Ten first Formula 1 victories that escaped

After starting from pole and briefly losing the lead to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Norris had moved back to the front and seemed to have everything under control as the laps counted down.

But a late shower of rain turned the Sochi race upside down, and a mistake in sticking to slicks proved costly.

The track turned out to be too wet for the dry tires and after a very slow lap, Norris had to stop for the intermediate laps with three laps to go – leaving him behind in the order where he eventually finished seventh.

Lessons will be learned, but Norris isn’t the first – and almost certainly won’t be the last – F1 driver to see a first win within reach only to snatch it away.

Here we take a look at 10 famous races that could have earned some famous names their first victory …

Nigel Mansell – Monaco Grand Prix 1984

Nigel Mansell, Lotus 95T

Photo by: Motorsport Images

In terribly wet conditions in Monte Carlo, Lotus driver Nigel Mansell took the lead from a failed Pole man Alain Prost in the early stages and led the field for the first time in his career.

Mansell was not intimidated by the rain on the narrow and winding roads, so he got down to work and increased his lead by around two seconds per lap.

But a few laps later everything went wrong when Mansell lost control on the climb up the Ste Devote hill.

As his car spun, his rear wing brushed against the barriers, and with that his hopes of his first F1 victory faded.

Ayrton Senna – 1984 Monaco Grand Prix

Race winners Alain Prost, McLaren and Ayrton Senna, Toleman, with their trophies

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

That same wet afternoon, another future champion had the chance to claim his first win – when Ayrton Senna put in a late race fee.

Having climbed through from 13th on the grid, Senna had climbed up in the order in which the weather conditions deteriorated and quickly moved up to the leader Prost.

Knowing the threat, Prost gestured to the commissioners to abandon the race – as the red flag would guarantee him victory.

Race director Jacky Ickx agreed that the Grand Prix had to be stopped and although Senna had found a way to Prost, the rules dictated that the result be carried over from the previous lap.

This meant that Prost took half points for the win, while Senna had to accept second place.

Damon Hill – German Grand Prix 1993

Damon Hill, Williams, Germany GP 1993

Damon Hill’s first season with Williams started off with some decent podiums, but that elusive first win was out of reach for a while.

At his home British Grand Prix, Hill had come pretty close to that goal. He took over the lead from pole man Prost at the start and had a lead over the Frenchman by the 41st of 59th lap when his engine exploded.

Two weeks later at Hockenheim, Hill had bet even more on victory when he had a comfortable lead on Prost on the penultimate lap.

But when he seemed to be fighting for victory, his left rear tire failed – and he didn’t even make it to the pits for a change.

Jean Alesi – 1994 Italian Grand Prix

Jean Alesi, Ferrari, leads the 1994 Italian GP

Jean Alesi was the Tifosi’s favorite at the 1994 Italian Grand Prix when he clinched his first pole position.

With the golden chance to get his first victory after so much frustration at Ferrari, Alesi delivered a great escape route against his teammate Gerhard Berger when he restarted (after an accident in the first corner with Johnny Herbert).

Alesi steadily moved away from the front and had an 11 second lead over Berger at his first stop.

But everything suddenly went wrong, because after refueling the tires and fuel, the Frenchman’s gearbox failed when he tried to get out of the pits. His race was over.

Jacques Villeneuve – 1996 Australian Grand Prix

Jacques Villeneuve, Williams FW18 Renault, Damon Hill, Williams FW18 Renault, Eddie Irvine, Ferrari F310

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Jacques Villeneuve had entered Formula 1 in 1996 amid a huge hype with Williams, as Williams had high hopes for the reigning IndyCar and Indy 500 champion.

The French-Canadian did not disappoint when he and teammate Damon Hill clinched pole position for his debut Grand Prix in Melbourne.

In the race (restarted after Martin Brundle’s spectacular barrel roll) the Williams duo fought hard for victory.

But despite a detour at Turn 1, Villeneuve Hill seemed to have better.

