13/09/2005
NEWS STORY
Bob Constanduros reminds us that Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix was remarkable for one particular fact: there were nine different manufacturers in the first nine places. Only Minardi, back in 12th and 13th places, prevented a full house.
This has happened before - yes, some of us have time to waste researching these things.
There were nine different manufacturers in the first nine places in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1994 - and if Pedro Lamy hadn't finished tenth for Lotus, it would have been eleven different manufacturers as Ligier and Simtek were eleventh and twelfth. There were also nine different manufacturers in the first nine places in Japan in 1992.
But the recent record goes to Portugal in 1989 when there were ten different manufacturers in the first ten places. Take a trip down memory lane with this roll call: Ferrari, McLaren, Onyx, Benetton, Minardi, Tyrrell, Lotus, Brabham, Lola and March - in that order. Missing out that day were Ligier, Williams, Arrows and Coloni. But the choice was greater then; a further five manufacturers didn't even qualify.