70.
Francois Cevert (France) 47 Starts, 1 Race Win, 110.3 F-Points
The
racing career of Francois Cevert was largely inspired by Jean-Pierre Beltoise,
who married Francois' sister Jacqueline. Cevert was inspired by his brother-in-law
and at the age of 16 began karting. A few years later he attended racing school
before being called up for national service.
Cevert
won himself a slot in French F3, and in his section season of the division
managed to win the Championship. In 1969 he moved into F2, and caught the
attention of Jackie Stewart who recommended him to Ken Tyrrell. On Jackie's
wisdom, Cevert was offered an F1 seat by Tyrrell midway through the 1970 season
following the sudden retirement of Johnny Servoz-Gavin. As Jackie Stewart's
teammate, Cevert spent his first year learning his trade from the Scotsman, and
found himself getting closer to matching the World Champion's performances.
Cevert's
breakthrough year was followed up by a mightily impressive season in 1971. The
first significant result of his F1 career came at his home race in France,
where he followed Jackie Stewart to take second place. Two races later Cevert
repeated the result for Tyrrell's second one-two of the year. He took third in
Italy, before the final race of the season gave Cevert his champagne moment. At
Watkins Glen, the Frenchman battled weary tyres to a hard-fought victory,
coming home well ahead of the chasing pack. He became the second driver from
France to take the chequered flag, and the result meant he finished third in
the World Championship.
In
comparison, 1972 was rather disappointing for Cevert. Though he was displaying
his skills by winning in CanAm and Touring Car races, as well as taking second
place at Le Mans, Cevert could only finish in the points three times in Formula
One that year. Two of these were second place finishes at Nivelles and Watkins
Glen, but compared to the expectations after his promising 1971, the team were
unable to deliver.
Tyrrell
recovered in 1973 and were formidable throughout the season, fighting all the
way to the finish with Lotus. Cevert took an amazing six second place finishes
throughout the season without reaching the top step of the podium, albeit three
of these occasions where victories for Jackie Stewart and the Scot made note of
Cevert's 'obedience'. Cevert arguably could have had a shot at the title in
1973, given that despite being the understudy to Jackie Stewart he sat in
second place in the Championship with four races to go, 15 points behind the
Scot.
Cevert's
progress had not gone unnoticed by Stewart, who had planned to retire at the
end of the season allowing Cevert to lead the team. Tragically, this would
never happen. During qualifying at the last race of the season, Cevert's car
hit a kerb and swerved into a barrier, killing the Frenchman. He was 29.
69.
Jose Froilan Gonzalez (Argentina) 26 Starts, 2 Race Wins, 118.9 F-Points
Despite
being the first man to win a Grand Prix in a Ferrari, Froilan Gonzalez's career
is understated in the annals of Formula One history. The plump Argentinean
gained notoriety racing Ferraris in 1951, accomplishing various victories in
motor racing before entering F1 with the Scuderia team. Having been thrown in
halfway through the 1951 season, Gonzalez excelled by taking a podium in every
one of the five remaining races, including his maiden GP win at Silverstone in
which he trumped fellow countryman Juan Fangio and broke Alfa Romeo's total
dominance of the sport.
Despite
a late start to the season, Gonzalez took third in the World Championship of
1951. However in 1952 he became a factory driver for Maserati and consequently
joined their F1 team. Maserati had less capacity for entering Formula One
races, so Gonzalez's chances in F1 were very much restricted during 1952 and
1953. On the six occasions he raced in these two seasons (often sharing drives
with other racers), Gonzalez took four podiums.
In
1954 Gonzalez was back with Ferrari and competed in the majority of races that
season, albeit sharing many drives once again. The year was probably the
Argentinean's most successful, with five podiums and a second career victory.
His win came a Silverstone once more, as Gonzalez led home a Ferrari 1-2 with
Mike Hawthorn. Though the Argentine had enjoyed another impressive season, his
rather convoluted points-tally of 25 1⁄7 was not enough to topple Fangio, as
Gonzalez finished second in the Championship.
Gonzalez
only got sporadic opportunities in Formula One following his most successful
season. Despite kicking off the 1955 year with a second place in Argentina,
Gonzalez did not get another drive all season. In 1956 he flirted with the
Vanwall and Maserati teams, but neither team gave him a more permanent outlet.
His last race was with Ferrari in 1960, where he took 10th place at his home
Grand Prix.
Gonzalez
achieved many things outside of Formula One, which included winning the 1951
Coppa Acerbo, and victory at the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours Race alongside Maurice
Trintignant. He is now the oldest living winner of a Grand Prix aged 90, and
was honoured by the Ferrari team and drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
in 2011.
68.
Nico Rosberg (Germany) 128 Starts, 1 Race Win, 119.2 F-Points
Nico
Rosberg is the first current driver in our Top 100 list (if we discount Heikki
Kovalainen who it seems is without a drive for 2013), and has earned his place
through a quiet consistency that has lined his career. The son of F1 World
Champion Keke Rosberg, Nico began his racing career in karting alongside future
rival Lewis Hamilton. He then won the German Formula BMW title in 2002 before a
move to Formula 3.
