19 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

With the discussions about Hamilton and Vettel in Hockenheim I came to the question: Was there a Grand Prix won by a driver who was a lap behind the leader in a time of the race? Perhaps also before 1950?

[scheivlak]

Prost in Kyalami, 1982 IIRC.

[rateus]

With the discussions about Hamilton and Vettel in Hockenheim I came to the question: Was there a Grand Prix won by a driver who was a lap behind the leader in a time of the race? Perhaps also before 1950?

Alain Prost, South Africa 1982.

[Doug Nye]

Don't forget that Jimmy Clark lost an entire lap in the 1967 Italian GP due to a puncture. He then proceeded to hunt down the leading group, unlap himself and lead into the last lap, only for the car to falter, failing to scavenge its last dregs of fuel and spluttering home third.

DCN

[D-Type]

Jacques Villeneuve was penalise two laps at Indianapolis in 1995 and still won.

[Ray Bell]

Ah, but was that a 'Grand Prix'?

I'm sure that has happened many times at Indy and in other non-Championship Grands Prix.

If we opened it up to major Sports Car events we could talk about Pedro, couldn't we?

[D-Type]

Ok, not a Grand Prix, but worth a mention anyway

[ryan86]

I'd imagine it could be quite a common occurence on the ovals, seeing as how it can take less time to complete a lap than complete a stop in some places.

[Ray Bell]

And there are oddball races where the leader drops out with a lap in hand and only a little way to go...

I'm sure you'd find a few of those. Again out of the square, but Peter Brock had six laps in hand at Bathurst in 1974 when his engine let go.

[Paul Parker]

From memory wasn't Emerson Fittipaldi lapped by Jackie Stewart during the 1970 US GP before the Scot retired and Fittipaldi went on to win the race and his first championship GP.

[HistoryFan]

Ah, but was that a 'Grand Prix'?

I'm sure that has happened many times at Indy and in other non-Championship Grands Prix.

If we opened it up to major Sports Car events we could talk about Pedro, couldn't we?

We could also mention non Championship Grand Prix and such before 1950.

[Allan Lupton]

When I saw this topic I thought of the late, great King-Farlow's puzzle for training RAC Timekeepers.
He postulated a two-part race where first part was won by over a lap from cars "B" and "C" by a car that did not finish in the second part. The leader of the second part had finished several laps down in the first part but had fixed his problem so was a lap ahead of the next cars which were "C" and "B".
The task was to add up the laps and times to produce a race result and, having done that, an explanation that would satisfy the Stewards of how the winner and runner-up (cars "B" and "C") could have those places despite having covered 2 laps less than the official race distance.

[Lee Nicolle]

With all the safety cars and rinky dink staged pitstops [new tyres every 10 laps]in motorsport these days it will happen far more often. Probably still a good drive though to come back.

[ensign14]

The task was to add up the laps and times to produce a race result and, having done that, an explanation that would satisfy the Stewards of how the winner and runner-up (cars "B" and "C") could have those places despite having covered 2 laps less than the official race distance.

Imagine if Patrese had been DQ'd at Monaco in 1982...who would have won that? Pironi was 2nd but retired; the Loti would surely have been able to complete the distance had Patrese stopped just short of the finishing line.

[uechtel]

If he had ben "DQed" immediately or after the race? Funny thought that this could have made a difference about the outcome of a race!

[ensign14]

After. There was an allegation he had been push-started, which was legal in a dangerous position (totally illogical rule appliction, it rewarded more dangerous driving), so if someone had challenged that successfully...

[HistoryFan]

Prost in Kyalami, 1982 IIRC.

Really? I know he had a puncture and had an extra stop, but was he really a lap behind the leader?

[scheivlak]

Really? I know he had a puncture and had an extra stop, but was he really a lap behind the leader?

"By the time he had limped back to the pits and bolted on a new set of boots, he was a lap down and rejoined in eighth."
http://plus.autospor...m/feature/3378/

[Jesper O. Hansen]

When I saw this topic I thought of the late, great King-Farlow's puzzle for training RAC Timekeepers.
He postulated a two-part race where first part was won by over a lap from cars "B" and "C" by a car that did not finish in the second part. The leader of the second part had finished several laps down in the first part but had fixed his problem so was a lap ahead of the next cars which were "C" and "B".
The task was to add up the laps and times to produce a race result and, having done that, an explanation that would satisfy the Stewards of how the winner and runner-up (cars "B" and "C") could have those places despite having covered 2 laps less than the official race distance.

That must have happened at some point in history. During 1988 the Nürburgring held both their European touring car and World sports car races in two heats. I'm sure that both were won by cars covering the designated 500 kms in July and 1000 kms in September. Class victories might be a different story, especially as Spice Engineering suffered their only defeat of the C2 season on a rainy September weekend. As it happened Italian Kelmar Racing and their less fancied Tiga won on aggregate, but how they started their Sunday leg of the race I don't know.

Jesper

[Michael Ferner]

Jody Scheckter was lapped by both James Hunt and Mario Andretti during the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix.