'One-lap wonders'

Looking how nowadays people refer to Trulli and to some extent also to Webber as "one-lap wonders", it has made me wonder, which other drivers from the past had a similar reputation? Drivers, who nobody expected to become a world champion over a full season, but who were widely acknowledged as top specialists, when it came to nailing one quick lap? Who were criticized for fading in the races and holding other people up after getting a decent grid position? Sure F1 has changed a lot in time and so has the process of determining the starting grid, but I hope you get the point.

Gerhard Berger scored a lot of fastest laps, didn't he - but does that make him a one-lap wonder?

Meanwhile, I can vaguely remember his fellow countryman Alexander Wurz being described as being sometimes great over one lap, but not quite the ticket consecutively - or words to that effect.

Rene Arnoux had a similar reputation I'm sure. Carlos Reutemann to an extent too, pole on his debut, Monza 81 for example.

Eugenio Castellotti pole position in the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix must qualify. A car better suited to slow circuits; he was surely driving on adrenaline after the death of his mentor.

A year later he won the Mille Miglia which cemented his reputation as a one-lap wonder.

Originally posted by Roger Clark
Eugenio Castellotti pole position in the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix must qualify. A car better suited to slow circuits; he was surely driving on adrenaline after the death of his mentor.

A year later he won the Mille Miglia which cemented his reputation as a one-lap wonder.

Even though he usually drove relatively uncompetitive cars, Phillippe Alliot was thought of as a "hot lap specialist", around 1988-1990.

Mark Webber is hardly a one lap wonder, he has always been a very consistent quick operator but has never fared well in equipment choice. And obviously he is really a bit too big for F1.
He just needs to take more care on bicycles though!!

From the 1980s in F1, Teo Fabi springs to mind also.

Originally posted by Roger Clark
Eugenio Castellotti pole position in the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix must qualify. A car better suited to slow circuits; he was surely driving on adrenaline after the death of his mentor.

A year later he won the Mille Miglia which cemented his reputation as a one-lap wonder.

And the winner is.......

Originally posted by Roger Clark


A year later he won the Mille Miglia which cemented his reputation as a one-lap wonder.

That one ought to be in the current 'One-liners' thread.

That most frustrating of drivers, Jean Pierre Jarier. He'd join a new team, promptly start flying in practice in his first race for the team, then do nothing afterwards.

Originally posted by ian senior
That most frustrating of drivers, Jean Pierre Jarier. He'd join a new team, promptly start flying in practice in his first race for the team, then do nothing afterwards.

When he went to Shadow that was so evident, remember in the South American races of (IIRC) 1974/5? He was blindingly fast By the time he got back to Europe it was as if he was using an engine from the old 1500cc F1 He was so fast on his day, absolutely brilliant, did he not do something similar in the ground efffect Lotus also?

Originally posted by sterling49


When he went to Shadow that was so evident, remember in the South American races of (IIRC) 1974/5? He was blindingly fast By the time he got back to Europe it was as if he was using an engine from the old 1500cc F1 He was so fast on his day, absolutely brilliant, did he not do something similar in the ground efffect Lotus also?

Indeed ..........took over the second Lotus after the tragedy at Monza

Lying third in the USA before technical gremlins ( Fastest Lap ) then took pole in Canada and was leading by a country mile before an oil leak

Kind regards

Phil

On the stock car side my belief is that Alan Kulwicki would fall into this catagory with his 1992 Championship.

Henry

Alexander Wurz. He was putting in sizzling laps with the Mechachrome badge engine at Benetton before his big crash at Monaco. After that he seem to lost his edge or went conservative and drove safe.

Originally posted by HistoricMustang
On the stock car side my belief is that Alan Kulwicki wound fall into this catagory with his 1992 Championship.

Henry

Try Loy Allen Jr who won few poles then sink back once race day comes. Another one is Todd Bodine but his specialty is more at Atlanta when he would qualify the car in the top 10.

On the stock car side my belief is that Alan Kulwicki wound fall into this catagory with his 1992 Championship.

Henry

With all due respect, I think that it is quite unfair to Alan to make such an assumption. He perished in the plane crash only a few months after he won his championship. He chose to go it alone, even when pursued by top teams. They may have seen something more than you. No matter, it just isn't proper, in my opinion, to take away from his proven & recorded accomplishments. Many people thought he had many more successes to come. I would bet that he'd sill be a respected force in the sport today, most probably in his role as team owner.

Brian

Riccardo Patrese in Estoril 1991, with Mansell's car.
A fantastic lap.

Originally posted by B Squared
On the stock car side my belief is that Alan Kulwicki wound fall into this catagory with his 1992 Championship.

Henry

With all due respect, I think that it is quite unfair to Alan to make such an assumption. He perished in the plane crash only a few months after he won his championship. He chose to go it alone, even when pursued by top teams. They may have seen something more than you. No matter, it just isn't proper, in my opinion, to take away from his proven & recorded accomplishments. Many people thought he had many more successes to come. I would bet that he'd sill be a respected force in the sport today, most probably in his role as team owner.

Brian

No sure there is an agreement but your opinion is respected.

Unexpected death does sometimes elevate public individuals beyond what might have been.

Thanks,

Henry

Originally posted by COUGAR508
From the 1980s in F1, Teo Fabi springs to mind also.

Agree 100%

Indy too

Colin Chapman was a one-off one-lap wonder in the Vanwall at Reims - if it really was him in the car.

Fabi is an interesting choice certainly in terms of F1 as the 1986 Benetton BMW's were reputed to have something like 1400 bhp on tap for qualifying ( somewhat more than any other engine IIRC ) plus a decent chassis and so at places like the Osterreichring and Monza were almost certainties for pole, hence Fabi would only have been fighting Berger, and I'd not rate either of them as top drawer. Hence I'd rate the engine as the one lap wonder in this case