One driver - one engine
Discussion
No not one engine lasting a whole season so sorry for the clickbait!
I can remember reading an article a little while back about Danny Ric and his struggles at McLaren and part of it was put down to him having to adjust to the Mercedes engine and how it behaved because previously he had only driven with a Renault engine behind him.
I think is was HRT - cosworth he started with then torro rosso - Ferrari so he can’t lay claim to only using one manufacturers engine although before McLaren it has only been Renault in the v6 hybrid era.
Anyways…. Other than Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) has any other driver used one single engine manufacturer for their whole career?
I can remember reading an article a little while back about Danny Ric and his struggles at McLaren and part of it was put down to him having to adjust to the Mercedes engine and how it behaved because previously he had only driven with a Renault engine behind him.
I think is was HRT - cosworth he started with then torro rosso - Ferrari so he can’t lay claim to only using one manufacturers engine although before McLaren it has only been Renault in the v6 hybrid era.
Anyways…. Other than Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) has any other driver used one single engine manufacturer for their whole career?
There have been several drivers with extremely short careers in the grisly history of the sport so... I imagine quite a few only ever drove a single manufacturers PU in their career.
Also the odd 1-2 season wonder in F1 in more recent times, who left the sport with no other PU experience.
Also the odd 1-2 season wonder in F1 in more recent times, who left the sport with no other PU experience.
Drivers with only a short career with one team should be discounted, as there will be far too many of them with experience of only one engine.
Of the current drivers who've driven for more than one team, Hamilton, Bottas and Stroll have only been powered by Mercedes, and Leclerc only by Ferrari.
Other than Hamilton, I think James Hunt is the only other WDC to race with only one engine manufacturer for their whole F1 career. Emmo almost managed it, but for one single outing in the gas turbine Lotus.
Of the current drivers who've driven for more than one team, Hamilton, Bottas and Stroll have only been powered by Mercedes, and Leclerc only by Ferrari.
Other than Hamilton, I think James Hunt is the only other WDC to race with only one engine manufacturer for their whole F1 career. Emmo almost managed it, but for one single outing in the gas turbine Lotus.
thegreenhell said:
Drivers with only a short career with one team should be discounted, as there will be far too many of them with experience of only one engine.
Of the current drivers who've driven for more than one team, Hamilton, Bottas and Stroll have only been powered by Mercedes, and Leclerc only by Ferrari.
Other than Hamilton, I think James Hunt is the only other WDC to race with only one engine manufacturer for their whole F1 career. Emmo almost managed it, but for one single outing in the gas turbine Lotus.
To you point, we can't include Leclerc yet then Of the current drivers who've driven for more than one team, Hamilton, Bottas and Stroll have only been powered by Mercedes, and Leclerc only by Ferrari.
Other than Hamilton, I think James Hunt is the only other WDC to race with only one engine manufacturer for their whole F1 career. Emmo almost managed it, but for one single outing in the gas turbine Lotus.
I suppose the easiest way to cut out the short careers is to only include drivers that have driven for at least two teams. So Lewis counts on that front, as, weirdly, does George.
Pretty certain Mazepin will also only ever race with the Ferrari PU - unless his Dad buys the team and decides to sever ties with Ferrari - and by extension, Dallara..
Satoru Nakajima
Edit; my bad. He drove the Lotus Judd after Honda pulled out even though he still had Honda patches on his race suit after they were gone. Then went to Tyrrell a year before they got Hondas (which he was responsible for them getting a season later)
Edit; my bad. He drove the Lotus Judd after Honda pulled out even though he still had Honda patches on his race suit after they were gone. Then went to Tyrrell a year before they got Hondas (which he was responsible for them getting a season later)
Edited by cgt2 on Thursday 30th September 20:48
jb2410 said:
Could be wrong but Gasly possibly?
Debut year at toro rosso when they’d just switched to honda (and blew them up regularly iirc)
Then the RB move, pretty sure they were using Honda that season
And obviously then back at TR/AT still running the hondas
Gasly drove for Toro Rosso in the last few races of 2017 while they were still using Renault engines.Debut year at toro rosso when they’d just switched to honda (and blew them up regularly iirc)
Then the RB move, pretty sure they were using Honda that season
And obviously then back at TR/AT still running the hondas
Not sure if they were badged as something else like the Red Bull Tag Heuer arrangement
Of the many that raced in the 1970s when the DFV was king, probably the standout driver is:
James Hunt: Ford DFV in March, Hesketh, McLaren and Wolf chassis, 1973-79
As someone has already said, there are many more from the late 1960s-early 1980s whose entire careers were built around Ford DFV engines. Similarly, there are many drivers who only entered a single season, perhaps 2 at most.
Of those that entered more regularly:
Alan Stacey: Lotus Climax, 1958-60
James Hunt: Ford DFV in March, Hesketh, McLaren and Wolf chassis, 1973-79
As someone has already said, there are many more from the late 1960s-early 1980s whose entire careers were built around Ford DFV engines. Similarly, there are many drivers who only entered a single season, perhaps 2 at most.
Of those that entered more regularly:
Alan Stacey: Lotus Climax, 1958-60
thegreenhell said:
That's going to be hard to beat, and prompts a related question: Japanese F1 drivers who only raced with Japanese engines...
Kazuki Nakajima. 2 seasons in the Williams Toyota and driven for Toyota in WEC and drove for the TOM's Toyota team in Formula Nippon and Super GT in between F1 and WEC. thegreenhell said:
Of the current drivers who've driven for more than one team, Hamilton, Bottas and Stroll have only been powered by Mercedes, and Leclerc only by Ferrari.
Bottas had a Renault engine in 2013.Giovanazzi has raced a couple of times for Sauber, test driven for Haas and raced for Alfa Romeo - all with a Ferrari engine.
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