With the current Coronavirus pandemic creating one of the longest periods without Motorsport, let’s look into some of the ‘longest’ records and streaks across Motorsport.
1: Longest race in F1 history – Canada 2011
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix is one of the best races in F1 history and holds many records.
Not only Jenson Button’s record 6 pitstops and still winning the race stat, but also the longest race in F1 history.
The 70 lap race took 4 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds to complete, including a 2 hour red flag period due to torrential rain.
This is a record Canada will not lose anytime soon as F1 introduced a rule that no race will pass the 2 hour mark, to stop events like this happening again.
2: Longest gap between 1st and 2nd in F1 – Stirling Moss
The late Sir Stirling Moss, holds the record for the longest gap between 1st and 2nd in an F1 race.
His win at the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix, had a gap to 2nd place of 5 minutes and 12 seconds to fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn.
This record also seems another that won’t be taken anytime soon, as a gap of that margin in Formula 1 has not been seen for half a century.
3: Longest Win Streak in MotoGP – Giacomo Agostini
Italian Motorcycle legend Giacomo Agostini is probably the greatest Motorcycle rider who has ever lived.
Not only a record 15 World Titles, and 122 Grand Prix wins, Agostini holds the record for the most consecutive wins.
Between 1968 and 1971, Agostini racked up a mega 38 consecutive wins, 17 more than Mike Hailwood’s record from 1963 to 1965.
This level of dominance makes Marc Marquez’s current dominance of MotoGP seem non existent.
4: Longest gap between 1st and 2nd F1 win – Mario Andretti
1978 Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti holds a record not many would expect.
The American holds the record for longest gap between his first and second win.
His first win came in 1971, at the South African Grand Prix for Ferrari, but he would have to wait 5 years, 7 months and 18 days, to the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix to win again.
Only few drivers have had to wait that long between wins, notably John Watson who had to wait just under 5 years between his first and second.
5: Longest consecutive IndyCar finishes – Tony Kanaan
2004 IndyCar Champion Tony Kanaan holds a few records over his successful career.
Not only was he the first driver to complete every possible lap in a season, completing 3,305 laps in his 2004 championship season.
As well as being the only driver to lead the Indy500 in each of his first 7 starts.
But he also holds the record for longest run of consecutive IndyCar finishes.
Between 2002 and 2019, he holds 284 consecutive race finishes, just 2 more than second placed Scott Dixon.
6: Longest gap between race wins in F1 – Kimi Raikkonen
The 2018 US GP in Austin was a record breaking day for Flying Finn Kimi Raikkonen.
His first win of the season, his first win for Ferrari since his return in 2014 as well as his first race win since 2013, at the Australian Grand Prix with Lotus.
This gap between race wins was an astounding 113 races, a new record.
A record which seems unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
7: Longest streak of WRC Podiums – Sebastien Loeb
Unsurprisingly, Sebastien Loeb holds most WRC records, including 9 World Titles in a row.
He holds the longest win streak but also the longest podium streak, and not just once.
The current record of 15 consecutive podiums between 2008 and 2009 is not the only one that belongs to the Frenchman.
He also holds the second, third and even fourth record podium streaks, all between 2005 and 2010.
And just to rub it in, also the 8th, 9th and 10th streaks as well, Loeb never let up.
8: Longest consecutive Pole Position streak – Ayrton Senna
With a legacy of one of the greatest qualifiers of all time, it is no surprise that Senna holds this record.
Partnered with one of the most dominant car and team partnership in McLaren and the dominant MP4/4, Senna took a stunning 8 poles in a row.
Between the 1988 Spanish GP at Jerez to the 1989 US GP at Phoenix, he took every pole, winning 4 of the races to boot.
Senna also holds a 7 pole streak between the 1990 Spanish GP and the 1991 Monaco GP, as well as 2 6 streaks in 1988 and 89.
9: Longest consecutive Formula E finishes – Stephane Sarrazin
As one of the lesser known Formula E drivers, Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin holds a record none of the bigger names do.
His run of 32 consecutive race finishes between 2015 and 2018 is 7 more than any other driver in the new on the scene racing series.
This is a record that may go under the radar, as Sarrazin is more known for his Le Mans sucess’ of 6 podium finishes in the 24 hour event, as well as Le Mans Series champion in both 2007 and 2010.
10: Longest gap between F1 races – Jan Lammers
With the return of pole Robert Kubica to F1 in 2019 with Williams, after a wait of 8 years, 4 months and 4 days was almost a record of a wait between races.
However, that record is held by Dutchman Jan Lammers, who waited 10 years, 3 months and 22 days between races.
It looked like his career was over at the end of the 1982 season, driving for Theodore Racing.
However, 10 years later, he returned to F1 with the March team for the 1992 Japanese and Australian GP’s.
Lammers had also signed on for the 1993 season, only for the March team to go bust before the season started.
