Driver One-hit wonders

esorniloc · 26 Mar 2003, 09:21 (Ref:548447)

I was re-reading the official BBC Grand Prix magazine for 93 the other day and there was an interesting bit on "ONE-HIT WONDERS". Drivers who won a GP, but never anymore than one. Some were just lucky and some just had a great day. At the time there were 17 one-hit wonders (it forgot about Nannini for some reason, so 18) and this included Schumacher. He did manage to win another race and get out of this club.

Since then Alesi, Panis, Montoya and now Räikkönen have joined. Alesi can't win again. Of the other 3, will they ever win another GP?

I know it may sound a stupid question for KR or JPM, but I guess people said the same sort of thing when Cevert for example won the US GP in 71.

Wrex · 26 Mar 2003, 09:29 (Ref:548458)

I'm 99% sure Juan and Kimi will come through, but Panis is unlikely.

Smokey 6 litre · 26 Mar 2003, 09:44 (Ref:548471)

Alesi could have won many more, and i wouldn't call him a one-hit wonder in the respect that he came in won and quickly faded into the background, i think Panis wont win again but Kimmi definatley will (especially as im backing him to be 2003 WDC) and Montoya still has unfulfilled potential.

nicker less · 26 Mar 2003, 09:54 (Ref:548476)

Panis could of had 2 race wins up to now, if it wasn't for Irvine at Spain 1997!

krt917 · 26 Mar 2003, 09:56 (Ref:548478)

Would be very surprised if Kimi and JPM didn't win again, though I take your point about Cevert. Would like to see Panis win another GP, but I think it's unlikely.

The 'one hit wonder' that springs to my mind is J-P Beltoise who destroyed the likes of Ickx, Stewart and Fittipaldi at a soaking Monaco in 1972. He didn't win another GP, but was pretty useful in Sportscars.

Lorenzo Bandini probably should have won more than just the '64 Austrian GP, but his career was, of course, cut tragically short as well.

Kex · 26 Mar 2003, 10:12 (Ref:548492)

As should have Gunnar Nilsson...he only won one and had his career tragically cut short too.

Armco Bender · 26 Mar 2003, 10:15 (Ref:548500)

Räikkönen has just started his winning,Panis was a fluke,hes definitely a one hit wonder,JPM ,if ,I predict his future I'll get another 500 lurid PMs,J-P Beltoise only had **** cars to drive,he did try for the original Ligier drive but was only given the mule car to drive,Cevert had plenty of potential but his untimely death leaves him forever stuck on one,as he was always No2 to Stewart.

krt917 · 26 Mar 2003, 10:17 (Ref:548503)

Definitely, if only he had got treatment earlier...

I've just though of another - Baghetti. Perhaps the ultimate 'one hit wonder': wins first GP and then hardly even figures again.

krt917 · 26 Mar 2003, 10:19 (Ref:548507)

Extra note on Beltoise - didn't he have one weak side on his body due to a childhood illness? Meant that he sometimes struggled for strength/stamina in the dry, but obviuosly not in the wet.

BootsOntheSide · 26 Mar 2003, 10:27 (Ref:548514)

Raikkonen will almost certainly win again, maybe in Brazil? Brazil could be the scene for Montoya's second win as well, both those guys are in strong contention. Panis' win was a fluke that he's never looked like following up.

ALso, which current drivers are the most likely to win one race but no more? Trulli? Button?

Armco Bender · 26 Mar 2003, 10:49 (Ref:548532)

Quote:

Extra note on Beltoise - didn't he have one weak side on his body

Nearly he was critically injured in a motorcycle crash '64,Also the Guinti incident and his wifes death in an accident must have affected him,but he drove with great courage,he was an excellent driver.

Armco Bender · 26 Mar 2003, 11:07 (Ref:548543)

Hey don't forget my all time favourite Armco Bender either Vittorio Brambilla.His 1 win was a big hit literally,into the armco after taking the chequered flag,also made interesting because they hung out the chequered flag instead of the red flag to stop the race.He was the all time hardest charger,wet or dry Vittorio added excitement to the races of the 75-76 seasons,he was never far from the front of the pack,and if he wasn't he would put in the armco trying.Great guy.

esorniloc · 26 Mar 2003, 15:26 (Ref:548843)

The full list of ONE-HIT wonders (in order they won)
Luigi Fagioli
Piero Taruffi
Luigi Musso
Joakim Bonnier
Giancarlo Baghetti
Innes Ireland
Lorenzo Bandini
Richie Ginther
Ludovico Scarfiotti
Peter Gethin
François Cevert
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Carlos Pace
Jochen Mass
Vittorio Brambilla
Gunnar Nillson
Alessandro Nannini
Jean Alesi
Olivier Panis
Juan Pablo Montoya
Kimi Räikkönen

BootsOntheSide · 26 Mar 2003, 17:17 (Ref:548926)

Interesting list, thanks esorniloc. Strange that there was an 12-year gap between Nilsson and Nannini.

