Another record for Rubens
Rubens Barricello already holds the record for the most starts in Formula 1 history, but if he starts this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix he will break into the top 10 for most consecutive starts as well. The last raced he missed was the 2002 French Grand Prix, 166 races ago.
|
Driver |
Length |
Start |
End |
Next/notes |
|
Riccardo Patrese |
187 |
Belgium 1982 |
Australia 1993 |
End of career |
|
David Coulthard |
175 |
Brazil 1995 |
Canada 2005 |
U.S.A. 2005, Michelin tyre issue |
|
Alain Prost |
160 |
U.S. Long Beach 1981 |
Brazil 1991 |
San Marino 1991, spun off on the warm-up lap |
|
Ayrton Senna |
149 |
Europe 1984 |
San Marino 1994 |
Fatally injured during the race. |
|
Thierry Boutsen |
138 |
Canada 1984 |
Belgium 1993 |
End of career |
|
Gerhard Berger |
132 |
Mexico 1989 |
Europe 1997 |
End of career |
|
Jean Alesi |
129 |
Monaco 1994 |
Japan 2001 |
End of career |
|
Michael Schumacher |
124 |
Malaysia 1999 |
Brazil 2006 |
End of career |
|
Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
118 |
Spain 1994 |
Great Britain 2002 |
France 2002, not qualified |
|
Michele Alboreto |
117 |
Austria 1981 |
Portugal 1989 |
Spain 1989, not pre-qualified |
|
Jacques Villeneuve |
117 |
Australia 1996 |
Australia 2003 |
Malaysia 2003, retired. |
|
Rubens Barrichello |
116 |
Germany 2002 |
ONGOING |
|
Kimi's drought
|
Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren MP4-19B Mercedes) leads the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix © XPB |
Kimi Raikkonen is currently enduring one of the longest win droughts of his career. His last victory was exactly a year ago in Spain, 18 races ago. This is his longest winless streak since he went 19 races without a win between the 2005 Chinese and 2006 Brazilian GPs.
Raikkonen's longest drought was from his maiden victory in the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (in his 35th start) to his second in Belgium in 2004; 27 races over one year, five months and six days.
Renault at 250
Renault will make its 250th start in Formula 1 at the Spanish Grand Prix, tying with Jordan in 11th place on the all-time list. The list is headed by Ferrari on 780, with McLaren second on 652.
Personal scoreboard - Spain
• Lewis Hamilton is yet to win the Spanish GP, but has finished on the podium in his two apprearances so far, second in 2007 and third in 2008.
• Kimi Raikkonen has won twice in Spain, in 2005 and 2008 - the latter being his most recent GP victory.
• Nick Heidfeld has only finished in the points three times in nine Spanish GPs, the last being in 2006 when he was eighth.
• Fernando Alonso had finished on the podium in five straight Spanish Grands Prix until last year, when he retired with an engine failure. He has won the race once, in 2006.
• Nico Rosberg has only finished in the points once at Barcelona, sixth in 2007, and has never made the top 10 in qualifying.
• Jenson Button has never qualified higher than fifth (in 2003) in the Spanish GP and hasn't finished higher than sixth (2006 and 2008).
• Rubens Barrichello has finished on the podium three times at Barcelona, and started from the front row in 2002 and 2003. But he has never won the race and hasn't scored points since 2006.
Vitantonio Liuzzi (Toro Rosso STR01 Cosworth) during the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix © LAT |
Teams round-up
• Ferrari is the most successful team in the history of the Spanish Grand Prix with 11 wins in 38 races. The team has won six of the last 10 events and only missed the podium in 2005.
• The last of McLaren's eight wins in Spain came in 2005 for Kimi Raikkonen.
• Renault was ever-present on the podium at Barcelona between 2003 and 2006, but both cars retired from last year's race.
• BMW-Sauber's best result in Spain is fourth place in 2007 and 2008, and also the team's best qualifying result, for Robert Kubica last year.
• Toro Rosso has only posted one finish in the three editions of the Spanish Grand Prix it has contested (15th place for Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2006).
Other notes about the Spanish Grand Prix
The winner of the Spanish GP has come from pole position 14 times, from second place three times and just once from thrid on the grid. The race has been won from pole position every year since 2000, when Mika Hakkinen did it from second on the grid.
Anniversaries of the race weekend
May 10, 1959: Jack Brabham scored his maiden victory in Monaco, which was the starting point for him to take the drivers' title and the first constructors' championship for a rear-engined car, the Cooper-Climax T51.
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