Reject moments that never happened

[WeirdKerr]

A race leader coming into the pits, crashing the car to the pit entrance and never admitting it was his own fault...

Now, seriously, a driver making a mistake (like taking an escape road by accident) and leading a couple of drivers to the same mistake.

think the second one happened but im not sure.....

[TheBigJ]

A former World Champion gets his pit-box wrong...

[dr-baker]

A former World Champion gets his pit-box wrong...

As well as not lining up on the grid properly, switches engine off as everybody else sets off for a second parade lap, then gets a speeding penalty as he pits at the end of lap one, all on the same GP weekend...

[Nuppiz]

A former World Champion gets his pit-box wrong...

As well as not lining up on the grid properly, switches engine off as everybody else sets off for a second parade lap, then gets a speeding penalty as he pits at the end of lap one, all on the same GP weekend...

And finally becomes the first retirement of the race, after having battled with HRTs, Marussias and Caterhams for position.

[pasta_maldonado]

A driver getting arrested during the course of a season...oh wait

[Sunshine_Baby_[IT]]

A team owner arrested during the course of a season...oh wait

Fixed.

[Wallio]

I don't onow if this counts as it wasn't a reject team, but its a really rejectful moment that "didn't" happen.

I can't remember the year (2005 I think) but Toyota protested a mid-season race. The FIA asked for their national A license (German for Yota, which always seemed weird to me) and of courze their team Superlicense. Problem was, the German license was expired, and since you cannot have a Superlicense without an A license, Toyota had run nearly half a season without a valid license!

This officially never happened as the FIA in an unprecedented (for them) moment of compassion and common sense basically said "we'll forget about this if you drop the appeal and renew your bloody license" which of course happened.

[Yannick]

An F1 race being called off due to a sandstorm on Friday of the race weekend because of bad visibility due to the dust having not settled down enough on Sunday even.

It happened to an official pre-season test at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain before where Ferrari were joined by BMW-Sauber and Toyota. None of the teams got any more from this test than a few installation laps and a huge travel bill.

This could also happen during a race weekend: at Sakhir, at Losail (if it ever makes it onto the calendar) but not at Abu Dhabi Marina, since that track is on an island.

[SeedStriker]

A former title condender being hit by a piece of debris, spending time to recover, returning to his front team with full backup and failing to do something to aid it in the next 2-3 years and not wanting to go anywhere if sacked even if he remains somewhat competitive.

Oh, wait...

[FullMetalJack]

Crashing in the pitlane when exiting the garage.

[Phoenix]

A race leader coming into the pits, crashing the car to the pit entrance and never admitting it was his own fault...

Now, seriously, a driver making a mistake (like taking an escape road by accident) and leading a couple of drivers to the same mistake.

think the second one happened but im not sure.....

At the 1972 Monaco GP, the conditions were so appalling that when Clay Regazzoni went down an escape road Emerson Fittipaldi blindly followed him in.

[mario]

This has now just turned into "Reject moments"...

I guess that is in part because, in many ways, real life can sometimes be even more bizarre than fiction - plus, with more than sixty years of races to draw on, chances are that quite a few of those incidents did actually happen. For example, how about a driver managing to find a short cut during qualifying and cutting six seconds off his time? It was something Harry Schell did during the 1959 US Grand Prix (which meant he started in 3rd place when he should have started in 11th).

An F1 race being called off due to a sandstorm on Friday of the race weekend because of bad visibility due to the dust having not settled down enough on Sunday even.

It happened to an official pre-season test at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain before where Ferrari were joined by BMW-Sauber and Toyota. None of the teams got any more from this test than a few installation laps and a huge travel bill.

This could also happen during a race weekend: at Sakhir, at Losail (if it ever makes it onto the calendar) but not at Abu Dhabi Marina, since that track is on an island.

On a similar note, I believe that there was also one Race of Champions - possibly the 1972 event - which had to be cancelled partway through the event when a snowstorm struck the track (and I think that, back in 2005, Renault had to cancel a pre-season test due to a snowstorm).

A race leader coming into the pits, crashing the car to the pit entrance and never admitting it was his own fault...

Now, seriously, a driver making a mistake (like taking an escape road by accident) and leading a couple of drivers to the same mistake.

think the second one happened but im not sure.....

At the 1972 Monaco GP, the conditions were so appalling that when Clay Regazzoni went down an escape road Emerson Fittipaldi blindly followed him in.

