Funny driver stories

Well, I've been thinking here...
Do you know any curious stories about f1 drivers? I know a few...

Piquet: Once a journalist asked him if he wanted to win the race. He replyed: " no! I want to be eleventh!"
Nelson won a GP at Monza 1983 I think, without his right glouve, wich was ilegal. But he didn't showed is right hand when he crossed the finnish line.
Piquet and Murray were the firt guys to try to heat the tires with electrical blankets. Today that's used world wide!

Prost Is F2 or F3 [don't quite remember] competition licence was false when he testd for the first time a Formula 1.

Mansell he damaged his neck in a car race, but escaped the hospital to race again. And he sold his house to compete in F3.

Senna the first time he drove a F1 Williams 1983 he smashed the circuit lap record!

Schumacher The first time he drove aF1 car [Jordan, silverstone 1991] the team had to tell him to go slower! he said by the radio: " no problem! I've got everything under control!"

Hakkinen When he woke up after his 1995 accident the first thing he asked " was it my fault?"

Once he said he made eau rouge flat top, and how funny it was.. Coulthard replyed: "No he didn't. I saw his telemetry"

Raikkonen First time he tested the sauber, in the second day, Peter sauber asked him to do 6 fast laps on a row. Kimi: " No"
later, Peter Sauber asked him if he could go faster. Kimi: " Tell me what are the times you want and I'll do them. But I have to change the car set up!" "21 year old kid with 23 formula races, and I swear he told me that!" Peter Sauber said later!

Legendary.

Berger and Alesi "borrowed" a Lancia Delta from the factory to the test track, when doing the testing for Ferrari, and completely trashed it. Berger was on the handbrake while Alesi was driving. They "parked" it on it's roof, climbed out and tried to not look suspicious when they walked into the garage. What they didn't know was that it was Jean Todt's car.

Jim Clark had a fight with a policeman and got arrested during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Gerhard Berger chucked Ayrton Senna's briefcase out of a helicopter, "It's damage proof!" "Is it? Lets see!". In retaliation Senna nicked Berger's wallet and had all the credit cards bolted together, so Berger put live frogs in Senna's hotel room . . . . .

Mrs Gilles Villeneuve used to regularly lie on the floor of the family cars her husband was driving, as it was safer.

Nelson Piquet regularly used to wet himself during races, leading the Brabham mechanics to wonder where exactly they were leaking coolant from. . .

Loads and loads more. . . .

Berger also threw Senna's briefcase out of a helicopter and taped a picture of some breasts on Senna's passport photograph (which wasn't that helpful when Aryton was trying to get through passport control). There's plenty of stories of Ron, Gerhard and Ayrton getting up to mischief during their days at McLaren - releasing a load of toads (or frogs?) into Senna's hotel room and Gerhard leaving a stone statue in Senna's bed (he screamed the house down, apparently).

Johnny Herbert peeing in his Sauber.

James Hunt, during a test, at Paul Ricard. The car stops by the edge of the track. The team, noticing that James wasn't moving, went to investigate. Turns out he was fast asleep in the car, as he was hungover from the previous night's partying.

Originally posted by Ice T
...Turns out he was fast asleep in the car, as he was hungover from the previous night's partying.

So, Kimi was not the first...


He just loves to come second...

Originally posted by BorderReiver
Gerhard Berger chucked Ayrton Senna's briefcase out of a helicopter, "It's damage proof!" "Is it? Lets see!". In retaliation Senna nicked Berger's wallet and had all the credit cards bolted together, so Berger put live frogs in Senna's hotel room . . . . .

If I recall the entirety of that "frog" story (I seem to remember Berger recounting it in an issue of F1 Racing), Senna had a thing about reptiles -- he hated them. Berger put 99 frogs is Senna's room. Knowing how anal retentive Senna was, he figured that Senna would search all night and day for the 100th frog.

Classic stuff.