In
2004 Rosberg got a taste of what was to come when he was offered a test in the
Williams F1 team. His career began to fly, and he wasted no time in winning the
GP2 Championship, taking the crown in 2005 - his first year in the series. It
was only natural that he found himself in a Williams seat for 2006, but the
team was struggling and Rosberg had little joy in his first year in F1. Despite
this, the German made an early statement by scoring points in his debut race
and setting the fastest lap of the Grand Prix (Rosberg is still the youngest
driver to have recorded a fastest lap).
In
2007 Williams were stronger and Rosberg was able to score points on a more
consistent basis. He comfortably outscored his more experienced teammate
Alexander Wurz and took what was then a career-best fourth place at the last
race of the season in Brazil. The next season included a couple of champagne
moments for the German, but was generally a more difficult year. Rosberg took
his first podium in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, and went one better by
finishing second in Singapore, just three seconds behind race winner Fernando
Alonso, thanks to a well timed safety car.
Despite
the two podiums, finishing in the points was rare for Rosberg in 2008. Williams
worked hard on improvements for 2009, and the controversial use of a double
diffuser gave them a big advantage over rivals that season. Rosberg used this
to his advantage and finished in the points on all but six occasions during the
season. He took 34.5 points, while teammate Kazuki Nakajima failed to score
any. However the German didn't step onto the podium in 2009, wasting his best
chance when he was in 2nd during the Singapore Grand Prix before crossing the
white line while exiting the pitlane and incurring a penalty that ruined his
race.
In
2010 Rosberg decided to move to Mercedes, but his transfer was largely
overshadowed in the media by his team's acquisition of the returning Michael
Schumacher. Though much was expected of the seven-time World Champion, Rosberg
outshone his prestigious teammate and had a much more fruitful season. Rosberg
scored three podiums and only finished outside the points on four occasions,
taking seventh place in the World Championship for the second season running.
2011
followed a similar pattern albeit without any more podium joy for Rosberg. The
highlight of this year was probably during the Belgian Grand Prix, in which
Nico briefly led the race before falling down the field to save fuel. Having
been a consistent runner in F1 for six seasons, fans began to wonder if Rosberg
had the spark that would earn him his first Grand Prix victory. The question
was emphatically answered on the third race of the 2012 season at China.
Rosberg took a brilliant pole position, and held off a dogged challenge from
Jenson Button to take the chequered flag and bring home Mercedes' first win
since the team's return to the sport.
Following
this, Rosberg ran Mark Webber very close for victory at Monaco before coming in
a second behind the Australian. The characteristic consistency of the German
fell away towards the end of the 2012 season as the car gradually lost
performance, but it was still an important year for Rosberg. With Schumacher
retiring after a disappointing comeback, news emerged that Lewis Hamilton would
be partnering Rosberg at Mercedes in 2013, offering the German an opportunity
to spearhead a formidable team in the coming years.
67.
Johnny Herbert (Great Britain) 160 Starts, 3 Race Wins, 129 F-Points
For
the majority of his career, Johnny Herbert plied his trade for the lesser teams
in Formula One but still managed to achieve good enough results to make this
list. Having begun in karting, Herbert moved on to Formula Ford in the mid-80s.
A victory at Brand's Hatch secured his status as a star of the next generation,
and he continued to make moves towards an F1 career when he won the Formula
Three championship in 1987 racing for Eddie Jordan.
However,
Herbert suffered a major setback in 1988 when he was involved in a huge
accident during a Formula 3000 event. Herbert broke both legs and doctors
believed it would be a long time before the Brit would be racing. However, he
defied the odds by returning for a Formula One drive in 1989 for the Benetton
team, and even more amazingly scored a fourth place finish on his debut race.
Nevertheless, the pain Herbert endured each race due to his injuries meant he
was an unreliable competitor, and after six races Flavio Briatore dropped him
from the team.
Herbert
returned to Formula 300 but was attracting the interest of the Lotus team. He
was eventually given a drive for the last two races of the 1990 season, and
Lotus retained him for a handful of races in 1991. It was only in 1992 that
Herbert had shown enough ability to be given a permanent seat in the team, but
Lotus was in decline at this point and the Brit was unable to make much of the
car.
His
teammate Mika Hakkinen escaped a long-term contract with Lotus, but Herbert was
unable to do the same. He kept driving for them in 1993 and 1994, with the
former season being a little more successful in that Herbert was able to score
a few fourth-place finishes for the team. The team eventually collapsed, and
Herbert faced the prospect of being without a drive. Benetton had noticed his
ability under pressure, and decided to retain his services for 1995, giving
Herbert's career a new lease of life.
Racing
alongside the now World Champion Michael Schumacher, Herbert largely played
second fiddle to his teammate and had to endure less support as the German won
the title again. Not to be deterred, Herbert still scored two Grand Prix
victories in 1995, with his first being in front of the home crowd at
Silverstone when Hill and Schumacher collided to hand the lead to Herbert. The
two title rivals would come into contact again in Monza, allowing Herbert to
pick up the pieces for the second time and take another chequered flag.
