(Motorsport-Total.com) – Max Verstappen achieved a fabulous ride at the Brazilian Grand Prix: after being eliminated in Q2 and receiving a five-place grid penalty for changing the combustion engine on his RB20, the Dutchman had to start the Grand Prix from 17th position – and In the end, he won the race in the rain in Sao Paulo! But where should Verstappen’s crazy race to catch up be classified historically?
John Watson and Niki Lauda celebrate on the podium in Long Beach 1983 Zoom
Incredible: Before Verstappen, only three drivers in Formula 1 managed to win from further back on the grid. But it is also a fact: the world champion and his 19 driver colleagues in the field cannot currently set the record – for that to happen, Formula 1 and owner Liberty Media would first have to approve Andretti as the eleventh team…
Who achieved the same feat as Verstappen, who made an even greater comeback, and who achieved the feat twice – we reveal this in our ranking of victories from the worst starting position in chronological order:
John Watson – 1982, Detroit Grand Prix: starting position 17
Northern Irishman John Watson only managed five victories in his Formula 1 career, but the last two of them were tough, as they both made it onto this list! Watson’s first hussar ride came in 1982 on the streets of Detroit after he collided with Chico Serra’s Fittipaldi in qualifying and therefore couldn’t get past 17th on the grid.
But in the race Watson, who had already won the Grand Prix in Belgium just a month earlier and was in strong form, plowed through the field surprisingly quickly. His masterpiece came on the 30th lap when he overtook Niki Lauda, Eddie Cheever and Didier Pironi all on the same lap.
John Watson showed an incredible drive in his McLaren in Detroit in 1982 Zoom
He then quickly closed the 15 seconds gap to leader Keke Rosberg, who was struggling with his tires, and finally caught the Finn – and with it the victory in Detroit. But it wouldn’t be Watson’s last prank…
Kimi Räikkönen – 2005, Japanese Grand Prix: starting position 17
The last driver to win from 17th place or further back on the grid ahead of Verstappen was Kimi Räikkönen at Suzuka in 2005. Although McLaren-Mercedes had the strongest car in the second half of the season and achieved series victories, Renault driver Fernando Alonso had already secured the driver’s title in the previous race in Brazil.
According to the regulations, the qualifying took place as an individual time trial – but in the case of rain, like that weekend in Suzuka, it was a lottery, depending on the conditions the drivers were experiencing: Like many other favorites, Räikkönen was pushed back to 17th .Starting place.
On dry Sunday, the Finn quickly made his way through the field with his strong pace and was already back in fourth place by lap 30, albeit 17 seconds behind leader Giancarlo Fisichella. After the final pit stops, Räikkönen was in second place, nine seconds behind with eight laps left.
Kimi Räikkönen is already lurking at the back and catches Giancarlo Fisichella from Zoom
At the beginning of the last lap, the McLaren-Mercedes appeared in the slipstream of its Renault opponent: Räikkönen pulled past Fisichella with a spectacular maneuver before turn one, literally snatching a Grand Prix victory from the Italian’s grasp at the last minute.
Max Verstappen – 2024, Brazilian Grand Prix: Starting position 17
In the World Cup, Max Verstappen’s big lead over his pursuer Lando Norris slowly but steadily melted away over months, as McLaren had the stronger package by summer at the latest and the Dutchman’s last victory had already been four months ago at that point.
In Brazil the omens were even worse, as Verstappen not only had to serve an engine penalty that resulted in a five-place drop, but also failed in Q2 in the rainy qualifying.
Starting from 17th place on the grid, the Red Bull driver quickly made up positions on the wet starting lap and immediately found himself in the top 10. Verstappen had already proven his rain qualities in Sao Paulo in 2016 by catching up from 16th place to third place, but in 2024 he went one better.
