It seems that Hamilton is not running number one as reigning champion this year. As nobody chose to run number two under this daft new sysytem, the Australian GP will have neither a number one or two car running. When was the last time that happened? Maybe 1952 German GP when everyone was in the hundreds.
Number one and two
Started by
Alan Baker
, Mar 14 2015 14:20
10 replies to this topic
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#2
Vitesse2
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 14:35
Monaco 1994, when Williams entered only one car - Damon Hill, carrying 0.
#3
Vitesse2
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 14:46
Other instances: Belgium 1966, Italy 1965, Germany 1952, Germany 1951.
#4
D28
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 15:20
I believe Monaco assigned race numbers to their own system in the past. For example Brabham and Hulme carried # 8 and 9 in 1967, while Matra mates Beltoise and Servoz-Gavin had 1 and 2. Since Beltoise failed to qualify there would be no # 1 in the race.
#5
Vitesse2
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 16:06
Monaco's system wasn't consistent, but was often alphabetical by the nationality of the entrant - usually in French, but in 1967 they used English. For 1967: 1-3 France, 4-17 Great Britain, 18-20 Italy, 21 Sweden (or maybe Switzerland!), 22-23 United States. Of course if they'd used French that year that would have made Ginther and Gurney 1 and 2 - États Unis comes before France!
1966 (1-15 Great Britain, 16-17 Italy, 18 Sweden/Switzerland - works in French too!) and 1968 (1 France, 2-17 Great Britain, 18 Sweden/Switzerland 19 USA) conform to roughly the same pattern, although minor privateers and/or late entries seem to have been tagged onto the end - Bondurant, Gurney and Ligier in 1966, St John, Moser and Hobbs in 1968.
#6
Alan Baker
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 18:05
So Monaco 1994 seems to be the answer. Not as long ago as I thought. Prior to that Belgium 1966?. The Belgians often used different numbers for practice and the race in order to foil bogus programme sellers, but it is strange that they didn't use 1 and 2 in 1966 (they started at 3 and 4 for the works Brabhams). To clarify, I was not referring to numbers 1 AND 2 being used, there were many races in the fifties and sixties that used the 2-4-6-8 system, nor world champions not running number 1, that only started with the permanent number allocations in the seventies. Prior to that many organisers reserved number 1 for the world champion, but by no means all. It would seem that this season will be the first with no number 1 or 2, I would of thought that Mercedes would have quite liked their cars to carry those numbers and I thought that, when this personal number system was introduced. the reigning champ would be obliged to run number 1. as Vettel was last year.
#7
Claudio Navonne
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 18:37
Being a bit sarcastic. How long ago that there isn´t a number one in the World Championship ???
#8
Vitesse2
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Posted 14 March 2015 - 18:54
I really can't see any reason why the 1966 Belgian GP was numbered that way: maybe the Frankenheimer film Grand Prix? There are no obvious missing entries - unless someone obscure had sent in a speculative entry form very early and then withdrawn.
DSJ's report explains the 1965 Italian GP - there would only have been a number 2 anyway and according to the official entry list this was supposed to be Surtees' number. Ferrari had actually brought four cars - three 1512s, numbered 2, 4 and 8 and a 158 numbered 6 for Vaccarella. Bandini had #4. Scarfiotti was down to drive #8 but failed to appear, so Surtees drove both #2 and #8 in both practice sessions. He was faster in #8 (a brand new chassis - 0009) in both sessions, so drove it in the race: presumably the Ferrari mechanics didn't want to scrape the number off and repaint it!
#9
Stephen W
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Posted 15 March 2015 - 10:10
Being a bit sarcastic. How long ago that there isn´t a number one in the World Championship ???
1994
#10
Allan Lupton
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Posted 15 March 2015 - 11:26
As I have written before, since the cars do not display competition numbers that can easily be read, does it matter what they are?
Why should the numbers be linked to the WDC anyway?
#11
Stephen W
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Posted 16 March 2015 - 10:22
Why should the numbers be linked to the WDC anyway?
Admittedly the idea of linking the #1 to the World Champion wasn't thought of until some years in. Personally I think they should have gone the whole hog and issued numbers 1 through to 10 inclusive to the Top Ten final points finishers in the previous year. "The numbers" were not linked as such it was only the #1 with #2 being run by the team mate to the reigning world champion.
