F1 Fanatic

Nick Heidfeld, BMW, Nurburgring, 2005

The Brazilian Grand Prix saw a new team crowned constructors’ championship for the second year in a row – something which hasn’t happened since the 1960s.

The race also saw the most finishers of all time – matching the record set in the 1952 British Grand Prix – and Williams’ return to pole position for the first time since 2005.

Read on for more stats and facts from Interlagos.

Hülkenberg on pole

Nico Hülkenberg put a Williams on pole position for the first time since the 2005 European Grand Prix, when Nick Heidfeld started from pole position at the Nurburgring – exactly 100 races earlier.

He is the 103rd different driver to start a world championship race from pole position (94th if you exclude Indianapolis 500 drivers).

At 23 years and 79 days old he is the sixth-youngest ever pole sitter. The five younger drivers to have started from pole position are:

1. Sebastian Vettel, 2008 Italian Grand Prix (21 years, 73 days)
2. Fernando Alonso, 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (21 years, 236 days)
3. Rubens Barrichello, 1994 Belgian Grand Prix (22 years, 96 days)
4. Lewis Hamilton, 2007 Canadian Grand Prix (22 years, 153 days)
5. Andrea de Cesaris, 1982 United States Grand Prix West (22 years, 307 days)

The last time a Cosworth-powered car started on pole position was the 1999 French Grand Prix, where Rubens Barrichello’s Stewart-Ford took pole.

And not since the 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix had a Williams-Cosworth started from pole – that’s four years before Hülkenberg was born.

Red Bull are constructors’ champions

Red Bull won the constructors’ championship for the first time in their history.

They did so in their sixth season, having started in 2005. Prior to that they existed as Jaguar and, before that, the Stewart team that was set up by Jackie Stewart in 1997.

With Brawn winning the title last year, the constructors’ championship has a new winner for the second season in a row. The last time this happened was in 1963, when Lotus lifted the trophy for the first time the year after BRM had done the same (and Ferrari the year before making it three in a row).

Vettel won his fourth race of the year and the ninth of his career, giving him as many victories as Jenson Button.

Once again, the race was not won by the current championship leader – continuing a streak that goes back to last year’s Turkish Grand Prix.

Red Bull had their eighth one-two finish, matching the tallies of Lotus, Brabham and Tyrrell.

More facts and stats

Fastest lap went to Hamilton, the seventh of his career.

Christian Klien finished a race for the first time since the 2006 Italian Grand Prix.

Finally, with 22 drivers classified this race matched the record for the most finishers set at the 1952 British Grand Prix.

Note that back then drivers didn’t have to complete 90% of the race distance to be classified, so Alan Brown was 22nd despite only completing 69 of 85 laps. Whereas Lucas di Grassi, who was still running at the end of yesterday’s race, was not classified because he had only completed 62 of the 71 laps.

For more stats see the F1 2010 statistics page.

Spotted any more stats and facts from the Brazilian Grand Prix? Share them in the comments below.

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

• 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix: the complete F1 Fanatic race weekend review
• Vote for the best driver of the Brazilian GP weekend
• Red Bull win teams title but risk throwing drivers championship away
• Alonso loses the battle but he’s winning the war
• Poor pace spells end of McLaren’s title hopes
• Hülkenberg eighth after pole position
• Mercedes seal fourth in constructors’ championship
• Brazil sees most race finishers since 1952
• Force India fall behind Williams in teams’ title
• Kubica frustrated by Hülkenberg’s defence

Image © BMW ag