Grand Prix Rejects

I've done egg on face moments but what about heartbreaking ones?

e.g Massa being champion for half a lap until Hamilton took it away in Brazil 2008

Non-F1 moment: Carlos Sainz losing the 1998 WRC Crown after his engine blew 500 meters from the end of Rally GB

Two obvious ones right here

Damon Hill losing the 1997 Hungarian GP on the final lap, in that shitbox Arrows. Bathplug you Jacques Villeneuve, bathplug you.

Luca Badoer retiring from 4th place at the Nurburgring in 1999. I still won't watch the footage, it's far too heartbreaking for us reject fans.


Another one, Sebastian Buemi careering into the backmarker teams at Korea in 2010, when there was a seriously good chance of them scoring a point.

On a personal note, Sutil denied his first podium finish loads of times (actually, about twice or thrice).
Barrichello retiring from the lead of his home race in 2003
Jean Alesi in Belgium 1991, Belgium 1994, Italy 1994, Italy 1995, Europe 1995, Japan 1995, Monaco 1996 and Italy 1997 etc.

To be honest, the most heartbreaking moments in F1 are when fairytale wins/podiums fail to come true, ever. Even in this boring season there have been some times when a driver is in the top 3, but isn't there at the finish e.g. di Resta in Bahrain, Sutil in Britain, Bottas in Canada, Hulkenberg in Italy. Last year, we had Perez missing out on maiden wins in Malaysia and to a lesser extent Italy. Hulk also was up there in Belgium and Brazil but by the finish was off the podium. Sure, the results do happen such as Panis in Monaco 1996, Fisichella in Brazil 2003, Vettel in Italy 2008 and Maldonado in Spain 2012 but not often enough, annoyingly.

I'm not physic but I think Salamander will probably say Lea Wood losing a podium finish in the BTCC at Snetterton last year was heartbreaking.

Robby Gordon running out of fuel on the 2nd to last lap at Indy 1999

Sam Hornish Jr. cheating to beat Marco at Indy 2006

Sarah Fisher getting taken off at Indy 2008

Takuma Sato crashing at Indy 2012

Grosjean's alternator packing up in Valencia in 2012 and Webber and Vettel colliding in Fuji 2007.
Ivan Capelli losing P1 in France 1990 and John Love in Kyalami 1967.
Canada 2007 had loads of bad moments e.g. Liuzzi crashing out of P4, a groundhog/beaver costing Davidson a podium, Barrichello pitting from P3 late on thanks to dumbo Honda strategists.
Frentzen's 1999 title challenge dying along with his electrics at the Nurburgring.

good_Ralf wrote:Grosjean's alternator packing up in Valencia in 2012 and Webber and Vettel colliding in Fuji 2007.

Agreed about 2007 I almost cried when Webber retired but even that probably didn't come close to what Jamie and Enoch went through that day

Nicola Larini retiring from the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix.

Webber at Korea in 2010.

Barrichello parking your car in Interlagos, 2003, without fuel. Your best chance of winning in the home soil and Ferrari destroyed it!

JR Hildebrant crashing in the last corner of the last lap of Indy 2011.

FullMetalJack wrote:Nicola Larini retiring from the 1989 Italian Grand Prix.

Surely you meant the Canadian Grand Prix that year, when Larini dropped out of a likely podium finish and even a singleton win?

good_Ralf wrote:

FullMetalJack wrote:Nicola Larini retiring from the 1989 Italian Grand Prix.

Surely you meant the Canadian Grand Prix that year, when Larini dropped out of a likely podium finish and even a singleton win?

Oops, fixed it now. It was late at night and I was tired.

I think Barrichello at most brazilian gp's between 1999-2004 because lets be honest everytime he went out of the race your heart broke

Hill at Hungary in 1997 and Badour at europe (germany) in 1999 are also there.

But the most recent heartbreak for me was Grosjean in Valencia in 2012. If the damm alternator had not broken he would have won I am sure. But you can counteract it with Alonso winning...

Surprised nobody's mentioned De Cesaris at Spa 1991. That was the first season I watched in depth and I was GUTTED, especially as earlier in the race, Murray Walker said he'd driven the most races of anyone without winning one - at the time he was closing on Senna who had an ailing gearbox.

Instead we got a boring McLaren 1-2 with Berger not being allowed to challenge his teammate.

Also it was a driver error, but Webber in the 2010 Korean GP. (Sorry after posting that, it noticed it was already there!!)

Also after getting up early at 16 years old to watch the 1994 Australian GP live, I was so upset I couldn't eat after Schumacher took Hill out.

good_Ralf wrote:Jean Alesi in Belgium 1991, Belgium 1994, Italy 1994, Italy 1995, Europe 1995, Japan 1995, Monaco 1996 and Italy 1997 etc.

There were certainly quite a few for Alesi. Spa 1995, Monaco, UK & Austria 1998, France 1999, Monaco & Spa 2000 to name a few more.

Hakkinen at UK and Luxembourg 1997.

Would have loved to have seen De Cesaris win Monaco 1982. Also IIRC Mark Surer was on for a good result in Monaco 1983 before he got punted out.

Martin Brundle Monaco 1989 & Canada 1992.

Herbert Monza 1994.

ibsey wrote:Also IIRC Mark Surer was on for a good result in Monaco 1983 before he got punted out.

He was in 2nd in the Brabham at Brands Hatch 1985 before his turbo exploded and he was on for at least 2nd in Adelaide later in the year. However I remember Surer more for being the commentator alongside - Jacques Schulz!

