Welcome to another edition of the Badgerometer, a weekly gauge of a certain something in the wonderful world of Formula One. With the Grand Prix community wishing Robert Kubica (or Bobby K) the best after his rally crash just over a week ago, this week’s topic will look back at the times Lady Luck smiled upon certain individuals and their racing machines.
Typing “Andrea De Cesaris” into YouTube can yield quite a few examples of just how bad the Italian was at driving a Grand Prix car. Perhaps the best is this little slide onto the grass in 1985 that turns into something a little more dangerous very quickly indeed…
Considering how close the Monaco track is to the harbour in places, it’s only two drivers who have ever ended up in the water (Phil Hawkins and Alberto Ascari, in case you were wondering). The best footage that exists is this video, of when the Italian legend got it very wrong indeed negotiating the chicane;
The most recent entry on the list is Australia’s own Mark Webber, who probably has a diiferent take on the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings” after Valencia last season.
If ever a driver was the embodiment of “bouncebackability”, it’s good old Bobby K. We’ve all seen the footage before, but here it is again for everyone to gasp and wonder just how he got out of this one with nothing more than a headache.
Why should one driver get the top spot this week? How about pretty much the entire grid for the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix! A mix of heavy rain and an overeager David Coulthard led to probably the most expensive pile-up in motoring history, involving no less than fourteen cars. Miraculously, there were no injuries (bar quite a few bruised egos).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e287pHZNUcs
Somedays in Formula One luck is on your side, then on others something like this happens…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxAEFEEo-Bo
