The Formula One Journeyman Championship

The place for alternate championships that use real results as a base of forming alternative results, driver careers, and games in general
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

The Formula One Journeyman Championship

Post by Aislabie »

So it's been a long time, but I have an idea for a new alternate Championship that I wanted to share with everyone.

The concept is simple: only journeyman drivers will be able to compete. Of course, the really tricky thing was identifying quite how I would get the right blend of scrubby nonsense for truly immaculate vibes. And thanks to misunderstanding a suggestion from Shadaza, I have it:
The only rule wrote:Any driver who has driven for any team that has won the World Constructors Championship (or International Cup for F1 Manufacturers) will be disqualified from the series.
This is also applied retroactively, so Alberto Ascari gets canned because he drove for Ferrari, who would go on to win the World Constructors Championship - even though he died before the Constructors Championship was ever instituted. On the other hand, Peter Whitehead is fine, because he only ever competed in non-works Ferraris.

Shared drives where one driver is ineligible shall be treated as if that driver was never at the weekend: if the starting driver is eligible, then they will be presumed to have continued driving and not handed the car over to a driver who no longer exists. If there are any other considerations, then I will edit them into this post later.

Until then, here is a list of all our disqualified drivers:
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1950 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

The first ever Formula One season was absolutely dominated by the only full-time Alfa Romeo driver, Image Luigi Fagioli. He won every race he finished, caught out only by a wave cresting the track at the Monaco Grand Prix and taking out most of the field. Louis Rosier also put in an admirable performance to secure second in the Drivers Championship and the Unofficial Cup for Formula One Manufacturers driving for Talbot-Lago.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1951 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

Yet again, there was one Alfa Romeo car on the grid, and the driver who sat in it most often won the 1951 Journeyman Drivers Championship: Image Felice Bonetto. However, he wasn't alone this year: his title was shared with Image Louis Rosier, who was consistently second-fastest - but who was undeniably consistent. Field sizes became a real concern this season: the Belgian Grand Prix was contested between only seven drivers, six of them in Talbot-Lagos.

This season does raise a point actually: I won't be doing tie-breaks here. If two drivers or constructors finish equal on points, we'll be having them as co-champions.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
Posts: 1940
Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1952 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

So in the lead-up to the 1952 season, the organisers in their infinite wisdom decided that the World Championship of Journeyman Drivers should be held to Formula Two regulations, owing to a shortage of Formula One machinery for these utter hacks to drive. And this is the result: despite all works Ferrari drivers being erased from this particular timeline, we end up with Ferrari winning both titles pretty easily thanks to Image Rudi Fischer and his Ecurie Espadon team - although a total of eight journeyman drivers ran their privately entered Ferraris this year. He took home the wins at both Bremgarten and the Nurburgring, and with no other driver winning more than once, that was enough for him to take home the crown. He becomes our fourth first-time Drivers Champion in three seasons.

Seriously though, just look at the Constructors table; this is truly the journeyman season, and I think it will stand the test of time.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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1953 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

Six rounds in and with two rounds to go, the Journeyman Championship looked likely to go down to the wire with works Maserati driver Felice Bonetto just slightly behind the Enrico Platé-run Maserati of Toulo de Graffenried. Bonetto had three wins to his name, but de Graffenried had the better finishing record with three second-places in addition to his one win. And then, in the most anticlimactic way possible, both Championship protagonists DNFed from the remaining two races, leaving Image Toulo de Graffenried at the top of the tree, and the financially insolvent Enrico Platé on top of the world. Tragically, the Italo-Swiss team boss would die in a racing accident in the 1953-54 off-season.

After just two years, it's obvious that these F2 grid sizes are on the downturn. Clearly, it's the perfect time for some brand new Formula One regulations heading into 1954. Will anyone ever be able to win a second Drivers title? Find out eventually.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1954 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

The fifth season of the Journeyman Championship and the third set of regulations already. This time, the new 2.5 litre formula left only three relevant constructors: Ferrari (of course represented only by customer entries), Gordini and Maserati. One of those was significantly better than the others, resulting in the greatest Championship battle we've yet seen between Prince Bira, usually running for his own own Ecurie Siam, and Sergio Mantovani running for the factory outfit. Roberto Mieres earned himself a works drive after doing well as a self-entered privateer, taking two wins in the last three races.

