14 replies to this topic

[BRG]

He is 46 today. And still the most prolific F1 driver of all with 256 starts. Will this figure ever be bettered?

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BRG

"all the time, maximum attack"

[Huw Jenjin]

Almost certainly, but possibly not by such a gentleman.
An interesting development from junior formula superstar, to F1 Brat. through No hoper to succesful and admired performer.
Quite a career really. I found myself willing Riccardo to beat the gritty Noig every time they went out in those all conquering Williams. a grood run I think, and could't have happened to a nicer chap, despite Hunt's opinions.

[Duane]

I agree, he became one of favorites.

Happy Birthday!

[Don Capps]

I have always thought he got a raw deal in 1978 after the search for scapegoats got him in its sights. He was a great character whom I have always thought would looked just perfect at the wheel of a Maserati 250F drifting through a corner... Plus, he won one of my favorite GP races: 1982 at Monte Carlo. He or Derek Daly truly deserved to win that race - if it couldn't be Derek, best it was Ricardo....

Great guy! Happy Birthday, pardner!

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

Semper Gumbi: If this was easy, we’d have the solution already…

[desmo]

Patrese Trivia: Won World Karting title in 1975 partnered with Eddie Cheever, the both representing Italy and driving Birel-Parillas.

[BRG]

Huw, I really wonder if anyone will better Patrese's 256 F1 starts. Even if all seasons are 17 races, as this year, it will take over 15 seasons to reach that figure.

The only other 200+ drivers were Berger, de Caesaris and Piquet. Of the current brood, the most experienced is Alesi on 170, followed by Herbert on 148. Both are seen by many as near the end of their careers and past it. Neither seems likely to carry on for the 5 or 6 more years needed to catch Patrese.

The next most experienced drivers are the current top men, Hakkinen and Schumacher, who have both done 131 races. Lately, Michael has started to mention retirement and I cannot see either reaching a double century. Then there is (a surprise for me, as I still thought of him as a newcomer!) Barrichello on 116, and then Frentzen and Irvine both on 100 GPs. All the rest have yet to reach treble figures. Drivers don't seem to have the shelf life that they once had...

I reckon that Ricardo's record is safe for now and probably for ever. And as Huw so rightly said, it is in the hands of a real gentleman who was a credit to the sport.


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BRG

"all the time, maximum attack"

[Marco Helgert]

Another note: Maybe a little bit fussy but I counted "only" 255 starts. I retired after the 1st start in Belgium 1981.
Another fact we shouldn't forget is, that other drivers were as long as Riccardo in the circuit, but drover much lesser races.
Patrese came in 1977 and leaves F1 1993. Maurice Trintignant (who could forget this fine guy?) drove from 1950 until 1964 - but started only 82 times. And not to forget, Graham Hill. He raced from 1958 'til 1975. If he had done his career in the 80s and 90s the record of Riccardo wouldn't stand.

But racing and subjunctive are two different things


bye

[BRG]

Marco

That's a fair point about drivers from the earlier eras. Obviously they could only do the races that were available to them. And they would certainly have been doing other formulae at the same time in those days.

But on the other hand, there is the "burn-out" factor. Perhaps an individual only have the motivation to do a certain number of races in their career before it runs out. So Fangio, who came late to F1 was able to soldier on well into his forties. The F1 experience has become increasingly intense and it must be ever more difficult for drivers to keep their performance at 100% - we saw the sad example of Damon Hill in 1999.

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BRG

"all the time, maximum attack"

[Ray Bell]

The one I feel truly sorry for in this pursuit of numbers is Jacques Laffite. He was just coming off the grid in his 200th (or was it 199th or 201st race - was he equalling Graham Hill's record?) at Brands Hatch when he got put out of racing.
A terrible fate for someone who appeared to get a lot out of his racing... apparently another gentleman.
By the same token, I do think Riccardo was treated very unfairly, even before the Monza incident. His early days at Arrows attracted far too much criticism.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[William Dale Jr]

Yes, Laffite was equalling Hill's record, and he was still up there too. He'd just come off a second at Detroit a few weeks earlier, just to show that he could still keep up with the Sennas, Mansells and Prosts of the world.
After the Peterson incident, Patrase was lucky to have stayed in F1 (from what I've read/heard) long enough to make 250+ GP's. Had he stayed at Williams he probably would have made at least 275.

[Don Capps]

Keep in mind that if you counted the races run to "F1" specs that many drivers of earlier eras ran, their numbers would be much higher. While there were only a few events counting towards the WDC, there were usually a slew of non-WDC events that they ran in. As I mention in the thread on non-WDC events, in 1961 there were 39, I say again, 39! "F1" races... This was a bit on the way high side, but there was usually a goodly number of these races each year from the late-40's until they finally started disappering in the 70's.

As for the whole business of "starts," DON'T GET ME STARTED...!!! I have some ugly things to say about those who claim Jacques Laffite didn't tie Graham Hill with 176 starts, something which some claim didn't happen...

As I said, Ricardo is a Gent and fully earned the honor.

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

Semper Gumbi: If this was easy, we’d have the solution already…

[Vicster]

Patrese a "gentleman"?? Have you seen the video of him purposely touching wheels with Julian Bailey? "You mess uppa my fast lap, you pay!"

[Ray Bell]

Naturally there were a lot of non title F1 races in 1961 - many of them races that had been F2 the previous year and the organisers didn't want to sink to FJr. This evened out a bit as the F1 effort took the 1.5 engines out to new power heights... but there were also many "F1" races that would have largely been contended by FJrs with 1.5 litre Ford 4-cyl engines. Jo Siffert ran one such car, a Lotus 22, and I believe there was even one in a British GP... a little ballast, half inch wider wheels and the other block and you're in the top category!
Not really a fair comparison, for the whole world had turned upside down in 1961.
Regarding an earlier comment about the F1 cars being cheaper to run those days - you'll find that their budgets were much lower too. The only factor that contributed there would have been lower levels of starting money... and so the fields weren't always so large.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Maldwyn]

Happy Birthday Riccardo

[Maldwyn]

Five years on (how quickly they pass)...Buon Compleanno Riccardo