There have been only five races in Formula 1’s V6 hybrid era in which no drivers from the 2023 grid finished on the podium, the most recent being the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.
At the start of the 2022 season, the last Formula 1 race at which no current drivers finished on the podium was the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, at which Jenson Button, Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa were the top three finishers.
Flash forward to 2023 and with both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo departing, the last race at which no current drivers appeared on the podium moves forward to just six years ago. Here are the five most recent occasions on which no drivers from the 2023 grid stood on the F1 podium!
2017 Monaco Grand Prix
PODIUM FINISHERS: SEBASTIAN VETTEL, KIMI RAIKKONEN, DANIEL RICCIARDO
Sebastian Vettel took victory in the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing just three seconds ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel won the race on strategy, with Ferrari taking their first Monaco Grand Prix victory since 2001 – and their first 1-2 finish at the event since then, too. Daniel Ricciardo finished on the final step of the podium, recording his second of three consecutive Monaco Grand Prix podium finishes.
While Vettel and Ricciardo both left Formula 1 after the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Raikkonen retired at the end of the previous season.
2016 Chinese Grand Prix
PODIUM FINISHERS: NICO ROSBERG, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, DANIIL KVYAT
The 2016 Chinese Grand Prix is the second most recent race in which no current drivers finished in the top three. Eventual 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg took victory in this race, with Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat standing alongside him on the podium.
The race is perhaps best remembered for an amusing moment in the cooldown room after the Grand Prix, in which Vettel was far from impressed with Kvyat’s “torpedo” antics on the opening lap, confronting the Russian driver over his bold overtaking manoeuvre.
2015 Singapore Grand Prix
PODIUM FINISHERS: SEBASTIAN VETTEL, DANIEL RICCIARDO, KIMI RAIKKONEN
The 2015 Singapore Grand Prix was the only race of the entire 2015 season at which Mercedes did not take pole position. The honour instead went to Singapore specialist Sebastian Vettel, who went on to take victory the following day. He was joined in the top three by his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who finished just a second behind the Ferrari driver.
2015 Hungarian Grand Prix
PODIUM FINISHERS: SEBASTIAN VETTEL, DANIIL KVYAT, DANIEL RICCIARDO
Sebastian Vettel was the only non-Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix in the 2015 season. Having already taken victory in Malaysia, Vettel powered to his second with the Scuderia at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Vettel was joined in the top three by both Red Bull drivers. Daniil Kvyat recorded the best result of his Formula 1 career with second place, while Daniel Ricciardo secured third place.
2014 Canadian Grand Prix
PODIUM FINISHERS: DANIEL RICCIARDO, NICO ROSBERG, SEBASTIAN VETTEL
The fifth and final race of Formula 1’s V6 hybrid era which featured none of 2023’s drivers on the podium is the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix. This race is memorable for being Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden win and one of few races in 2014 at which Mercedes did not take victory. Reliability issues put Mercedes out of win contention – but Nico Rosberg did an impressive job to keep his lead until just a handful of laps from the end.
Ricciardo’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel completed the podium finishers and was first to congratulate Ricciardo on his maiden victory.
Header image: mariom990, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
