Grand Prix Rejects

Perry McCarthy champion for Williams in 1992/3!

What if Nannini hadn't had that helicopter accident? Would he ever have been in the championship contention? Would Benetton have gone for Schumacher anyway?

novitopoli wrote:What if Nannini hadn't had that helicopter accident? Would he ever have been in the championship contention? Would Benetton have gone for Schumacher anyway?

I think Schumi would have still been at Benetton.

What if Will Power was signed by McLaren to pair Alonso instead of Hamilton in 2007? How well would he have fared in F1?

What if the Lotus 1988 & 1989 cars weren't shite?

Izzyeviel wrote:What if the Lotus 1988 & 1989 cars weren't shite?

Satoru Nakajima doesn't get quite so many DNQs as he did.

Whiteshore wrote:What if Will Power was signed by McLaren to pair Alonso instead of Hamilton in 2007? How well would he have fared in F1?

See Cristiano da Matta's stint with Toyota. Not a reject, but disappointing.

Have we done Jeff Gordon on this thread before? If not, what if Jeff Gordon had done his test with Paul Stewart Racing with a view towards a career in Formula 1?

Whiteshore wrote:What if Nigel Mansell was paralyzed in that Formula Ford crash?

The others to test the Lotus alongside Mansell that led to him getting the reserve/test/third/whatever seat were de Angelis (who got the actual race drive for 1980), Jan Lammers, Eddie Cheever and Stephen South, so one of those last three would probably have taken Mansell's Lotus career. Apparently the latter was quite highly rated until suffering a career-ending crash in Can-Am, something that might not have happened if he had the Lotus drive (the crash happened a week after Mansell's debut in the 1980 Austrian GP)

MorbidelliObese wrote:

Whiteshore wrote:What if Nigel Mansell was paralyzed in that Formula Ford crash?

The others to test the Lotus alongside Mansell that led to him getting the reserve/test/third/whatever seat were de Angelis (who got the actual race drive for 1980), Jan Lammers, Eddie Cheever and Stephen South, so one of those last three would probably have taken Mansell's Lotus career. Apparently the latter was quite highly rated until suffering a career-ending crash in Can-Am, something that might not have happened if he had the Lotus drive (the crash happened a week after Mansell's debut in the 1980 Austrian GP)

Maybe we get Jan Lammers or Eddie Cheever as a world champion!

What if in 1995, Mercedes put a 500I pushrod engine bored out to 3 liters on the McLaren? How good would it be? What would the FIA's reaction be? Make V10s mandatory in 1996?

Whiteshore wrote:What if in 1995, Mercedes put a 500I pushrod engine bored out to 3 liters on the McLaren? How good would it be? What would the FIA's reaction be? Make V10s mandatory in 1996?

For a start, what do you mean "bored out"? The 500I pushrod engine was a 3.43 litre engine, so it had a larger capacity than the 3.0 litre units used in F1 in 1995.

I hope that you don't mind me saying this, but the question is a very odd one given that the regulations that the two series ran were so different that it would be completely impossible to switch an engine from one series to the other.

What if Robert Kubica decided to try out IndyCar in 2014-2015? How well would he have fared?

Whiteshore wrote:What if Robert Kubica decided to try out IndyCar in 2014-2015? How well would he have fared?

He couldn't have, because he would've had the same problem as with F1 - he wouldn't be able to drive the car properly because of the tight cockpit.

What if all teams ran 2 cars in 1985 and entered all races of the season and there was pre-qualifying? Would Tyrrell or RAM be the fourth team to pre-qualify?

Whiteshore wrote:What if all teams ran 2 cars in 1985 and entered all races of the season and there was pre-qualifying? Would Tyrrell or RAM be the fourth team to pre-qualify?

Tyrrell I believe. Their 1984 exclusion was as far as I know upheld (remains so in the record books to this day), so it would be Tyrrell and the 3 new teams (Zakspeed, Haas-Lola, Minardi) making up pre-qualifying for the first half of the season, all the teams actually classified in the championship the year before totalled 13 to make up those with a bye:

1. McLaren
2. Ferrari
3. Lotus
4. Brabham
5. Renault
6. Williams
7. Toleman
8. Alfa Romeo
9. Ligier
10. Arrows (whether using their Ford or BMW totals, they slot in here)
11. Osella
-. ATS (quit)
12. Spirit (using their Hart ranking which was higher than their Ford one)
13. RAM

MorbidelliObese wrote:

Whiteshore wrote:What if all teams ran 2 cars in 1985 and entered all races of the season and there was pre-qualifying? Would Tyrrell or RAM be the fourth team to pre-qualify?

Tyrrell I believe. Their 1984 exclusion was as far as I know upheld (remains so in the record books to this day), so it would be Tyrrell and the 3 new teams (Zakspeed, Haas-Lola, Minardi) making up pre-qualifying for the first half of the season, all the teams actually classified in the championship the year before totalled 13 to make up those with a bye:

1. McLaren
2. Ferrari
3. Lotus
4. Brabham
5. Renault
6. Williams
7. Toleman
8. Alfa Romeo
9. Ligier
10. Arrows (whether using their Ford or BMW totals, they slot in here)
11. Osella
-. ATS (quit)
12. Spirit (using their Hart ranking which was higher than their Ford one)
13. RAM

I'm sort of glad this didn't happen. I wouldn't fancy Minardi's chances at all.

What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

If Ralf would have stayed with Hill, Ralf would have done only slightly better than Frentzen, probably having like 60 points, maybe technically keeping the title competition alive until the final weekend.