Originally posted by xype
Berger and Alesi "borrowed" a Lancia Delta from the factory to the test track, when doing the testing for Ferrari, and completely trashed it. Berger was on the handbrake while Alesi was driving. They "parked" it on it's roof, climbed out and tried to not look suspicious when they walked into the garage. What they didn't know was that it was Jean Todt's car.

Excellent thread.

Originally posted by metz


So, Kimi was not the first...


He just loves to come second...

Does Jenni (Mrs Kimi) know this?

Early in his season with Ligier, Stefan Johansson had to start one race from pit lane because he had to go to the bathroom and missed the formation lap.

Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi use to travel together to tests from Monaco to Italy, where they used to play a game to see who could keep the car pinned (ie, at maximum speed) without lifting the longest....Gilles always won...

To add to the bit about Mrs. Villeneuve,

Brazil, 1981 I believe, Dr Sid Watkins is offered a drive to the race by Gilles and his wife. Sid being the gentleman he is, offers the passenger seat to Mrs. Villeneuve, to which she replies "No thanks", she than proceeds to get into the back seat and lie down on the ground. Prof Watkins asks "What are you doing", to which she replied "You'll see!"...that was the last time Prof Watkins ever drove anywhere with Gilles Villeneuve...

Alex Yoong to Paul Stoddart: "I'm going to show that Aussie who's #1, even if it is just Minardi".

Mika Hakkinen was a bit late to get up on Sunday morning of the British GP in 92. He was caught in traffic so he called up the cops to arrange for an escort to the track hopefully to get there a bit faster. He started his way along the shoulder of the road and a cop pulled up behind him and he continued along thinking this was his escort. He was then pulled over and questioned about what in the world he thought he was doing. He was arrested and later charged with dangerous driving. Lotus was told he would only be released on surrender of his passport. Needless to say it took a while and he did miss the morning free practice and only just made the driver's briefing.

- i recall another driver found a better solution also at the british gp but a different year by leaving his car by the side of the road and hitching a ride from a motorbike.

In one of Lauda's books he recounts being woken up at a hotel during a race weekend by the sound of a helicopter right outside the hotel. Gilles was coming home a bit late and landed it on the hotel.

I remember seeing Piquet pull a practical joke on his team in the Brabham days. His engine blew in a big way, and he coasted into the pit box. Apparenlty, the team hadn't seen the engine go on the monitors and failed to notice the massive leak. Piquet signaled for new tires, and the crew diligently lifted the car and changed them, at which point Piquet unbuckled, hopped out of the care, pulled off his helmet and could be seen laughing his head off.

Mrs Villeneuve was not the first to lie on the floor, I used to lie on the back seat when we had a hire car. What the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve over, I believe is the expression. This is not to say that Chris was a bad driver, just that he saw overtaking oppotunities where others might wait. In his E type is was more a case of keeping your eyes shut, people would marvel that I could sleep in the car. If only they knew!
Loti

about mid seventies: March teamamtes Stuck & Brambilla.

Stuck modifying the electric raizor of Brambilla, taking the knoiives out so the thing buzzes like hell but to Vittorio's utter surprise his beard doesn't lose a single mm of hair.


Mid seventies BMW European Touring car Championship team.

Dieter Quester putting tomatoes in the shoes of Hans Stuck.
On race day Quester arrives and find the windshield and all the windows of his car all painted and impossible to see through. And all spare windshields and windows within the spare parts supply gone. While every mechanic in the team knows why this is, they refuse to help Dieter clean the windows of his car so he can race.
Dieter was busy for three hours, all on his own...


Quester stealing the sunshades of Stuck's car.
Stuck taking revinge with taking out his girl friend along the track near a fast corner and when quester appears pulling up her T-shirts and `going to business`so to speak.
Quester overshoots the turn and ends up in the gravel as planned.
Stuck: "I made sure that he was going to see somethi"ng despite his sunscreen.



