Verstappen is first driver to score points without completing a lap in grand prix

2021 British Grand Prix stats and facts

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The 99th victory of Lewis Hamilton’s career was surely one of his most controversial following his first-lap collision with his championship rival and 10-second time penalty.

Max Verstappen’s crash after contact with Hamilton at Copse was the second time this year the pole-winning driver has failed to complete the first lap of the race. The other was Charles Leclerc, who failed to even start in Monaco.

But the introduction of ‘sprint qualifying’ means Verstappen can claim a unique feat. He is the first person to score points in a world championship round despite retiring on the first lap of the grand prix. The Red Bull driver scored three points for winning Saturday’s 17-lap qualifying race.

For the first time in the championship’s 1,045-race history, pole position was set by a race, rather than a qualifying session, although it was officially referred to as ‘sprint qualifying’. Verstappen also claimed that unique award. This was the eighth pole position of his career, seven of which have come in qualifying sessions. If sprint qualifying changed nothing else, it made qualifying statistics a lot more complicated.

Start, Red Bull Ring, 2021
History: How Formula 1 got its tenth different points system in 2021
Victory in the main event went to Hamilton. However he is not the first driver to win a race despite collecting a penalty, and a 10-second sanction is not the largest a race-winning driver has received.

At Silverstone in 1998 Michael Schumacher was given a 10-second top-go penalty and won the race, though through a quirk of the rules he was able to serve it in the pits after taking the chequered flag. Mark Webber served a drive-through penalty during the race at the Nurburgring in 2009 on his way to the first victory of his career, for Red Bull.

Hamilton won his home race for the eighth time, seven of which have come in the past eight years. He has again tied the record for most wins in the same race: He has eight wins in Hungary, while Schumacher won eight times in France.

Spare a thought for Charles Leclerc, however, who led the first 49 out of 52 laps yesterday before being passed by Hamilton.

Leclerc spent most of Sunday afternoon in the lead
Lando Norris extended his points-scoring run to 15 races in a row. With Sergio Perez failing to score, he has moved back up to third place in the drivers’ championship after 10 of the 23 rounds.

His team mate Daniel Ricciardo achieved his best finish for McLaren to date with fifth place. But despite getting both cars home in the top five, McLaren were out-scored by rivals Ferrari, who are now 15 points behind them in the fight for third place.

Despite reaching Q3 again and starting sprint qualifying from eighth on the grid, George Russell was again unable to score for Williams. They will pass the second anniversary of their last points score, in the 2019 German Grand Prix, before the next round of the world championship.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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62 comments on “Verstappen is first driver to score points without completing a lap in grand prix”

  1. Lets hope there won’t be more instances of ‘scoring points without finishing a single race lap’ as the spring qualifying really wasn’t needed.

    1. Without the Sprint Qualifying, Lewis would have started on pole and rather likely there would not have been a collision with Max.

      1. I don’t agree with that. Lewis did take pole for the sprint race is true. But that’s a bit shortsighted. With a traditional qualification it would mean 3 FPs for the drivers to tweak their cars and Lewis wouldn’t be in the simulator to get the extra practice. On top of that Max wasn’t that far off in the “sprint qualification”. In short you can’t really conclude that Lewis would have been on pole. It’s likely but then again he’s been “likely” all year. The Red Bulls have pace and will continue to do so.

    2. Sprint qualifying may not have been needed, but it certainly had some benefits. I have rarely seen so many cars on track for so long for a FP session as there were on Friday morning at Silverstone, and FP2 wasn’t much quieter. For those at the track, there were sessions on all 3 days which counted towards the result of the race. Previously, Friday didn’t feel like it mattered much, and nor did Saturday morning, but this year every day felt important and exciting. Even though the Sprint Race itself wasn’t that great, it still mattered so still felt exciting.

  2. I’ve seen it tweeted that Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to race at the same circuit 20 times in F1. 19 British Grands Prix and the additional 70th Anniversary race last year.

    1. Considering Max is now the same age as Hamilton was when he started his first season, yet Max has already done 7 seasons, if he has a long career in F1 I can’t see how he won’t beat almost every record in F1.

      1. If he’s got a (very) good car yes. If not, then no. He started young, but he stood no chance until this year. Who knows how the next 10 years will look like, it’s hard to predict even the next one (especially considering the new regulations). This sport is so unfair it hurts. First only the privileged ones (or the ones who’s parents are willing to sacrifice it all for a small chance of success) get to race at all, so you have to be amongst those 0.01% or something. You need to make it though junior ranks and excel. After everything, when you enter F1, it’ll still be down to the pace of your car. Out of 10 or so teams usually there’s only one competing with itself. That’s two seats, and one is usually reserved for a lucky loser (won’t get a chance to win, but will be considered lucky to drive such a car and at least score podiums). In this sport I’ll never make predictions based on someone’s talent.

