Women, Children and ANTARCTICA?! 7 things that could happen in F1, that haven’t yet…

By Joe Murphy

The classic saying of “anything can happen in Formula 1” has been a staple of the sport since its creation. It is a major part of the brand that keeps fans on their toes because, to put it simply, it is true. Over the numerous decades of history accumulated so far, you would think that we have seen everything in Formula 1 by now. But no. Not by a long shot. Whilst you could go anywhere with this list, we are going to consider seven things that could happen in any given Formula 1 race or season. This article is going to focus on far-reaching yet genuinely possible scenarios that could play out, perhaps even in the next race.

To finish 25th…

In 2011, the European Grand Prix had a record 24 finishers. Whereas as early as 1953 when up to 34 cars lined up in Germany that year, not that many finished. Narain Karthikeyan has the honour of being the only man to finish 24th, the lowest position in Formula 1 history. With 20 the set number over the last decade, this doesn’t look set to change, but you never know. If a team comes from nowhere with real financial investment, TESLA F1 for example, then it would only take 3 more teams to race and all but one to finish, for this record to be broken. As we all know, money talks in Motorsport, so it is definitely a possibility somewhere down the line. 

A shared win…

Whilst there has been a shared Pole Position within the world of Formula 1, there has never been a shared win. The final round of the 1997 season from Jerez came down to Schumacher v Villeneuve. On the Saturday, something remarkable and unprecedented happened in qualifying, the pair, along with Heinz-Harald, all set the same time of 1:21:072 seconds in their flying lap. This led to all three drivers sharing the honour and advantage of the front grid spot. The reason this has never happened in a race scenario, is simple. The odds are incredibly rare. There have been races even as recent as this season, where the gap is under a second. However, with technology so reliable, an exact draw would be hard to replicate, even by trying deliberately. That being said, if it has happened before in qualifying, there is a chance, however small, of this feat repeating itself during race conditions.

No finishers to a race!

This one is fairly obvious, and I am actually surprised it hasn’t happened before. Technically, last seasons Belgian Grand Prix had no finishers, but they were classified as having done so. The reason this probably hasn’t happened before is the talent of the drivers. It would take unraceable conditions for the best 20 drivers to all fail to finish. Such conditions would surely lead to a race abortion. However, a big crash, mechanical DNF’s and a few punctures, there is a possibility, albeit a slim one, that all drivers could see their race halted prematurely. Imagine being the last driver to go in that scenario, on for a sure fire win even if you drove as cautiously as possible, and seeing your engine pack up.

A longer track than Pescara…

Street circuits are the more trendy option for modern tracks, but who is to say that a longer one cannot be made. There are already venues that could be used for such an event, including in Germany at the Nurburgring. However, it is more likely that a new track is made and covers a distance larger than the historical one raced in Belgium. Pescara at a little over 15.9 miles holds the record and could easily be broken. This could even tie in to the final entry on this list.

A woman to feature on an F1 podium...

The way the world is going, this is surely the most realistic one of these predictions to happen, certainly within my lifetime. Unlike some other sports, gender plays less of an important role when it comes to the skills and attributes needed for a driver in the greatest sport of all. Before you say it, I know. No person should be hired because of their gender. Talent should be the reason. Is it that outlandish to say that a young woman training to be a racing driver comes along and is ‘good enough’ to feature in Formula 1? I don’t think so. If a driver is quick, that is surely all that matters. Whilst the W-Series indicates that female involvement is already improving, there is no substantial reason why this has to stop here. My girlfriend, for example, would most likely give a better account of herself than Mazepin did last season. She couldn’t score fewer points, put it that way.

A podium finish is surely a matter of when, not if. So far, the numbers are pretty bleak. Only five women have ever entered an F1 race. Maria Teresa de Filippis in the 1950’s, Lella Lombardi and Divina Galica in the 1970s, Desire Wilson for a one-off in the 1980’s and then, most recently, Giovanna Amati’s three races in 1992. Whilst Galica won an event, it wasn’t an official race classification. None of these ladies scored a podium, however. 6th place was the best in one case whilst three others failed to even qualify (when that was a thing). A podium has to be the next step in the long term future.

Somebody under 18 to win the World Championship…

You can almost copy and paste the entry above for this one. “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough”, isn’t that right? Drivers in Formula 1 are already younger than the average throughout history, and that is because they are good enough. Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Suchmacher, Tsunoda, Ocon, Albon and Gasly all came through the ranks from their late teens, so why couldn’t this happen for someone a couple of years younger. Whilst these names seem set to be the next generation of F1 after the era of Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton all depart, there is unquestionably room for someone even younger to break through and break all kinds of boundaries. Max may have been 17 when he made his victorious debut, but a person of a similar age could go that extra step further.

A race on EVERY continent…

As we come towards the end of this article, you’d be forgiven for thinking I have made a mistake here. With F1 have raced across the world during its spectacular and illustrious history, you’d think the sport would have reached the widest reaches of the globe. And they have done. South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Malaysia, Australia and Qatar are examples of just this. But, I want you to consider this a moment. Formula 1 has never visited Antarctica. Why not? If you shouted through your phone or computer “because it is too cold and it is just ice, then you’d be wrong. I mean yes, it is freezing, but Antarctica is a land mass. So, with global warming an inevitability by this point, some of this land will become uncovered. Even failing this, the increasing heights of technology could surely build some sort of venue that could be raced at. Whilst at this moment in time, the infrastructure is nowhere near ready or even in the offing, there could be a scenario in the future where this does indeed change. Furthermore, it could save the sport a lot of money if the FIA decide to build their own venue in such an environment. Moreover, I for one would certainly watch the Antarctican Grand Prix. It is just a shame the ‘Ice-man’ Kimi Raikkonen has recently left the sport.