So Lewis Hamilton just missed out on precisely matching Ayrton Senna's wins to starts record. Given the number of Grands Prix on the calendar and the greatly improved safety of racing (tragic recent deaths being a sad anomaly) that a driver such as Lewis is reaching, such a record point should not be a surprise. That he nearly precisely matched it is an unusual coincidence. Of course now no such thing has happened, it will be forgotten as he chases the next record holder higher up the history table. Yet what records is he really chasing?
I remember David Coulthard once saying that drivers would race for nothing as it was the honour and obsession to race that drove them, with money being a welcome side effect, and not the main rush. So what do records mean? Well I believe it depends on the record. And does grabbing the record instantly bestow the title of Legend on the driver attaining it? Well, let's have a little look at what history wants to tell us.
Some records are simply best avoided. Take 'Most starts without a win'. This belongs to Andrea de Cesaris (208 starts, no wins) and he can keep it. Thank you. While 'Most starts before first win' is fractionally more appealing (Mark Webber 130 starts prior to first win) it is still not the stuff of legend. Not unlike a primary school encouragement award, it is only really valued if one does not have one's name already firmly attached to some other award or record.
So yes a participant award is nice, but the thrill alone is not quite enough. Just ask Jenson Button if he'd take a 80% pay cut to be driving in the current Mercedes.
Then we have a few other awards and records that are either meaningless or swiftly forgotten, if not both. Consider the best organised event of the year award... Actually enough on that already...
Then we have most wins without a world championship. In first place we have Stirling Moss (67 entries, 16 wins), in second David Coulthard (247 entries, 13 wins), and in third and fourth we have Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa. Are they all nearly men, half a percent off greatness, or are they simply great men who when they needed half-a-percent of good fortune in a race, did not receive it? And clearly if one then looks at the ratio of starts to wins, Stirling's is by far the most impressive on this list, a fact the raw number of wins does not echo through time.
So now we get to the nub of the argument. I have great honour in presenting three great drivers. Stirling Moss. Gilles Villeneuve. Jean Alesi. Loved by fans? Yes indeed. Fine drivers. Beyond question. Passionate about their sport? To the point of madness some would say. Each the embodiment of a fine sportsman, that could hold their head high in any company and be considered the finest calibre representing a great sport? Yes, and again yes.
And the number of World Championships between them? As I'm sure our dear readers know... A solid, robust, and in no chance of changing zero.
So what does this say of records and their meanings?
Stirling managed to go wheel-to-wheel with some of the all-time greats of the sport, earning their respect as he did so. Gillies won the timeless love of fans with a driving style that would have you blink in disbelief ten times a lap. While Jean, one of my personal favourite drivers for his passion and super-human abilities in the wet, achieved so many fine second and third places that I still shake my head in wonderment at his lone GP win.
In the modern era we have David Coulthard, Mark Webber, and increasingly Nico Rosberg as prime examples of fantastic drivers who did not, or in Nico's case look increasingly unlikely to, raise the World Champion's trophy aloft, and set the record books on fire. Yet they are fine drivers, extremely fit and well-disciplined sportsmen, and generally considered as respectful and reasonable people. Yes, Mark did get a touch pithy in some of his remarks during his time at Red Bull, but I think enough time has already passed for us to forgive him those moments when stoic reflection and zen like calm briefly deserted him.
Yet each of these three have racing moments that burn strong in the memory and are worthy of the greatest praise. Now like all sports, F1 is about the quality of the fight, and ultimately about winning. It is not a popularity contest. Yet year after year drivers who are not winning catch the notice of the observant fans, and are elevated to that special place of respect. While others who appear deserving, do not attain such hallowed status. Intriguingly a number of race winners and world champions fail for some reason to become legend; yet the record books declare them logical winners.
In cycling both Joop Zoetemelk and Jan Ullrich were respected more for their heroic efforts in finishing second than the men that won. Raymond Poulidor was given the fan name of "the eternal second" for his fine efforts in failing to win the Tour de France. In many instances these three names are more clearly recalled and respected than the men that won races in those seasons.
And so it is with F1. Gilles is still remembered as a stunning driver, with affection, respect and awe in equal measure by fans. Ayrton 'only' won three world championships, and had a remarkable life cut tragically short, yet he still towers over the sport as embodying all it means to be a legendary driver, despite those that have exceeded his records.
So with records getting reset due to awarding more points and holding more races per season, what records are left that are worth chasing, and what of those drivers still active, and the chances of securing a lasting legacy that ignores pure statistics?
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