Formula 1 is an extraordinary sport that allows the audience to witness many unforgettable situations some of which can be really dangerous sometimes. We recalled the 10 most memorable situations that happened in Formula One during the last 10 years.
1. The unbelievable victory of Jenson Button (Canadian Grand Prix, 2011)
That race will never be forgotten by all F1 fans, as they witnessed 2-hour rain suspension, 5 safety cars, and 6 visits to the pit-stops. But the uniqueness of that race is also connected with the victory of Jenson Button, as no one was expecting that. He started the race from 7th position but then his car collided with the car of Lewis Hamilton, as a result of which Button lost some positions and became really mad at Lewis. Jenson decided to change his tires to intermediate ones which was really unexpected, as a result of which he got the 17th position. From lap 20 racers were experiencing serious troubles, as the heavy rain started. Finally, the race was suspended on lap 25. In 2 hours, there was a re-start and racers needed to drive under the safety car for 9 laps! All racers were really emotional and Button’s car collided with the car of Alonso on lap 37. As a result, racers needed to drive under the safety car again and Jenson was in the last position. But then the life-changing moment happened! As Button already changed to intermediate tires he didn’t have any troubles, so he easily got to the 4th position, can you imagine that? He passed Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher then, getting the 2nd position. As a result, the audience was thrilled to see the fight between Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button on the last lap. And Jenson made it! He won that race!
2. Surprising lap of Lewis Hamilton (Singapore Grand Prix qualifying, 2018)
That situation surprised not only Formula 1 fans, but also Lewis Hamilton. It was the final qualifying and Lewis was 1,3 seconds faster than his previous record. Every F1 fan knows how incredible it sounds! But more importantly, Lewis Hamilton was also really surprised as he said that he couldn’t believe it and that the lap felt like pure magic. The race engineer was shocked as well and he said that situation was truly epic.
3. The first victory of Max Verstappen after Hamilton and Rosberg destroyed each other (Spanish Grand Prix, 2016)
Max Verstappen was only 18 when he won his first race for Red Bull. It was extremely interesting for many F1 fans to see a new talented racer succeed. But that race was very memorable because of the fight between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who really destroyed each other which allowed Max to get to the 1st position.
4. Sebastian Vettel’s decision to beat the teammate despite his team boss’s thoughts (Malaysian Grand Prix, 2013)
During that race, Sebastian Vettel said that his teammate Mark Webber was too slow, so he wanted to beat him. The team boss Christian Horner asked Vettel not to be stupid and to let it go. But Vettel wanted to win that race, so he did it anyway. Mark Webber said that after the last stop the team said that the race was over, so the engines were down, however, Vettel made his own choice regardless of his team’s strategy.
5. Sebastian Vettel’s penalty because of hitting Lewis Hamilton’s car (Azerbaijan Grand Prix, 2017)
A really weird situation happened between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in Baku in 2017. Lewis slammed his brakes during a safety car situation and Sebastian became sure that Hamilton did it on purpose. He hit Hamilton’s car after that which was too emotional. Vettel got a 10-second stop-go penalty because of that and he thought it wasn’t fair. However, Lewis Hamilton stated that he didn’t deserve that hit, so in his opinion, Vettel needed to get the more serious penalty.
6. The rivalry between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso to win the championship (Brazilian Grand Prix, 2012)
This was an important race for Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso because both of them could win the title. But Sebastian had more chances, he just needed to finish this race higher than 7th position (if Alonso ends up higher). But the race wasn’t so easy for Vettel, as he collided on the first lap. He was fighting hard to get back to the top. As a result, Fernando Alonso finished in the 2nd position and was hoping that Vettel would be lower than the 7th. However, Sebastian Vettel is a real fighter and he was able to get to the 6th position which allowed him to win his 3rd championship and become the youngest F1 driver with 3 titles.
7. Ferrari’s order to make Alonso get the 1st position (German Grand Prix, 2010)
It’s been a while since team orders became banned in Formula 1. However, Ferrari didn’t really care about that rule. It was the race where Felipe Massa was on the first position and his teammate Fernando Alonso was on the 2nd one. Suddenly Felipe got a weird message from his race engineer telling that Fernando was going faster. It sounded like an instruction. Massa didn’t reply but he allowed Fernando to get the 1st position which made sense for the team as Alonso was aiming to win the championship. Everyone realized that it was an order to Felipe from his bosses, so Ferrari was fined for $100000, although the racers said there was no instruction, it was just a usual racing situation.
8. The unexpected victory of Pastor Maldonado in the battle with Fernando Alonso (Spanish Grand Prix, 2012)
It was only the second season in Formula One for Pastor Maldonado when Spanish Grand Prix became so lucky for him. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel didn’t have the chances to win the race. However, Fernando Alonso could win and it is obvious that he was more professional and experienced than Maldonado who was representing Williams. But Williams overplayed Ferrari strategically. The team decided to take Maldonado to pit-stop, although Fernando Alonso got there later. Experts say that it was too late and that Alonso needed to go there earlier. As a result, after the last pit-stop, Maldonado was in the first position. Pastor won his first race and allowed Williams to get the first victory since 2004.
9. The long-awaited victory of Fernando Alonso (European Grand Prix, 2012)
Everyone knows how unlucky Fernando Alonso was. He was close to winning championships several times but every time he failed. The important races weren’t lucky for him either. But everything changed in his home street circuit in Valencia in 2012. Fernando started that race being in the 11th position. He passed Lewis Hamilton who was struggling at the pit-stop, then passed Romain Grosjean, and noticed that Vettel retired. Fernando got the 1st position and did everything he could until he finished in that position. That race was definitely one of the best races of his career. He was more than just happy because not only that victory was long-awaited, it was also right in front of the citizens of his hometown.
10. Unacceptable maneuver made by Nico Rosberg (Belgian Grand Prix, 2014)
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were battling during the races all the time, but that race was really tough. Nico hit Lewis’s rear-left tire, as a result of which Lewis couldn’t continue the race. Everyone agreed that Rosberg’s act was unacceptable. He finished the race in 2nd position and the fans booed him, while Ricciardo became the first.