Mid eighties BMW touring car team

Berger and Quester made an appointment to go to the track together but Berger is finished early that morning. So he calles Quester and tells him he is ready to go and if Dieter still wants the ride he has to be downstaris in a few minutes.
A few minutes later Berger enters the lobby as sees Quester waiting for him, with his bag in the hand but butt naked!
Dieter's comment: "I know you wil leave without me if I wasn't here in time, ready, let's go?"



Henri Greuter

Originally posted by 100cc
Mika Hakkinen was a bit late to get up on Sunday morning of the British GP in 92. He was caught in traffic so he called up the cops to arrange for an escort to the track hopefully to get there a bit faster. He started his way along the shoulder of the road and a cop pulled up behind him and he continued along thinking this was his escort. He was then pulled over and questioned about what in the world he thought he was doing. He was arrested and later charged with dangerous driving. Lotus was told he would only be released on surrender of his passport. Needless to say it took a while and he did miss the morning free practice and only just made the driver's briefing.

- i recall another driver found a better solution also at the british gp but a different year by leaving his car by the side of the road and hitching a ride from a motorbike.

The story goes that a French Gendarme pulled over a Porsche (?) zooming along the hard shoulder in parking lot traffic near a GP track.

To the question: "Who do you think you are Alain Proust!!" there was an affirmative and the stunned policeman escorted Alain to the track.

Originally posted by Scudetto
If I recall the entirety of that "frog" story (I seem to remember Berger recounting it in an issue of F1 Racing), Senna had a thing about reptiles -- he hated them. Berger put 99 frogs is Senna's room. Knowing how anal retentive Senna was, he figured that Senna would search all night and day for the 100th frog.

Classic stuff.

There are several stories about Berger and Senna, with Berger often having the upper hand in that game.

Berger sneaking to Sennas hotel room during the night while Senna was sleeping and Berger emptying a fire extinguisher through the key-hole.

Or the story when Berger collected a plate of old meat and left it in the sun for one day so that it could develop a "delicious" smell. Afterwards he put the plate under Sennas bed as "meat for the wolves" but didn't forget to place some pieces into the air conditioner. Senna found the plate under the bed, removed it but the smell didn't go away. And Senna couldn't change the room as the hotel was totally booked out due to the GP.

Originally posted by 275 GTB-4

The story goes that a French Gendarme pulled over a Porsche (?) zooming along the hard shoulder in parking lot traffic near a GP track.

To the question: "Who do you think you are Alain Proust!!" there was an affirmative and the stunned policeman escorted Alain to the track.

Then there's the one about Senna being stopped near Silverstone. Policeman's opener was "Who do you think you are - Nigel Mansell?"

Aryton was apparently not amused.

Piquet, was the man! remember when he leaked a botle of water into balestre's pocket in a briefing? The man was talking and every driver was laughing!

Some other time in a briefing with Balestre, the frenchman asked the drivers to vote with their hands raised. Piquet raised his hand before the voting . "what are you doing Nelson?" " Voting, Mr. president!" " But I didn't say even what we are going to vote!"

When the votation realy started, Piquet raised both hands. " what are you doing Nelson!?" " I just want to ensure your win, Mr. president!"

Another good one, that perhaps shows highlights the different era's.

The morning of the Japanese Grand Prix of 1976 and James Hunt is awoken by Niki Lauda kicking open his hotel door at 4 am dressed in full driving gear. Lauda goose-stepped in and announced.

"TODAY I VILL VIN ZEE VORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!"

Before goosestepping out again.

I think it was 1985 Gerhard Berger, Marc Surer and Roberto Ravaglia were sharing a BMW 635 in the Spa 24 Hours.