      2. @OOliver With the semi spec chassis starting next year and even tighter restrictions on innovation and development of the car, all aimed at ‘closer’ racing :) I don’ think Verstappen has much hope of equalling Hamilton’s records.

        1. @johnrkh Yeah I was going to say the same. It is not within the new chapter philosophy to think of 7 year runs of utter domination. And we’ve known for years and years that that kind of predictability is not good for viewership.

          That said, what we have seen in truly more spec series like Indycar is that it is still the have teams that seem to win the most over the have less teams. The Andrettis’ and the Penskes’ of the world.

          What I hope and expect for the new chapter is teams closer to each other and cars able to race more closely together, but the bigger teams will still be able to eek that much more out of their packages as will the drivers. I envision Max for example winning his WDCs in a much harder fought way, and they will feel more rewarding as a result. There should be greater odds of seasons going down to the last race for example. I don’t discount the possibility of Max dominating, because he is that good a racer imho, but I see it as being more from his skill and less from a car advantage in terms of ratios if you will. Yes it is still going to take the WCC car, but more than ever in a long time the drivers of the second best WCC car will have a great chance too.

          I have not been one to count my ‘greats’ by the number of Championship they have, as I have always felt that even having one puts that driver in a very small and unique group of extraordinary racers. Of course there is no small a faction of people that think the more the Championships the greater the driver, but I’ve never been able to look at it like that when for the drivers so much depends on the luck of having the car since that is such a huge ingredient in the whole recipe for success.

      3. It needs a dominant car for an incredibly long time as well. Which is rarely seen. So my guess is the records will be safe at Lewis for quite while or forever

    2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      19th July 2021, 19:02

      @supernicebob that’s insane…

  3. The 1st Friday QLF since 2003 season-ending Japanese GP.

    Additionally, the 1st time since the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP with drivers starting a race-like session w/o nearly a maximum fuel capacity allowance onboard.

    Max has led 144 successive laps in GPs this season and every lap of the first-ever Sprint. He also passed 1,000 laps led in his F1 career, taking both formats into account.

    The 1st time since the 2011 Indian GP that Hamilton has had this type of incident (Massa as the driver ahead got penalized for their collision, so the other way round).

    The 4th race w/o FLAP bonus point for anyone since reintroduction.

    Only the 4th F1 points-finish for Tsunoda, following Bahrain, Azerbaijan, and Styrian GPs.

    The 1st red-flag stoppage in Silverstone since 2014, coincidently also caused by an opening lap accident.

    The 1st time with a Ferrari 1-2 lead in a race since the 2019 Russian GP.

    1. Rodric Ewulf
      20th July 2021, 3:38

      With his fifth consecutive points position in the British GP, Fernando Alonso is already the second driver with the longest active scoring streak of the entire grid, only behind Lando Norris, of course, who is on a run of 15 races in a row.

  4. First time a driver got affected by a helicopter?

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CRhDLHqICFk/?utm_medium=copy_link

    He was right

    1. What a stupidly dangerous place to put a Helicopter, with these cars being so aero sensitive imagine the wash coming of it.

    2. @rvg013 wow. First I’ve heard of that happening. Never liked those helicopters flying so low.

    3. That’s bonkers, funny and dangerous all at the same time.

    4. F1oSaurus (@)
      20th July 2021, 8:04

      @rvg013 Yeah that was weird.

      Actually also that drone like thing that hangs over the track looks odd. It’s suspended on wires rather than an actual drone, but it must be distracting to the drivers to have something like that hanging over them.

    5. I haven’t seen something very dangerous since Turkey 2020.

  5. Saw this interesting stat elsewhere

    The 2021 British Grand Prix will be the eighth F1 race held on 18th July.
    All but one previous race on this date has taken place in Britain. The 1965 Dutch Grand Prix is the exception
    The last three races on this date have all featured at least one first lap retirement.

    1. Rodric Ewulf
      20th July 2021, 3:54

      With his fifth consecutive points position in the British GP, Fernando Alonso is already the second driver with the longest active scoring streak of the entire grid, only behind Lando Norris, of course, who is on a run of 15 races in a row.

  6. Hamilton scored 27 points this weekend – most ever for a single driver, or am I mistaken?

    1. That’s so true.
      In fact… he gained 29 points this weekend. ;-)
      27 on track + 2 by the stewards

      1. Abu Dhabi 2014, double points race.
        Hamilton won for 50pts?
        I don’t know of any higher points scores

        1. You are right. I forgot it.

          1. Most people try to lol

    2. RandomMallard (@)
      19th July 2021, 19:16

      @talcumpowder If you haven’t yet seen Damian’s post, I think he is correct with the double points Abu Dhabi finale in 2014 being the most anyone has ever got for a win.

