Formula 1: The top 4 at Monza all shared one thing in common
By Asher Fair
The top four drivers in the Italian Grand Prix all entered the race weekend at Autodromo Nazionale Monza with zero career Formula 1 wins. When is the last time that happened?
As Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix progressed, specifically after Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was penalized and fell back to 17th place from a dominant lead after receiving service in a closed pit lane, it became clearer that we were witnessing Formula 1 history.
The laps of the 53-lap race around the 11-turn, 3.6-mile (5.794-kilometer) Autodromo Nazionale Monza road course in Monza, Italy began to click away, and it was evident that Formula 1 was about to see a team other than Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari win for the first time since March of 2013. A 146-race streak was about to end.
It was also clear that Formula 1 was about to see its 109th different race winner. The 108th was crowned last September when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. A total of 15 races had been contested from then until the start of this weekend.
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But that was not evident simply due to the fact that the circumstances of the event put AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in prime position to secure his first career victory in shocking fashion, which he ended up doing by just 0.415 seconds ahead of the second place finsiher
It was evident due to the fact that even had Gasly not held on, this streak still would have ended. Running in second place was McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. ahead of Racing Point’s Lance Stroll in third and McLaren’s Lando Norris in fourth.
None of those drivers entered the race weekend with any career victories. The highest running former race winner was Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, an eight-time winner, in fifth.
The last time a Formula 1 race saw four drivers who entered a race weekend with a combined zero career victories finish in the top four, it was the driver who is on pace to become the winningest driver in the history of the sport who took the checkered flag.
Lewis Hamilton, who is now a six-time world champion (one title shy of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record) and an 89-time race winner (two wins shy of Schumacher’s all-time record), won the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Nick Heidfled finished in second place ahead of Alexander Wurz in third and Heikki Kovalainen in fourth.
Heidfeld and Wurz never ended up winning, while Kovalainen secured his first and only win the following season in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
A total of 251 races had been contested from then up until Sunday’s shocker.
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Among the 20 active drivers, Gasly is the eighth different winner. The other seven are Hamilton, Leclerc, Bottas, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen.
Still seeking their first victories are Sainz, Stroll, Norris, Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Renault’s Esteban Ocon, Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi, Haas teammates Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean and Williams teammates George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.