Groups

Career saving drives (14 posts)

Viewing post 1 to 14 (14 total posts)

TommyB said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Looks like two career saving drivers could have happened during Montreal. Liuzzi and Buemi both drove brilliantly after poor seasons. Rumours are Buemi is in line for the RBR seat in 2012.

Anyone else remember any other career saving drives from the past?

#
Cacarella said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Not sure if it’s considered career saving, perhaps career ‘starting’ would
be Kobiyashi last year Brazil (or Abu dhabi).

#
Cacarella said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Oh, almost forgot, Nelson Piquet Jr. – Singapore 2008
Saved his career, then destroyed it a year later.
Bet that’s never happened before!

#
Ads21 said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Very true, but the irony of Singapore 08 was that Renault didn’t need to pull the trick as they went on to win the next race, and Piquet didn’t need to agree to it since he drove such a strong race to fourth in Fuji I think that could have been a career saving drive.

#
Ned Flanders said 2 years, 11 months ago:

For all the criticism that Nelson Piquet Jr gets (and deserves), you’d have to give him major credit for that 4th place at Fuji. His confidence must have been in pieces after the events of Singapore, what a good drive.

#
glue said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Johnny Herbert’s first ever race, 1989 Brazilian GP, which saw him score points on his debut despite his badly injured legs and inability to actually walk..of course it didn’t help tone down his infamous bad luck throughout his career

#
sw6569 said 2 years, 11 months ago:

I’d say Webber’s win last year was very much a career saving drive. Finally gave him the confidence to win, which then unlocks the rest of a drivers potential

#
Dan Thorn said 2 years, 11 months ago:

For all the criticism that Nelson Piquet Jr gets (and deserves), you’d have to give him major credit for that 4th place at Fuji. His confidence must have been in pieces after the events of Singapore, what a good drive.

Totally agree. It could even have been third if he didn’t run wide a couple of times…

How about Jenson’s 6 wins at the start of last year? If Brawn hadn’t made it to the grid I doubt Jenson would have raced in F1 again. Fast forward 12 months he’s got a top seat against one of the best drivers on the grid and performing brilliantly.

#
Keith Collantine said 2 years, 11 months ago:

I don’t think Buemi’s season has been poor at all. His race performances have been hindered by first-lap crashes – which he was blameless in most if not all of – and he’s had some mechanical problems too. He’s 7-1 up in qualifying against Alguersuari.

#
Ned Flanders said 2 years, 11 months ago:

How about a career saving test drive? Nick Heidfeld’s career was fizzling out by 2004, but he was offered a testing ‘shootout’ against Antonio Pizzonia for a seat at Williams for 2005. He won, and went on to score 3 podiums in half a season at Williams (before he was injured). It also helped him build a relationship with BMW, where he spent a further 4 seasons and took another 8 podiums. Not bad for a career that looked to be all but over

#
Tom L. said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Rubens Barrichello, Silverstone ’08 when he finished 3rd? Showed he still had what it takes, and probably was a factor in him being retained when Ross Brawn took over.

Luca Badoer, Valencia 2009?

#
RobR said 2 years, 11 months ago:

Adrian Sutil at the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix.

#
Enigma said 2 years, 11 months ago:

@Cacarella It was actually a career saving drive by Kobayashi. Had Glock not crashed in Suzuka and had Kobayashi not showed an amazing performance in Abu Dhabi, he probably wouldn’t get a seat for this year. And he didn’t have enough money for GP2 or anything, so his career would be over.

#
Tom L. said 2 years, 11 months ago:

One that should have been but didn’t turn out to be for various reasons: Markus Winkelhock at the Nuerburgring, 2007!

#