That was until an oil leak was found to be critical; Slow down Villeneuve, leaving the path open for Hill to get through and deny his teammate the award of a debut win.

Mika Häkkinen – Grand Prix of Luxembourg 1997

The start of the Luxembourg GP 1997

Mika Häkkinen had proven the growing competitiveness of McLaren-Mercedes with a well-considered pole position at the Nürburgring.

It was his first in Formula 1, McLaren’s first since Ayrton Senna at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix – and Mercedes’ first since 1955.

The main goal after that, however, was victory, and Hakkinen did his best to achieve this: to get off pole position cleanly and to lead his team-mate David Coulthard with a lead of more than 10 seconds at half distance.

But even though it looked like things were under control, just moments after Coulthard’s engine failure, Häkkinen’s engine also died – and with it all hopes of victory.

Juan Pablo Montoya – 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2001, fights with Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams FW23 BMW

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Juan Pablo Montoya had come into Formula 1 with the reputation of being a spirited and exciting driver from IndyCar.

And for the audience there was hope that the Colombian could prove to be a challenger to Schumacher’s rule over the sport.

In Interlagos he certainly proved to be no pushover when he hit the wheels with his Ferrari rival after taking a bold step after a safety car restart in the first complex of corners.

Montoya then set about extending the lead and was almost 30 seconds ahead of him after half of the race.

But on lap 39, after lapping Jos Verstappen, Montoya pulled back from the Arrows pilot – who slipped into the rear of the Williams and knocked both of them out of the race.

Kimi Raikkonen – French Grand Prix 2002

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren Mercedes MP4 / 17 runs far, Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2002 Pass

Photo: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Kimi Raikkonen had been a sensation when he arrived in Formula 1 in 2001, and it was no surprise that McLaren duly signed him for 2002.

While podiums were achieved in the first half of the year, a number of results were difficult to achieve due to a number of reliability issues.

But at the French Grand Prix, Raikkonen had everything he needed to take an elusive first win.

During a race involving tire and fuel strategy, Raikkonen had taken the lead and five laps to go it looked like everything was ready for that first win.

But Allan McNish’s Toyota, unseen by Finn, had an engine failure on the way into the hairpin – the contents of its engine had settled on the straight.

Raikkonen hit the oil and slipped far away, handing the lead over to a chasing Michael Schumacher, who pushed his way through at the exit of the hairpin bend.

While Raikkonen recovered to second place, he later admitted that it was the most disappointing race of his life.

Charles Leclerc – 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 3rd place, in the Parc Ferme

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

After an impressive debut season for Sauber in 2018, Charles Leclerc’s promotion to Ferrari should bring long-term results for the following season.

However, he hadn’t expected such a strong start when he clinched his first pole position in the second race of the season.

Although he fell behind at the start, the Monegasque recovered quickly and took the lead from teammate Sebastian Vettel on lap six.

After that, Leclerc hung his head and pulled away clearly at the top – leaving the chasing Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas little hope of stopping him.

That was until Leclerc was struck late by a problem with the drive unit that destroyed one of its cylinders and slowed its pace.

He couldn’t prevent Hamilton and Bottas from overtaking him towards the end when he finished in a disappointed third place.

George Russell – 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W11, in the box

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

After a last minute call to replace Lewis Hamilton, who was affected by the coronavirus, George Russell seized his great opportunity with Mercedes.

After qualifying for the front row, Russell took the lead from team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the start and looked to a dominant victory course.

But a late safety car, triggered by Jack Aitken’s fall in the Williams, turned the race upside down.

When Russell pitted for fresh rubber, a chaotic stop resulted in him being sent off with a mixed set of tires – resulting in another stop.

After dropping the order, Russell fought his way back up and seemed poised to continue to challenge Sergio Perez for the lead.

However, a puncture ruined his ambition and another stop threw him off the podium before he finished ninth.

Russell’s misfortune benefited Perez as the Mexican also celebrated his first F1 win.