136 replies to this topic

[JHSingo]

The finish to Le Mans yesterday will undoubtedly go down in history as one of those moments that people talk about for years and years to come. Whoever you were cheering for, it was hard not to feel sorry for Toyota.

It got me wondering how it compares to other particularly dramatic or heartbreaking moments in this sport. What are some of the ones that stand out to you?

Now I know already that fatalities are probably the most heartbreaking moments of all. But I'm going to try and avoid this topic becoming too depressing and not include any myself.

A couple that stand out to me -


This was one that a few people immediately drew comparisons to yesterday. Carlos Sainz was about to win the 1998 World Rally Championship after main rival Tommi Makinen went out early. But then Sainz's engine expired only a few hundred metres from the finish on the last stage.


Another one that I remember well. It all seemed to be going so well for Schumacher, leading the Japanese Grand Prix and well in contention for an eighth title. Then his engine blew up. I had a lump in my throat watching it live as Schumacher thanked his team, with the painful realisation that it was all over.

Edited by JHSingo, 20 June 2016 - 14:12.

[sennafan24]

The final lap of Hungary 1997. 

[Jerem]

Barcelona 2001, Mika's car letting him down in the first sector of the final lap.

[Exb]

Fernando after Brazil 2012. I really didn't want him to win that season (Ferrari and 2007 were enough reasons) but even I did feel sorry for him in Parc Ferme afterwards (maybe a little bit )

 

Felipe after Brazil 2008, again I was cheering for Lewis but I'm not so heartless I couldn't feel a bit sorry for Massa in the way it was won/lost 

Edited by Exb, 20 June 2016 - 11:31.

[F1matt]

Adelaide in 1986 stands out for me as I got upto watch the race in the middle of the night, the title might have been lost in other races during that season but that was a spectacular blow out. I would almost say Mansellesque....

 

Imola in 1982 on hindsight of what happened next. 

Edited by F1matt, 20 June 2016 - 11:34.

[Marklar]

Badoer Nürnburgring 1999

[Imateria]

Badoer Nürnburgring 1999

An excellent example.

 

How about De Ceaseris at Spa 91?

[Victor_RO]

The moment in Le Mans history that Toyota took the title of "heartbreak of the century" from: Jesus Pareja in the Brun Motorsport Porsche in 1990. Engine failure with 15 minutes to go, out of 2nd place. And at the end of the day it still had enough laps to have been classified in 3rd place...

 

... if it had crossed the line at 4pm.

 

[Gareth]

Felipe after Brazil 2008, again I was cheering for Lewis but I'm not so heartless I couldn't feel a bit sorry for Massa in the way it was won/lost 

 Brazil 2008 goes down as possibly my favorite sporting moment.  I went from disbelief that history was repeating itself just one year later, to absolutely wild celebrations.  Just incredible.

 

But for Massa - absolutely heartbreaking.  The superbly classy way he dealt with the podium ceremony and interview afterwards was fantastic.  I had nothing but respect for him that day.

[OO7]

The moment in Le Mans history that Toyota took the title of "heartbreak of the century" from: Jesus Pareja in the Brun Motorsport Porsche in 1990. Engine failure with 15 minutes to go, out of 2nd place. And at the end of the day it still had enough laps to have been classified in 3rd place...

 

... if it had crossed the line at 4pm.

 

From the days of sleek, high top speed, beautiful sports cars, not the current abominations.

[StraightEdge]

JR Hildebrand at Indy 2011

 

Jimmy Kite at Kentucky where he was among the leaders til engine knocked him out. It was only time he was at and near the front

 

Al Unser Jr at Road America 1995. Leading in final lap til he blew an engine with two corners to go. Consider Portland win got reinstated after the season and if won he could be Indycar CART Champion.

[ElJefe]

Austria 2002. You knew it was going to happen, but still I couldn't believe that it actually did. I felt so bad for Rubens that day...

[ensign14]

Hildebrand was the biggest OMG moment I have witnessed.  799 corners without a problem...

 

Another heartbreaker was Piercarlo Ghinzani retiring from 4th at Italy 1984 on the last lap.  Would have been Osella's best genuine GP result.  Even then Peter Charles should have scored two points, as he was classified 7th, but behind two cars hors de championnat.  For some reason FISA did not go down to him and Rothengatter in 8th, as they did with the F2 cars in the sixties, but left the points blank.

 

Even worse, the chap in 5th was Jo Gartner, in the other Osella...if they had told him to park it just before the line, Ghinzani would at least have had 6th.

[ElJefe]

Btw, watching the WRC 1998 footage makes me misty-eyed, and not just for the heartbreak Sainz suffered. I used to love rallying back in the day, but now WRC is a shadow of its former self. If only those days could come back...

[Dicun]

Barcelona 2001, Mika's car letting him down in the first sector of the final lap.

 

I was just about to write exactly the same. He would have deserved that win so much. I will always remember how sad and frustrated I felt that day.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=HH8qbRaDhlQ

[Risil]

Al Unser Jr at Road America 1995. Leading in final lap til he blew an engine with two corners to go. Consider Portland win got reinstated after the season and if won he could be Indycar CART Champion.

 

That was in 1996. He lost the Milwaukee race that year when he was overtaken on cold tyres in a lap 200 restart too.

 

In '95 he and Michael Andretti took each other out on the first lap in a superb piece of not-giving-an-inch willy waving.

[1Devil1]

Schumacher engine blow up 2006

Mika losing on the last lap in 2001

Massa losing it in the last corner in 2008

Berger engine blow up in 1996 short of winning it

[Stephane]

Kimi flatspotted tyre at the Nurburgring in '05 was also quite tense

[DeKnyff]

Probably there are few people alive who witnessed it, so it's difficult to say how dramatic it was, but Pierre Levegh's engine failure in 1952, after 23 and a half hours driving himself, when he was comfortably leading since midnight, must have been a huge blow.

