The wet conditions did even it up a bit, especially with the turbo's having a 150 litre tank (pretty sure both Ferrari's had major fuel issues) but it was still a power circuit at the time as it was a few years before it got modified into its new incarnation so the turbo's still had an edge. That was the race where Prost threw in the towel early despite it not really being that bad for a wet race.
Can't really see passed Senna at Donnington for this, both Alonso and MSC had the best cars in those clips, and Alonso was overtaking vastly inferior back of the grid cars, compared to Senna who was driving a dog and spanking one of the best drivers driving by far the best car. As to Schumacher, well, I hear he always gets a vote in X factor every week.
Most of the cars he passed were mediocre in comparison to his Renault but you have to remember that Hungary isn't the easiest place to overtake and Alonso was picking the field apart. He also passed Massa's competitive Ferrari, which, given the WDC situation at the time, was not an easy move to pull off. Throughout the lap he pushed his car right to the limit - very brave, given that he was forced onto the grass at the start.
I cant think of a specific lap as ive only been following for just under a decade, But a series of laps that do stand out to me is Jensen Button's recovery drive in Brazil 09 to win the WDC. Some wonderful passes under pressure.
Hi Martial! I read your title and came here with great interest, with a very clear idea of an incredible lap from a driver who produced quite a few but is often overlooked. Unfortunately though, it seems it doesn't pass your very exacting criteria.
dont be shy cc , all i really asked was anybody that had a driver in mind was able to have watched part or all of that drivers career and watched there favoured lap , just quoting from a book without seeing very much or anything at all of the driver in questions career is not really doing justice to the topic --- better still if you can show us a clip of it --
Jim Clark. And there were several. The following two races had a plethora of fantastic laps throughout the duration of each race. Picking one out is impossible for me. Clark won at Spa in 1963 with an amazing performance. After starting eighth, he lapped the entire field except for 2nd placed Bruce McLaren, who was 5 minutes behind! (Please bear in mind that this was the old Spa: comparable to Nürburgring Nordschliefe). Lapping so many cars on such a gigantic circuit was totally unheard of and has only been surpassed by Clark himself. This was one of the first races I have (very) vague memories of. But please read on for one which I remember very clearly indeed… Monza 1967 Clark was leading before getting a puncture. After limping to the pits, his tiny pit crew took some time to change the wheel (I seem to remember him being stationary for what seemed like a minute) and he rejoined a complete lap down, having been overtaken twice by every driver. He then unlapped himself (yes: from every driver), and then overtook the entire field again! - so as to be leading the race by the last lap. After such an unprecedented performance - the like of which has never been since before or since - winning the race was a foregone conclusion but the car had not been prepared for Clark's other-wordly driving, promptly running out of fuel a couple of corners from the finishing line. With such a mesmerising performance, it is pretty much an impossibility to pick out one particular lap. There were others too: not least his incredible performance in winning the Indy 500 at his first attempt, breaking all track records there in the process: fastest lap; most laps led; highest ever average speed (which he did by a huge margin); etc. But I did not see this race because of a trip to Monaco.
did you see clarks career then cc , i must admit it has allways been a major regret of mine that i never saw clark , i was never quite sure what to make of clark because he spent his complete F1 career with probally the best designer ever designing his chassis"s for him , so in that respect for me it makes me wonder how much of his wonderful legacy was down to him and how much of it was down to chapmans brilliant chassis"s , i just wish i had seen his career so i could really see the wider picture for myself --
Yes. This is a very good example of more recent times from Sea-man. I hope that it will not be popped at by what I believe are commonly known as 'haters'. (Not my choice of word, I hasten to add).
i was thinking more of a lap that took a massive amount of skill from the driver rather than a lap of a driver just bumbling around -- i was also hoping for unbiassed reply"s , showing hamiltons final lap of brazil 08 is hardly unbiassed , do you have a lap of a driver showing amazing skill that stands out in your memory ?
In spite of my comment that I felt it did not fit the criteria, I get "Don't be shy cc". But then what do we see? - Yet more exacting criteria which diminishes the contributions others have made whilst trying to show interest in the thread. So exacting in fact, that it does not even allow for one of the most outstandingly memorable laps in F1 history! Yes, not just the last decade - that was one of the most memorable single laps in F1 history. Just how many World Championships have been decided on the last corner of the last Grand Prix of any season? And if you don't think that's memorable, Marital; I seriously wonder how your memory works! Is it relaxed rules for your thread, or is it rigid rules? Just tell us and we'll all know better how to comply with what I first thought was your great idea for a thread…
Xig, you can't say others have to be unbiased when you went for Senna, Forza went for Alonso and EMSC went for Schuey All 3 are respectively your favourite drivers and apart from Donnington ,the others are hardly stand out laps.
A driver just bumbling around, well as far as bumbling goes I'd say that was pretty spectacular bumbling. firstly ignoring the situation surrounding the lap and focusing purely on the science of it, the torro rosso was set up for the cornering of the lap which would mean higher downforce settings which come in handy in the rain and the McLaren was set up for straight line speed to allow overtaking if it was needed which would mean low drag - not very useful in the rain. I recall some links/articles about this at the time but I didn't save them anywhere so I can't prove it. He was going pretty late in the breaking zones in the rain on a low downforce set up and managing to keep up with the torro rosso, driven by a future double (and more) world championand all this in the turbulent air. Many drivers have made mistakes and gone off in these situations. taking all that into account now add the situation surrounding the lap, Of every sporting event I have seen on either on TV or in real life, F1, football, olympics, water hockey (my sister plays in the england team and has won the world championship twice) this moment was easily the tensest I have been for any of them, no other event comes close, it is the tensest I have been watching a TV ever in general, I was literally on the edge of my seat focused 100% on what was happening and could not believe it was all falling apart at the death, to quote "my heart was in my mouth" - and I am merely a fan. It doesn't affect my life whether he won or not, the emotions of the moment must have been 500 times more from where he was sitting, it has a real effect on his entire life, factor in he had lost it in similar circumstances at the same race 1 year earlier and that he is clearly an emotional person anyway (not usually when he has 20 cameras and microphones in his face but when he is in the car). Knowing there are no more chances, this is the last lap of the last race. It is so easy to make minor and major mistakes when under that much emotional stimulus or to simply give it in. To drive so well as he did in those conditions with those set ups with emotions running so sky high they were leaving the atmosphere under such pressure makes this for me one of the best laps of a driver just bumbling around of all time.
