Photo by Martin Lee, via Karting Nord, CC BY-SA 2.0. (Image Credits at the end of the content)
As we continue our stories about the past, we try to bring back the names of forgotten F1 drivers, but in a different way, focusing on what they are remembered for. After sharing stories of drivers with short careers, our next story looks at the drivers with most podiums without a win and the victories that always escaped them.
F1 has produced hundreds of race winners, but for some talented drivers, victory always seemed to remain out of reach, they could qualify near the front, fight for podiums, lead races and even look destined for glory, yet somehow the chequered flag never fell in their favor.
Drivers with Most Podiums Without a Win
Some of the drivers had unreliable cars, others lost victories because of strategy, or simple bad luck, a few even led races in circumstances where a maiden win appeared almost certain, only for opportunity to disappear in the final laps.
These are the drivers who collected an extraordinary numbers of F1 podiums without ever winning a race!
Nick Heidfeld, 13 Podiums
Nick Heidfeld holds one of the most unusual records in F1 history, the German driver stood on the podium 13 times during his career but never managed to win. Heidfeld was rarely regarded as one of the headline stars of his generation, but among team engineers and fellow drivers, he developed a reputation as an extremely consistent and a great racer, he was able to extract everything from the car to secure strong results in non-competitive machinery.
One of the biggest opportunities came at the 2005 European GP at Nurburgring, driving for Williams F1 team, he secured his only pole position in F1, but Fernando Alonso ultimately took victory, leaving Heidfeld to finish second.
His most realistic opportunity for a victory arguable came three years later in Canada, a chaotic pit-lane incident eliminated Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen from contention, opening the door for BMW Sauber, Heidfeld briefly found himself at the front of the race and suddenly appeared to have the opportunity he had been waiting for.
BMW Sauber, however, divided its strategy between its two drivers, Heidfeld was committed to a heavily fueled one-stop strategy, while his teammate Robert Kubica was able to use a two-stop approach, the difference eventually proved decisive!
Kubica won his only F1 race, while Heidfeld finished second, once again, the German driver had reached the podium but missed the top step.
While 13 podiums and no victories, Heidfeld remains the driver most closely associated with F1’s unfortunate record of coming close without every winning!
Stefan Johansson, 12 Podiums
Before Heidfeld surpassed him, Stefan Johansson held the unwanted record for most F1 podium finishes without a victory, he collected 12 podium finishes during his career, including memorable performances for Ferrari, but never managed to turn one of those podiums into a win!
His greatest opportunity came at the 1985 San Marino GP, during only his second race for Ferrari, he had qualified a disappointing 15th, making what happened during the race even more remarkable.
As the race unfolded, the Swedish driver began moving through the field, overtaking several highly experienced drivers while many of the front runners struggled with fuel consumption and reliability, then came the moment that appeared to change everything.
With only three laps remaining, race leader Ayrton Senna’s Lotus slowed with an engine problem, Johansson swept past and inherited the lead. For a driver who had never won a race, this should have been the perfect moment, a Ferrari was leading at Imola, the Italian crowd was celebrating and victory was only minutes away. Instead, F1 produced one of its cruelest twist.
Johansson’s Ferrari ran out of fuel, the Swedish driver was forced to stop, the victory that had been sitting in his hands disappeared almost instantly.
Chris Amon, 11 Podiums
Few drivers have become as synonymous with bad luck as Chris Amon, the New Zealander is often remembered as one of the greatest F1 drivers who never won a race.
An interesting story came at Monza in 1971. Driving for Matra, Amon was sensational throughout the weekend, taking pole position and appearing to have the race under control. With just nine laps remaining, victory seemed closer than ever, but then came an extraordinary mistake.
Amon reached up to remove a strip of dirt from his visor, instead of removing only the tear-off, he accidentally pulled the entire visor away from his helmet. Suddenly, the driver who had been leading the race was exposed to the enormous wind blast at Monza, unable to see properly, he had no choice but to slow down dramatically, his winning opportunity vanished, he eventually finished sixth in one of the closest finishes in F1 history.
Amon ended his career with 11 podium, but never a victory!
Related Content: Chris Amon created his own F1 Team
Romain Grosjean, 10 Podiums
Romain Grosjean was one of the fastest and most unpredictable drivers of his generation. His best chance came during his spectacular run of form in 2013, at the Japanese GP at Suzuka, he started fourth but made an astonishing gataway. He charged past both Red Bulls and emerged from the opening corner in the lead.
For 26 laps, the Lotus driver looked like he might finally claim the victory that had escaped him, he controlled the race at the front, but then Red Bull team had a significant strategic advantage, Vettel was able to extend his stint and make his strategy work, as the pit-stop unfolded, Vettel eventually moved ahead!
Grosjean slipped down the order and ultimately finished third, that was just another podium.
Jean Behra, 9 Podiums
Long before modern F1 became the global championship it is today, Behra was one of the most fearless drivers on the grid, he earned nine podiums in F1 races but never won an official F1 race.
The stats don’t fully describe him, he won several non-championship F1 races during his career.
However, his closest opportunity to victory came at the 1956 Argentine GP.
Driving a Maserati 250F, Behra spent a part of the race at the front and appeared to have a genuine chance of claiming victory.
Fangio became involved in a dramatic fight for victory, Behra’s own Maserati began suffering from handling problems in the race, preventing him from maintaining his advantage, he finished second.
Eddie Cheever, 9 Podiums
Eddie Cheever remains the American driver with the most F1 race starts, and during a career spanning more than a decade, he collected nine podium finishes without ever winning a race.
His closest opportunity came on home soil at the 1982 Detroit GP. Driving a Ligier-Matra, Cheever produced a determined performance on the demanding Detroit street circuit.
Cheever finished second in that race behind John Watson, marking the first time in his Formula 1 career that he had finished P2.
Watson took the victory, with Cheever just 15 seconds behind. It was an extraordinary drive, but once again, he had to settle for the runner-up position, and his nine podiums would ultimately stand without a race victory.
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Martin Brundle, 9 Podiums
Today, Martin Brundle is widely recognized as one of F1’s most respected broadcasters, but long before becoming a familiar voice on television, he was a highly competitive F1 driver.
Brundle finished on the podium nine times during his F1 career without ever winning a race. One of his most painful missed opportunities came at the 1992 Canadian GP, where he was driving for Benetton.
Senna retired from the race on lap 38, with Gerhard Berger then leading. Brundle was catching him and pushing his Benetton hard, but only seven laps later, a transmission problem forced Brundle to retire from the race.
The timing could hardly have been more painful. The race ended with Brundle watching the victory disappear.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Photo by Martin Lee, via Karting Nord, CC BY-SA 2.0. via Flickr