However on the morning of the race Berger and Surer had been been required to test, I think, at Zolder. Berger was an Arrows-BMW F1 driver and Surer was racing for Brabham-BMW. I can’t remember the exact circumstances behind the test but it was arranged that they would test at the circuit and then drive down to Spa to race the BMW. In any event the start of the race came and there was no sign of Berger or Surer so Roberto started the race. However when the first round of pitstops came, there was still no sign of them. Roberto stopped for tyres and fuel and was instructed to carry on. Meanwhile Berger and Surer, had had their test run late for what ever reason and were now belting down the motorways towards Spa. There are many rumours of driving down between traffic in the outside lane and the central reservation at speeds people like us shouldn’t even think about. It was clear that they were going to be tight in making it for the second round of stops. The team prepared and let Roborto know, he may have to do a 3rd stint, which didn’t go down to well in the cockpit of the BMW. However, with race gear already donned as they had it from the F1 testing Berger and Surer arrived as Roberto was on his way to the pits. I think it was Berger who literally stepped out of the road car straight into the race car to do the next stint.

No guarantee that I’ve got the dates right but I’m sure I read this in a biography of Berger or Charly Lamm the BMW Schnitzer Team manager that ran them.

What is goosesteping?

Goose Step: a method of marching (resembling a goose's walk) with knees stiff and soles brought flat on the ground.


Chambers Dictionary


You saw it in the news reels from Nazi germany and I think the Red Army also did it in the October parades.

And of course in Fawlty Towers, John Cleese does a good one too. The German guests not being amused.

Nelson walking down the pitlane infront of Senna's garage wearing a t-shirt saying "Nelson Piquet, Brazils fastest straight driver" - has to be one of the best moments of F1 humour.

Originally posted by jcbc3
Goose Step: a method of marching (resembling a goose's walk) with knees stiff and soles brought flat on the ground.


Chambers Dictionary


You saw it in the news reels from Nazi germany and I think the Red Army also did it in the October parades.

And of course in Fawlty Towers, John Cleese does a good one too. The German guests not being amused.

Basil Fawlty

Originally posted by Dolk
Nelson walking down the pitlane infront of Senna's garage wearing a t-shirt saying "Nelson Piquet, Brazils fastest straight driver" - has to be one of the best moments of F1 humour.

When was that? would love to see senna's face on that one!

Didn't Prost get locked in a hotel room by his competitors in the hope they could beat him. He clambered over the balcony and broke into the room below or next door to escape, and made it to the circuit just in time. ( i think F3 days but I can't remember)

The weekend of the penaultimate I think F3 round Hakkinen's visa expired and Rosberg received a phonecall from immegration at Heathrow. Mika spent the night at Heathrow, arrived at the circuit 10 minutes into qualifying, jumped in the car and put it on pole.

Great thread!

Originally posted by Al.
Basil Fawlty

Stop that! This walking thing is getting silly... very silly indeed.

Back on topic: I seem to remember a story about Berger sticking boxing gloves on Senna's steering wheel the day after Senna had come to blows with.. hmmm.. damn memory.. get on with it.. ah! I think it might have been Irvine who was driving for Lotus at the time.

p.s. Should we submit this thread to the guys over @ TNF to separate the fact from the fiction? Not calling anyone a liar, its just that my own contribution reminded me(I once knew, then I forgot, but now I think I know!) how hazy our memories can become over time.

Originally posted by Guido Gofasta
Great thread!

Stop that! This walking thing is getting silly... very silly indeed.

Back on topic: I seem to remember a story about Berger sticking boxing gloves on Senna's steering wheel the day after Senna had come to blows with.. hmmm.. damn memory.. get on with it.. ah! I think it might have been Irvine who was driving for Lotus at the time.

p.s. Should we submit this thread to the guys over @ TNF to separate the fact from the fiction? Not calling anyone a liar, its just that my own contribution reminded me(I once knew, then I forgot, but now I think I know!) how hazy our memories can become over time.

Just to be an anal retentive, Irvine was in the Jordan IIRC. It was actually Berger who fuelled Senna up on Vodka before the confrontation, just to see what would happen.

