Motorsports Trivia Thread!

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1991 Canada....who is this
IMG_20201103_0005.jpg
 
In the hybrid era, who is the only Formula One driver to have driven for all four engine manufacturers; Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Renault and Ferrari?

I am reasonably sure he is the only one.
 
I cheated by using Wikipedia* as I had some doubt about it:

Magnussen?

McLaren-Mercedes 2014
*McLaren-Honda 2015 (Technically he competed in Australia 2015 in replacement of a concussed Alonso, but he didn't start the race because his car broke down on the warmup lap)
Renault 2016
Haas-Ferrari 2017-2020
 
-Fred-
I cheated by using Wikipedia* as I had some doubt about it:

Magnussen?

McLaren-Mercedes 2014
*McLaren-Honda 2015 (Technically he competed in Australia 2015 in replacement of a concussed Alonso, but he didn't start the race because his car broke down on the warmup lap)
Renault 2016
Haas-Ferrari 2017-2020
Click to expand...
I couldn't think of anyone & 2015 is the reason why ;)
 
-Fred-
I cheated by using Wikipedia* as I had some doubt about it:

Magnussen?

McLaren-Mercedes 2014
*McLaren-Honda 2015 (Technically he competed in Australia 2015 in replacement of a concussed Alonso, but he didn't start the race because his car broke down on the warmup lap)
Renault 2016
Haas-Ferrari 2017-2020
Click to expand...

Yeah, still drove though as in had an engine of that manufacturer assigned to him for sessions. Even if... kaput.
 
This got me thinking who's had most engine makers behind his back over their career, and so far the biggest amount seems to be 6:

For the sake of brevity any engine that's been renamed (Mugen, Acer, Asiatech, Petronas, Playlife, Supertec, Mecachrome and the likes) or stuff like Cosworth that's Ford based, will be linked to the original maker.

Barrichello had Hart/Peugeot/Ford/Ferrari/Honda/Mercedes
Mansell had Ford/Renault/Honda/Judd/Ferrari/Mercedes
Johnny Herbert had Ford/Lamborghini/Judd/Honda/Renault/Ferrari
Trulli had Hart/Honda/Peugeot/Renault/Toyota/Ford
Fisichella had Ford/Peugeot/Honda/Renault/Ferrari/Mercedes
 
@-Fred- This is an excellent topic you got me researching.

Straight off the top of my head, Derek Warwick also drove for 6 engines:

Hart (1981-83)
Renault (1984-85)
BMW (1986, Megatron 1987-88)
Ford (1989)
Lamborghini (1990)
Honda (Mugen 1993)

I thought Heinz-Harald Frentzen would have had 6 too but I forgot that the Prost Acers were Ferraris and not Peugeots so he has 5 engines:

Mercedes-Benz (1994)
Ford (1995-96, Cosworth 2002)
Renault (1997, Mecachrome 1998)
Honda (Mugen 1999-00, Honda 2001)
Ferrari (Acer 2001, Petronas 2002 and 2003)

But including badge jobs, he drove for 9 including two different Ferrari badge jobs.

However I have found a driver who has driven for 7 different engines; Ivan Capelli:

Renault (1985)
Motori Moderni (1986)
Ford (1987)
Judd (1988-1990)
Ilmor (1991)
Ferrari (1992)
Hart (1993)
 
Liquid
Ferrari (1992)
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What a year to be a Ferrari driver. I can just image Ivan Capelli, a young Italian, dreaming of not just becoming a race driver, but an F1 driver for Ferrari. After seven years of hard work, he's finally rewarded with a seat in a Ferrari. And then he suffers ten DNFs, and of the four races in which his car doesn't blow up, the best he can do is a fifth and a sixth for a total of three points.
 
Brundle and Salo are also at 7, but I'm fairly sure De Cesaris is the clear winner, I can't find anyone even close.
 
Populuxe Cowboy
What a year to be a Ferrari driver. I can just image Ivan Capelli, a young Italian, dreaming of not just becoming a race driver, but an F1 driver for Ferrari. After seven years of hard work, he's finally rewarded with a seat in a Ferrari. And then he suffers ten DNFs, and of the four races in which his car doesn't blow up, the best he can do is a fifth and a sixth for a total of three points.
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I watched an interview with Ivan Capelli recently where he reflected on his time at Ferrari.

He said the excitement was all gone after the first test with the F92A when he & Alesi knew the car was a dud.

He also spoke about how Alesi liked a car with a pointy front end that didn’t suit him as well, and that how the Engineers refused to work with him on a setup that he could get better results with.

Ferrari being highly political behind the scenes. Who would’ve thought.
 
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I took a look at some drivers from the pre-DFV era and Harry Schell drove with 10 different engines:

JA Prestwick* (1950)
Talbot (1950)
Maserati (1951)
Platé (1952)
Gordini (1953)
Maserati (1954-58)
Ferrari (1955)
Vanwall (1955-56)
BRM (1958-59)
Coventry-Climax (1959-60)

*The three letter acronym fails the swear filter

Maurice Trintignant and Stirling Moss drove with 8 engines.
Dan Gurney, Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier drove with 7 engines.
 
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Pete05
I watched an interview with Ivan Capelli recently where he reflected on his time at Ferrari.

He said the excitement was all gone after the first test with the F92A when he & Alesi knew the car was a dud.

He also spoke about how Alesi liked a car with a pointy front end that didn’t suit him as well, and that how the Engineers refused to work with him on a setup that he could get better results with.

Ferrari being highly political behind the scenes. Who would’ve thought.
Click to expand...

Sounds like red bull. Max likes a car thats on the nose (according to Alex)
 
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Teammate Tracer

Matt Neal and Takuma Sato
Michael Andretti and Dick Johnson
Marcus Grönholm and Ken Miles

Some random ones to get your brains ticking. Shorter traces are more challenging but there are no right or wrong traces, only interesting ones.

Edit:

My own answers:

Neal and Sato

Traced in 5

Matt Neal -> Fabrizio Giovinardi (BTCC, 2008-09) -> Nicola Larini (ISC, 1998) -> Johnny Herbert (F1, 1997) -> Rubens Barrichello (F1, 1999) -> Jenson Button (F1, 2006-09) -> Takuma Sato (F1 2003-05)

Still working on the other two.
 
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Is your Neal to Sato not traced in 6, rather than 4?

Liquid
Michael Andretti and Dick Johnson
Click to expand...

Traced in 2:

Michael Andretti (1983 Sebring 12 Hours) Derek Bell (1979 Le Mans 24 Hours) Vern Schuppen (1977 Bathurst 1000) Dick Johnson

Not just the same team, but each pair shared the same car.

Edit: traced in 2, not 3 - see below.
 
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Roo
Is your Neal to Sato not traced in 6, rather than 4?
Click to expand...

You don't count the start and end. It's the number of teammates to link the two, not the number of drivers overall.
 
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