Many Formula 1 drivers dream of winning their home race, but for some it turns into a nightmare: famous examples of leading drivers crashing out
Stunned is probably one of the emotions a Formula 1 driver experiences when he has just retired while leading. And if this has happened in his home race, then it is the “ultimate punishment”: it could hardly be worse in Formula 1, and yet this has happened time and time again.
One of these drivers is Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian entered Formula 1 in 1993 and wanted to emulate his compatriot Ayrton Senna, the three-time world champion. But it was not until 2000 that Barrichello won his first Grand Prix: the pictures of his tears on the podium at the Hockenheimring went around the world.
A few months earlier, Barrichello had (presumably) shed tears of a completely different kind: At his home race in Sao Paulo in Brazil, he had completed leading laps and was able to dream of a home victory for the first time in his career. A short time later, however, the Ferrari F1-2000 suffered a technical failure and Barrichello retired.
Particularly bitter: Barrichello experienced something similar in 2002 and 2003. Again he took first position in the race, again he retired. Once the hydraulics in his Ferrari went crazy, the other time there was a fault in the fuel system. The result was always the same: Barrichello slipped away from the much longed-for victory in front of Brazilian fans at the Autodromo Carlos Pace.
In 2009, Barrichello got another chance: as a Brawn driver, he reared up once again in the final sprint of the racing season and wanted to give his title ambitions new hope with a home win in Brazil. He succeeded: Barrichello took pole position and dominated the race after the start. However, he then lost P1 at the first pit stop and a puncture ultimately threw him far back.
And so the dream of a Formula 1 home win did not come true for Barrichello. He shares this fate with other Formula 1 drivers.
However, there have also been Formula 1 drivers who have followed up their fiasco at their home race with a triumph, some even several times.
And a very extreme example of home races that go differently than planned is the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix: Felipe Massa won as a Brazilian in front of his home crowd, but he lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton – just moments after crossing the finish line.
