Motor Racing Memories (2024)

16/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 16th NOVEMBER

1996 - The iconic Ligier name disappears from Formula One when Alain Prost bought the team from Flavio Briatore and re-branded it under his own name. But after four seasons of more downs than ups, the money ran out at the start of the 2002 season and Prost was out of business, leaving debts of around $30 million.

Equipe Ligier was a French motorsport team that competed in Formula One from 1976 to 1996. It was founded by former rugby player and racing driver Guy Ligier, who initially created Ligier in 1968.

In 1976, Guy Ligier bought the assets of the Matra team and started his F1 team, with a sole entry for Jacques Laffite. The team's first win was at the 1977 Swedish Grand Prix, the team took nine victories, fifty podiums, and one came second in the Constructors' Championship. In 1997, the team was sold to four-time World Champion Alain Prost who renamed the team Prost Grand Prix.

The chassis names, e.g., JS5, were named of honour of Jo Schlesser (J. S.), who was a friend of Guy Ligier.

In 1976, Ligier entered Formula One with their single driver Jacques Laffite and their car, the JS5. Laffite secured one pole position and three podiums, and the team finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship.
The following year in 1977, the JS7 secured the team's first win at the Swedish Grand Prix. Fellow French driver Jean-Pierre Jarier entered the team at the final round in Japan.

But again in 1978, Ligier decided to enter with only a single driver for the season. The team had a decent reliability, finishing 14 out of 16 races during the season.

For the 1979 season, Ligier switched to Ford Cosworth engines. The team recruited fellow Frenchman Patrick Depailler to race for the team. The team's car, the JS11, was an improvement over the predecessor, securing three wins, five podiums, four pole positions and two fastest laps just before Depailler was in a hang-gliding accident, resting him out for the rest of the season and being replaced by Belgian Jacky Ickx.

Ligier signed Didier Pironi from Tyrrell for the 1980 season, while Laffite was retained for another season. It was the team's most successful year, finishing in second in the Constructors' Championship with 66 points. After the season, Pironi landed a seat at Ferrari.

Ligier's drivers for the 1981 season were Jacques Laffite and Jean-Pierre Jabouille, but due to Jabouille's crash at the Canadian Grand Prix last year, Jean-Pierre Jarier was the team's temporary driver for the first two races of the season.

Jabouille returned for the Argentine Grand Prix, but he was not fully fit and decided to retire from Formula One racing, being replaced by Patrick Tambay for the remainder of the season. He then became the team manager the following year in 1982.

Tambay failed to finish any race during the season, retiring from all eight races, while Laffite secured two wins, seven podiums and a single pole position and fastest lap.

For 1982, the team signed Eddie Cheever from Tyrrell. Despite a few podiums scored, the team were not competitive as they were in the previous years and finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship.

The 1983 season was a disappointment for the team. Having two drivers Jean-Pierre Jarier and Raul Boesel recruited, the team failed to score any points and failed to qualify two times during the season.

After a disappointing 1983 season, the team owner Guy Ligier secured the use of Renault V6 turbocharged engines for 1984. The team signed François Hesnault and Andrea de Cesaris for the season. However, it was another unsuccessful year for Ligier, securing only three points and a 9th place in the Constructors' Championship.

1985 was a major improvement for the team after an unsuccessful season the previous year. Laffite returned to the team after two unsuccessful years at Williams, with de Cesaris being retained for another year. The team, with their JS25 car and the Renault engines secured two third places at Britain and Germany. However, at the Austrian Grand Prix, Andrea de Cesaris destroyed his car in a high-speed roll-over crash on lap 14. As the team had not yet seen the accident on the television monitors, he told the team that the car stalled and that he could not restart it, until the team saw the crash on replay and were shocked. Guy Ligier fell out with de Cesaris and he was sacked from the team, being replaced by Philippe Streiff for the remainder of the season.

Ligier finished off their season with a double podium at the Australian Grand Prix, with Laffite finishing second and Streiff third.
For 1986, former Ferrari driver René Arnoux was hired by the team, partnering alongside Jacques Laffite. The team were competitive throughout the season until Laffite had a big accident at the British Grand Prix, breaking both his legs and retiring from Formula One.

