Azerbaijan Grand Prix Countdown: Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Formula One

Only four days remain before the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off in Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku. Here are some facts you probably did not know about Formula One:

• In terms of statistics, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are considered the most successful F1 drivers of all time, as they have each racked up seven world drivers’ titles.
   
• The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2011) holds the record of the longest race duration, at 4 hours, 4 minutes, including a red flag period. The 1991 Australian Grand Prix is the shortest race in Formula 1 history. The final race of the 1991 season lasted only 24 minutes.
   
• Louis Alexandre Chiron is still the oldest driver ever to have finished in Formula One. He ranked sixth in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix when he was 55.
   
• In the entire history of the competition, there have been only five women who competed in Formula One, of which two were able to overcome the qualification and complete the race. In 1975, Italian Lella Lombardi managed to score points at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, a record that still stands.
   
• In Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, non-alcoholic rose water is sprayed on the Formula One podium for religious reasons instead of traditional champagne.
   
• Each F1 team travels around the world with the luggage, while the weight of each luggage reaches an average of 28 tons, which is the same weight of two blue whales. Along with F1 cars, engines, and any other components, this luggage includes several large trucks with the components that are used to assemble garages and motorhomes – a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle, which offers living accommodation combined with a vehicle engine.
   
• British driver Stirling Moss has been described as “the greatest driver never to win the F1 World Championship.” Moss finished as championship runner-up four times and in third place the other three times between 1955 and 1961. 
   
• The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was postponed until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was due to feature over a record of 22 Grands Prix, but as some races were canceled and new races were added to replace them, a total of 17 races were run.