Mantovani took the Championship lead with just one race to go, so Bira dusted himself off and took on his enemy on the streets of the Pedralbes Circuit, Barcelona. Mantovani held a dominant lead until the 55th lap, only for disaster to strike: brake failure. He tried to soldier on, but it simply wouldn't have been safe. Meanwhile, the man circulating fourth and last of all runners took home three points. Image Prince Bira won his first World Journeyman Drivers Championship by two points.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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1955 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

There's not much to say about the 1955 season (or at least, what was left of it after the Le Mans Disaster happened). Image Roberto Mieres was almost invariably the fastest driver, and his Maserati was almost always the fastest car. There really wasn't much competition here at all.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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1956 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

This season featured an outstanding, Championship-winning comeback from Maserati's Image Paco Godia. After the French Grand Prix, Louis Rosier was dominating: the Frenchman had won twice, and Godia had just posted his first race finish of the season - in second place behind Rosier. But Godia was about to go on a tear: a further second place and a win put him level with Rosier on 22 points going into the Italian Grand Prix, before securing an outright Championship with his second straight race win. But how much of that was due to his driving, and how much due to him being sat in a Maserati 250F - the only competitive car on the grid?


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1957 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

What an awful season - not a single driver finished more than one race. So how is it that Image Carlos Mendetiguy has been crowned Champion with two wins?

At the Monaco Grand Prix, he was the last car still running. He was the sole car to complete the 48th lap, and was awarded the win. However, at the Pescara Grand Prix both Gould and Halford were still running after nine laps. Neither completed the 10th lap, and therefore neither driver could be classified for the win. Without this distinction, the championship would have been a five-way tie.


Shared drives are indicated by a box border, and are accounted for in the dropped scores column.
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James1978
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Joined: 26 Jul 2010, 18:46
Location: Darlington, NE England

Re: The Formula One Journeyman Championship

Post by James1978 »

This sounds insane and legendary :-)

I have worked out 1998 (thought of that year straight away as Big Zeddie is covering that season on YouTube) will be between Panis, Diniz, Nakano and Tuero. I think Nakano finished more races than the other 3 :-)
"Poor old Warwick takes it from behind all throughout this season". :) (Tony Jardine, 1988)
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1958 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

So I'm back on this after months, and I have another insane season to share with you all. One in which the Championship was tied between Image Maria Teresa de Filippis, Image Gerino Gerini and Image Carroll Shelby (remember, there is no countback here in tribute to the ultimate journeyman series, the Indy Racing League).

Each of them won two races, but Gerino Gerini must feel deeply wronged because he was the only driver to complete two full race distances in a Formula One car: Shelby won the Portuguese Grand Prix by being the last car still running, and Maria Teresa de Filippis won the Italian Grand Prix in the exact same way. Other carney nonsense involved none of the entrants in the Monaco Grand Prix meeting the required time to qualify for the race, and the event itself being cancelled; Troy Ruttman losing out on a win-by-default at the Nurburgring after he couldn't start his Maserati (the race went ahead with only Formula Two entrants), and neither Championship co-leader turning up for the season decider, enabling a third driver to take a share in their tie.

What a season.

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Aislabie
Posts: 1940
Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1959 Journeyman Formula One season

Post by Aislabie »

Now this is a season. First of all, we have shared Championships for both Drivers and Manufacturers: Image Carel Godin de Beaufort and Image Carrol Shelby, while the Manufacturers title was shared between Image Aston Martin and Image Porsche. Most notably, Carroll Shelby becomes our first ever two-time Champion, out of 14 Drivers Champions over 10 years and 3 Manufacturers Champions over 2 years. This is such a sensible Championship.

As always, we've had a healthy helping of carney nonsense this year. Bruce Halford won the season-opening Monaco Grand Prix by being the only driver to successfully qualify; he completed the one lap required to cement his victory, and then immediately crashed; what a legend. Later, the German Grand Prix was cancelled due to there not being a single entry. Finally, the season-crowning United States Grand Prix saw only one driver arrive who had been present at any previous event this season - Fritz d'Orey in a Tec Mec.

And please do take a moment to appreciate this season's list of Constructors: Aston Martin, Porsche, Maserati, Cooper-Maserati, Cooper-Borgward, Lotus-Climax, Cooper-Climax, Tec Mec-Maserati, JBW-Maserati, Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser, Cooper-OSCA, Connaught-Alta and Behra-Porsche. It's beautiful.

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