Verstappen's Austria win was F1's seventh race in history with no DNFs - here are the rest...

Max Verstappen's victory at the Austrian Grand Prix was notable for a whole host of reasons, but the race will reside in a rarely visited corner of F1 history, as it was just the seventh in the 1000+-event history of the World Championship to feature zero retirements.

Despite the race being run in baking Spielberg heat, the likes of Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel fighting through the field and a number of high-profile crashes earlier in the weekend, the grand prix passed without a hitch as all 20 racers saw the chequered flag.

As reliability grows and grows in F1, this is certainly more of a modern-day phenomenon, but F1's wilder days are also represented.

The seven F1 races with no retirements

1961 Dutch Grand Prix – 15 starters

This race stood alone as a statistical quirk for decades, Wolfgang von Trips leading Ferrari team-mate Phil Hill, and the rest of the field home in Zandvoort. Von Trips led every single of the 75 laps to also become F1's first German race-winner.

Perhaps even more remarkable about this race is that there was a sum total of zero pit-stops made! Hill and Clark's race-long battle for second place ensured there was plenty of entertainment, though…

2005 United States Grand Prix – 6 starters

There is not enough space here to go through the full reasons for the paltry grid in this race, other than teams running Michelin tyres boycotted the race after several scary blowouts earlier in the weekend on the slingshot final turn to the start-finish straight at Indianapolis.

Michael Schumacher won his only race of the season ahead of the reduced field, as the farcical scene of 14 cars refusing to start the race left scars on F1's reputation in the States which have only recently begun to heal.

2005 Italian Grand Prix – 20 starters

F1 waited 44 years for a second race without retirements, but just 77 days passed before the third arrived, in Monza later in the 2005 season.

Juan Pablo Montoya led every lap after inheriting pole position from Kimi Raikkonen, who clocked the fastest speed recorded in an F1 race as he tried to undo the damage of a 10-place grid penalty, hitting 230mph as he recovered to fourth.

2011 European Grand Prix – 24 starters

The Valencia street circuit, though stunning in location, was not the most conducive to thrilling races, and most of the action in this race came on the opening lap. Sebastian Vettel romped to the kind of victory from pole which would characterise his years of dominance in the Red Bull, adding the fastest lap for good measure to secure a hat-trick.

With 24 cars on the grid in the days of HRT and Virgin bolstering the lower reaches of the grid, this race is an F1 record-breaker for the most finishers in history.

2016 Chinese Grand Prix – 22 starters

The Shanghai International Circuit has become kinder to cars it seems in recent years, with 2018's race also seeing all 20 cars classified – although it does not feature on this list as Brendon Hartley was a sole retiree five laps from the end.

Nico Rosberg was victorious in this race, and in dominant manner too, finishing 37 seconds up the road from second-placed Vettel. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh from a back-row start as he lost crucial ground to his Mercedes teammate that would help Rosberg win his drivers' title by the end of the year.

2016 Japanese Grand Prix – 22 starters

Another victory in Rosberg's title-winning campaign, and indeed the last race win of his career, was secured in this Suzuka showpiece as F1 once again returned from the Far East with every car intact.

This race saw all drivers classified in the Japanese race for a second year in succession, although the year before Felipe Nasr had retired just two laps from the end to deny it a full place in this list.

2019 Austrian Grand Prix – 20 starters

Verstappen's win at the Red Bull Ring was certainly not short of action, but the manoeuvres were clean and the machines were reliable.

The race-winner perhaps came closest to retiring, reporting a loss of power as he charged from eighth to first over the course of the race, but a steering-wheel reconfiguration helped him get back on the pace and charge to victory.

Related

Features

Mercedes to blame for BRUTAL Hamilton treatment

• November 16, 2024 12:57

Features

Hamilton and Mercedes ready for SHOCK U-TURN

• November 15, 2024 20:56