Top 10
TOP 10 anecdotes of podium
Once the race has finished and the pressure’s off, the drivers can let loose all their pent-up tension. Many moving scenes have been played out on the Formula One™ podium over the years – some emotional, some hilarious, and some ending in memorable shouting matches. Here’s a run-down of our Top 10 highly-strung podium moments.
2002 Austrian Grand Prix: the Ferrari Scandal
During the final lap of the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Rubens Barrichello slammed on the brakes 100 metres away from the finishing line in order to let his Ferrari team-mate, Michael Schumacher, take the lead. His team’s mission was to enable Schumi to pick up the maximum amount of points in his quest to become World Champion – mission accomplished, since the German driver ended that season by
taking home his fifth trophy. The race left a bitter after-taste, though; the crowd booed Schumacher even as he placed the winner’s cap on Barrichello’s head. In fact, the Brazilian revealed a few years later that his managers had threatened him. With their words “take your foot off the accelerator and let Michael overtake you, or you’re fired” ringing in his ears, Rubens had chosen to hang onto his job.
1982 French Grand Prix: Cockadoodledoo
It’s very rare to see three compatriots sharing the podium – so when it happens on the winners’ home ground, it’s celebration time! In 1982, three Frenchmen stepped up onto the podium of the Paul Ricard circuit at Castellet near Marseille. That year, René Arnoux came in ahead of his Renault team-mate Alain Prost, with the late-lamented Didier Pironi
in third place. Ironically, yet another Frenchman, Patrick Tambay, languished at the base of the podium. While British drivers had also cleaned up in this way on several occasions during their heyday in the 60s, no other nation has managed the winning hat-trick since.
2013 Bahrain Grand Prix: A Woman on the Podium
Apart from Grid Girls and a few honoured guests observing protocol, no woman had ever mounted a Formula One™ podium until this April in Bahrain, when Red Bull were to receive their trophy as World Constructors’ Champions. They sent Gill Jones, their Head of Electronics, to stand among the winners. Team leader Christian Horner
was very conscious of the honour, saying: “We’re delighted to be able to send Gill Jones, an important member of our team who has worked so hard for us. Seeing her up there representing the team was brilliant.” How long now before we get to see a female driver?
2013 Malaysian Grand Prix: The Vettel/Webber Clash
Up on the podium after the April 2013 Sepang Grand Prix, you could have cut the tension with a knife as second-placed Mark Webber glowered scornfully and with intent at victorious team-mate Sebastian Vettel. When the G.H.MUMM Jeroboams were cracked open, the two drivers actually turned their backs on each other.
Why the antagonistic vibes? Because moments earlier, contrary to his stable’s instructions, Vettel had risked a daring attack on his Red Bull team-mate, which won him the race. Absolutely beside himself at the German’s disloyalty, the Australian had given him the finger. Pistols at dawn!
1993 Australian Grand Prix: Final Act of the Senna/Prost Saga
This tale of epic rivalry spiced up Formula One™ racing for years. In the late 80s and early 90s, Frenchman Alain Prost and Brazilian Ayrton Senna were in a drawn battle with each other for the title of World Champion. On one side, Prost – nicknamed The Professor – and on the other, the capricious Senna: these two racing drivers with little in common had many run-ins in the course of their turbulent
struggle for supremacy and ended up respecting each other tremendously. In 1993, on the Australian Grand Prix podium, winner Senna pulled Prost up onto the top step with him – the latter was already assured of the title after his victory in the Portugal GP. Things had come full circle and Prost accepted the gracious gesture. A few months later, the Brazilian was to die on the track.
1997 French Grand Prix: Ecclestone Brings in the Champagne
It’s a tradition that goes way back to the beginnings of F1. In 1950 the legendary Fangio, on winning the Grand Prix in Reims, found himself rewarded with a bottle of champagne. With the dawn of the 60s, euphoric drivers on the podium began to spray the precious liquid all over each other. Under French law, though, alcohol isn’t allowed at
sporting events – including the podium of the French Grand Prix! So at Magny-Cours in 1997, organisers hadn’t planned any. Racing tycoon Bernie Ecclestone was enraged and sent one of his assistants out to get some. In his defence, the F1 Supremo argued that he had photos of sailing races where the winners came in carrying bottles of champagne.
2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Räikkönnen's Anger
Abu Dhabi’s Grand Prix podium in 2012 was the scene of a most unusual exchange. When Scottish ex-champ David Coulthard interviewed a visibly wound-up Kimi Raikkonen about his win, the Finn reacted angrily to his critics: “Last time you guys were giving me s*** because I didn’t really smile enough.I guess this time it’ll be the same.”
No doubt inspired by this charm offensive, Sebastian Vettel – who finished third that day – went on to say the F-word. As Coulthard struggled to bring the embarrassing interview to an end, he tried to cover up the slip by saying “Let me just remind viewers that he (Vettel) isn’t a native English speaker. We apologise for his unfortunate choice of words.”
1994 San Marino Grand Prix: The Podium in Mourning
1May 1994 was a dark day at the Imola circuit. Already, Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger had been killed in a qualifying round, yet the race went ahead. On the sixth lap, Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna’s car veered off the track and smashed into the wall. Senna died a few hours later.
These horrendous circumstances made German driver Michael Schumacher’s victory feel very hollow; he knew, as he mounted the podium to ‘celebrate’, that Senna had died. He appeared dazed by the news and lifted his arms half-heartedly. Naturally, there was no spraying of champagne that day.
1978 Canadian Grand Prix: Crowned in Beer
At Indianapolis, by tradition the winner has to down a bottle of milk, whereas on the Formula One podium only the fine bubbles of cham-pagne are considered worthy to honour the occasion – except by Quebec’s Gilles Villeneuve. Joyous at winning his first Grand Prix on
home ground in Montreal, he played up his patriotism to the hilt by spraying the crowd with Canadian beer Labatt from the podium. Nothing random about his choice of brand – the much-missed cham-pion, father of Jacques Villeneuve, had a sponsorship deal with Labatt.
1992 Portugal Grand Prix: Impromptu Game of Hide-and-Seek
It’s not often that the winners’ podium reminds you of a school playground, but Nigel Mansell was in euphoric mood when his victory guaranteed him the records for wins in one season (9) and points (108). He started a champagne fight with Gerhard Berger, in second place, and Ayrton Senna in third. The trio darted playfully around the podium, first spraying champagne all over each other in a joyous game of hide-and-seek and then turning their bottles on anyone even vaguely connected to the protocol of the occasion: organisers, dignitaries and of course the Grid Girls all got a soaking.
Par Arthur Jeanne
“Podium Moments: It's not over till . . .”
