In motorsport nothing is set in stone. And, Formula One is no exception to this. In fact, there have been some unusual and bizarre moments that have occurred in F1 history. From the infamous United States Grand Prix in 2005 to the suspension failure on the Toro Rosso during practice at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. These are just two of many moments that have us saying or thinking "wtf?!" So, grab your coffee and cake because we're about to delve into some of F1's more unusual moments.
United States Grand Prix 2005
The most notorious race in the history of F1 and motorsport. Surely you've heard about it?
The race took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 19th June 2005 on a weekend where tyre failures were the main talking points. Two tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone and Michelin, were the tyre suppliers for that season and new rules for 2005 meant that tyre changes were forbidden during race conditions.
After several large accidents at Turn 13 during practice sessions, Michelin advised it's customers that they would need to reduce their speed in that particular corner due to increased tyre loading. If not, the tyres would become unsafe and would end up with a relatively low lifespan of around 10 laps. Michelin could not understand why the tyres were acting like they were in that specific turn so decided to fly in a different compound. In fact, the new compound was used earlier in the year at the Spanish Grand Prix. This tyre also failed at Turn 13.
On race day, all 20 cars who were entered into the race lined up on the grid, as per usual. But, at the end of the formation lap, all cars running Michelin tyres peeled of into the pits leaving the six sole Bridgestone runners. Only six drivers, Schumacher, Barrichello, Montiero, Karthikeyan, Albers and Friesacher, completed the race with the only overtaking being that of lapped cars. Schumacher was the eventual winner with Barichello and Montiero joining him in the podium.
The tyre controversy had a negative impact on Formula One, especially within the US where the race was labelled a "farce" and fans were extremely unhappy. Even teams went as far to tell the FIA to "sort out the sport before there's no sport to sort out." Later findings then suggested that teams were to be "found guilty of not being in possession of suitable tyres" and "failure to allow their cars to race." This decision was later overturned. Fans were eventually reimbursed and F1 returned to Indianapolis the following year. Michelin ceased its partnership with F1 in 2006.
Driving With Two Wheels
Car failures are a regular occurance in motorsport. Whether it's the engine, gearbox, hydraulics etc; failures happen. But during a practice session at the Shanghai International Circuit for the 2010 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, all was not what it seemed down at Toro Rosso.
Then Toro Rosso driver, Sebastien Buemi, was out on track collecting data, as one does during a practice session. While thundering along the main straight at 190mph, both suspension rods at the front of the car seemed to snap as Buemi hit the brakes. Buemi tried to control the car with just two wheels intact but as you would expect he had no luck. However, a cameraman behind the barrier was probably counting his lucky stars after one of the run away tyres hit the barrier and flew over the fencing just missing him.
After an investigation into the very rare occurance, it was concluded that the failure was caused by the "front right upright," a new design that had been introduced for that particular race weekend. The team then reverted to an old design for the rest of the Chinese GP event.
Everyone Runs Out of Fuel
Fuel saving always seems to become a talking point within a Formula One season and it was no different in 1985.
At that years San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, a track notorious for fuel consumption, the FIA decided to enforce new regulations in regards to fuel. A limit of 220 litres had been introduced meaning that teams would have to modify their race strategies dramatically. However, only one team and one driver got it right with almost everyone else running out of fuel before the end of the race.
With only three laps to go, Senna ran out of fuel and was soon followed by Johansson who had inherited the lead from the Brazilian. After a number of other changes for the lead, Prost was the eventual winner. But in true F1 style, the results at the chequered flag were not the official results. Prost was disqualified due to an underweight car. Elio de Angelis was the only driver to make it back to the pits with fuel and therefore inherited the win. Second and third placed drivers, Boutsen and Tambay, both ran out of fuel on the start-finish straight of the last lap. They pushed their cars across the line. Ten out of twenty six drivers were classified at the end of the race with all but one out of fuel. The sixteen classified DNFs were not to do with fuel consumption.
Everybody Wanted A Tow, So No One Got A Tow
Back in 2019, the final qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix was a bit of a mess.
With only 6 minutes left out of the 12 minute session, Raikkonen spun and hit the barrier at Turn 11 causing a red flag and taking himself out of the session. Once the session resumed the track lay quiet with not a single driver appearing to put in a fast lap.
Why?
Well, Monza is one of the best circuits for gaining a tow of another driver. The simple answer is that no one wanted to be first out.
There were only two minutes left when Hulkenberg took to the track in his Renault causing a chain reaction with the other teams and drivers. He went straight on at the first chicane and was accused of purposely trying to let other drivers through so he could get a tow. However, the two drivers behind, Stroll and Sainz, slowed enough so that they would stay in position.
With the drivers squabbling their way around the track, time was starting to disappear and soon things got desperate. Sainz and Leclerc were the only two drivers to finish their out laps in time. Ultimately, everyone behind missed out.
After the qualifying session, which saw Leclerc take pole, there was a lot of criticism on how the session was handled. With numerous team principles labelling the session as a "junior class" and "not F1 worthy." Hulkenberg, Sainz and Stroll were all called to the stewards for unnecessary slow driving and all three drivers received a reprimand. The stewards concluded that these three particular drivers "played a significant role in the backing up of cars at a critical stage of the final out lap for Q3" and that "the stewards strongly recommend that the FIA expedite a solution to this type of situation".
So there you have it with just a small glimpse into some of the more strange and unusual moments that can happen in Formula One. There are plenty more out there so maybe, one day, I'll do a part two. What are your favourite bizarre F1 moments? Let me know in the comments! I'll be looking forward to reading them!
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