Most Forgettable Drivers

[dinizintheoven]

But at least he's not as tall as Matt Neal.

[CoopsII]

I could never forget Justin Wilson with all the problems he had being too tall to fit into a standard-dimensioned F1 car.

And its another quirk of motoracing that Wilson, after being the equal and sometimes better of Webber, was left behind in F1. First Brit to be F3000 Champion too. Id say he was average in Indycar but not spectacular yet.

[AdrianSutil]

I could never forget Justin Wilson with all the problems he had being too tall to fit into a standard-dimensioned F1 car.

And its another quirk of motoracing that Wilson, after being the equal and sometimes better of Webber, was left behind in F1. First Brit to be F3000 Champion too. Id say he was average in Indycar but not spectacular yet.

He still scored a World Championship point. Which is something we could only dream about. Thats why I'll never forget Wilson.


Franck Montagny meanwhile...

[Ataxia]

For some reason, I have no memory of 2003 and 2004...I think I stopped buying F1 Racing at the beginning of '03 so that might be it...

[FullMetalJack]

Franck Montagny meanwhile...

He's forgettable because he was actually okay during his time at Super Aguri.

[This]

Franck Montagny meanwhile...

He's forgettable because he was actually okay during his time at Super Aguri.

he was forgettable because he replaced yuji ide

[BlindCaveSalamander]

Franck Montagny meanwhile...

He's forgettable because he was actually okay during his time at Super Aguri.

he was forgettable because he replaced yuji ide

And was replaced by Sakon Yamamoto

[DanielPT]

Franck Montagny meanwhile...

He's forgettable because he was actually okay during his time at Super Aguri.

he was forgettable because he replaced yuji ide

Despite more than half a decade went by, it is still hard for me to contain the outrage at FIA revoking Ide's licence...

[This]

i even think ide isn't worshipped enough by this forum. He was easily the best human driver of the 2000's!

[dr-baker]

i even think ide isn't worshipped enough by this forum. He was easily the best human driver of the 2000's!

Sounds like a reference to this old thread!!!!

[wmetcalf68]

Maybe Marc Surer?

[FantometteBR]

Maybe Marc Surer?

I half-agree. Surer had put some good results (he even did fastest lap at a Brazilian GP from early 80s) once in a while but his career didn't lived up to only effort some years with an Arrows

[tommykl]

Maybe Marc Surer?

I half-agree. Surer had put some good results (he even did fastest lap at a Brazilian GP from early 80s) once in a while but his career didn't lived up to only effort some years with an Arrows

I'd add drivers like John Nicholson and Warwick Brown.

[Barbazza]

I half-agree. Surer had put some good results (he even did fastest lap at a Brazilian GP from early 80s) once in a while but his career didn't lived up to only effort some years with an Arrows

He's not forgettable to me as I always really liked him - it was a real disappointment to me that when he finally got a decent car - the 85 Brabham - although he scored a few points, the one race where he did really well and was on for a podium (Brands I think) the car let him down.

[fjackdaw]

I remember Bruni being quite highly talked about before he actually joined F1, then made the smallest splash he possibly could whilst having a bad attitude to boot.

A clip of him in the Minardi still made it into a movie...

Max Papis was on-screen in at least one movie, so the question is just how much doesn that count.

Olivier Panis's helmet is in Taxi. Does that count for anything?

[CoopsII]

Norberto Fontano.

I think he had two cracks at F1, one with Jordan. All I can recall is a photo of him taping his fingers up prior to putting his gloves on. But he did that well, to be fair.

[ibsey]

I half-agree. Surer had put some good results (he even did fastest lap at a Brazilian GP from early 80s) once in a while but his career didn't lived up to only effort some years with an Arrows

He's not forgettable to me as I always really liked him - it was a real disappointment to me that when he finally got a decent car - the 85 Brabham - although he scored a few points, the one race where he did really well and was on for a podium (Brands I think) the car let him down.

Also I think Surer was doing pretty well in Monaco 1983, where he was running in very respectable 4th in the Arrows. Before Derek Warwick decided to pun him out at St Devote.

Phillipe Adams, now there a name I forgot had ever taken part in a GP until recently. I think he only took part in one race, Belgium 1994, & didn't do much in it. Which does help him become forgettable.