By the looks of the race reports, Ickx also followed Fittipaldi and Regazzoni down that escape road too - so it is even more rejectful than you might think.

[Ataxia]

This has now just turned into "Reject moments"...

I guess that is in part because, in many ways, real life can sometimes be even more bizarre than fiction - plus, with more than sixty years of races to draw on, chances are that quite a few of those incidents did actually happen. For example, how about a driver managing to find a short cut during qualifying and cutting six seconds off his time? It was something Harry Schell did during the 1959 US Grand Prix (which meant he started in 3rd place when he should have started in 11th).

Very true, but I'd love something really Pythonesque to happen...not likely considering today's drivers are too dull to be eccentric.

Here's a couple of reject things that I've heard happened (not sure if they're 100% true):

Some of you know that Michael Andretti's wife requested headphones at races so she could hear how he was doing. He was once on a flying lap during qualifying (I think) and his wife decided then would be the time to ask "Hey Mikey, where are we eating tonight?"...

Apparently (I think this was in Eddie Jordan's autobiography) Gary Anderson designed the Jordan 193 with Rubens Barrichello in mind, who isn't a particularly tall man. When they signed the taller Thierry Boutsen, his feet were invariably larger and didn't quite fit in the tub. I seem to remember that he had to have the tips of his boots cut off to fit the car.

[UncreativeUsername37]

Making a late change in tyre strategy, only being able to find three of the correct tyre, and spending twenty seconds looking for a fourth one, ultimately costing your driver the championship... wait a minute....

[I forti sopravivono]

Retire your cars in the last lap to be able to change the engine for the next weekend, by some strange engine-rule.
Hoping to perform well with those fresh engines the next race, but then being the first team having both drivers out of the race in the very first laps by.. blown engines.
Oh wait...

[dr-baker]

Retire your cars in the last lap to be able to change the engine for the next weekend, by some strange engine-rule.
Hoping to perform well with those fresh engines the next race, but then being the first team having both drivers out of the race in the very first laps by.. blown engines.
Oh wait...

Yeah. "Hmmm. Let's stop to change engines. That should allow us to score more points next time, BARring any misfortune..."

[I forti sopravivono]

Retire your cars in the last lap to be able to change the engine for the next weekend, by some strange engine-rule.
Hoping to perform well with those fresh engines the next race, but then being the first team having both drivers out of the race in the very first laps by.. blown engines.
Oh wait...

Yeah. "Hmmm. Let's stop to change engines. That should allow us to score more points next time, BARring any misfortune..."

One of the moments I've laughed my ass off while watching F1
And the rejectfulness didn't stop, with the fueltank-gate waiting to happen.

[Cynon]

Crashing in the pitlane when exiting the garage.

Happened to Steve Wallace during NASCAR testing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yasDhQndp0A

[Shizuka]

Hitting the same wall at least twice the weekend and suffer a gearbox penalty, while your team-mate plonks the sister car on the front row.

Oh wait...

[I forti sopravivono]

A driver spinning off and being utterly confused and dizzy after the twist.
Then driving half a lap in the wrong direction before nearly hitting the frontrunners.

[Phoenix]

A driver spinning off and being utterly confused and dizzy after the twist.
Then driving half a lap in the wrong direction before nearly hitting the frontrunners.

Alain Prost nearly did that at the 1986 German GP - he spun, then he drove for a couple seconds in the wrong direction before realising it was the other way round. I can't find a video of it, though.

[JJMonty]

How about a champion piling into the back of another car twice in one season?!


A true reject moment in F1 that I've only seen happen in Champcar would be someone going down an escape road on a street circuit - returning onto the circuit without stopping and piling into the side of someone else... kinda like when you get a fork junction that merges into one road without either car stopping!

[pasta_maldonado]

How about a champion piling into the back of another car twice in one season?!


A true reject moment in F1 that I've only seen happen in Champcar would be someone going down an escape road on a street circuit - returning onto the circuit without stopping and piling into the side of someone else... kinda like when you get a fork junction that merges into one road without either car stopping!

Or how about the current World Champion colliding with the same driver 3 times in 4 races, then getting dismissed for poor performances?
And the champcar incident was Paul Tracy. He ran on at a turn, tried a spin turn, but unfortunately for him it was only slightly better than Schiaterella's famously rejectful performance at Monaco!

[JJMonty]

Mixing fiction with reality! Nice!


That was the accident I remember!

[Phoenix]

How about a champion piling into the back of another car twice in one season?!


