Yahoo Autos Celebrating Nico Hulkenberg: The 20 F1 Drivers with the Most Career Starts without a Win
It's a safe bet that Formula 1 drivers never dream that they'd make a list of drivers with the most starts in F1 without a race victory. At least, that's not the goal.
This week at the F1 Mexico Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team's Nico Hulkenberg makes his 200th start in Formula 1. And that places him No. 2 on the all-time list for most starts without a victory in the series. He's a good bet to pass Andrea de Cesaris (208) for the top spot on this dubious list early next season.
This list includes four active Formula 1 drivers: Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris. It also includes the father of the driver on pace to be the most decorated driver in series history.
Here's the list of those who have raced the most in F1 without ever finding their way to the top step of the podium:
20. Chris Amon (96)
Chris Amon had several near misses (or more to the point, near victories) in a career that ran from 1963 through 1976. Three of those years, 1967-69, were with Ferrari. Amon's career included five poles and 11 podium finishes. He had three third-place finishes for Ferrari in 1967. His best season with Ferrari was 1968, when he won three poles and finished fifth in the championship. That year, he finished runner-up to Jo Siffert by 4.4 seconds at Brands Hatch. The closest Amon came to victory in his F1 career was at Spa in 1970, when he finished second, just 1.1 seconds behind Pedro Rodríguez.
19. Marcus Ericsson (97)
Marcus Ericsson toiled with the backmarker Caterham and Sauber F1 outfits from 2014 to 2018. He never managed a podium. In fact, his best finish was eighth, a lap down, at Melbourne in 2015. The closest Ericsson came to victory was at Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2018. That day, he finished 11th, but was 18.512 seconds back of race-winner Lewis Hamilton. Ericsson is driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2020.
18. Pedro Diniz (98)
Pedro Diniz, a pay driver who carried family sponsorship with him, raced in Formula 1 from 1995 through 2000. Diniz's father, Abilio, is a businessman in Brazil who built a supermarket chain. Forbes lists Abilio as the 1,090th richest person in the world with a net worth of $2.4 billion. Another driver who was unable to shed the backmarker label, Diniz did not even finish on the lead lap until the 48th race of his F1 career. Driving for the Arrows Grand Prix team, Diniz's best finish was fifth at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in 1998. The closest Diniz ever finished to a race winner was at Montreal in 1999. That time out, he finished sixth for Red Bull Sauber Petronas, just 3.711 seconds back of race-winner Mika Häkkinen.
17, Lando Norris (100)
McLaren driver Lando Norris is probably the best candidate of any driver on this list to fall off it pretty soon. Norris, who turns 24 in November, has five runner-up finishes this year alone, including one stretch of three second-place efforts in four races. In total, Norris has 12 podiums in his first 100 race starts.
16. Pedro de la Rosa (104)
Pedro de la Rosa was a late-comer to Formula 1, kicking off his career at the age of 28 with the Arrows Grand Prix team in 1999. He was in and out of the series, racing nine seasons before wrapping up his F1 career with the HRT team 2012. He had one podium in the series, finishing second for McLaren at Hungary in 2006, 30.8 seconds back of winner Jenson Button. Following his F1 career, de la Rosa moved to Formula E and became an advisor to the Techeetah team.
15. Jos Verstappen (105)
Heading into the 2020 season, Jos Verstappen's son Max had eight victories in Formula 1. Jos wasn't so lucky, going 105 races without a win between 1994 and 2003. Jos made it to the podium twice in his career, both with Benetton in his rookie season. He finished third in his sixth and seventh F1 starts, at Hungary and Belgium, respectively. In both of those races, he was 70 seconds off the pace.
14. Philippe Alliot (109)
Philippe Alliot never made it to the podium in his Formula 1 career from 1984 until 1994. His best finish with fifth in the 1993 Italian Grand Prix at Imola, two laps back of winner Alain Prost. And, in doing his part to define the term backmarker, Alliot never finished an F1 race on the lead lap.
13. Mika Salo (110)
Mika Salo raced in Formula 1 from 1994 through 2002. He managed two podiums in his career, both coming in 1999 with Ferrari. His best career finish was second at Hockenheim, Germany, that year, 1.007 seconds back of teammate Eddie Irvine. That finish came during a six-race stint, when he replaced an injured Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari ride. In 5,442 career F1 laps, he led two. Salo, however, did make it to the top step of the podium with a class championship at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009.
12. Pierluigi Martini (118)
Pierluigi Martini raced in the series from 1984 through 1995 and never reached the podium. His best finishes came in 1991 when he was fourth in Grands Prix at Italy and Portugal. His result at Portugal marked the only time Martini finished on the lead lap in a Formula 1 race. He was 63 seconds back of Riccardo Patrese that day. Martini was an overall winner at Le Mans in 1999.
