F1 Drivers Trivia

1. The inaugural race of the F1 world championship was the British Grand Prix held on the 13th May, 1950. Who was the British driver who made it onto the podium at that event?

From Quiz F1 Nationalities: Past and Present

Answer: Reg Parnell

In total 11 British drivers took part in the 1950 British Grand Prix, but it was Reg Parnell who came out on top as he was driving an Alfa Romeo - the dominant car of the 1950 season. Alfa Romeo had brought an extra fourth car to the British Grand Prix so that a home driver could compete alongside their formal line up of Giuseppe Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli. Parnell was unable to keep up the same pace as Farina, Fangio and Fagioli, but inherited third place and a podium finish when Fangio's car broke down in the latter stages of the race. Parnell competed in a total of six F1 grands prix between 1950 and 1954 (four British Grands Prix and two French ones) but his first race remained the best result of his career. He also had a successful career in sportscars, taking top ten finishes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Walker, Johnson and Gerard were all British drivers who competed in 1950 British Grand Prix for the English Racing Automobiles (ERA) team. They finished in 10th, 12th and 13th places respectively. The winner of the 2019 F1 drivers' championship was Britain's Lewis Hamilton.

From Quiz In pursuit of Number One

Answer: Kimi Räikkönen & Kimi Raikkonen & Raikkonen & Räikkönen

Nicknamed "The Iceman" because of his monotonous voice and his lack of showing emotion, Kimi was one of the most entertaining drivers in Formula 1. He won the title once in 2007 with Ferrari. At the end of the 2009 season he retired from Formula 1. In 2010 he was a rally driver and 2011 he joined the Toyota Team Kyle Busch Motorsports to try his hand at NASCAR. In 2012 he returned to Formula 1 as a driver for Lotus. Kimi returned to Ferrari in 2014 to the replace the departing Felipe Massa.

From Quiz Dead on the Track

Answer: Luigi Musso

Born in 1924, Musso was active in Formula One from 1953 until his untimely death in 1958. After a good 1957 season that saw him in third place for the World Championship, he began the 1958 season even more auspiciously with two second places. However on lap 10 of the fifth race, he crashed out of a tricky curve and his car flipped in the air. He was rescued alive but died later that day in hospital. The death of amateur driver Alborghetti in his very first race preceded this fatal accident by three years, but the Pau Grand Prix was not a championship race. Both other drivers, Castellotti and Cabianca, died during tests.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [2]

Answer: West Lothian

Paul di Resta was born in West Lothian, Scotland on April 16, 1986.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [1]

Answer: Heppenheim

Sebastian Vettel was born in Heppenheim, Germany on July 3, 1987. He won his first race in a Toro Rosso in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. He won his first Formula One World Championship in 2010 in a Red Bull.

From Quiz The Greatest Rivalry in Racing

Answer: 1984 Monaco Grand Prix

The sixth round of the 1984 World Championship was held at Monaco in torrential rain. The race is remembered for two reasons, the first being the performances of Senna and Stefan Bellof where both looked like potential first time Grand Prix winners. The second reason is the controversial stoppage of the race which handed victory to Alain Prost at a time when conditions were no worse than at any time preceeding. Nevertheless, the performance of Senna had caught the eye of many seasoned F1 watchers and he would be off to pastures new in 1985.

From Quiz So Near, Yet So Far

Answer: 9

Behra burst onto the Formula One scene in 1952 driving for Gordini. On his debut at the Swiss Grand Prix, he finished third behind two Ferraris. However, the Gordini was generally uncompetitive and it was not until a move to Maserati in 1955 that his fortunes improved. He finished third at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix. The 1956 season was his best year, with one second place, four third places and a finish of fourth in the Drivers Championship. It was thought a move to Ferrari in 1959 would herald great things and that elusive first win but a falling out with team management at the French Grand Prix led to his dismissal from the team. Behra was killed only ten days later at a race at Avus in Germany.

From Quiz F1 Drivers: The Also-Rans

Answer: 208

While there is no doubting that the very likable Italian was a very quick driver, and probably could have won a Grand Prix in more favourable circumstances, the unfortunate de Cesaris earned the nickname 'Andrea de Crasheris' early in his career with a wild reputation for crashing but he developed into a quick, reliable drivers that team owners could depend on. de Cesaris raced in Formula One from 1980-1994, achieving one pole position, five podiums and scored 59 points. His best finish overall was in 1983 when he finished 8th in the Drivers Championship driving for Alfa Romeo.

From Quiz They Gave Their All

Answer: Bruce McLaren

McLaren started in F1 in 1959 driving a Cooper with teammate Jack Brabham, and he won that year's inaugural United States Grand Prix at Sebring. He founded his own team in the winter of 1964/65 and won its first Grand Prix at Belgium in 1968.

From Quiz Where Did They Come From?

Answer: Hurth-Hurmulheim

He was born on January 3, 1969. He has won every race on the 2003 Formula One calendar at least once.

