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You're standing on my Record

FEATURE BY MAX NOBLE
10/11/2015

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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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by Max Noble, 19/11/2015 5:31 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 19/11/2015 9:23)

"@Schnauzers and @gturner38 - good points about the great Fangio and others; however Max Verstappen is a rare breed of driver coming direct into F1 with minimal racing experience. Michael had years in go-karts and (Mercedes) sports cars. Aryton had an extensive karting background. Clark and Stewart raced numerous formulas (with tragic results for Clark...). So the stats would need to consider "Total Career wins", and "F1 wins" to give a complete picture.

...and a very interesting complete picture I'm sure it would be!"

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2. Posted by Schnauzers, 18/11/2015 10:43

"gtuner38...

Fangio actually started racing in 1934, so 26 years experience, not 18. However, he NEVER raced a single seater until he came to Europe (1948). However his 'native' experience was of saloon cars on long distance 'dirt' roads, not circuits."

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3. Posted by gturner38, 18/11/2015 4:53 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 19/11/2015 9:23)

"Not to take away from the brilliance of Fangio but his winning percentage is skewed by the fact that he was never really a "rookie" driver. By the time the championship started, he was 40 years old and had been racing for 18 years, meaning he was as experienced or more experienced than anyone else in the field the first time he drove a race in the championship. That can't be said for Schumacher, Stewart, Clark, and Senna."

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4. Posted by klmn, 17/11/2015 15:12

"everything was better in the good old days LOL

anyway Didier Pironi was faster than Gilles."

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5. Posted by karel, 17/11/2015 12:13

"sorry, but without being haughty, people who think that Hamilton is already a legend are not wel aware of history of F1"

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6. Posted by Max Noble, 13/11/2015 4:33

"@SpinDoctor - agree that Chris Amon is another that is worthy of legend status. I also agree that the dramatic dance that risk and passion used to weave is being lost in the more 'brand aware' times in which we live.

@Schnauzers - Amazing story that simply underlines the Fangio legend. Fantastic to have met the great man. No question that Stirling remains the greatest driver not to be World Champion, not a title any current driver is in danger of taking from him.

@Vinicius - I have respect for all the current drivers, and no question Lewis is one of the greater of the active drivers. I'm sure many current fans have already awarded him Legend status. 25 years from now will we be talking about some of his stunning moves over a quiet drink with friends, and saying how said it was he and Stirling never raced wheel to wheel...? Well I think it's too soon to say just yet :-). The point with Alesi and Villenuve is that neither set immense records, yet each is accorded significant respect. I mention Coulthard for his great worth for quotes, especially to Nico. "

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7. Posted by Vinicius, 12/11/2015 16:59

"Hamilton already is a legend. Some mentioned before like Coulthard and Alesi are not. Even Villeneuve is overrated when it talks about being a legend."

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8. Posted by pitbabe, 12/11/2015 13:42

"Brilliant!"

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9. Posted by Schnauzers, 12/11/2015 9:05 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 19/11/2015 9:23)

"Stirling in 1951 started 1 race in an HWM 51, not really a proper F1 car.

In 1952, 1 in the HWM, 3 in an ERA G, same again. In 1953 1 race in a Connaught A and 3 in a Cooper Speciale results should be excluded. It was only in 1954 that he got his hands on a 250F. But you should take into account that of his 16 race wins, 9 were won but NOT from pole.

I believe that taking that into account raises him higher up the Legend claim.

Fangio was brilliant. I met him whilst I was working at Motor Racing Developments when the Argentinian Automobile Club drivers can to test and collect their Brabham F3's. He was talking to Jack who had just won his third World Championship. I was acting interpreter - Rangoon spoke French but no English. A member of the press asked him if he thought Jack would match his tally of five championships. His reply was "When I was 41yrs old, I still had not won my first". Says it all!"

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10. Posted by Spindoctor, 12/11/2015 8:33 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 19/11/2015 9:23)

"I'm not a fan of Sporting Records, most probably because I am completely unable to retain the details of any of them. As the fan of a certain "North London" FC I really don't have a clue about who scored the most goals in a season, or how many times they've won the FA Cup since 1926.

Similarly in F1, I don't know, and don't really care about various drivers' statistics. My enthusiasm for Sport derives from its immediacy, from the sudden, possibly unexpected, flash of skill, or inspiration which transcends the banal and everyday. This is possibly similar to why a Live Musical performance is to be preferred to listening to a recording of the same, even if the latter has had all the "mistakes" edited out.

Sadly we now live in an era where that kind of brilliance can only rarely be parlayed into legend. This has been increasingly the case since the Schumacher era, with ever more regulation and commercialisation of the Sport. Drivers who are "Brand Ambassadors" are significantly less likely to display much individualism, on or off the track. MotoGP is a sport in which the opposite is frequently true.

Consequently I think today's top drivers, despite huge success, and scooping up the records (Vettel is particularly keen on this I believe) , are unlikely to engender the same identification with, or affection from fans.

Finally I'd like to put in a word for Chris Amon who was a stunningly good driver whose statistical "achievements" seriously belie both his character and talent."

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11. Posted by mickl, 12/11/2015 0:24

"Just like being cool, if you say you're cool.....you ain't."

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12. Posted by testa rossa, 11/11/2015 23:04

"Lewis is already one of the greatest driver ever and a pleasant guy unlike Senna or Prost who both were crybabies. "

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13. Posted by Stitch431, 11/11/2015 21:29

"In my opinion, Lewis is too eagerly comparing himself to legends like Senna and Schumacher just too many times. He should leave that to others and do his talking on track. Not stating such wannabee comparisons in his social media channels. It does not help him to become what he wants. On the contrary"

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14. Posted by ape, 10/11/2015 20:21 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 10/11/2015 22:41)

"This comment was removed by an administrator as it was judged to have broken the site's posting rules and etiquette."

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