Herbert
was dropped by Benetton for 1996, but Sauber decided to put him alongside
Heinz-Harald Frentzen for their line-up. Things were more difficult at his new
team, as Herbert was rarely able to bring the ailing car into the points. However,
he did take third place in a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix that season. Things went
a little better in 1997, as Herbert managed to steal a few more valuable
finishes and enjoyed another podium in Hungary.
1998
was a miserable year for Herbert, and he sought new pastures at the Stewart
team for the following year. Though general performance was not much better,
Herbert managed to take a shock victory at the 1999 European Grand Prix. The
field suffered a massive number of retirements while heavy rain lashed the
circuit, but Herbert kept his cool to take Stewart's first and only Grand Prix
victory.
It
was to be Herbert's final hurrah in the sport. In 2000 Stewart became Jaguar,
but results only got worse. An awful year culminated in him being stretchered
out of his car during the final Grand Prix in Malaysia, as the Jaguar crashed
heavily into the barriers after its suspension broke. Herbert had an excellent
career in motorsport outside of F1, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991. He
was also given the Sportsman Award by AutoSport after stopping his car to aid a
fellow competitor during a Sports Car race. He also dabbled in SpeedCar and
BTCC before becoming a contributor to Sky Sports' F1 coverage.
66.
Robert Kubica (Poland) 76 Starts, 1 Race Win, 129.9 F-Points
It
is difficult to think of a Formula One driver in the last ten years that has
been more unlucky than Robert Kubica. His burgeoning F1 career has been
frustratingly stifled by multiple injuries, but the prospect of a return for
the Pole is not out of the question. Kubica began his career in karting and
moved into Formula Renault in 2000. He began to win races in the series during
the 2002 season, and moved up to Formula Three. However, an accident left him
with a broken arm, stunting his progress in what was to become a common story
in the life of the Pole.
In
2005 he won the Renault World Series and was offered a test drive by the
Renault F1 team. He performed magnificently and BMW were quick to snap him up
as a permanent test driver for 2006. When Jacques Villeneuve was dropped midway
through the season, Kubica was thrown straight into the world of F1 and got off
to a brilliant start by finishing seventh in the Hungarian Grand Prix. However,
he was later disqualified as the car was underweight, but the Pole still
managed to take a podium two races later at the Italian Grand Prix.
It
was little surprised that Kubica was kept on for 2007, and after a wobbly start
to the season he managed to score some valuable points for the team. Things
took a spectacular turn for the worse though, as Kubica was involved in one of
the most horrendous looking accidents in Formula One history. Having clipped
the car in front, Kubica's BMW was thrown into a concrete barrier at full speed
before bouncing around in the middle of the track. The impact was so violent
that his feet were hanging out of where the nosecone had been.
Miraculously,
Kubica was mostly unharmed by the collision and missed just a single race. He
returned and regained his form immediately, taking a number of solid finishes
and ending up sixth in the World Championship, albeit quite a way behind his
teammate Nick Heidfeld. In 2008 Kubica was able to step his game up further,
scoring three podiums in the first six races before bizarre circumstances
resulted in him taking a maiden victory at Canada. Kubica was chasing Hamilton
and Raikkonen before the two collided in the pitlane, allowing Kubica to
fearlessly take the victory at the venue in which he'd had his amazing crash
just a year beforehand. He became BMW's first race winner, and the first Polish
driver to win a Grand Prix.
Following
Canada, Kubica topped the Championship and was now the name on everyone's lips
as the favourite to win the title. However, BMW's requirement for the season
was that they would win a race, and as they had now achieved this they stopped
all development on the 2008 car. A livid Kubica was unable to regain title
winning form and, although he managed three more podiums that season, could
only take fourth in the Championship.
Rule
changes meant that BMW found themselves lagging well behind the rest of the
pack in 2009. Kubica and the team had a terrible year, with the only saving
grace being a second place at Brazil towards the end of the season. Having been
unsuccessful, BMW decided to pull out of Formula One, but Kubica quickly found
a seat for 2010 in the Renault set-up. Though the team was not yet capable of
winning races, Kubica had a promising year with a few podium finishes. Though
the previous two seasons had been difficult for the Pole, many predicted that
he would be a major Championship competitor in the seasons ahead.
This
is when things went horribly wrong for Kubica. During a rally event in Italy,
Kubica hit a barrier and suffered severe injuries and partial amputation to his
right forearm. Operations to repair his arm were successful, and Kubica
underwent rehabilitation to regain feeling in his right hand. He missed 2011,
but remained optimistic of a return. Another setback then occurred when he
slipped on ice near his home and broke his right leg. He has since returned to
racing in some forms, but there is considerable doubt he will have the ability
to race in Formula One again, given the permanency of the damage to his arm. It
would be a crying shame, as the Pole most certainly would have been a title
contender without the misfortunes that struck him.
Come back soon for the next installment of the list....
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