[This]

Phillipe Adams, now there a name I forgot had ever taken part in a GP until recently. I think he only took part in one race, Belgium 1994, & didn't do much in it. Which does help him become forgettable.

In fact, so did everybody in his home country

[shinji]

Norberto Fontano.

I think he had two cracks at F1, one with Jordan. All I can recall is a photo of him taping his fingers up prior to putting his gloves on. But he did that well, to be fair.

Gotta correct you there - he was only in F1 once, with Sauber in '97. No dalliance with Jordan whatsoever.

Remembered only for his slightly/arguably controversial input into the Schumacher vs. Villeneuve battle at Jerez that year.

[East Londoner]

Ernesto Tuero

Apart from his spectacular crash with Takagi in his last race, I can't seem to remember him doing anything memorable. If he had stayed on in F1, could he have been the next Nick Heidfeld? (He is a year younger than Sir Slightly Bored...)

[eurobrun]

I keep forgetting Nick Heidfeld raced in 2004

[Nuppiz]

Ernesto Tuero

Apart from his spectacular crash with Takagi in his last race, I can't seem to remember him doing anything memorable. If he had stayed on in F1, could he have been the next Nick Heidfeld? (He is a year younger than Sir Slightly Bored...)

*Esteban

But anyway, surely this is memorable as well?

[East Londoner]

Ernesto Tuero

Apart from his spectacular crash with Takagi in his last race, I can't seem to remember him doing anything memorable. If he had stayed on in F1, could he have been the next Nick Heidfeld? (He is a year younger than Sir Slightly Bored...)

*Esteban

But anyway, surely this is memorable as well?

I see you fell into my Murray Walker trap...

And that pitstop...my god, what a piss up!

[Sunshine_Baby_[IT]]

Norberto Fontano.

I think he had two cracks at F1, one with Jordan. All I can recall is a photo of him taping his fingers up prior to putting his gloves on. But he did that well, to be fair.

Gotta correct you there - he was only in F1 once, with Sauber in '97. No dalliance with Jordan whatsoever.

Remembered only for his slightly/arguably controversial input into the Schumacher vs. Villeneuve battle at Jerez that year.

This is the only thing I remember about Fontana. Did he race again after 1997?

[dr-baker]

Norberto Fontano.

I think he had two cracks at F1, one with Jordan. All I can recall is a photo of him taping his fingers up prior to putting his gloves on. But he did that well, to be fair.

Gotta correct you there - he was only in F1 once, with Sauber in '97. No dalliance with Jordan whatsoever.

Remembered only for his slightly/arguably controversial input into the Schumacher vs. Villeneuve battle at Jerez that year.

This is the only thing I remember about Fontana. Did he race again after 1997?

Often see his name in Autosport in South American/Brazilian tin-tops... Alongside several other South American rejects recently mentioned in this thread, if I remember correctly...

[midgrid]

Phillipe Adams, now there a name I forgot had ever taken part in a GP until recently. I think he only took part in one race, Belgium 1994, & didn't do much in it. Which does help him become forgettable.

He also took part in the Portuguese Grand Prix, which was even less memorable, but it did result in this rather nice photo, which is also my current desktop background image.

[ibsey]

Phillipe Adams, now there a name I forgot had ever taken part in a GP until recently. I think he only took part in one race, Belgium 1994, & didn't do much in it. Which does help him become forgettable.

He also took part in the Portuguese Grand Prix, which was even less memorable, but it did result in this rather nice photo, which is also my current desktop background image.

Ah Yes. Thanks for that piece of info Midgrid, & great photo by the way. It seems Phillipe Adams was even more forgettable than I had first anticipated.

In fact the only reason I remember him at Spa in the 1st place was through watching Speed Channel's retrospective look at Spa 1994 recently (hosted by Steve Matchett, David Hobbs & Bob Vasha). In the commentary David Hobbs kept on taking the mickey out of him by refering to him as "the GREAT Phillipe Adams" every time we saw him.

[dr-baker]

Phillipe Adams, now there a name I forgot had ever taken part in a GP until recently. I think he only took part in one race, Belgium 1994, & didn't do much in it. Which does help him become forgettable.

He also took part in the Portuguese Grand Prix, which was even less memorable, but it did result in this rather nice photo, which is also my current desktop background image.

I don't think I'm alone then in liking that Lotus livery?

[FullMetalJack]

I keep forgetting Nick Heidfeld raced in 2004

That was my avatar for a while.

