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The best debuts in F1 history
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McLaren reserve Stoffel Vandoorne drew praise from peers, pundits and fans alike after his assured maiden drive to a point-scoring tenth place in Bahrain last weekend, standing in at short notice for the injured Fernando Alonso. But how does his drive compare to some of the most notable first race outings in F1 history?
Officially no Australian has made it to the podium on home soil, though <b>Mark Webber</b> did receive a deserved curtain call on the Melbourne rostrum in 2002 after a stellar maiden outing for perennial backmarkers Minardi. In a race in which only eight of the 22 starters took the flag, Webber finished a fine fifth from 18th on the grid, bullishly holding off the challenge of Mika Salo’s faster Toyota in the closing stages. © Sutton Motorsport Images
Making your Grand Prix debut on home soil can be a blessing or a curse, but for <b>Carlos Reutemann</b> it was most definitely the former. In front of a packed house in Buenos Aires in 1972, the young Argentinian shocked the paddock by beating world champion Jackie Stewart to pole position, qualifying 15 places ahead of Brabham team mate Graham Hill and becoming just the second driver in history (after Mario Andretti) to start his first race from P1. He might have finished on the podium in the race too, ...
After sustaining devastating foot injuries in a terrifying F3000 crash in 1988, it was something of a miracle that <b>Johnny Herbert</b> was able to walk again, let alone race, which makes his F1 debut less than six months later all the more remarkable. Unable to brake without experiencing excruciating pain and needing to be helped in and out of the car, the gritty Englishman finished an unbelievable fourth in Brazil with Benetton. © Sutton Motorsport Images
After impressing at Le Mans, a youthful <b>Pedro Rodriguez</b> got the nod to join up with Ferrari’s all-conquering Grand Prix team for their home race at Monza at the tail-end of 1961 – and he would make an immediate impact. Then the youngest man to ever set foot in an F1 car, the rapid Mexican qualified an incredible second, just one-tenth back from doomed polesitter Wolfgang von Trips and eight-tenths ahead of that year’s eventual champion Phil Hill, both in identical machinery. He was running third i...
Few drivers have arrived in F1 racing with as much fanfare, or as much pressure, as <b>Lewis Hamilton</b>. Even fewer have led in their first race. Thrust into a race-winning team at McLaren, and against the now two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Hamilton was stunningly quick from the outset, eventually sealing fourth in qualifying. Better was to come: in a move borne from pure instinct, he swept around the outside of Alonso and into third at his very first corner in the sport. He would lead four l...
The son of an icon, the reigning Champ Car champion, and the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner in history - <b>Jacques Villeneuve</b> appeared to have it all. He did everything right on his 1996 Australian debut too: quick in practice, he duly sealed pole at the first attempt as his Williams team comfortably out-paced their rivals. He made a better start than team mate Damon Hill, and carried the fight to the Briton right up until an oil leak forced him to slow and cede the lead, leaving him second at the...
Unlike many others on this list, <b>Jean Alesi</b> didn’t have the luxury of time to prepare for his F1 debut. A change of sponsors at Tyrrell opened up a seat and Alesi, in the midst of a successful F3000 campaign, was brought in. The car wasn’t a match for the likes of Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari or Williams, but Alesi didn’t care: brimming with confidence, he made rapid progress from 16th on the grid, and was even briefly running second before having to stop for tyres. He would come home fourth, the la...
The 2015 season opener in Australia was a messy affair - but <b>Felipe Nasr</b> took full advantage to carve out a remarkable fifth on debut for Sauber. The Brazilian, runner-up in GP2 the previous season, had already impressed in practice, and followed that up by booking 10th in qualifying - a full two seconds ahead of his team mate. In a race in which only 11 of the 16 starters saw the flag, Nasr threaded his way through the carnage of his first start - he was involved in contact but emerged unscathed ...
Three years after a chance meeting with Colin Chapman, <b>Mario Andretti</b> would make his debut for Chapman’s Lotus team on home soil at Watkins Glen. It was worth the wait. The American, who had entered but not started the Grand Prix in Italy several weeks earlier, stunned the paddock by capturing pole - the first man to achieve the feat on debut. He was demoted to second by championship contender Jackie Stewart on the first lap, but held stay until unravelling bodywork and then clutch failure brought...
McLaren sprang a surprise ahead of the 2014 season when they announced <b>Kevin Magnussen’s</b> arrival in place of Sergio Perez. The Dane, a long-term McLaren protege who had clinched the Formula Renault 3.5 crown in 2013, silenced any doubters in style. After out-qualifying team mate Jenson Button in Australia - Magnussen started fourth, Button 10th - Magnussen ran in the top three almost throughout, finishing just 2s shy of Daniel Ricciardo in the fight for second. The good news didn’t stop there: Ric...
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