After the accident, Philippe Alliot was his replacement for the rest of the season, but the team could only manage four points. Ligier finished their season in fifth in the Constructors' Championship.
In 1987, the team signed Piercarlo Ghinzani to partner alongside Arnoux. Ligier were originally supposed to be supplied by Alfa Romeo engines, but due to Arnoux's criticism of the engine, Alfa Romeo pulled the plug on the project, leaving the team without any engine supplier. The team did not participate in the season-opening Brazilian Grand Prix until the team acquired the supply of Megatron, which was the old BMW M12 engine used by teams such as Brabham the previous year.

As a result of the engine supply change, the team struggled throughout the season and could only score a single point at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ghinzani signed for Zakspeed at the end of the season, so Ligier signed Stefan Johansson for the next year.

However, the 1988 season would be worse for the team. With a switch to the under-powered Judd engine, the team failed to score any points during the season, also failing to qualify eight times.
Johansson left the team, and the team replaced him with Olivier Grouillard. As Ligier switched to Ford engines, the 1989 season was another unsuccessful year, with the team failing to qualify 11 times, despite finishing in the points at Canada and France.

Both drivers would be replaced by Nicola Larini and Philippe Alliot for 1990. Despite a fine reliability with the Ford engines, the team failed to score points during the season.

In 1991, both drivers Larini and Alliot were replaced by Williams driver Thierry Boutsen and International F3000 champion Érik Comas. With a switch to the Lamborghini engines previously supplied by Lotus and Larrousse, the team faced another disappointing start to the season, with the car designers Michel Beaujon and Claude Galopin being sacked by the team owner Guy Ligier. Frank Dernie and Gérard Ducarouge were recruited by the team mid-season and upgraded the JS35 to the B-spec version of the car.

For the 1992 season, the team returned to supply the Renault V10 engines and retained both drivers from the previous season. It proved to be an improvement for the team, culminating two fifth and sixth place finishes.

The 1993 season saw both drivers replaced by two British drivers Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell, who previously drove for
Benetton and Brabham respectively. Ligier kickstarted their season with Blundell finishing in third place at the South African Grand Prix, the team's first podium since the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix. Results continued to improve for the remainder of the season, and due to the improvement, both drivers left the team to race for McLaren and Tyrrell respectively.

After both drivers from the previous year left the team, the team signed both Frenchmen Éric Bernard and Olivier Panis for 1994. The B-spec version of the JS39 was not as competitive as its predecessor but was the most reliable car out of all other cars during the season. In the German Grand Prix, the team secured their double podium finish of the season, with Panis finishing second and Bernard third.

Bernard was dropped after the Portuguese Grand Prix and was replaced by Johnny Herbert for the European Grand Prix, until Franck Lagorce raced for the last two rounds.

For the 1995 season, Tom Walkinshaw bought 50% of the Ligier team. He intended to take over the team completely but could not purchase the remaining stake of the team, pulling him out of the deal.

The team signed Aguri Suzuki to partner alongside Olivier Panis for the 1995 season, meanwhile Brundle shared seats with Suzuki for a few rounds. With the Mugen-Honda engines supplied for the season, the team went competitive through the season. Suzuki retired from Formula One after a qualifying accident in the Japanese Grand Prix, and Brundle left to race with Jordan the following year.

For the 1996 season, Pedro Diniz signed for the team from Forti, meanwhile the team retained Panis for another year. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Panis secured the team's first victory since the Canadian Grand Prix. To date, it is the last victory for a French Formula One driver.

After the season, Alain Prost bought the team and renamed it to Prost Grand Prix for 1997. The team would continue until it folded at the end of 2001.

Original article published on https://www.fandom.com/
Link to original article here https://f1.fandom.com/wiki/Equipe_Ligier

16/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 16th NOVEMBER

1973 - Christian Horner, British Formula One team principal (Red Bull Racing) born.

Christian Horner is now an integral part of the Formula 1 world. The former racing driver founded his own team at a young age, before becoming team boss of Red Bull Racing. Now, fifteen years later, Horner seems more motivated than ever. Time to take a closer look at the Red Bull team boss' backstory.

Christian Horner was born on November 16, 1973, into a family that had been working in the automotive industry for quite some time. His father and grandfather owned a company that supplied parts to engine manufacturers. Not surprisingly, Horner grew up with a passion for cars.

He was interested in becoming a racing driver himself, so he started karting. This allowed him to win a Formula Renault scholarship, which gave him the opportunity to further his racing career. He raced in various classes, including the British Formula Renault Championship and British Formula Two, where he achieved good results.

Yet his vocation was not racing. In 1997, he made the switch to Formula 3000, where he also set up his own team, Arden. He bought a second-hand trailer for his team from Helmut Marko, who at the time oversaw the Red Bull Junior Team and was thus among the competition.

