6 replies to this topic

[917]

My efforts to find a list which Formula 1 World Championship races Ferrari missed were not successful, so I had to compile my own, mostly by browsing through Peter Higham's Guinness Guide:

1950: British GP
It is not clear to me why Ferrari DNA. The sources I have at hand state only that they didn't start at Silverstone.

1960: GP USA
Last race of the old formula, championship already decided, so why travel so far?

1961: GP USA
After the death of von Trips in the previous race the championship was also decided.

1962: French GP
1962: GP USA
1962: South African GP
1966: British GP
Strike of the metal workers

1966: Mexican GP
Last race of the season, championship already decided, dismissal of team manager Dragoni

1967: South African GP
First race of the season, very early in the year (2 January!). The new cars were not ready, I guess they didn't want to start with the old ones.

1968: GP Monaco
Ferrari DNA without telling an official reason, but Bandini's fatal accident in the previous year had raised a controversy about the safety of the track.

1969: German GP
Chris Amon had left the team after the British Grand Prix

1973: Dutch GP
1973: German GP
The 312B3 had been a failure, so they missed two races to improve the car (and Ferrari star Jacky Ickx drove the German GP in a McLaren - imagine this today!)

1976: Austrian GP
Lauda's accident in the previous race

1982: Belgian GP
Villeneuve's fatal accident in the practice

1982: Swiss GP
Tambay DNS due to aching back

Additions and corrections are welcome.

Regards
Michael

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by 917
My efforts to find a list which Formula 1 World Championship races Ferrari missed were not successful, so I had to compile my own, mostly by browsing through Peter Higham's Guinness Guide:

1950: British GP
It is not clear to me why Ferrari DNA. The sources I have at hand state only that they didn't start at Silverstone.

They put a full works effort into the F2 GP de Mons the following day - success in that race was almost guaranteed and Ascari gave the new 166F2/50 its debut there. In contrast, they could be fairly certain that they would have been comprehensively beaten by Alfa at Silverstone - the new 375 was not ready and the 125 was outclassed. Why go all the way to Britain to lose when you can win in Belgium?

[Mark Beckman]

1980 Spain.

Long story, need to research it for better than what I can write about the antics of Ballestre.

[scheivlak]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 917
[b]1967: South African GP
First race of the season, very early in the year (2 January!). The new cars were not ready, I guess they didn't want to start with the old ones.

Well, AFAIK the entire 1967 Kyalami grid consisted of "old cars".....

Don't forget that in those days the sportscar races were also very important for Ferrari. Fighting for both major championships (F1 and Sports/prototypes) must have stretched their resources. They might have decided to give priority to the preparation for the Daytona 24 hours and the Sportscar season for the moment - just a guess.

[917]

Vitesse2,

thanks for your information, I wasn't aware of the GP de Mons.

scheivlak,

I agree with you. Ford had defeated Ferrari in Le Mans 1966 and the revenge on American soil (Daytona 1967) must have been very sweet for the people from Maranello.

Mark,

I didn't include the 1980 Spanish GP in the list, because one day after the race the FIA decided that it would not count for the world championship. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Renault had boycotted the race for political reasons.

Regards
Michael

[Milan Fistonic]

Originally posted by 917
My efforts to find a list which Formula 1 World Championship races Ferrari missed were not successful, so I had to compile my own, mostly by browsing through Peter Higham's Guinness Guide:

[
1969: German GP
Chris Amon had left the team after the British Grand Prix


Additions and corrections are welcome.

Regards
Michael

Amon didn't leave Ferrari until the end of the season. The team made the decision not to send cars to Germany and Chris stayed at Modena testing the new flat-12. He told Ferrari he wasn't interested in running the old car at Monza so just one car was entered for Brambilla. For the North American races one car was "loaned" to NART for Rodriguez to drive.

[Pedro 917]

Originally posted by Milan Fistonic



Amon didn't leave Ferrari until the end of the season. The team made the decision not to send cars to Germany and Chris stayed at Modena testing the new flat-12. He told Ferrari he wasn't interested in running the old car at Monza so just one car was entered for Brambilla. For the North American races one car was "loaned" to NART for Rodriguez to drive.

For the 1969 Italian GP, Ferrari did indeed enter only one car for Tino Brambilla. However, the Italian had a motorcycle accident just 5 days prior to the GP weekend ( while testing a Paton 500, the gearbox jammed coming into Lesmo which resulted in a crash that took of the skin of his back and lower back and cracked his right wrist and ankle). Tino was suffering but would not give up and started practice. Just getting into the cockpit was an ordeal but driving with the vibration, with the gear lever sticking into his right hand, with a car that was not quick, with the tuning-up that still had to be done all that was real suffering. As Pedro Rodriguez was right there at the Ferrari pits, they gave him a try just to see if there was a problem with the car or if Brambilla wasn't up to it. The Mexican finished in a flash (wearing Tino's overalls and crash helmet) with a sixth row time and so was to race. Pedro finished 6th, 2 laps behind winner Stewart.

Source : Ferrari World / #3 - 1989