At the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris brought Britain’s Formula 1 podium tally to 700. We take a look at Britain’s path to their 700th top three result!
PODIUM 1: Reg Parnell, ?? 1950 British Grand Prix
The first British driver to finish on the podium in a World Championship Formula 1 race was Reg Parnell. Driving an Alfa Romeo at the inaugural championship race, Parnell found his way onto the podium as a result of team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio suffering mechanical issues just eight laps from the chequered flag. Parnell became the first driver to finish in the top three at his home event.
PODIUM 100: John Surtees, ?? 1963 German Grand Prix
Britain became the first nation to record 100 podium finishes in Formula 1 at the 1963 German Grand Prix. John Surtees won the race at the Nurburgring and, with Jim Clark also finishing on the podium, Britain was the first nation to surpass the century mark.
PODIUM 200: Jackie Stewart, ?? 1970 Italian Grand Prix
The 1960s were a prolific time of success for British drivers in Formula 1. In fact, for the 50 races between the 1962 and 1967 British Grands Prix, there was not a single race in which a British driver did not appear in the top three. It remains the record for the longest streak of podium finishes for a nation. On the road to their 200th podium, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees recorded Britain’s 180th, 181st and 182nd top three finishes in the same race. The 1968 United States Grand Prix remains the last time that the podium was made up exclusively of British drivers. Stewart racked up Britain’s 200th podium result with second place at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix – a weekend which was overshadowed by the death of Jochen Rindt.
PODIUM 300: Nigel Mansell, ?? 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
It would be nineteen years before Britain reached its next century milestone. Following Jackie Stewart’s retirement at the end of the 1973 season, James Hunt would be Britain’s only World Champion until Nigel Mansell in 1992. It was Mansell who recorded Britain’s 300th podium result with a win at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix. Mansell was Britain’s only podium finisher between the nation’s 279th and 326th top three results. The 1980 season became the first since 1951 in which no British driver finished on the podium at any race during the year.
PODIUM 400: Damon Hill, ?? 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix
In his title winning year, Damon Hill notched up Britain’s 400th F1 podium at the 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix. In the period between Mansell recording the nation’s 300th top three and Hill recording their 400th, the 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix became the first race in 25 years to feature a British 1-2 result, with Hill and David Coulthard doing the honours for Williams.
PODIUM 500: Lewis Hamilton, ?? 2007 Monaco Grand Prix
Eleven years later, Lewis Hamilton scored Britain’s 500th podium at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. After finishing as runner-up in Monaco, Hamilton had recorded podium finishes at all of the first five races of his career. He’d go on to take his first Grand Prix victory in Canada at the next race weekend.
PODIUM 600: Lewis Hamilton, ?? 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to record two of Britain’s century-milestone podium finishes. Hamilton secured Britain’s 600th visit to the rostrum at the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix. This was the race before Hamilton would seal his second World Championship. Hamilton and Jenson Button recorded 99 of the top three finishes during the period between Britain’s 500th and 600th podium finishes. The exception was David Coulthard’s final podium finish at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. Hamilton and Button recorded Britain’s first 1-2 finish in eleven years at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix – which was also the first 1-2 result for two English drivers since the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix.
PODIUM 700: Lando Norris, ?? 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
All but two of Britain’s podiums between the 600 and 700 milestones were recorded by Lewis Hamilton. The two exceptions were number 683 and number 700 itself, both of which came thanks to Lando Norris finishing in third place for McLaren. At the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, Norris became the 40th different British driver to finish on the podium in F1. With Norris joining Hamilton on the podium at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Britain became the first nation to reach the 700 podium milestone. The Imola race was also the first to feature two British drivers on the podium since the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix, some nine years and four days previously.