During a test in 1998, the then 25-year-old Horner was driving behind Juan Pablo Montoya at the Estoril circuit, when he concluded that he did not have the drive for racing that he saw in Montoya. At that point, Horner decided to quit as a driver, and concentrate fully on the development of the Arden team.

In doing so, he took a big risk, because one of the most important things in the Formula 1 world he didn't have enough of: Money. Horner had to borrow money from banks and from his father and wriggled around to get the budget together to run another season with two cars.

Then there was Dave Richards, owner of Prodrive. They were working with a Russian oil company called Lukoil, which wanted to buy a 50 percent stake in the team. This was because the boss's son, Viktor Maslov, wanted to race in Formula 3000.

When Richards asked Horner how much it would cost to become one 50/50 shareholder in Arden, Horner said it was 'a completely ridiculous amount', which Richards agreed to. From then on, the budget problem was solved. A year later he bought back the share from Lukoil.

In 2002, Horner took another risk: He knew he needed two fast drivers to make the team a success, so he parted ways with Lukoil and with it Viktor Maslov. Tomas Enge and Bjorn Wirdheim joined as drivers, and Arden won the team championship that season. Also in 2003, Arden managed to win the team championship, while Wirdheim became the drivers' champion.

2004 was the last season that the Formula 3000 class would exist. Two new drivers came to the team: Vitantonio Liuzzi and Robert Doornbos. Again, Horner and Marko met: Marko was the manager of Liuzzi, who came to Arden with sponsorship from Red Bull.
Liuzzi dominated the season with seven wins in ten races, and with the help of Doornbos, who also won a race, managed to secure both the drivers' and constructors' titles.

In the fall of 2004, Red Bull bought the Formula One team from Jaguar, and in January 2005 appointed Christian Horner, who was eager to have his own team in Formula One, as team principal. Horner thus became the youngest team boss ever, at the age of 32.

Horner had only a short time before the new season started, but still managed to achieve fourth and seventh place in the Australian Grand Prix with drivers David Coulthard and Christian Klien. That year, the team scored 34 points, making a big step up from the nine points Jaguar scored the year before.

In November 2005, Adrian Newey came to Red Bull Racing as CTO, a move in which Horner played a major role. In 2006, the team's first podium was with David Coulthard, after which Horner jumped into the pool wearing nothing more than a Superman cape. Robert Doornbos became a test and reserve driver that year, driving the last three races of the season in place of Christian Klien.

In 2007, Mark Webber came to Red Bull and the team switched from Ferrari to Renault engines. However, they were plagued by reliability problems and experienced many dropouts. 2008 was also difficult, and Coulthard announced his retirement at the end of this season.

2009 was a turning point for Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel joined the team, and the reliability problems were largely solved. Together with Webber, he managed to win six races.

2010 marked the start of Red Bull's dominance, which would last four years. Sebastian Vettel became world champion and Red Bull won the constructors' title. This made Horner the youngest team owner ever to win an F1 championship. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 the team also became champions of both drivers and constructors.

However, that dominance came to an end when the hybrid era entered Formula 1. Renault failed to build a reliable and competitive hybrid power source, and the team started with a backlog that continues to this day, although visible progress has been made in recent years.

In 2016, Red Bull made a bold gamble by bringing 18-year-old Max Verstappen to the team and moving Daniil Kvyat back to Toro Rosso. It turned out to be a good gamble, though, as Verstappen immediately won his debut race for the team and managed to make a big impression in the years that followed as well. Apart from the good results, Red Bull Racing gained a huge fan base in the Netherlands.

Under Christian Horner's leadership, a close-knit team has emerged with a good atmosphere, but where everyone is expected to give their all. Horner always tries to get the best out of each team member but doesn't interfere too much with the expertise of others. In his own words, "There's no point in hiring a specialist and then telling them how to do their job.

This is clearly visible in the working methods of the team's pit crew, who, even under high pressure, all know their task and cooperate excellently in this. Horner has turned Red Bull Racing into a well-oiled machine in which all departments are synchronized with each other. One thing, however, remains to be done: Winning championships. Horner will undoubtedly want to be the one who can take the team to great heights again and will certainly not be elsewhere with his thoughts until then.

Article published January 2021.

