Biggest Motorsport Heartbreaks

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Har1MAS1415

335
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
For example, Damon Hill at Hungary in 1997, Toyota at Le Mans in 2016 and more recently Dan Lloyd in Race 3 at Donington Park in this year's British Touring Car Championship.
 
Carlos Sainz, 1998 Wales Rally GB

Luca Badoer, 1999 European GP

Marco Andretti, 2006 Indy 500



Scott Dixon, 2007 Chicagoland



Scott McLaughlin, 2017 Newcastle - self inflicted but fits the bill



I imagine Jim Clark would've felt rather bad after his engine let go at the start of the last lap of the 1964 Mexican GP, with the championship in his grasp. It ment Graham Hill would win despite being 2 laps down after Ferrari driver Bandini knocked him into a spin mid race. After Clark's engine failed, the quick thinking Ferrari team had Bandini let teammate Surtees past for 2nd on the last lap, giving Surtees the title. Lap chart

Bandini hitting Hill:

 
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While not a major heartbreak, I still think it would've been rad to see George Russell win on his first race for Mercedes in the Sakhir GP 2020. But then he got screwed by Mercedes and bad luck.
 
Liquid
Good lord, how could I forget these two? You're so right.
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I nearly added Barichello at Interlagos in 1999, but I don't think a win was possible that day against Hakkinen and Schumacher. A podium, though...
 
The 2011 Indy 500 is heartbreaking on 2 fronts, first because J.R. Hildebrand was so damned close, but also because it would end up being Dan Wheldon's final win before his passing.

 
Roo
Carlos Sainz, 1998 Wales Rally GB
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I remember watching this one live, back when terrestrial TV showed live rallying, the helmet throw through the back window will never be forgotten.


Staying with rallying, Colin McRae, 2001 WRC season, leading the Welsh rally, just needed to hold on ahead of Burns and Makinen to win his 2nd title, before crashing out in spectacular fashion whilst trying to build a buffer in case of a puncture, going for full risk but not getting the reward.


This handed the title to Richard Burns as Makinen also retired. To this day, Burns is still the last British driver to win the World Rally Championship.
 
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Roo
I nearly added Barichello at Interlagos in 1999, but I don't think a win was possible that day against Hakkinen and Schumacher. A podium, though...
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So did I, as in 1996 when he overtook Michael Schumacher for the lead and was looking at the podium that race.

Barrichello and Brazil in general is a heartbreak; he had 9 DNFs and one 3rd place in 19 seasons.
 
HarVee
When Dale Earnhardt Sr. died. NASCAR has never been the same since.
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Rather unbelievably, watching a documentary about this race was how I discovered what NASCAR was. Having cable TV when I was 8 had its perks, but I only later realized the sheer importance of just who they were talking about.
 
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Har1MAS1415
Same goes for F1 when Ayrton Senna died.
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Honestly, Ratzenberger is the heartbreak. And not just because he died as well but because of how frequently his accident is overlooked or not considered in the context of consequences. It is said so often that Formula One changed forever after Senna's death, and it did, but after Ratzenberger's death it was going to change anyway.

Ratzenberger and Senna both hit concrete walls. Ratzenberger hit one at a faster speed at a more dangerous part of the track. His death was the first in eight years since Elio de Angelis and a severe audit of the sport and its safety precautions was going to happen no matter what happened on the Sunday.

Ratzenberger's accident was such a puncture to the sport that, in a horrible twist of irony, Senna himself almost retired on the spot. It is in absolutely no way Ayrton Senna's fault, obviously, but his death mythos really takes away a lot of context from that weekend.
 
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Liquid
Honestly, Ratzenberger is the heartbreak. And not just because he died as well but because of how frequently his accident is overlooked or not considered in the context of consequences. It is said so often that Formula One changed forever after Senna's death, and it did, but after Ratzenberger's death it was going to change anyway.

Ratzenberger and Senna both hit concrete walls. Ratzenberger hit one at a faster speed at a more dangerous part of the track. His death was the first in eight years since Elio de Angelis and a severe audit of the sport and its safety precautions was going to happen no matter what happened on the Sunday.

Ratzenberger's accident was such a puncture to the sport that, in a horrible twist of irony, Senna himself almost retired on the spot. It is in absolutely no way Ayrton Senna's fault, obviously, but his death mythos really takes away a lot of context from that weekend.
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Just like people are more likely to remember Gilles Villeneuve than Riccardo Paletti.
 
1982 for Ferrari.

Internal fighting between two drivers.

Gilles got killed while Pironi ended up with a career ending crash. Both have never talked or even forgiven each other before they passed away.

1982 was cursed I would say the beginning of why Ferrari was doing bad for 20 years.
 
TumeK5
I'm sorry then. :nervous:

I'm on it too by the way :drool:
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Since we're talking about it, same here. Never diagnosed officially but I have trouble reading people.

Anyhows, some that come to my mind:

Toyota at Le Mans 2016 I remember slamming my laptop lid when that happened.

Hamilton Malaysia 2016 also.

Mika Hakkinen Monza 1999
 

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