  7. Jonathan Parkin
    19th July 2021, 18:40

    Michael Schumacher’s penalty at the end of the race was a foul up by the stewards. It appeared later than the rules allowed and it didn’t specify the punishment

  8. This was the first time, new record, a driver scored 27 points in a single round, although this may change very soon in Monza.

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th July 2021, 19:18

      @bilarxos As someone pointed out above, Hamilton scored 50 points in the double points finale at Abu Dhabi in 2014, so I think that is the record. I think he’s put it below as well but the hit of the ‘reply’ button didn’t work

      1. Correct @randommallard however the fact is that this is the first ever occurence of a driver scoring 27 points during a weekend

        1. RandomMallard (@)
          19th July 2021, 19:40

          @paeschli yeah I was contemplating exactly what this comment meant when it said new record. It could be seen both ways

        2. Could easily be 28 or 29 in next instances of spring quali but 50+ is out of the way

  9. Abu Dhabi 2014, double points race.
    Hamilton won for 50pts?
    I don’t know of any higher points scores

  10. I would disagree with Schumacher 1998 being mentioned. First, he didn’t serve the penalty during the race and also it was later rescinded.

  11. This is not a rehash of the crash discussion…
    But i have never seen a driver cause an incident (as assessed by the stewards) of this magnitude, keep going after it (lucky star #1), then have a red flag to fix the car (lucky star #2).

  12. Mathematically speaking, Nikita Mazepin can still be World Drivers’ Champion this year

    1. @mrfabulous a quick odds check tells me you can place a bet at 10,000-1. Which considering ‘Leicester to win the Premier League’ was 5,000-1, might be worth putting a shekel or two on? He does face the right direction a lot more these days.

  13. Lewis has now won as many races as Jackie Stewart entered. Oh how the sport has changed!

  14. Both Max and Charles are faster than Hamilton.

    1. Maybe in a running race, but not in equal cars.

      1. Rodric Ewulf
        20th July 2021, 4:01

        Unproved suppositions anyway until they accept to be team-mates (it would be freaking awesome, but it’s extremely unlikely).

        1. F1oSaurus (@)
          20th July 2021, 8:08

          The point is not even so much the speed, but the difference in approach. While Hamilton jumped out of the way for Verstappen on the first lap in Spain, rather than crash and end up in the wall, Verstappen chose to crash rather than be overtaken. Which netted Hamilton 50 points for those two races and Verstappen 19. It’s not just speed, but also brains that makes the difference.

          1. Rodric Ewulf
            20th July 2021, 9:22

            @f1osaurus So where was Hammy’s brain when he was trying to lap Russell like an amateur at Imola? Or not finding the right button in Baku restart? Or hitting the kerbs the wrong way at Red Bull Ring? Finally, where was his pace at Monaco while being thrashed by Bottas (0.5s deficit on quali, nowhere to be seen in the race)? All those errors combined amount to a total of at least 40 points thrown away, even leaving out the mistakes nullified by auspicious safety car at Imola and Silverstone as well, with damage after causing a serious collision. If Max had been naive sometimes this season when not being spectacular, Lewis was all ups and downs, with stints of brilliance followed by lots of mistakes, some of them way too costly.

      2. @greenflag I’d watch that!

      3. To get a fair result for fastest team they should do a 3 legged race with there team mate while the team principles do an egg and spoon race.
        I can see now,Toto and Christian snake eyeing each other, egg and spoon in hand.

    2. Agree, that’s why the pro Ham lobby is so strong. Instead of letting his records speak for itself there is this relentless need to defend every move Hamilton makes. Like he is above any mistakes. Feels like compensation behavior of which you can ask yourself where it comes from. My theory is they defend the attack on his many titles being too much credited to the car. Lewis is being addressed with the same question. That must feel hard for an athlete. So his frustration about this boils over to the fans. And then there is also Max, who for some reason seems to be the new kid in town. So all in all, tough cookies for Lewis. So understandably, he made quite some errors this year since he’s put under pressure without his cars natural advantage. Lets also not forget he got rusty driving in front. How many wheel to wheel battles has he had vs the rest of the field. Significantly less.

  15. Maybe it’s just me but that “1st” label on the wreath looks like a primary school art project. I’m not one for wasting money but surely they could have spent a couple more bucks on this.

  16. 4th time this year Stroll has finished 8th without finishing higher.

    2nd race in a row where Giovinazzi has started 15th and Raikkonen has finished 15th.

    5th time (out of 10 races) this year where the driver who led most laps has not won.

    First time since Sakhir 2020 that neither Red Bull has finished on the podium. Also the first time they have not led a lap since that race.