Original article published on https://www.gpblog.com/en
Link to original article here https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/76964/christian-horner-the-story-behind-the-longest-serving-team-boss-in-formula-1.html
Photo credit https://www.snaplap.net/

16/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 16th NOVEMBER

1892 - Tazio Nuvolari, Italian auto racer (72 x major race wins; 24 Hours of Le Mans 1933; European Championship 1932), born in Castel d'Ario, Italy (d. 1953).

In 1930, Italian racer Tazio Nuvolari — wearing his atypical yellow jersey and blue pants — battled archrival Achille Varzi in the classic Mille Miglia (1,000 mile) motor race. Varzi, a fellow Italian, had been told repeatedly at each control point that he was comfortably in the lead. The dark of night still encompassed the Italian countryside, but with morning fast approaching, Varzi felt the race was his. After all, there were no headlights visible from behind. He was out front, all alone.

Until he wasn't.

Nuvolari, catching the complacent Varzi, had switched off his headlights. He tore through the public roads near Bologna at speeds of over 93 mph, reeling his rival in with every passing mile, despite the perils of darkness. One might assume that manhandling an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Spider Zagato in the pitch black of night, sleep deprived and coated in oil and bugs, would be, well, distressing. But not "The Flying Mantuan." Nuvolari was afraid of nothing.

As a kid, growing up near Mantua, Italy, he built his own parachute using blankets. Naturally, he had to test his creation. So, he climbed onto the roof of his family home and proceeded to jump. The fall almost killed him. At age 23, he worked as a driver for the Italian army during World War I, piloting everything from staff cars to ambulances. On one occasion, with his ambulance filled with injured soldiers, Nuvolari drove so fast he lost control and crashed into a ditch. He was immediately relieved from his role and told by an officer to "forget driving" and that he wasn't "cut out for the job."

Nuvolari ignored the advice. It was this utter disregard for personal safety, and a determination unlike any other, that made him one of the greatest racers to have ever lived—and yet he's rarely uttered in the same regard as the likes of Fangio, Schumacher, Villeneuve or Senna, despite Ferdinand Porsche declaring him the "the greatest driver of the past, the present and the future."

This is in part because Nuvolari was pre-Formula One, so his 24 Grand Prix victories lack the same notoriety. Still, five wins at the Coppa Ciano, two at the Mille Miglia, two victories at the Targa Florio, two RAC Tourist Trophies, a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory and a European Championship speak to the talent of this effervescent Italian.

Prior to his four-wheeled accolades, Nuvolari began racing on two, where, naturally, he was blindingly fast, netting a 350cc European Championship in 1925. That same year saw him test the Alfa Romeo P2 Grand Prix car at Monza. Attempting to impress by besting regular driver Antonio Ascari's time, Nuvolari crashed heavily and was thrown from the car, sustaining numerous fractures and lacerations. Doctors informed the intrepid Italian that he'd be bed-ridden for a month. And yet less than a week later, bandaged in a fixed riding position, Nuvolari competed in the National Grand Prix motorcycle race. Due to the plaster corset he wore, he was unable to support himself on the bike, relying on his mechanic to keep him upright on the grid and during pit stops. And yet he claimed victory that day, snatching the lead in the closing laps. He then proceeded to pass out due to the pain.

And the tales don't stop there. He once threw himself out of a burning race car at 99 mph, breaking multiple bones in his body. In 1936, against doctor's wishes, he conducted a daring escape from a hospital to compete in a race the following day, once again donning a plaster corset. And as rumor has it, during the French Grand Prix, he even grabbed a joint of ham from a butcher's smashed window.

Perhaps his most prolific tale came during the 1948 Mile Miglia. First, the hood flew off his race car at speed, narrowly missing his head. Nuvolari's passenger (it was mandatory to have one back then) was, understandably, alarmed. The Italian tried to comfort his companion by assuring that this was actually a good thing: "The engine will cool more easily," he said. Next, Nuvolari's seat came loose. He nonchalantly threw it out, replacing it, as one does, with a sack of lemons and oranges sourced from a nearby shop.

Racing a hoodless Cisitalia 202 SMM, perched on a bag of fruit, Nuvolari continued, despite the team pleading for him to retire. The car would continue to fall apart as the race continued, and yet the Italian star would not give in. In the end, it took dramatic brake failure to force his retirement, such was his will to win.

With Nuvolari, though, it wasn't all theatrics. His greatest victory arrived in 1935 against N**i Germany, driving an underpowered Alfa Romeo Tipo B. The N**i government were in attendance at the Nurburgring Grand Prix that day, and with five Mercedes and four Auto Union machines competing, a German victory was all but assured; no other cars were capable of keeping pace, especially the little Alfa.