A true reject moment in F1 that I've only seen happen in Champcar would be someone going down an escape road on a street circuit - returning onto the circuit without stopping and piling into the side of someone else... kinda like when you get a fork junction that merges into one road without either car stopping!

Or how about the current World Champion colliding with the same driver 3 times in 4 races, then getting dismissed for poor performances?
And the champcar incident was Paul Tracy. He ran on at a turn, tried a spin turn, but unfortunately for him it was only slightly better than Schiaterella's famously rejectful performance at Monaco!

In defence of Tracy, I have to say the incident with Bourdais could have happened to anyone considering how bumpy the asphalt was. In fact, whose idea was to make a circuit go through a parking lot?

[dinizintheoven]

In defence of Tracy, I have to say the incident with Bourdais could have happened to anyone considering how bumpy the asphalt was. In fact, whose idea was to make a circuit go through a parking lot?

A fiver says it was the same man who designed the first corner at Oschersleben. What say you, Mr Cleland?

Actually, that fiver will be in Zimbabwe dollars, as I know full well it won't be, for geographical reasons...

[WeirdKerr]

Driver goes slightly wide and ends up with astroturf lodged on the sidepod..... oh wait...

[pasta_maldonado]

A driver winning a race and then getting banned

[I forti sopravivono]

Driver goes slightly wide and ends up with astroturf lodged on the sidepod..... oh wait...

Got a flashback to Diniz in '98 while watching that.
But Diniz had real grass and sand of half a football field in his sidepod

[WaffleCat]

Driver retires car and jumps over fence....only to land in a river...oh wait.

[Cynon]

A driver pulling out of the pitlane in front of the entire field...

... oh, wait...

[TomWazzleshaw]

A driver winning a race and then getting banned

Oi, Michael Schumacher did it first. And he got an even more severe penalty for his troubles

[Daxam_Stark]

Actually start-and-parking in Formula 1.

Morgan Shepherd to F1 with the Parking for Jesus F1 Team?

Comedy Reject Moments/Moments that have no chance in Mephisto's Realm of happening: driver DNQing after he was beaten in a fight at a Simoan Pub and failed to show up at the track?Or driver was afraid of being typecast as a racing driver and promptly retired after 13 laps?

Serious reject moments: ran into the back of another car before starting the race and retired without completing a single lap?

[dinizintheoven]

Serious reject moments: ran into the back of another car before starting the race and retired without completing a single lap?

Don't shout that too loud, because Pastor Maldonado and Rrrrrmmmmnnnn Grrrrjjjjnnn will get ideas, and before you know it this'll be another "oh, wait!" for the collection.

[FantometteBR]

Actually start-and-parking in Formula 1.

Arrows in 2002 did something alike, but that was 'attempt to qualify-and-park'

[UncreativeUsername37]

Actually start-and-parking in Formula 1.

Arrows in 2002 did something alike, but that was 'attempt to qualify-and-park'

Which is even more rejectful, so it should count.

[dr-baker]

Actually start-and-parking in Formula 1.

Arrows in 2002 did something alike, but that was 'attempt to qualify-and-park'

Which is even more rejectful, so it should count.

But didn't they even "attempt-to DNQ-so-they-wouldn't-have-to-start-and-park" the race before they folded?

[UncreativeUsername37]

But didn't they even "attempt-to DNQ-so-they-wouldn't-have-to-start-and-park" the race before they folded?

Yes, they did intentionally fail to qualify. Of course, they survived a whopping one race after they DNQed....

[dr-baker]

But didn't they even "attempt-to DNQ-so-they-wouldn't-have-to-start-and-park" the race before they folded?

Yes, they did intentionally fail to qualify. Of course, they survived a whopping one race after they DNQed....

Does that ever happen in NASCAR, or is money only paid to qualifiers (and hence is genuinely start-money)?

[TomWazzleshaw]

But didn't they even "attempt-to DNQ-so-they-wouldn't-have-to-start-and-park" the race before they folded?

Yes, they did intentionally fail to qualify. Of course, they survived a whopping one race after they DNQed....

Does that ever happen in NASCAR, or is money only paid to qualifiers (and hence is genuinely start-money)?

I believe it's paid out only to people who qualify for the races but I'm not 100% on that. The reason why so many people start-and-park in NASCAR from memory is because the difference in prize money for the last 10 or so places isn't great enough to make running beyond the first pitstop worthwhile for the minnows.