Morning all, just a nice simple Championship this one: a medals classification, but for nations rather than individual drivers.
Now, a few rules:
The Indy 500 will not be included. This is because it would just be uncontested medals for the United States.
A country cannot win more than one medal from the same event. This is just to ensure a little bit more medal diversity, and so that it doesn't just correlate with podiums all the time.
Shared drives will only be accepted between drivers of the same nationality.
Bertrand Gachot will represent Luxembourg, rather than France or Belgium. Other cases of disputed nationality to be resolved later.
Argentina - 3 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze - 3 total medals
France - 0 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze - 4 total medals
Great Britain - 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze - 2 total medals
Monaco - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Switzerland - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Thailand - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
The first Formula One Olympiad was dominated by Italy: with medals having been earned by Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Alberto Ascari across all six events, it was always going to be hugely difficult for any other country to keep up: however, Argentina's Juan Manuel Fangio very nearly managed to upset the odds, but ultimately failed when the gearbox of his Alfa Romeo gave up the ghost after 23 laps of Monza.
Belgium - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Monaco - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
At the top of the medal table was a remarkably similar story to the previous Olympiad, only this time Fangio didn't have to work on his own: he had support also from Jose Froilan Gonzalez. However, they couldn't overcome the might of the Italians, who equalled their unbeatable medal tally from the I Olympiad.
Argentina - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze - 1 total medal
Thailand - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
There's not a huge amount to say about this Olympiad, save for highlighting records that will likely never be beaten: firstly, the 100% record achieved by Italy's Piero Taruffi and Alberto Ascari, and secondly the bronze medal of Prince Bira at Silverstone, which was achieved by finishing the race in eleventh place behind four Italians and six Britons.
Argentina - 1 gold, 6 silver, 0 bronze - 7 total medals
Great Britain - 1 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze - 7 total medals
Germany - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Switzerland - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
This season saw four of the eight events finish with exactly the same result: Italy claiming the gold, Argentina silver and Britain bronze. The British medals came almost exclusively at the hands of Mike Hawthorn, while the other two countries had far stronger squads of drivers: Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Farina for Italy; Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Onofre Marimon and Juan Manuel Fangio for Argentina.
Outside of those three countries, the remaining medals were won by Toulo de Graffenried and Hermann Lang.
Thailand - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
The fifth Olympiad was dominated by the Argentine pairing of Fangio and Gonznalez, while the next four countries behind were all quite closely matched. Of particular note was Thailand's third-ever medal, won by Prince Bira. To date, they have not scored another. Finally worth noting is that this was the first season's Olympiad not won by Italy; they slipped all the way down to fifth as Alberto Ascari failed to pilot any of his cars for a full Grand Prix distance.
Monaco - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
This season was entirely dominated by Argentina's Juan Manuel Fangio. Complete anarchy in Buenos Aires resulted in some very strange race standings: the silver was awarded to car #10 because it was driven by Italians for 72 laps before they were too exhausted to continue without relief from Maurice Trintignant, and bronze was awarded to car #8, because it was driven by Germans for 60 laps before they took relief courtesy of Harry Schell. This sort of silliness does not occur again.
Brazil - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
United States - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
And in the seventh Olympiad, we have the third different nation to top the medal table. This time it was Great Britain, as Peter Collins and Stirling Moss put on a sterling season-long performance, while Fangio struggled to make it to the finish most of the time. We also saw a couple of new medal-winners in Brazil (courtesy of Hermano da Silva Ramos at Monaco) and the United States (courtesy of Harry Schell at Spa-Francorchamps).
France - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze - 1 total medal
United States - 0 gold, 0 silver, 3 bronze - 3 total medals
Australia - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Germany - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
This season's medal table ended up looking far more closely-fought than it really was: in practice, Fangio's four wins in the first five races meant that his country was mathematically unassailable at the top of the medal table, regardless of what Great Britain or anyone else did in the other race. Also, Australia becomes the newest medal-winner, courtesy of Jack Brabham at the British Grand Prix (although the argument was presented that he technically shouldn't be counted as a finisher, by that argument there were no other finishers).
Sweden - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze - 1 total medal
Argentina - 0 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze - 2 total medals
Australia - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Belgium - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
The ninth Olympiad saw the greatest diversity of medalists witnessed so far, at least for silver and bronze: with their astonishing stable of drivers that included Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, there was no way of stopping the British for romping to the most comprehensive domination of an Olympiad since Italy in 1952. We also welcome Sweden to the medal-winning fold, courtesy of Jo Bonnier's drive for BRM at Ain-Diab.
Great Britain - 4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze - 7 total medals
Australia - 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze - 5 total medal
New Zealand - 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 2 total medals
Sweden - 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze - 1 total medal
United States - 0 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze - 5 total medals
France - 0 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze - 4 total medals
Despite an outstanding performance from Australia's Jack Brabham, the final Olympiad of the decade went the way of Great Britain, courtesy of excellent driving from Brooks and Moss. The season also saw three new gold medallists: Australia (see previous about Brabham), New Zealand (thanks to Bruce McLaren at Watkins Glen; also won their inaugural medal earlier in the Olympiad) and Sweden (thanks to Jo Bonnier at Zandvoort). That United States again performed inordinately well for a country that refuses to win gold.
The 1982 version of this might through up an interesting result?
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
dr-baker wrote:The 1982 version of this might throw up an interesting result?
I don't think it'll be the most interesting season I have tbh. It will probably be a bit like 1956, because France have Arnoux, Laffite, Pironi, Prost and Tambay. It should be pretty much FRANCEWINSLOL.
dr-baker wrote:The 1982 version of this might throw up an interesting result?
I don't think it'll be the most interesting season I have tbh. It will probably be a bit like 1956, because France have Arnoux, Laffite, Pironi, Prost and Tambay. It should be pretty much FRANCEWINSLOL.
I forget so many were French. Plus I keep forgetting Peroni is not Italian. To me, he seems to have a French first name and Italian surname. Just like Jean Alesi...
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
Argentina - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Germany - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Italy - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Australia's Jack Brabham won this Olympiad single-handed for his country, defeating a British delegation that included no fewer than five medallists (Allison, Clark, Ireland, Moss, Surtees). The other outstanding individual performance came from Bruce McLaren, who claimed more medals by himself than any other nation could assemble.
Italy - 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze - 1 total medal
New Zealand - 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze - 2 total medals
Australia - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Belgium - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
This was a closely-fought season, as the American triple-threat of Ginther, Gurney and Hill was unrivalled at collecting medals, but more often claiming silver than gold. Going into their home round at Watkins Glen, they were level with Germany and Great Britain on two golds, but ahead by virtue of their many silver medals. But Innes Ireland, not previously a medallist this season, stormed to the race win to take his nation to another victorious Olympiad.
Mexico - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Once again, the strong stable of British drivers were able to take overall victory at another Olympiad. And once again, Bruce McLaren cut a lone foray into the medal places that allowed New Zealand to punch well above their weight. Mexico (Ricardo Rodriguez) and South Africa (Tony Maggs) both make their maiden forays onto the medal table.
This season was a bit silly, as Great Britain earned themselves the best possible medal tally for the Olympiad. The finest non-British driver was clearly Richie Ginther, who earned eight of the United States' nine medals, six of them silver as the leading non-British driver.
Sweden - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze - 1 total medal
Another season in which nobody would have been able to beat Great Britain as they won the overwhelming majority of races. A special mention to Phil Hill of the United States, whose eighth place at Zandvoort was enough to earn a bronze medal as he finished behind five Brits and two Kiwis. It was reassuring, however, to see more than just one nation taking home gold medals this season.