Except Nuvolari—the "inventor," Enzo Ferrari once said, of the all-wheel drift—didn't care what people said. Despite a terrible start and a multi-minute refueling delay, by the final lap, the considerably slower Alfa was in second place. The leader, Mafred von Brauchitsch—aboard his Mercedes-Benz W25B—had a 30 second lead. Nuvolari wheeled his machine at an unfathomable pace, catching the leader and passing him to claim what was described as an "impossible victory."

In many eyes, this ranks as the greatest victory of all time.
Nuvolari's career effectively ended when World War II broke out. He did return post war, but severe asthma—a product from years of inhaling exhaust fumes—meant that his performances suffered. Nuvolari had publically said he wanted to die at the wheel of a race car, such was the man. Having spent his life dancing with death, what sealed his fate was actually a stroke in 1952, leaving him partly paralyzed. The following year, he passed away in his bed.

Nuvolari was arguably the most courageous racer to have ever lived. His accomplishments certainly rival that of Senna, Fangio and Schumacher—without question the greatest of his era. 55,000 people lined the Mantua streets during his funeral, with Fangio, Alberto Ascari and Enzo Ferrari one of the many laying him to rest.
"Tazio Nuvolari was not simply a racing driver," said British motorsport historian, Cyril Posthumus. "To Italy he became an idol, a demi-god, a legend, epitomizing all that young Italy aspired to be; the man who 'did the impossible', not once but habitually, the David who slew the Goliaths in the great sport of motor racing. He was Il Maestro."

Even Varzi would likely agree. In the death of night, he crept up from behind during the 1930 Mille Miglia—the Alfa's headlamps off to prevent his nemesis from noticing. Nuvolari caught his teammate with just three kilometers to go. At which point, he switched his headlamps back on, made a daring pass, and tore off into the distance.

Varzi, stunned, never saw him coming.

Original article published on https://www.roadandtrack.com/
Link to original article here https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a29267/the-legend-of-tazio-nuvolari/
Photo credit https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/

14/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 14th NOVEMBER

1954 - The only Chilean to make it to F1 so far, Eliseo Salazar is born in Santiago, Chile.

Born in Santiago, Chile, Eliseo Salazar came to Britain in 1979 to contest the Vandervell F3 championship, making a good impression despite running the temperamental 'ground-effect' Ralt RT5.

In 1980 he switched to the Aurora British F1 series with the RAM Racing Williams FW07. He won three races, including the International Trophy, but finished second to his team-mate, Emilio de Villota, in the championship.

With good financial backing, Salazar joined March the following season but was unhappy and switched to Ensign. Surer who was the current Ensign driver had picked up points early in the season and was sacked for his efforts to be replaced by the fee-paying Salazar. In truth it could have been worse, and Salazar once again drove quite well, finishing sixth at Zandvoort.

Eliseo then joined ATS in 1982. He finished fifth at Imola but spent the season largely in the shadow of Manfred Winkelhock. Probably his most famous career moment came when he collided with the over-taking race leader Nelson Piquet in the 1982 German Grand Prix. After both drivers got out of their stricken cars, the angry Piquet started to punch and kick Salazar, to the shock and amazement of the millions of F1 fans watching the race live on TV.

With limited options in 1982, Salazar returned to RAM for 1983 but after a string of non-qualifications he was dropped for Jacques Villeneuve (not the 1997 world champion, but his uncle and brother to Gilles).

He then turned to sports car racing in IMSA. After a good season in 1994 he was offered a drive in Indy Cars with Dick Simon for 1995. Salazar liked the ovals and fitted in very well. He finished fourth at the Indianapolis 500 that year and the stayed on with Simon for 1996 as he moved to the rival Indy Racing League.

Since then, Salazar has returned on three separate occasions from huge accidents in which he suffered broken limbs. He has one IRL victory, the last round in 1997 at Las Vegas. He also continued to race sports cars, in a Ferrari 333SP and latterly a Riley & Scott.

In November 2005, Salazar competed in the inaugural race of the Grand Prix Masters, as a late replacement for Alan Jones.

Original article published on https://www.historicracing.com/index.cfm
Link to original article here https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=1383
Photo credit https://www.flickr.com/

14/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 14th NOVEMBER

1893 - Tommy Milton, the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, was born on this day in Minnesota.