[CoopsII]

Gotta correct you there - he was only in F1 once, with Sauber in '97. No dalliance with Jordan whatsoever.

Remembered only for his slightly/arguably controversial input into the Schumacher vs. Villeneuve battle at Jerez that year.

Thanks for that! I found this quote regarding the incident

Fontana alleged, years later, that he was instructed by Jean Todt, before the race, to hold Jacques up if the situation arised. He said:

"Two or three hours before the race started Jean Todt entered [the
motorhome] and went straight to the point: by strict order of Ferrari,
Villeneuve must be held up if you come across him on the track. To
whoever this applies."

I wonder just how many other skeletons there are in closets out there.......?

[East Londoner]

Gotta correct you there - he was only in F1 once, with Sauber in '97. No dalliance with Jordan whatsoever.

Remembered only for his slightly/arguably controversial input into the Schumacher vs. Villeneuve battle at Jerez that year.

Thanks for that! I found this quote regarding the incident

Fontana alleged, years later, that he was instructed by Jean Todt, before the race, to hold Jacques up if the situation arised. He said:

"Two or three hours before the race started Jean Todt entered [the
motorhome] and went straight to the point: by strict order of Ferrari,
Villeneuve must be held up if you come across him on the track. To
whoever this applies."


I wonder just how many other skeletons there are in closets out there.......?

Which is why I hope Rubens Barrichello writes a warts-and-all autobiography one day, so we can find out what happened behind the scenes in Ferrari in the early 2000s.

[ibsey]

I'm finding myself already forgetting about Kazuki Nakajima, even though he was in F1 as recently as 2009.

[FullMetalJack]

I'm finding myself already forgetting about Kazuki Nakajima, even though he was in F1 as recently as 2009.

And you people call Nick Heidfeld slightly boring.

Normally being Japanese stops you from being boring, but not in this case.

And his uselessness really annoyed me in 2009, Williams would have finished ahead of BMW if he could have just picked up 2 points.

[JeremyMcClean]

I'm finding myself already forgetting about Kazuki Nakajima, even though he was in F1 as recently as 2009.

Who?

[David AGS]

On Esteben

I remember his first grand prix in Australia, he jumped the start, got a 10 sec penalty, then got another penalty for speeding in pit lane.

He wasnt that bad, he qualified well in a few races, and was reasonably close to Nakano.

[CoopsII]

Would anybody remember Taki Inoue if he hadnt been run over?

Sometimes you have to take your fame where you can find it.

Lets all watch it one more time, shall we? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pa3GrLfprM

[AdrianSutil]

Ernesto Tuero

Apart from his spectacular crash with Takagi in his last race, I can't seem to remember him doing anything memorable. If he had stayed on in F1, could he have been the next Nick Heidfeld? (He is a year younger than Sir Slightly Bored...)

I'll always remember him for his Argentina weekend. Local lad pulls up in paddock at home race, Fans and press go mad for him, waves to crowd whilst driving his out-lap in qualifying, has average start to race, Pit-stop comedy moment of 1998 follows then punts car into turn 1 barrier after being caught out by the rain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0hCIhBS ... ata_player

Plus, I always thought it was such a shame to see him leave F1 at the end of 1998. If I'm right, he'd already signed a deal to race in 1999 for Minardi.

[DanielPT]

Would anybody remember Taki Inoue if he hadnt been run over?

Probably not, but that is precisely why he became world famous. That is seen has a joke and made him a joke in some quarters but in the end people will remind him better and more fondly than many other who were already mentioned in this thread. In the end he got the better deal!

[James1978]

I'd have remembered Taki Inoue for Damon Hill blaming him for causing him to run into the back of Schumacher at Monza.

(Which is more than I can remember Kazuki Nakajima for)!!!

[inchworm]

I can't believe no-one's nominated Jacques Villenueve in the 2000s. I completely forgot he went on so long, and even had a couple of comeback attempts.

Forty percent of his F1 starts (the 1990s) yielded 21 podiums, 11 wins, a championship, a colossal smash at Spa (made even better by the BAR "split" livery spinning around like those double-side wind-driven signs you used to get outside shops) and starting one season with 11 retirements on the trot!

Sixty percent of his F1 starts (the 2000s) yielded 2 podiums and ... and ... a pop record?