[pacificquay]

The Sainz one while dramatic is not as significant as it appears. Even if he had completed the stage he would still have had many miles of a road stage to drive before crossing the "official" finish line.

[Dr. Austin]

Maybe the biggest heart break of all time, though yesterday was just as bad,

 

[jimjimjeroo]

Damon hills Renault letting go on his way to certain Monaco win in 1996

[R Soul]

The final lap of Hungary 1997. 

 

Seconded. If Hill had won it would have been Arrows' and Yamaha's only win, and Bridgestone's first. And it would have been at the site of Hill's first win in 1993, and his first win since leaving Williams. Alas we were robbed of that by the failure of a rubber seal worth 50p. If I had a time machine I'd go back and prevent that. THEN I'd think about averting the two world wars.

And Hill overtook Schumacher at such a hard track to overtake on, without DRS. With that blasted contraption everyone would have sailed passed Schumacher and Hill wouldn't even have finished 2nd.

 

Another moment is Hakkinen's engine failure on the last lap of the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix. Despite being a Schumacher fan it was a horrible thing to watch.

 

I'll also add Massa at Brazil in 2008, despite wanting Hamilton to win.

[Alfisti]

Bathurst 1995, I was there and a huge Perkins fan. Perkins was bumped by a VERY young Lowndes on the first lap and fell to last, worked his way back up to second then passed Seton RIGHT in front of me.

Seton, as good as he was, never won Bathurst and you can see the heartbreak in the video as it wa sa family team, engine bui8lt by his dad. Ya gotta watch the video if you have never seen this.

[emmanuelrubi]

Maldonado winning Spain 2012.

[Cozzie]

Mansell OZ 86, Cananda 91, Estoril 91, Suzuka 90..

prost & Senna Suzuka 89/90

Schumacher Suzuka 2006

Massa Interlagos 2008

[Disgrace]

Verstappen ramming Montoya en route to a maiden victory is still annoying to this day.

[Jon83]

Suzuka 2006

Brazil 2008

Brazil 2012

[realracer200]

Monza 1994 & 1995

[dierome87]

Sonoma 2015. 

 

It was agonizing to see JPM lose the championship after leading it from the very first round. He may never get so close to winning a championship again....

Edited by dierome87, 20 June 2016 - 16:12.

[MikeV1987]

I wasn't cheering for him, but that loss looked like it hurt. I felt for the guy, he had a near perfect season.

 

 

non broken pic

Edited by MikeV1987, 20 June 2016 - 17:17.

[Spillage]

It has to be Brazil 2008 for me. Massa's remarkable post-race magnanimity made it all the more so:

 

[ensign14]

Seton, as good as he was, never won Bathurst and you can see the heartbreak in the video as it wa sa family team, engine bui8lt by his dad. Ya gotta watch the video if you have never seen this.
 

 

Missed the Big Moment because they had decided to show an advert for Banana Boat.  Genius.

 

Classy Holden fans though.  "Yay!!!!  A man's life's ambition has been ruined!!!!!  Let's piss on his grave!!!!!"
 

[Collombin]

Bill Holland at the 1947 Indy 500.

All set to win as a rookie, then effectively had it stolen from him by his own team and team-mate.

As if that wasn't bad enough, earlier in the race he had made an error that led to another driver crashing to his death.

[RedBaron]

Schumacher Japan 2006 as OP mentioned

 

Schumacher Japan 1998

 

Massa Brazil 2008

[Imateria]

I find the inclusion of Schumacher in 2006 to be strange, he was still in contention afterwards and frankly only really got as close as he did in the title race thanks to Ferrari International Aid.

[BuddyHolly]

Can't get more heartbreaking than Hockenheim 7th April 1968 imo. 

[Jimisgod]

 

So close.

[RedBaron]

 

So close.

 

 

This also, yes how could I have forgotten this image.

[Marklar]

I find the inclusion of Schumacher in 2006 to be strange, he was still in contention afterwards and frankly only really got as close as he did in the title race thanks to Ferrari International Aid.

While I'm no Schumacher fan and I wanted Alonso to win it was a sad moment as everyone knew that the championship was over for him, after everyone thought that he will finish his great career with his 8th title.

[Izzyeviel]

I nominate Carlos Reuteman, 79 & 81 seasons.

[TheManAlive]

Hill in the pits after Schumacher had hit him (yes I said it!!!) in Australia, the team fiddling with the broken suspension arm.

[realracer200]

Suzuka 1989, the disqualification of Senna who has won the race.

[Anderis]

 

Really wanted Sutil to score those points.

Edited by Anderis, 20 June 2016 - 19:00.

[chunder27]

I think Carlos Sainz in RAC 1998 is probably the most staggering I have seen.

 

Massa and Hamilton in 2008 was also pretty amazing.

[maverick69]

Hill, Germany 1993 sucked.

[RedBaron]

While I'm no Schumacher fan and I wanted Alonso to win it was a sad moment as everyone knew that the championship was over for him, after everyone thought that he will finish his great career with his 8th title.

 

You've changed your avatar, I don't know who you are any more!

[Afterburner]

Adding one that hasn't been mentioned yet--and it was much easier to feel sorry for them at the time not knowing what was ahead--Vettel and Webber getting caught up in the clusterf#$k behind Hamilton in the spray at Fuji in 2007 was pretty sad. They were both on course for a podium, probably.

[SenorSjon]

Maldonado winning Spain 2012.

That was a glitch in the Matrix.

[OilFour]

Barcelona 2001, Mika's car letting him down in the first sector of the final lap.

I have been crying like a child that lap ...