Milton's achievements were all the more remarkable because he had limited vision which led to him being rejected for military service in World War One. He started driving in a circus act, recorded his first major win in 1919 and while recovering from serious burns sustained in an accident later that year, broke the world land speed record.

He won the Indy 500 in 1921 and again in 1923. He went on to become Indianapolis's lead steward before poor health forced him to stand down and dogged by illness, he committed su***de in 1962.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, The son of a prosperous dairy owner. Despite the lack of sight in one eye, he quickly became an excellent athlete. Early exposure to automobile racing provided an irresistible draw for Tom's fiercely competitive nature.

In 1913, he appropriated the family's aging Mercer and spent two years on the county fair circuit as part of Alex Sloan's carefully orchestrated traveling circus.

Tom soon began to blow off the show's stars, an act of independence for which he was eventually fired. He then joined the team of Fred and Augie Duesenberg, and after a slow start worked his way up to be their number one driver.

By 1917 he was competing nationwide and earned his first major win at a track in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1919, he was one of the dominant figures in American racing, winning five of the nine championship races including the "International Sweepstakes" at Sheepshead Bay, New York, and making his debut at the prestigious Indianapolis 500.

Later that year he suffered severe burns when his car burst into flames during a race at Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He returned to the track the following year to win the Universal Trophy Race on June 19th en route to capturing the 1920 United States National Driving Championship.

Tommy Milton was a starter in the Indianapolis 500 eight times, earning the pole position once, and finishing in the top five on four occasions. He drove for Duesenberg his first time in 1919 and again the following year when he finished third. In 1921, the twenty-seven-year-old Milton won the celebrated race driving a straight-eight Frontenac built by Louis Chevrolet.

In 1922 fuel tank problems forced Milton out of the race after only forty-four laps, but he came back in 1923 driving for the H.C.S. Motor Co. with a Miller 122 and won the race for the second time. His last Indy 500 was in 1927 when he finished eighth.

At the 1936 race, Tommy Milton returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to drive the Packard 120 Pace Car. At his suggestion, the tradition of giving the race winner the Pace Car began that year. In 1949 Milton was appointed chief steward for the Indianapolis 500. Health problems forced him to retire in 1957.

Tommy Milton died in 1962 in Mount Clemens, Michigan at the age of sixty-eight.

Original article published on https://www.historicracing.com/index.cfm
Link to original article here https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=7693
Photo credit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

14/11/2022

ON THIS DAY 14th NOVEMBER

2010 - German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to claim his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 4 points from Fernando Alonso; Red Bull's first Constructors title.

Sebastian Vettel secured the Formula One drivers’ championship after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of a dramatic season, on this day in 2010.

At 23, the Red Bull driver became the youngest world champion in Formula One history and went on to win the title for the next three seasons.

It was an unlikely maiden triumph. The German had been 31 points adrift with six races to go and went into the final race of the season with a 15-point deficit to Fernando Alonso and seven points behind Mark Webber.

Alonso needed only to take advantage of his grid position to secure a third title in the first-ever showdown involving four drivers, yet Vettel won it from pole, with Alonso trailing behind in seventh place.
Following John Surtees in the 1964 season and James Hunt in 1976, this was the third time in Formula One history that the title winner had not topped the championship table until after the last race.

Ten pole positions and five race wins over the course of the season clinched the title for Vettel after a season of fluctuating fortunes for all the contenders.

There had been eight changes of leader in the standings over the course of 18 races, none of them involving the young Red Bull pilot.

In the 19th race in Abu Dhabi, Vettel leapfrogged the field to make a definitive claim to the top step of the championship podium and become the second German driver to do so in the 60 years of the series, emulating his childhood hero Michael Schumacher.

Vettel shared the podium with the two previous holders, Lewis Hamilton, and Jenson Button, who finished second and third respectively.

Vettel, who had finished second in the world drivers’ championship standings in his first season in 2009, followed his surprise triumph by dominating the programme in 2011, clinching his second drivers’ championship two months before the end of the season with 11 wins from 19 races.

Although less commanding in 2012, he nevertheless won five races to retain his title once more and in 2013 he again ran roughshod over the F1 field, winning 10 of the first 16 series races to clinch his fourth consecutive title with a month remaining in the season.

That year he also became the first driver in F1 history to win eight consecutive races in a season, a record he extended to nine straight wins by the end of the year.

Original article published on https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/
Link to original article here https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day-2010-sebastian-vettel-secures-060000403.html
Photo credit https://www.aljazeera.com/

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