There are several different types of drivers on the list. Cevert, as mentioned, certainly looked set to win again - he was in the top team of the day, was improving as a driver and was highly rated. Similar comments applied to Baghetti, Bandini and currently Montoya. On the other hand, people like Panis, Bonnier and Mass were seem to the time as fluke winners who were unlikely to win again.

mariov · 26 Mar 2003, 17:25 (Ref:548938)

Kimi and JPM will win again, Panis wont...he is a one win wonder...Gunmar would have won a lot more races...too bad...Alesi had a lot of chances to win...he was the unluckiest driver ever....I'm hopping we have at least one more first time winner added to the list this season.....Who else do you think will win a race this year, if any?

krt917 · 26 Mar 2003, 18:26 (Ref:549017)

Alesi the unluckiest driver ever? I know this is a thread on one hit wonders, but there are drivers who NEVER won a GP who were more unlucky - Chris Amon anyone?

429CJ · 26 Mar 2003, 18:30 (Ref:549024)

Was that Vittorio Brambilla, who crashed his car after finishing the race as a winner?

krt917 · 26 Mar 2003, 18:49 (Ref:549050)

Yep, but I think he still completed his victory lap (with bent car)?!

Chofar · 26 Mar 2003, 19:00 (Ref:549067)

Beltoise had a bad injury during a formula 3 race in Reims in 1964 (?)
Then he was only able to drive efficiently (zandvoort 68, Monaco 72) when the track was wet and the steering wheels felt lighter (english is not my 1st language so i hope i'm understandable).
On Panis, i regret to admit his good days are gone. Anyway, if Prost would'nt have sent him back to the track in Montreal in 1997, some more victories and another carreer might have been possible.
It was to make points, said the boss, but anyhow Nakano made the point and Panis hit the wall. The Prost team was one of the worst things that Happened to French motorsport.

Mr V · 26 Mar 2003, 19:42 (Ref:549132)

Quote:

Originally posted by Chofar

On Panis, i regret to admit his good days are gone. Anyway, if Prost would'nt have sent him back to the track in Montreal in 1997, some more victories and another carreer might have been possible.

Sorry Chofar, don't understand this paragraph, why wouldn't Prost send Panis "back to the track"? Nobody knows when an accident will happen unless the team knows there is a car problem, and i'm sure the team and Alain himself wouldn't have allowed Panis to continue if they had have known about a problem that bad.

mariov · 26 Mar 2003, 21:01 (Ref:549240)

Quote:

Originally posted by krt917
Alesi the unluckiest driver ever? I know this is a thread on one hit wonders, but there are drivers who NEVER won a GP who were more unlucky - Chris Amon anyone?

Yep....you are completly right...Chris Amon

Armco Bender · 26 Mar 2003, 21:15 (Ref:549267)

Quote:

Was that Vittorio Brambilla, who crashed his car after finishing the race as a winner?

Yep,I already posted that

Quote:

Hey don't forget my all time favourite Armco Bender either Vittorio Brambilla.His 1 win was a big hit literally,into the armco after taking the chequered flag

J.P Jarier would be the other driver as unlucky as Chris Amon.

Thorstone · 26 Mar 2003, 22:33 (Ref:549348)

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrex
I'm 99% sure Juan and Kimi will come through, but Panis is unlikely.

exactly

And Kimi or JPM will win in Brazil

Chofar · 26 Mar 2003, 22:42 (Ref:549370)

Well, to be more precise on the 97 Montreal chapter, i do recall (i wrote the first post quickly before dinner) that Panis was involved in some friction with another car (to be verified) which caused him to have a stop approx. 10 laps before his crash. I didn't mean no criminal intention when saying that, rather wanting to show how this team was badly pressured all the way and somehow mis-organized.
The next year at Spa i remember Prost (the guy who didn't start Adelaide 89) saying that conditions were rather good for his drivers.
It seems i lose measure when i talk of Prost-the Boss. Fortunately there had been Prost-the Driver. I wrote that also because i found evident that Panis'accident was a gap in his carreer. And because i dansed on my chair when he won at Monaco.
As for Jarier, we talked of him in another thread about the too-short-carreers if i recall correctly.
And Beltoise was injuried in a Rene-Bonnet at the 12 hours of Reims 1964 (verified)

RaceFreak · 26 Mar 2003, 22:42 (Ref:549371)

Vittorio Brambilla, the Monza Gorilla. One of the smallest but most vociferous fan clubs in all motorsports. I understand he passed away recently; but his legacy lives on.

RIP , big guy.

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