Formula 1: Forget their 1 point; Williams pull off another improbable feat

By Asher Fair | Aug 1, 2019

HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY - JULY 27: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Rokit Williams Racing FW42 Mercedes on track during final practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 27, 2019 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images) /

Aside of finally scoring their first point of the 2019 Formula 1 season, Williams pulled off another improbable feat in the German Grand Prix.

ROKiT Williams Racing made headlines after Alfa Romeo Racing teammates Kimi Raikkonen and rookie Antonio Giovinazzi were penalized after Sunday’s Formula 1 race at the Hockenheimring, the German Grand Prix.

Raikkonen and Giovinazzi originally finished this race in seventh and eighth place, respectively, but they were each issued 30-second time penalties after it ended as a result of a breach of Article 27.1, which pertains to clutch torque application during race starts. Because of this, they dropped to 12th and 13th.

Meanwhile, 12th place finisher Robert Kubica of Williams was promoted to 10th, allowing him to score the Grove-based team their first point of the 2019 season, which has been their worst season in team history by far.

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The fact that Williams actually scored a point this season is a major storyline in itself, as the odds of it happening were slim to none.

But what they also accomplished in this race is something that has gone practically unnoticed, and it is something that sets them apart from every other team in Formula 1 — and for a good reason for once.

Entering this rain-shortened 64-lap race around the 16-turn, 2.842-mile (4.574-kilometer) Hockenheimring road course in Am Motodrom, Hockenheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, there were two teams that had had both of their drivers finish each of the season’s first 10 races.

These two teams entered this race on opposite ends of the constructor standings. Standings leaders Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and cellar dwellers Williams were these two teams.

By the time the mayhem of the German Grand Prix had concluded, one of them remained standing.

Which one?

Not Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas crashed late in this race while Lewis Hamilton experienced a disaster-filled race en route to a ninth place finish. Meanwhile, Kubica and rookie teammate George Russell, as they have always done as teammates, both finished the race. Kubica finished in 10th ahead of Russell in 11th.

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So congratulations to Williams on scoring their first point of the 2019 Formula 1 season, and further congratulations on being the final team without having had any driver retirements through the season’s first 11 races. These two accomplishments will likely end up being the two brightest spots of the teams disastrous year, and they both happened to take place on the same weekend.

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