The 5 Best Moments in Grand Prix History
5. British Grand Prix, 1926
Held in a variety of different countries over multiple decades, the Grand Prix world championship series began in 1894 and one of the best moments in Grand Prix history took place almost as long ago.
In 1926 the Grand Prix was set at the Brooklands circuit located in Weybridge, Surrey. Sir Malcolm Campbell raced in a 39A Bugatti, finishing the race second at 68.82 mph. Campbell gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s and went on to win the Grand Prix in both 1927 and 1928.
4. Michael Schumacher, Barcelona, 1994
Next on the list of best moments in Grand Prix history is Michael Schumacher’s signature drive with only one working gear. Despite having problems with the gears in the middle of the first round, leaving him to utilise one gear throughout the race, Schumacher finished second.
Schumacher said, ‘At the beginning it was difficult to take all the corners at 5th gear, but then I managed to find a good line and keep up lap times that were more or less good enough to compete against the others behind me.’ To this day the Grand Prix de Barcelona is considered as Schumacher’s greatest race of all time.
3. Olivier Panis, 1996
Held in Monaco in 1996, the Olivier Panis was the sixth race of the Formula One season. French driver Olivier Panis scored his sole Formula One victory, also earning the last ever Formula One victory for the Ligier team, and the first ever for engine manufacturer Mugen Motorsports’ after switching to slick tyres. As of today, Oliver Panis’ is the most recent Grand Prix race won by a French driver.
2. Spa Grand Prix, Belgium, 1998
The chaos and carnage of the Belgium Grand Prix will never be forgotten. Drivers competed in heavy rain and British driver David Coulthard lost control of his McLaren car in the first lap, causing a mass collision that affected 13 other racers. Eventually the race had to be stopped, and after a one-hour delay to ensure that the tracks were cleared, another incident occurred during the second attempt which ultimately stopped the race.
Despite an intense race, Damon Hill came in first place driving a Jordan.
1. Lewis Hamilton at the Brazil Grand Prix in 2008
The Grand Prix event in Brazil, Sao Paulo was Lewis Hamilton’s impressive performance under difficult weather conditions and gets our top spot on the list of best moments in Grand Prix history. During the race Lewis managed to secure a driver championship, scoring 94 points to Massa’s 87 points. This was a phenomenal victory for Hamilton, who became the world champion at the age of 23 years old.
Hamilton says,’I have always wanted to win since I watched Ayrton Senna win here in 1991. It’s taken me a long time to get here and this is a historic day for me. To stand on the podium in Brazil where Ayrton was so loved was really special."
Winning four consecutive Formula 1 championships, Lewis has been declared one of the best British Motorsport drivers.
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