I'm sure another Berger Senna prank involved one of them setting off in the Honda? road car they had only to have the front wheel nuts slide back from atop of the sun visor (having been removed by the other) and drop into their lap, sort of simultaneously as the front wheel came off the car.

Originally posted by Dolk
Nelson walking down the pitlane infront of Senna's garage wearing a t-shirt saying "Nelson Piquet, Brazils fastest straight driver" - has to be one of the best moments of F1 humour.

And I thought I'd heard all the Senna/Piquet stories.
Excellent!

Didn't Senna sue Piquet over one of his "gay" comments?

Originally posted by BorderReiver
Another good one, that perhaps shows highlights the different era's.

The morning of the Japanese Grand Prix of 1976 and James Hunt is awoken by Niki Lauda kicking open his hotel door at 4 am dressed in full driving gear. Lauda goose-stepped in and announced.

"TODAY I VILL VIN ZEE VORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!"

Before goosestepping out again.

That is absolutely priceless.

McLF1

Originally posted by Garagiste
Then there's the one about Senna being stopped near Silverstone. Policeman's opener was "Who do you think you are - Nigel Mansell?"

Aryton was apparently not amused.

Did it actually happen? I saw it in a Jim Bamber cartoon in the late '80s or early '90s, I think it was a joke.

Couple of good stories....

Piquet winning the championship with the water tanks in his car as the car were weighted before the race. After the start he opens the tank and lets the water drips gaining 20/30 kilos...His idea implemented by Murray....

Montoya after spun in a west coast race (Las Vegas) when Chip say to him over the radio: Juan, reverse, reverse, the reverse is on the top... and then broadcasted via ABC to all the world...Chip, I know exactly where the fuc*ing reverse is...

Zanardi over the radio in a long yellow after Chip complaining with him that he was talking too much and would deplet the battery... Chip, are you there.. Shut down Alex... Oooohhh Chip, I'm so alone in the cockpit...Chip...Chip...talk to me boss....and since Chip didn't answer he began to sing Italian songs with some intervals where he was asking...Chip, are you back? Chip, are you mad at me? Alex Zanardi, a figure in itself...great guy, great driver and great human being

Originally posted by Scudetto


If I recall the entirety of that "frog" story (I seem to remember Berger recounting it in an issue of F1 Racing), Senna had a thing about reptiles -- he hated them. Berger put 99 frogs is Senna's room. Knowing how anal retentive Senna was, he figured that Senna would search all night and day for the 100th frog.

Classic stuff.

No one finished this one, the rest was that Senna told Berger that he had that it took until 2AM to get rid of all the frogs, to which Berger asked "what about the snake?"

Senna changed rooms the next day.


Actually, there are some good on track stuff with Senna and Prost. In France in 1988 or 89, Prost set what he knew was a fast time and then came back to the pits, changed into his street clothes even though there was about 1/2 of qualifying left. At their first test, they were supposed to share the car on a certain day. Prost drove back to the pits and refused to let Senna in the car.


A good one between Senna and MS. In 92 MS knocked Senna out at the first hairpin at the French GP. About 1/2 through the race was stopped at changed to a rain race (an old rule not in use now). 10 min before the restart Senna went and raked MS over the coals for knocking him out. One of the Mclaren team members asked Senna if he felt better after getting it off his chest. Senna laughed and said "lets see him get back in the car after that" and smiled. MS wrecked out on the first lap.

I heard a different story:
Most of you Know that Nigel Mansell had a sidejob as a policeman at the island of man. Once while on duty he stopped a car for speeding and asked the driver "who the hell do you think you are? Nigel Mansell?".

Pine - it's in NMs book, for what that's worth.
I like sschinnings one too.

Garagiste, IIRC Nigel Mansell has never been the most reliable source of information about Nigel Mansell, so I'll take it with a grain of salt... Anyway, I always loved this story and I agree that the one sschinnings posted is also great.

