Across more than 75 years, Formula 1 has produced countless bizarre and spectacular records. Here are 12 of the strangest and most remarkable moments from the sport’s history.
Most drivers to set equal pole time in Qualifying – 3
At the 1997 European Grand Prix, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Heinz‑Harald Frentzen all recorded an identical fastest lap of 1:21.072 in qualifying. The tie was resolved by awarding pole to Villeneuve because he set the time first. A three‑way dead heat remains unique; a modern near‑miss came at the 2024 Canadian GP when George Russell and Max Verstappen posted identical best laps, Russell having gone first.
Most pole positions without ever leading a lap – Teo Fabi
Teo Fabi is the only driver to start from pole in F1 but never officially lead any lap. In a 64‑race career he took three poles (1985 Nürburgring; 1986 Austria and Italy) but never completed a lap in the lead — an Austrian race where he briefly led on track ended with engine failure before he crossed the start/finish line, so the lap was not credited.
Largest winning margin – 5m 12.750s
Modern F1 margins are usually measured in seconds, but Stirling Moss’s victory at the 1958 Portuguese GP was extraordinary: Moss won by 5 minutes 12.750 seconds over Mike Hawthorn. At the other extreme, the smallest margin is 0.010s, Peter Gethin beating Ronnie Peterson to win the 1971 Italian GP.
Only driver to record a DNQ, DNF and DSQ in one race – Hans Heyer
In 1977 Hans Heyer failed to qualify for the German GP at Hockenheim but started the race anyway in a Penske, completed nine laps before retiring with gearbox trouble, and was then disqualified for participating illegally. That hat‑trick of DNQ, DNF and DSQ in a single event is unique.
Trio most often on the podium together – Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen (20)
The most frequent three‑driver podium combination belongs to Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who stood together 20 times between 2018 and 2021 in various orders (when Bottas and Hamilton were Mercedes team‑mates). Hamilton and Verstappen remain the most common two‑driver pairing, with 60 shared podiums.
Identical finish for father and son in final race for same team – Graham and Damon Hill
Graham Hill and his son Damon are one of two father‑son pairs to both become World Champions. A neat coincidence: Graham’s last race for Brabham (Watkins Glen, 1972) saw him classified 11th; Damon’s second and final Brabham outing (Hungary, 1992) ended in the same P11, and Damon wore a helmet design echoing his father’s.
Only driver to finish 24th in a race – Narain Karthikeyan
The most cars to finish a Grand Prix is 24, achieved at the 2011 European GP in Valencia when all starters were classified. Narain Karthikeyan finished 24th for HRT, which remains the lowest ever Grand Prix finish and a unique classification in F1 history.
Longest race time – 4 hours, 4 minutes, 39 seconds
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal was chaotic: torrential rain, a record six Safety Car periods and a race stoppage of over two hours. Jenson Button emerged victorious and the official race running time — accounting for delays — was 4:04:39, the longest in F1 history.
Oldest versus youngest average age on the podium – 46 years vs 23 years
The oldest average podium remains the 1950 Swiss GP (Nino Farina, Luigi Fagioli, Louis Rosier) with an average age of about 46 years, eight months. The youngest average podium occurred at the 2019 Brazilian GP (Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz after Hamilton’s penalty) with an average age of roughly 23 years, eight months.
Most red flags during Qualifying – 6
Qualifying at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP saw six red flags — three in Q1 alone — after incidents involving Alex Albon, Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto, plus a Q2 stoppage for Ollie Bearman and two Q3 stoppages when Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri hit the wall. The session took nearly two hours to complete.
Most races without scoring a point – Luca Badoer
Luca Badoer holds the unwanted record for most race starts without scoring a championship point. Across 51 F1 starts (1993–1999, with a two‑race return in 2009), his best result in the points era never came; a P7 at Imola in 1993 would not have counted then, as only the top six scored.
Top two championship contenders never sharing a podium – 1997 (Schumacher vs Villeneuve)
In 1997 Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve contested the World Championship and won multiple races between them (Schumacher five, Villeneuve seven), but remarkably they never appeared together on the podium across a 17‑round season. The only other similar instance was in 1950, when title protagonists Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio did not share a rostrum across six races.
These records show how F1’s combination of speed, strategy and occasionally sheer chaos creates moments that are as strange as they are unforgettable.