If Ralf had been joined by Frentzen, well, whilst Jordan would have been closer to McLaren, we'd still "only" be looking at like 80 points for Jordan. Ralf would have probably stolen points from HHF, resulting in their faint title challenges disappearing.

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

Similarly, what if Frentzen stayed at williams and is joined by Ralf in 1999. Who would drive for Jordan next to Hill and how would he fare?

What if Scott Dixon instead of Antonio Pizzonia subbed for Nick Heidfeld in 2005?

This wrote:

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

Similarly, what if Frentzen stayed at williams and is joined by Ralf in 1999. Who would drive for Jordan next to Hill and how would he fare?

I think Verstappen Snr would have joined Hill, and only scores a similar amount of points to Hill, and they struggle to 6th in the WCC.

This wrote:

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

Similarly, what if Frentzen stayed at williams and is joined by Ralf in 1999. Who would drive for Jordan next to Hill and how would he fare?

How rejectful would it have been that year if Zanardi were Hill's teammate!

James1978 wrote:

This wrote:

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:What if Ralf Schumacher stayed with Jordan in 1999 given his form in the second half of 1998 and all of 1999

Similarly, what if Frentzen stayed at williams and is joined by Ralf in 1999. Who would drive for Jordan next to Hill and how would he fare?

I think Verstappen Snr would have joined Hill, and only scores a similar amount of points to Hill, and they struggle to 6th in the WCC.

And is it possible either one is replaced by Nakano mid-season who scores a podium in the chaotic European GP?

Whiteshore wrote:

James1978 wrote:

This wrote:Similarly, what if Frentzen stayed at williams and is joined by Ralf in 1999. Who would drive for Jordan next to Hill and how would he fare?

I think Verstappen Snr would have joined Hill, and only scores a similar amount of points to Hill, and they struggle to 6th in the WCC.

And is it possible either one is replaced by Nakano mid-season who scores a podium in the chaotic European GP?

No, sadly. Hill wasn't replaced in real life despite poor performances (said by a Hill fan)...

What if the Fan Car was disqualified from the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix?

Whiteshore wrote:What if the Fan Car was disqualified from the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix?

Arrows win a race!

Apart from that, business as usual, I suppose...

Simtek wrote:

Whiteshore wrote:What if the Fan Car was disqualified from the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix?

Arrows win a race!

Apart from that, business as usual, I suppose...

There could be some repreccusions as Ecclestone could condemn the FISA and lead to the FISA-FOCA war getting worse.

Whiteshore wrote:

Simtek wrote:

Whiteshore wrote:What if the Fan Car was disqualified from the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix?

Arrows win a race!

Apart from that, business as usual, I suppose...

There could be some repreccusions as Ecclestone could condemn the FISA and lead to the FISA-FOCA war getting worse.

I don't know. Bernie had already drawn the ire of the FOCA teams when Lauda won the race. Knowing that he needed them on his side in their mutual conflict with FISA, he decided to withdraw the car anyway before it was banned.

What if Maki wasn't a flop? Could they have been a Japanese version of March Engineering?

Whiteshore wrote:What if Maki wasn't a flop? Could they have been a Japanese version of March Engineering?

What if the Maki team and the driver Mika Maki were contemporaries, and Maki drove for Maki in F1?

What if Jordan King and Eddie Jordan's team were contemporaries etc., and there was a GP in the country of Jordan?

dr-baker wrote:What if the Maki team and the driver Mika Maki were contemporaries, and Maki drove for Maki in F1?

What if Jordan King and Eddie Jordan's team were contemporaries etc., and there was a GP in the country of Jordan?

We'll always have Pacific Grand Prix....

UgncreativeUsergname wrote:

dr-baker wrote:What if the Maki team and the driver Mika Maki were contemporaries, and Maki drove for Maki in F1?

What if Jordan King and Eddie Jordan's team were contemporaries etc., and there was a GP in the country of Jordan?

We'll always have Pacific Grand Prix....

We will indeed!

UgncreativeUsergname wrote:

dr-baker wrote:What if the Maki team and the driver Mika Maki were contemporaries, and Maki drove for Maki in F1?

What if Jordan King and Eddie Jordan's team were contemporaries etc., and there was a GP in the country of Jordan?

We'll always have Pacific Grand Prix....

The fact that they both existed for the two same seasons, and nothing more is such an amazing co-incidence.

dr-baker wrote:

Whiteshore wrote:What if Maki wasn't a flop? Could they have been a Japanese version of March Engineering?

What if the Maki team and the driver Mika Maki were contemporaries, and Maki drove for Maki in F1?

In a world where Maki isn't a flop and succeeds in their ambitions (aside from the whole customer chassis empire due to the Concorde Agreement), it could be possible, assuming they last until the 21st century.

What if Trulli partnered Alonso in 2005 and 2006. Who would drive for Toyota? Would they have sought out Mark?

Aguaman wrote:What if Trulli partnered Alonso in 2005 and 2006. Who would drive for Toyota? Would they have sought out Mark?

Where would Fisichella go? Could he have ended up at Toyota and be considered as one of those potentially great drivers who never got a chance in a top team?

Trulli would have been awesome as a teammate to Alonso during the championship years. He would have taken points big-time off Fernando in the early part of the season before tailing off as it wore on (as Jarno always did), and in a close fight like 2006 it could even have handed the title to Schumacher

What if Beatrice had never been taken over?

What if Pierluigi Martini somehow won the 1989 Portugese GP (the one he led)?