banned, which is just as well. Lauda could have walked to many more wins with the fan car.
MERCEDES RECORD HOPES IN 2019
Mercedes may be humble ahead of the upcoming season, but they are undeniably on a huge roll in the sport. They've won every constructors' title since 2014, and every drivers' title too, which has been shared between four for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg. If they achieve the double this year, they will break Ferrari’s record of five consecutive drivers' and constructors' doubles that stretches back to 2000. Things do look tougher than ever for Mercedes this year. Ferrari look to have the best car, based on pre-season testing, and Red Bull-Honda are looking quite close as well.
WILLIAMS SCORED THE MOST EVER POINTS IN A SINGLE RACE
You wouldn’t think it, but Williams actually holds the record for most points scored in a single race. For years, the maximum number of points that a team can earn has been 43 (for first and second place), but the double points finale of 2014 changed that. Lewis Hamilton won that race, but Nico Rosberg failed to score thanks to technical issues, so Williams was able to finish second and third. This amounted to a colossal 66 points scored for Williams, boosting them to 320 for the season.
TWO SONS OF WORLD CHAMPIONS HAVE WON THE TITLE
Family heritage in any sport is not an uncommon thing, but in F1, the likelihood of sons becoming world champions like their fathers is incredibly difficult. Graham Hill won three world titles whilst his son Damon Hill won his own title in 1996. Keke Rosberg took his world title in 1982, and after battling it out with Lewis Hamilton in 2016, Nico Rosberg won his first and only world title before announcing his retirement.
MINARDI ARE NOT MIA
Minardi was an incredibly popular team before they vanished in 2005, earning a staggering amount of support during their years in F1. They are however, still in the sport, in a way. Minardi was sold to Red Bull to become Toro Rosso and is still based out of Italy. The spirit of Minardi still very much lives on through Toro Rosso, which is good to see.
FERRARI HAVE SPECIAL HISTORIC PAYMENTS
Ferrari naturally earns a lot of money, and they are more often than not rather successful, but the team has for many years received around $100m for just turning up. Ferrari receives historical bonuses just for being on the grid for as long as they have. Every time they are threatened with this being taken away from them, they usually issue some form of quit threat or warn F1 of its future. With a cost cap being mooted though for 2021, it may happen, and Ferrari might simply have to deal with it.
WILLIAMS HAVEN'T WON A TITLE IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS
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Williams are one of the most successful teams in the sport's history, but as we all know, they have not had the best run in recent years. They have not won a world title since 1997 when the team beat Ferrari and Jaques Villeneuve beat Michael Schumacher to that year's crowns. Since then, it has been a rather downward trajectory for the team, which still hopes to reach the top again one day. And we as fans, hope they do too.
HANS HEYERS UNUSUAL RECORD
Hans Heyer is remembered for having one of the most dismal forays into Formula 1. Driving for Germany's team ATS, he entered the 1977 Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The problem however, was that he was too used to touring cars and not up to speed in the F1. He sadly didn’t make the cut but that didn’t stop him from racing anyway. He retired after nine laps and was disqualified. He is the only man in F1 to hold a DNS, DNF and DSQ. Perhaps, a slightly unwanted achievement, but still noteworthy.
F1 as a sport holds so many interesting stories, facts and statistics. If you’re a massive fan, make sure to bet on the 2019 Formula One season at Betway.
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