Max Verstappen made short work of his opponents in the rain in Sao Paulo Zoom
Aided by a red flag and a free tire change, Verstappen was pushed up to second place, but above all ahead of title rival Norris, who, like the entire leading group, had come to change tires. At the restart after another safety car phase, he didn’t hesitate for long, grabbed the surprise leader Esteban Ocon and then ran safely away from the field towards the checkered flag.
Rubens Barrichello – 2000, German Grand Prix, starting position 18
The tears of Hockenheim went down in history: But before all the dams broke for Rubens Barrichello, that first applied to the sky over the long forest straight of the Hockenheimring. After a problem with the electrical system in his Ferrari, the Brazilian couldn’t get past 18th place in qualifying – not necessarily the signs that would have predicted Barrichello’s first Grand Prix victory.
But a rocket launch and a strong strategy brought the Scuderia driver back into the draw. At the end of the starting lap, Michael Schumacher’s team-mate at the time was tenth, while his German stablemate retired early after a collision with Giancarlo Fisichella, to the chagrin of the home fans.
In the following five laps, Barrichello gained another five places. With the fastest race lap in a row, he moved into fourth place by lap twelve and was already third on lap 15 before the Ferrari driver turned off to change tires. However, when it rained on lap 35 and the leaders came to a stop, the Brazilian gambled and, unlike his opponents, did not rely on rain tires.
First the tears, then the cheers: Rubens Barrichello in Hockenheim 2000 Zoom
That paid off, Barrichello managed to keep his Ferrari on the track despite the changeable conditions, and after 123 Grand Prix starts he was finally able to celebrate – it was also the first victory for a Brazilian since the death of the F1 icon and Barrichello Idol Ayrton Senna, which is why the emotional Ferrari driver howled like a castle dog on the podium.
Bill Vukovich – 1954, Indianapolis 500: Starting position 19
Admittedly, Bill Vukovich’s Indy 500 triumph is to some extent an anomaly in this list, as the classic on the steep wall cannot be considered a classic Grand Prix – between 1950 and 1960 the Indianapolis 500 was still part of the racing calendar Formula 1.
The American had already won the legendary race at the Brickyard last year, but in a car that was already two years old, things initially didn’t go well for Vukovich in qualifying, who couldn’t get past 19th place.
However, the rules on the oval were different back then, and on lap 61 Vukovich briefly found himself in the lead for the first time before making a pit stop. The scenario was repeated on lap 92, and he fell back again due to a stop.
On lap 150, Vukovich took the top position for a third time and didn’t relinquish it until the checkered flag, thereby defending his triumph from the previous year. Tragic: Vukovich was denied a hat trick; just a year later, as the leader of the Indianapolis 500, he was involved in a collision between four cars and died.
John Watson – 1983, Grand Prix of the USA West: starting position 22
The king of comebacks struck again: Less than a year after his wild ride from Detroit, it was again US soil where Watson performed his masterpiece. At first things went badly for him and his McLaren team, which couldn’t get past places 22 and 23 for Watson and teammate Niki Lauda in qualifying.
Changes to the route in Long Beach caused a lot of trouble for the drivers and racing teams, as the course at the port of Los Angeles had extreme bumps due to the modified layout. The drivers also had to struggle with the Michelin tires, but with more fuel on board, the McLaren drivers were able to get their tires up to temperature better, at least in racing trim.
Nobody has won from further back: John Watson in Long Beach 1983 Zoom
Lauda initially overtook Watson at the start, but as a tandem the duo then made their way through the field with superior pace. On lap 28, the McLaren were already third and fourth before Watson took back his position from Lauda at the end of Shoreline Drive.
Meanwhile, Jacques Laffite and Ricardo Patrese were fighting for the lead. However, after slipping while attempting to overtake, Patrese had to let the McLaren duo go, who then started chasing the leader – and eventually lost out to him too because Laffite had problems with his tires.
For Watson, the Long Beach triumph was his last in Formula 1 – and certainly his greatest, as proven by the fact that over 40 years later he still holds the record for the worst starting position for a premier class victory.