    1. Rodric Ewulf
      20th July 2021, 3:53

      With his fifth consecutive points position in the British GP, Fernando Alonso is already the second driver with the longest active scoring streak of the entire grid, only behind Lando Norris, of course, who is on a run of 15 races in a row.

  17. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    19th July 2021, 23:12

    I was wondering if Friday’s attendance would be a record. What with the weather and a meaningful qualifying I’ve never known it so busy at Silverstone on a Friday.

  18. The three points he scored on saturday cannot make up what has been done to him on sunday. Very sad actually.

  19. So happy that sprint qualifying was such a massive success. This really makes up for the boring 59 minutes of qualifying that we have to endure each race weekend. Really looking forward to seeing this every weekend from next year on.

  20. I still can’t believe Lewis got this desperate that he was willing to play with lives. Borderline insanity. This sets a dangerous precedent. He made such a bad move in frustration at the wrong time. No sport benefits from such attitude. I don’t mind other people trying to spin things or actually a large part does not spin but is simply convinced of his innocence. So be it, your are all entitled to that. But images dont lie. Especially with the footage of the Leclerc pass. Lewis says it exactly right, thats how its done. If Lewis had just followed the same line when he made that pass on Leclerc, he also would have avoided contact with Max. But he chose not to. It was his last chance on Max and he absolutely didnt want to loose in front of his home crowd. Determination yes. Sanity, not really. Well, he got what he wanted. For me he can have his 8th title today. Or his 10th, I really don’t care. Whatever makes him happy. Max will probably just continue to ignore him as he has always done. If your opponent resorts to high speed crashing there is no use in any kind of interaction anymore with such persons. Just hope you can outlive them and they dont kill you. I have browsed quite some international media from across the globe and it is very clear Sir Lewis Hamilton put himself in a very bad light. I havent come across any non British commentary that did not outright felt this was borderline. Firstly he racks up titles because of his car and when he really has to perform and cant handle it he starts being Schumacher, bumping his opponents off. Like they are playing with toy cars at Kindergarden. And the justification of all this? Max is too agressive. Yeah, right. Lewis bumped off 3(!) RedBull cars recent years, has collected more penalty points than Max. Yeah, but what about Barcelona? Max needs to be stopped. For what? First of all Max actually was on the kerb in that corner. Secondly, his nose was in front of the Mercedes already at corner entry. So if this is tue reason why Max needs to be taught a lesson than it is clear that Lewis doesnt want nor like a good fight, he wants people to make way for the king. Between him entering the sport and some years ago, I always rooted for him. What has happened? Apparently without Lauda to keep things real, this guy is not even a shadow of himself anymore. Such a pity.

  21. its fitting that Max is the first driver to score points without finishing the race,

    lets face it, he’s also been called A GREAT of the sport, before he’s even won a single championship.

    So that’s all part of the same pattern isn’t it?

    1. There are plenty of greats who never won championships. I don’t think that necessarily needs to be a prerequisite. If Max retired tomorrow, he’d definitely be added to the list of best drivers never to win a championship alongside Moss and Peterson among others.

  22. Looking forward to leading the list of records he will have broken after winning his maiden WDC this season!

    1. Rodric Ewulf
      20th July 2021, 23:47

      Just hope Max won’t end up with a bunch of hollow stats like Lewis. Being not fiercely challenged for such a long time may be good to fame and make a driver look good, but at the same time he ends up like Seb was and Lewis is now following the same path: regardless how hard they try to affirm themselves they remain with visible self-doubt that vents impatience and insecurity sometimes (that’s the main source of mind games in first place), never knowing for sure if they were actually the best. Fernando Alonso is a prime example of the opposite: even with the fact that his excelent drives has only been rediscovered recently as he became nearly unknown by the younger Liberty-media-driven audience, Fernando can take plenty of pride for having in the past and current present always giving his best no matter how crappy his car was and how difficult to drive. Maybe it gives someone like him more long lasting satisfaction, specially in a social media world ruled by fake and sensationalist content.
      And there’s also the fact that Formula 1 urgently needs more competition, and as much as I am a Lewis critic I don’t want a driver to break his records if it means staying protected from relentless challenges like he had been for years since Rosberg. We don’t need another Schumacher just yet. Only Max is giving him a really tough time once again, and its just indescribable how it has been a pleasure to watch.

  23. If Max continues his reckless driving then this will be just one of many such cases.

  24. Lap 2.
    Passing start-finish. How could one miss it.

  25. Τάσος Μπεκρής
    10th August 2021, 19:07

    Hamilton beats Schumacher’s record of most wins at the same circuit with same team. 7 wins at Silverstone for LH with Mercedes than 6 wins for MSC at Magny Cours with Ferrari.

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