Jos Verstappen at Brazil 2003, wasn't he running ahead of Fisichella when he spun off?

FullMetalJack wrote:Jos Verstappen at Brazil 2003, wasn't he running ahead of Fisichella when he spun off?

Yep, could and should have been his race.

watka wrote:

FullMetalJack wrote:Jos Verstappen at Brazil 2003, wasn't he running ahead of Fisichella when he spun off?

Yep, could and should have been his race.

And Minardi's.

In Le Mans 2007 I believe, I remember I think it was Mike Rockenfeller who crashed early in the race on his first start. When he got out he sat down by the car almost in tears.

Colin Mcrae's clutch failing in the WRC Australia 2005 when Skoda were in 3rd place. Apart from the end of Wallace and Gromit The curse of the Were Rabbit that had to be a moment where i genuinely wanted to cry because it would have been an absolutely sensational result for both him and the team

When Jos the Loss ran into the back of Montoya in Brazil '01.

Surprising no one yet mentioned Alonso for his great performance in 2012, which took him JUST 3 points from title.
I remember I banged my tv remote because of Vettel became champion

Frentzen in the Arrows retiring from the 2002 British GP when he was running strongly in the points. Wasn't long after that the team folded.

ibsey wrote:Frentzen in the Arrows retiring from the 2002 British GP when he was running strongly in the points. Wasn't long after that the team folded.

Watched that race on Dailymotion a few days ago and Martin Brundle's "Oh No!" when smoke belched from the car entering Hangar Straight said it all. I loved how Frentzen described some of the opposition as 'easy meat' in a subsequent interview, given how that doesn't seem to be a very German line.

good_Ralf wrote:Watched that race on Dailymotion a few days ago and Martin Brundle's "Oh No!" when smoke belched from the car entering Hangar Straight said it all.

Yeah I remember that as well. Such a shame as IIRC he was in 4th & catching Montoya.

Another one I've just remembered is Panis retiring at the 1997 Argentine GP. Had he not done so I'm sure he could have gone onto it win it, as again the Bridgestone tyres seemed fairly strong that day.

mine would probably be Motayam's fruitless 90 minute atempt to fix the Deltawing at Le Mans last year with nothing more than brute force and a couple of the mechanics shouting instructions from behind the debris fence

ibsey wrote:

good_Ralf wrote:Watched that race on Dailymotion a few days ago and Martin Brundle's "Oh No!" when smoke belched from the car entering Hangar Straight said it all.

Yeah I remember that as well. Such a shame as IIRC he was in 4th & catching Montoya.

Another one I've just remembered is Panis retiring at the 1997 Argentine GP. Had he not done so I'm sure he could have gone onto it win it, as again the Bridgestone tyres seemed fairly strong that day.

I think he was 7th and pressuring Ralf for 6th when the engine gave way. Either way it was disappointing that both Arrows cars left the race as Bernoldi got as high as 6th at one point so they had competitive pace that day

ibsey wrote:Another one I've just remembered is Panis retiring at the 1997 Argentine GP. Had he not done so I'm sure he could have gone onto it win it, as again the Bridgestone tyres seemed fairly strong that day.

He was on a 1-stop and with eventual winner Villeneuve on 3 stops, I wouldn't bet against it. I think he could have notched up win no.2. Of course Olly was unlucky to be held up in Spain and he had the pace to do well in Canada, but instead he broke his nosecone against Hakkinen and then... Enough said.

roblomas52 wrote:Mine would probably be Motayama's fruitless 90 minute atempt to fix the Deltawing at Le Mans last year with nothing more than brute force and a couple of the mechanics shouting instructions from behind the debris fence

Yeah, I was really hoping for a strong result from that car that day...

Just been watching the 1988 Japanese GP - surely Capelli breaking down when he was battling both Prost and Senna has to go down in here as well. (Similarly in the 1990 French GP as already mentioned).

James1978 wrote:Just been watching the 1988 Japanese GP - surely Capelli breaking down when he was battling both Prost and Senna has to go down in here as well. (Similarly in the 1990 French GP as already mentioned).

Leyton House/March had the worst reliability in 1988-90. If it was better they would have scored more than 4 top-3 finishes for sure.

Since it's his forum,van de Poele on course to get a 5th place and two points at San Marino '91 when a fuel pump went bang in sight of the finish...

Dark77 wrote:Takuma Sato crashing at Indy 2012

I SECOND THAT. BATHPLUG YOU DARIO

Bourdais crashing at Fontana this year when he could have won for Dragon Racing in what would have been their last race.

Matt Kenseth's team at Phoenix last weekend.

Well, if you want to do really heartbreaking moments, it would be David Purley trying and failing to save Roger Williamson's life at Zandvoort in 1973.

On a less morbid note, I would say Mansell's tyre blowing at Adelaide in '86 would count for his British fans (I'd imagine there are some).

IndyCar (CART) at Nazareth in 1995. Eddie Cheever was gonna win his first CART race, but ran out of fuel on the last lap. He never won a CART race.

Monaco 1984. Either Senna or Bellof was gonna take their first win, but Prost wanted to stop the race.

Kids never listening to advice and doing the same dumb double-posting shite over and over no matter how many times you tell them... oh, wait, you meant racing.

Mat Jackson at Knockhill, Rockingham, and Silverstone at the end of 2011. Absolutely devastating to see him lose the title that horribly.