Top 5 Substitute Peformances in Formula 1

 

Top 5 Substitute Performances in Formula 1

By: Brian Cotnoir

In one of the most memorable seasons in Formula 1 History, Nico Hulkenberg has made his 2nd substitute start (and 3rd appearance of the season) for the Racing Point team.  In both of his starts—the 70th Anniversary GP at Silverstone and the Eiffel GP at the Nurburgring—Hulkenberg has finished both races in the points scoring 10 total so far.  He has proven to be a valuable and reliable asset to the Racing Point team’s hopes in the Constructors Championship, and well that got me thinking; what are some of the other great substitute driving performances in F1 History?


Now, I just wanted to put a disclaimer before you continue reading: I am only considering drivers who replaced an injured or ill driver and then left the seat once the sick or injured driver returned or was replaced by another driver. I am omitting drivers who replaced drivers who were either fired or died during a race or season as those drivers as that is a different and more tragic circumstance, so no Mansell and Coulthard replacing Ayrton Senna and no Patrick Tambay for replacing Gilles Villeneuve. 

5.)  Jarno Trulli, Prost Grand Prix, 1997

Following an injury to driver Olivier Panis, Italian driver Jarno Trulli jumped ship from Minardi to drive for Prost Grand Prix.  In seven races subbing for Panis, Trulli scored a best finish of 4th place at the German Grand Prix.  Panis would return for the last 3 races of the season and the following season Trulli was signed to drive along him at Prost, where he’d stay for the next two seasons.

4.)  Nicola Larini, Scuderia Ferrari, 1992 & 1994

Get used to seeing subs for Ferrari on this list.  At the end of the 1992 season, Nicola Larini was tapped to replace Ivan Capelli for the last 2 rounds of the 1992 season.  In 1994, Larini returned to Ferrari to fill in for 2 races to sub for the injured Jean Alesi.   After retiring for the Pacific Grand Prix, Larini would go on to finish 2nd place at the San Marino Grand Prix.  Unfortunately that was the same weekend that Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna would be killed.


That tragic day in Imola would be Larini’s last start for Ferrari.  He would have to wait 3 more seasons to appear on the F1 grid where he started several races for Sauber.

3.)  Mario Andretti, Scuderia Ferrari, 1982

1982 was a season of tragedy for the Ferrari team.  While qualifying for the Beglian Grand Prix driver Gilles Villeneuve was killed when he was ejected from his car following a horrific wreck.  Later that season while practicing for the German Grand Prix Ferrari’s other driver, Didier Pironi suffered career ending injuries.  

At the time of the wreck Pironi was leading the drivers’ standings.  Through yet another tragedy the Italian racing team found a little bit of hope as driver Patrick Tambay—who replaced the deceased Villeneuve scored his first win for the team.   With Ferrari’s chance at winning a driver’s title all, but diminished with 4 races left in the season, the team still looked to hold onto it’s Constructors Title chances.  The team brought in Mario Andretti to race the last to rounds of the 1982 season.

Andretti would finish 3rd at the Italian Grand Prix before retiring from the Season Finale in Las Vegas with suspension failure.   These would be the last two races that Mario Andretti would ever race in Formula 1, but his contributions to the team helped them secure the Constructors Title.

2.)  Alex Wurz, Benneton and McLaren, 1997 & 2005

Driver Alexander Wurz’s career is nothing truly remarkable, but he did manage to finish on the podium 3 times, and two of those times came subbing for other drivers.

After his fellow countryman, Gerhard Berger, whose father passed away in a plane crash, Wurz made his debut at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix with Benneton.   After retiring from his first two starts with Benneton, Wurz would finish in 3rd place behind his teammate Jean Alesi at that years British Grand Prix.  Wurz would eventually go on to driver for Benneton for the next 3 seasons, full-time, but each season his results and points scored with the team got lower and lower. 


In 2001, he took on the role of Test driver for the McLaren team.  During the 2005 season, when McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya suffered an injury, Wurz would finish on the podium finishing 3rd at the San Marino Grand Prix; his first start in Formula 1 in 5 years!  After Montoya’s return, Wurz would once again return to his role as a test driver.

1.)  Mika Salo, Scuderia Ferrari, 1999

Now as for the greatest substitute driver performance, there’s no question about who it is:  During the 1999 season, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg following a scary crash at the British Grand Prix.  Finnish driver Mika Salo was called in to drive for the—then—Two-time World Champion.  

In his second start for the team, Salo was leading the German Grand Prix, but Ferrari ordered him to let teammate Eddie Irvine pass so he could score more points and catch up in the drivers title race with McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen.  Salo relinquished the lead and finished 2nd to Irvine.  Salo would never come that close to winning an F1 race again, but he did finish 3rd in Italian Grand Prix too while subbing for Schumacher.  

After subbing for for 6 races at Ferrari, Salo stepped out of the seat at Ferrari to let Schumacher run the last two races of the season.  Even though Irvine wound up losing the drivers title by only two points to Hakkinen, Salo’s performance on the track helped Ferrari clinch the Constructors title over McLaren that season.

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