With Kevin Magnussen leaving Formula 1 at the end of the 2020 season, the 2014 Australian Grand Prix becomes the most recent race in which no current driver finished on the podium. We take a look at the last 10 F1 races in which no current drivers finished in the top three!
1. 2014 Australian Grand Prix
The last time that no drivers on the current grid finished in the podium positions was at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, when Nico Rosberg won the race and Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button finished second and third for McLaren. However, Daniel Ricciardo did stand on the podium at this event, having finished as runner-up on his Red Bull debut. The Australian was later disqualified from the race due to fuel flow issues. This race marked Button’s final podium finish and Magnussen’s only podium finish. The Dane is one of only six drivers to have recorded their only podium finish on their F1 debut.
2. 2010 Australian Grand Prix
All but one of the next six races in this list were won by Jenson Button. You have to go back another four years to find the next event which featured no drivers from the 2021 grid on the podium. At the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, Button recorded his first win in McLaren colours on only his second outing with the team. Behind him were Robert Kubica, who finished second for Renault, and Felipe Massa, who finished third for Ferrari.
3. 2009 Spanish Grand Prix
Button took his fourth win of the 2009 season at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he was joined on the podium by Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.
4. 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix is the last race in which half points were awarded, with the race having been stopped after only 31 laps due to poor weather conditions. This time, Button was joined on the podium by Nick Heidfeld and Timo Glock. With thirteen podium finishes to his name, Heidfeld remains the driver to have taken the most top three results without ever winning a Grand Prix.
5. 2009 Australian Grand Prix
The season-opening 2009 Australian Grand Prix is memorable for Brawn GP’s astonishing rise from Honda’s ashes. The team recorded a 1-2 result on debut, with Button winning ahead of Barrichello. The pair were joined on the podium by Jarno Trulli on his 200th Grand Prix start. After the podium ceremony, Trulli received a 25 second penalty for overtaking Lewis Hamilton under Safety Car conditions, with Hamilton promoted into third. However, one week later, Hamilton and McLaren were disqualified from the race after being deemed to have given the race stewards deceptive information.
6. 2008 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix is memorable for providing Robert Kubica’s only Formula 1 victory, one year on from his horrific crash at the same circuit. The only Polish winner was joined on the rostrum by BMW Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld and Red Bull’s David Coulthard, who recorded the 62nd and final top three finish of his career.
7. 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
Jenson Button recorded his maiden win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix with Honda. Joining him on the podium were Nick Heidfeld and Pedro de la Rosa. The Spaniard recorded the only podium finish of his F1 career with McLaren. Button’s win remained the last victory for a Honda-powered car until the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix.
8. 2006 United States Grand Prix
Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa led home a Ferrari 1-2 at the 2006 United States Grand Prix. The duo were joined on the podium by future Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella. This was the first time that Schumacher and Massa recorded a 1-2 result for Ferrari. They would go on to do so once more at that year’s German Grand Prix.
9. 2005 United States Grand Prix
The 2005 United States Grand Prix may have been the strangest Formula 1 race of all time, with only six cars starting the race due to tyre concerns. With Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello finishing first and second, the top two wouldn’t have looked out of position for that era – but third placed Tiago Monteiro certainly wasn’t a regular podium finisher. Driving for Jordan, Monteiro recorded the only podium finish of his career and the final top three finish for the original Silverstone-based team.
10. 2004 Japanese Grand Prix
The tenth most recent race in which no driver on the 2021 grid appeared on the podium was seventeen years ago. For the fourth and final time, a pair of brothers led home the Grand Prix, with Michael Schumacher winning for Ferrari and Ralf Schumacher in second place for Williams. Jenson Button completed the podium in third place.
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