Another story I love: Brundle had an accident, can't remeber where or when, and Prof. Watkins examined him and found he was fit to race. Brundle went back to the pits, got into the spare car, and when he was already inside the car he called someone and asked "Which track is it? Should I go left or right to exit the pits?"

Fantastic thread, keep them coming!

Off topic perhaps since it's not a driver story but still race related and a classic: A PR's nightmare.


The representant of Champion Spark plugs at Indianapolis 1953 saw the advertisement of his company within the Indy 500 program of that year and was in shock. He showed it to several people an asked what they felt about it. No-one had a single comment, it looked good.
An Indycar clearly visible and so on, nothing wrong.
Or...

Turned out that the car within the picture was the 1952 Cummins Diesel Special which had won Pole the year before.
A car that didn't even used spark plugs at all.....


His comment:
"Fortunately they didn't put in a Blue Crown in the pic"

(for those who don't know: Blue Crown was another sparkplug company that sponsored the Indy winners between 47-49)

Henri Greuter

Originally posted by Pine

Another story I love: Brundle had an accident, can't remeber where or when, and Prof. Watkins examined him and found he was fit to race. Brundle went back to the pits, got into the spare car, and when he was already inside the car he called someone and asked "Which track is it? Should I go left or right to exit the pits?"

Fantastic thread, keep them coming!

I heared the exact same story about Piquet after his Imola-1987 accident. Cooincedence?

Originally posted by Martijn


I heared the exact same story about Piquet after his Imola-1987 accident. Cooincedence?

Except it isn't. The Piquet story comes from when he was trying to qualify his Brabham at a circuit he had never been to before and had missed free practice. He asked, but I've never been here before? How am I supposed to qualify?

To which Bernie answered

"Well, the first corner is left, so turn left when you get there!"

As for Brundle it was his accident at Dallas or Long Beach (not the one where he smashed up his legs) IIRC, and as soon as he asked where he was Ken Tyrrell reached into the cockpit and turned off the car "Out you get son.".

Originally posted by BorderReiver


As for Brundle it was his accident at Dallas or Long Beach (not the one where he smashed up his legs) IIRC, and as soon as he asked where he was Ken Tyrrell reached into the cockpit and turned off the car "Out you get son.".

It was Monaco 1984, Sunday morning warm-up, where Martin took the side off the car at the Tabac, IIRC.

I have a mental image of the car being dark purple, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, although This Picture Link might endorse my theory.

Originally posted by Youichi


It was Monaco 1984, Sunday morning warm-up, where Martin took the side off the car at the Tabac, IIRC.

I have a mental image of the car being dark purple, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, although This Picture Link might endorse my theory.

I stand corrected, it was Monaco. I knew it was a street circuit.

Something I remember passed in front of my eyes in 1999 as news. So if someone has better memory pls. correct me.
After M. Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone he planned a very intensive recovery programme and was pushing hard to get back into shape. But he was not so keen to get back to the track as the season was gone for him. The story goes that Luca di Montedzemolo rang to Michael's home in Switzerland to see how Michael is recovering. But instead of M.Schumacher his daughter picked the phone and said her daddy was playing footbal with the local team. Next day Michael was called to service to help Eddie Irvine for the title and so he appeared in the next race which was Malaisia IIRC.

Originally posted by speedmaster
Couple of good stories....

Piquet winning the championship with the water tanks in his car as the car were weighted before the race. After the start he opens the tank and lets the water drips gaining 20/30 kilos...His idea implemented by Murray....

that's called "cheating"

Originally posted by Lontano


that's called "cheating"

Only if you get caught.

Originally posted by FredF1




Only if you get caught.

yay but there's a long way from "cheating" to "funny storying"

Originally posted by FredF1




Only if you get caught.

In fact Piquet (and other Cosworth runners) only used it in the beginning of 1982, until a ban and further complications.
Piquet, however, used hydro-pneumatic suspension that was aginst the spirit of the rules in 1981 (Brabham was first but not only to use it).

Hrvoje