From Quiz Grand Prix Track Heroes

Answer: Nino

Giuseppe "Nino" Farina 30-Oct-1906 - 30-Jun-1966, won the first ever F1 championship in 1950.

From Quiz British F1 Drivers - Race Winners

Answer: 2003 Australian Grand Prix

David Coulthard took his 13th win at the opening race of the 2003 season in Australia, while driving for McLaren. Sadly it proved to be a somewhat unlucky total to hit as it also turned out to be the final win of his career. Coulthard left McLaren at the end of the year for Red Bull Racing - where he had limited success, achieving a couple of third places, including a memorable one at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix when he appeared on the podium dressed in a Superman cape thanks to his team's advertising tie-in at that race with the release of the film 'Superman Returns'. He retired from F1 at the end of the 2008 season - after a career spanning 15 seasons and 246 races. The 2003 German Grand Prix was the last of Coulthard's 26 second place finishes, the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was the last of his 23 third place finishes and he was seventh at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix (the inaugural F1 race in that city) - taking his last F1 championship points.

From Quiz In pursuit of Number One

Answer: Michael Schumacher

Michael won the title in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton. He won the title 5 times consecutively with Ferrari 2000-01-02-03-04. He retired from Formula 1 as racer at the end of the 2006 season. He returned to Forumua 1 in 2010 driving for Mercedes but again retired, at the end of 2012 season. On 29th December 2013 Michael sustain sever head injuries in a skiing accident in France which resulted in neurosurgery and left him in a coma for several months.

From Quiz Dead on the Track

Answer: Wolfgang Berghe von Trips

On starting the Italian Grand Prix, von Trips needed a third place to secure the championship. However, fate proved to be cruel - on the very first lap, his car went off the track after a collision with Jim Clark, not only killing him but fifteen spectators as well. In spite of the disaster, the race was not stopped and American Phil Hill won, securing the championship by one point. Trips never won the World Championship, but he founded a Kart track in the German town of Kerpen which would later, under new ownership, become the location where a German boy by the name of Michael Schumacher was to learn the basics of motor racing - we all know what became of him.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [2]

Answer: Emmerich am Rhein

Nico Hülkenberg was born in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany on August 19, 1987.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [1]

Answer: Queenbeyan

Mark Webber was born in Queenbeyan on 27th August 1976. He won his first race in a Red Bull in the 2009 German Grand Prix.

From Quiz So Near, Yet So Far

Answer: 3rd

In a shortened season due to the tragedy at the Le Mans 24 Hours, only seven races (6 discounting the Indianapolis 500) counted towards the title. Castellotti finished second in only his second Grand Prix at Monaco driving for Lancia. A fifth place at the Dutch Grand Prix and a third at the Italian Grand Prix helped Castellotti finish third in the Championship behind the dominant Mercedes team. Another podium followed driving for Ferrari at the 1956 French Grand Prix. But at the age of only 26, Castellotti was killed testing a Ferrari at Modena Autodrome.

From Quiz Mixed Up Formula One Drivers

Answer: Alain Prost

Alain Prost won three drivers titles with McLaren in the 1980s and had a fierce rivalry with Ayrton Senna. He won his final title in 1993 driving for Williams, however when Senna signed for Williams for the 1994 season, Prost chose to retire rather than resume the rivalry.

From Quiz F1 Drivers: The Also-Rans

Answer: 104

Martini raced for Minardi in 1985, from mid-1988 to 1991, then from mid-1993 to mid-1995. He scored all but two points in his career with the Faenza squad and set nearly all the records for Minardi - their first points (USGP 1988), their only lap ever led (Estoril 1989), their only front row (Phoenix 1990), their highest finish (two fourth places in 1991 at Imola and Estoril) and the only driver to race a century of races for the small team.

From Quiz They Gave Their All

Answer: Peter Collins

His sportsmanship was legendary - he gave up his chance at becoming World Champion in 1956 when he let his teammate Fangio drive his car. He died in 1958 from head injuries sustained when he slid off the circuit chasing Tony Brooks for the lead in the German Grand Prix.

From Quiz Where Did They Come From?

Answer: Sao Paulo

He was born on May 23rd 1972. Rubens is a 5 time Brazilian karting champion.

From Quiz Always Second Best

Answer: Nick Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld was born in Monchengladbach in what was then West Germany. He started his F1 career in 2000 racing for team Prost. He then signed a deal with Sauber in 2001, gaining a third place in the Brazil GP. He raced with Sauber until 2003 and then raced for Jordan in 2004. In 2005 he joined Williams and had three podium finishes; third in Malaysia and second in Monaco and the European race at the Nürburgring. In 2006 he joined BMW Sauber and raced with them until 2009. During that time, he had eight podium finishes (six second places and two thirds). After that he had various stints as test driver and taking part in some races. In 2011 he managed his last podium finish, coming third in Malaysia while racing for Lotus Renault. Fellow German Ralf Schumacher won six F1 races. Rudi Fischer and Toulo de Graffenried were both Swiss F1 drivers.

