Beyond the Flag
Fansided

Formula 1 breaks all-time record with incredible trend

By Asher Fair

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 01: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W10 leads the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 01: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W10 leads the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The top 10 in the final 2019 Formula 1 driver standings featured 10 drivers from 10 different countries, something that had never previously happened in the history of Formula 1.

The 2019 Formula 1 season featured more than its fair share of highs and lows, and among the highs was an incredible piece of history that has never been seen before.

For the first time in Formula 1 history, the top 10 in the final driver standings featured 10 drivers from 10 different countries.

Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished in the top two, with Hamilton, who hails from the United Kingdom, winning his sixth world championship and Bottas, who hails from Finland, finishing in a career-high second place.

More from Formula One

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who hails from the Netherlands, finished in a career-high third place ahead of Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel in a career-high fourth and fifth place, respectively. Leclerc hails from Monaco and Vettel hails from Germany.

Finishing in a career-high sixth place was McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr., who hails from Spain. He edged out Pierre Gasly of Scuderia Toro Rosso and France in a career-high seventh and rookie Alexander Albon of Red Bull Racing and Thailand in eighth. Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, who hails from Australia, finished in ninth ahead of SportPesa Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, who hails from Mexico, in 10th.

These same 10 drivers entered the 21st and final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, at Yas Marina Circuit in the top 10 in the driver standings. But this top 10 sweep came right down to the wire; it wasn’t decided until lap 1,262 of the 1,262-lap season.

It was a last-lap pass of Perez on McLaren rookie Lando Norris for seventh place in the 55-lap race around the 21-turn, 3.451-mile (5.554-kilometer) Yas Marina Circuit road course on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates that sealed the deal.

Perez finished in 10th place in the driver standings with 52 points. Norris finished in 11th with 49. Had Perez not made this pass, he would have scored four points in the season finale instead of six, and he would have finished the season with 50. Norris, meanwhile, would have scored six points in this race instead of four and finished the season with 51 points.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

Lando Norris, like Lewis Hamilton, hails from the United Kingdom, so this season simply would have featured the third top nine sweep of drivers from different countries in Formula 1 history as opposed to the first top 10 sweep. Nine drivers from nine different countries finished in the top nine in the standings in the 1974 and 1977 seasons.

Home/Formula One