The bad boy of F1 is...

According to this site, Alesi has been involved in more collisions with other drivers, than anyone else.

I'm sure you lot will have some interesting insights in to how various drivers came to have such bad records. And no doubt have a rant at the state of modern sportsmanship! However, aerodynamics is the bane of passing in the modern era, so anyone want to guess when drivers started to crash in to each other in earnest?

Oh, and it will probably not come as a suprise that Senna and Mansell hold the record for crashing in to each other!

One has to wonder at the accuracy of the stats when the first one listed is Monaco 1950 and it's described as a "start collision". The exit from the tunnel is rather a long way from the start

Overall, I have to say that this is just one more list of meaningless statistics (or is that just me?) It means about as much as a list of cars that have retired with head gasket failure.

Originally posted by MrAerodynamicist

I'm sure you lot will have some interesting insights in to how various drivers came to have such bad records. And no doubt have a rant at the state of modern sportsmanship! However, aerodynamics is the bane of passing in the modern era, so anyone want to guess when drivers started to crash in to each other in earnest?

The moment it became possible to do so routinely without death and serious injury resulting. Note that all of the top 10 are still alive.

No surprise to see Rene Arnoux figuring high up on that list, I must say.

(although as an aside, the list to some extent reads as a list of drivers who took part in a lot of Grands Prix)

Originally posted by MrAerodynamicist

...so anyone want to guess when drivers started to crash in to each other in earnest?

Originally posted by Haddock

The moment it became possible to do so routinely without death and serious injury resulting.

Absolutely on the nail; and there's nothing more to add in my book.

Regarding the site in question, the first race I looked at was Silverstone 1973. The nine drivers who failed to take the re-start are listed, but not all those who were actually involved in the mêlée (Rikky von Opel, for example), so I would personally treat their data with a degree of trepidation...

Originally posted by Vitesse2
One has to wonder at the accuracy of the stats when the first one listed is Monaco 1950 and it's described as a "start collision". The exit from the tunnel is rather a long way from the start

Overall, I have to say that this is just one more list of meaningless statistics (or is that just me?) It means about as much as a list of cars that have retired with head gasket failure.

You should've read a bit further, Vitesse- apparently in '57 Monaco Moss, Hawthorn and Collins crashed into each other...;)

I hardly find crashes or crashing into fascinating, so have no inclination towards such stats. Although I found one of the finer points of Williams' stats rather 'useful': mechanical failures vs DNFs- the rest can usually be ascribed to driver... And application is also interesting- Moss won 43% of the c'ship GP races his car didn't fail, whereas Scumacher ranks slightly lower.

Of course, A Schumacher fan would claim this to be blatantly obvious on the basis that when Moss' car didn't fail it was easier for him to win because the percentage of the opposition to suffer car failures was much higher that in the recent past.

I'll get my coat...

...collisions in what kind of racing, pray? Presumably World Championship-qualifying GP racing? I am just thinking of the number of F2, F3, sports, GT and saloon car races in which leading Grand Prix drivers once commonly competed - and the number of collisions in which they became involved therein... Superficial data then, insufficiently thought through?

DCN

Originally posted by Twin Window
so I would personally treat their data with a degree of trepidation...

Isn't the rule that you treat all data from on the internet with trepidation? Clearly it's been assembled from lists of results and such, as opposed to somebody reading detailed race reports.

Originally posted by Wolf
I hardly find crashes or crashing into fascinating

I would wholey agree in the "See The Best 100 Crashed Ever!" sense, but surelysuch stats can reveal something (however small) of note about the changing attitudes and such?

Originally posted by Doug Nye
...collisions in what kind of racing, pray? Presumably World Championship-qualifying GP racing?

You should know that us children of the eighties (I shall refrain from calling myself one of Bernie's children, lest I feel the need to commit harakiri) I'm brainwashed in to being incapable to appreciating anything that isn't championship F1 ;)

I couldnt think of 7 Alesi incidents out of the proposed 24, but I can remember more than Montoya's claimed 7!