From Quiz F1 Nationalities: Past and Present

Answer: 1994 - with Benetton

Jos Verstappen made his F1 debut at the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix with the Benetton team at the age of 22 as team-mate to the eventual champion, Michael Schumacher. He only got the job after JJ Lehto, the team's new regular driver, was injured in testing and took part in the first two grands prix of the season before handing the car back to Lehto. However, he was reinstated as the team's second driver on a more permanent basis just four races later, claimed his first podium finish with third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix and followed it up immediately with third place at Belgian Grand Prix as well. Those two races proved to be the high point of his career - he left Benetton at the end of the season, sat out most of the 1995 season after the collapse of the Simtek team and basically spent the rest of his career moving from one back-of-the-grid team to another. Despite his short-lived success on track, Verstappen was the most successful Dutch driver to have raced in F1 until his son, Max, took his first win in 2016. Outside of F1, Jos Verstappen won a round of the A1 Grand Prix for the Netherlands in 2006 and the LMP2 class at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. Third place in the 2019 F1 drivers' championship was claimed by the Netherlands' Max Verstappen.

From Quiz British F1 Drivers - Race Winners

Answer: The Racing Dentist

Tony Brooks (born 1932 in Cheshire, England) raced in F1 from 1956 to 1961 for a variety of teams including Ferrari, Cooper, BRM and Vanwall. His nickname came from the fact that he had studied dentistry - following in the footsteps of his father who was a practicing dentist. Unlikely though it may seem, he was not the only motor racing driver in history to have been given the name 'The Racing Dentist' - the moniker was also used for American Indy Car driver and dentist, Jack Miller. Although Brooks took six wins in his F1 career (a higher strike rate than you might imagine given that on average there were only nine races a season in those days compared to the 19 races included in the 2015 season) he actually only crossed the finish line in five of them. His first win was shared with fellow countryman Stirling Moss after they swapped cars part way through the race, and it was Moss that took the chequered flag. (Can you imagine team-mates in modern F1 agreeing to that sort of arrangement? - I can't!) 'The Professor' is a nickname often given to the four-time F1 world champion, Alain Prost. 'Bishop Brooks' and 'Doc Speedy' simply don't exist as F1 related nicknames.

From Quiz In pursuit of Number One

Answer: Ayrton Senna & Senna

Ayrton won the title in 1988, 1990 and 1991, all with McLaren. He is widely regarded as one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time. He was signed with Williams-Renault for the 1994 Formula 1 season. During the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix Reubens Barichello suffered severe injuries during free practice and on the Saturday during qualifying Roland Ratzenberger was involved in fatal accident. As a result of the accidents of the weekend Ayrton was concerned with the safety of drivers in Formula 1 and spent the morning of 1st May 1994 discussing the re-establishment of the Grand Prix Driver's Association in order to improve safety in Formula 1. Senna was in the lead when he failed to take a turn on lap 7 and crashed into the concrete wall (it was later discovered that his steering column failed). He sustained severe injuries and passed away later that day. A three-day mourning period was declared in his home country of Brazil and he received a state funeral.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [2]

Answer: Amagasaki

Kamui Kobayashi was born in Amagasaki, Japan on September 13, 1986.

From Quiz F1 Drivers - Where Are They From? [1]

Answer: Frome

Jenson Button was born in Frome, England on 19th January 1980. He won his first race in a Honda in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. He won his first Formula One World Championship in 2009 in a Brawn.

From Quiz The Greatest Rivalry in Racing

Answer: 10

Senna would lead home Prost at the San Marino, Canadian, Detroit, German, Hungarian, Belgian, and the Japanese Grand Prix. Prost led Senna home at the Mexican, French, and the Australian Grand Prix. Senna won 8 races to Prost's 7, and although Prost scored more points in total, Senna was World Champion as only the best 11 of 16 results counted to the final total.

From Quiz So Near, Yet So Far

Answer: 1967

Amon finished fourth overall for Ferrari in 1967, finishing third four times en route to 20 points. That would be his best season results wise, apart from 1970 when he did manage two seconds and a third with March. He came closest to winning at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, a race he led easily until a problem with his helmet visor caused him to drop back and finish sixth. His final heartbreak came at the 1972 French Grand Prix. Amon dominated the meeting, taking pole position and again leading easily. But a puncture caused a pitstop and he dropped down the field. He broke the lap record numerous times in an attempt to retake the lead but eventully had to settle for third.

From Quiz F1 Drivers: The Also-Rans

Answer: 4

Stefano Modena, 1987 Formula 3000 champion, made his Formula One debut late in the same season for Brabham-BMW at the Australian Grand Prix. He raced for EuroBrun in 1988 with no results, then for Brabham in 1989-90 where the team slowly fell down the grid as the team struggled with finances. Tyrrell-Honda in 1991 provided his best result in Formula One with a second at the Canadian GP, before a final season at Jordan saw a disheartened Modena retire from Formula One before the 1993 season.

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:46 AM

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