Formula 1 blog - Linksheaven

Formula One - Sixes through the years

January 27th, 2006

The 2006 Formula One World Championship will be the 56th since its inception in 1950. Looking backwords through F1 history, years that end in 6 tend to produce interesting results in relation to the World Championship:

1996 - 10 years ago
World Chmpion: Damon Hill (GBR), Willams - Renault
Constructor: Williams - Renault
Damon Hill beat new Williams-Renault team mate, reigning CART and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve to take the 1996 World Championship. The season was dominated by the Williams-Renault team, winning 12 of 16 races (Michael Schumacher, newly installed at Ferrari, won three races and Olivier Panis was a surprise winner at Monaco).

1986 - 20 years ago
World Chmpion: Alain Prost (FRA), McLaren - TAG/Porsche
Constructor: Williams - Honda
Alain Prost was somewhat lucky to have won the 1986 World Championship. Throughout the year he battled against Williams-Honda team mates Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell. The Williams-Honda was faster than Prost’s McLaren-TAG/Porsche, but William’s team policy of allowing the team mates to race each other allowed Prost to stay close in the points chase. Prost won at the final race when Mansell suffered a spectactular tire failure and Williams pitted Piquet as a precaution lest he experience a similar failure. Of the sixteen races that season Mansell won five with Piquet and Prost each winning four (Senna two and Berger one).

1976 - 30 years ago
World Chmpion: James Hunt (GBR), McLaren - Ford/Cosworth
Constructor: Ferrari
The main protaginsts of the 1976 edition of the World Championship were James Hunt (McLaren - Ford/Cosworth - 6 wins) and Niki Lauda (Ferrari - 5 wins). They fought a season long battle with controversy, disqualifications and a near tragedy. The controversy began at the Spanish Grand Prix when Hunt’s winning McLaren was disqualified for being too wide, handing victory to Lauda. Later this was reversed and the victory given back to Hunt. Later in the year, after a start line shunt in the British Grand Prix, Hunt was disqualified for making repairs to his car prior to the restart. Victory was given to Lauda in what some claim was a correction to the Spanish reinstatement. Overshadowing this was Lauda’s horrific accident at the German Grand Prix which nearly took his life. The championship ended famously in the teeming rain at Mt. Fuji. Lauda, making a miraculous recovery from his injuries, retiring his healthy Ferrari unwilling to further risk his life in the apalling conditions. Hunt was leading but had to pit, returning to finish third and taking the championship by a single point. Other winners were Clay Regazzoni, Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Petersen, Mario Andretti and John Watson all with one win each.

1966 - 40 years ago
World Chmpion: Jack Brabham (AUS), Brabham - Repco
Constructor: Brabham - Repco
Jack Brabham became the first man to drive a car of his own make to the World Championship in 1966. In a nine race season, Brabham took victory on four occasions with Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark and Ludovico Scarfiotti each one. John Surtees also had two wins but for two different teams, Ferrari and Cooper-Maserati.

1956 - 50 years ago
World Chmpion: Juan Manuel Fangio (ARG), Lancia/Ferrari
Constructor: None - Constructor’s championship started in 1958
The 1956 Formula 1 Championship was run over eight races (including the Indianapoils 500 which counted in the World Championship). Fangio, Sterling Moss and Peter Collins each took two victories with Fangio winning the championship through better placings. Also winning one each in 1956 were Luigi Musso and Pat Flaherty (Indianapoils 500)

2006 is shaping up to be another interesting year.

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