PTRACER wrote: ↑4 years ago
coland wrote: ↑4 years ago
Does anyone knows what is the record of most postions gained in the first lap of a formula 1 race?
Perhaps Jim Clark at the 1962 German GP? He stalled on the front row, having forgotten to switch on his fuel pumps. He got going in 26th place but was back up to 9th by the end of lap 1. Is there any advance on 17 places in one lap?
This kind of stuff was indeed was I was looking for. But I am not completely sure he was last, from the footage I have of that race it looks like he had 3 cars way behind him on the first curve. Impressive nonetheless.
The question comes from the documentary I am trying to do on Ascari racing career.
In the 1954 season he had signed for Lancia and so that year he missed most of the races until he got a deal to race a Maserati factory car for a couple of Gps. On the French Grand Prix, he qualified 3rd on the grid behind the 2 Mercedes streamliner only to retire at the start with a broken clutch.
The next race at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix the team arrived only on Saturday and the drivers had really little time to try to qualify. Ascari had no time at all and Villoresi and Marimon was back on the grid with very poor laps.
Ascari started 30th on the grid, and was 13th at the end of the lap.
What's impressive is that his team mate Marimon who will sadly lose his life in the next race at the Nurburgring, started 28th and at the end of the lap was 6th, making that 22 positions gained!
Ascari cought up with the team mate in the following laps only to retire with a broken engine, take Villoresi's car and retire again with another broken engine.
This race is also remembered because the fastest lap, 1 minut and 50 seconds, was set by 7 (!!!) drivers: Ascari, Moss, Marimon, Behra, Gonzales, Hawthorn and Fangio.