Which F1 driver has the longest gap between two race wins?

F1 has, over the years, managed to develop itself into the best spectacle of motor racing on the planet. There is no other category of motorsports that he even comes to producing the heart-throbbing action that the pinnacle of motor racing produces every now and then. Moreover, most of the credit for putting on exciting races goes to the fearless F1 drivers.

As the sport has evolved with the passage of time, so have the drivers who go racing at various types of circuits throughout an F1 calendar. While things have changed quite a bit since the sport’s inception, one thing that has remained the same is that at the end of every Grand Prix, there is always a victor who takes in the applause of the fans.

But it isn’t easy to win a race in F1, as having the fastest car of the day doesn’t necessarily ensure the win as factors such as climate, reliability and the track condition also plays a major role. This makes F1 victory lanes a premium spot ob ly a few could visit more than once. While some drivers such as Lewis Hamilton or Max Versatppen were able to score back to back wins in their career most weren’t that fortunate.

There are drivers, few who are legends of the sport, who had to wait a considerably long number races to experience a race win for a second times. Let’s delve into the list of F1 drivers who have experienced the longest gaps between two race victories in the sport. .

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Top 5 drivers with the longest gap between two race victories

5. John Watson(75 races)

The F1 driver who comes in at fifth place on the list is none other than, John Watson. The Brit scored his and Roger Penske’s F1 team’s one and only race win in Austria in 1976. After that, he had a two-year spell at Brabham before moving on to the Woking-based McLaren F1 team that was in absolute shambles during that time. However, in the year 1981, he finally was able to score his second F1 race win in his MP4/1, which came after a long gap of 75 races.

4. Mario Andretti (81 races)

Mario Andretti is a big name in F1, and during his racing days, he was quite prolific behind the wheel of any racing cars. His first race win in the sport came in the year 1971 in Kalyami with the Maranello-based Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. However, his second race win in the sport came in the year 1976 because, before that, he tried his hands at various other racing categories and missed out on several F1 Grand Prix. He scored his second win with the Lotus F1 team in 1976 at a rain-drenched Fuji F1 Circuit.

3. Rubens Barichello (84 races)

Rubens Barichello was the Ferrari’s F1 driver during most of the dominant years of the Italian team alongside his legendary teammate, Michael Schumacher. He was considered the perfect driver to play the role of the second fiddle on the team alongside the German maestro. His first race victory came at the German Grand Prix in 2000, and after that, he had to wait for a total of 84 races to secure his second victory in the sport.

2. Ricciardo Patrese (98 races)

The second man on the list is the former Italian motorsports racing driver, Ricciardo Patrese. He participated in F1 from 1977-1993 and was able to score his first race win in 1983 at the Kyalami F1 circuit. However, after that, he had disappointing spells with Alfa Romeo and Brabham that put a halt to his progress. Moreover, in the year 1988, he moved to Williams, but that also did not bring the results that he had hoped for. His luck finally changed in 1990, when he was able to score his second race victory at the Imola F1 circuit with the Renaut team. His second race victory at the pinnacle of motor racing came after a long spell of going empty-handed in 98 events.

1. Kimi Raikkonen (114 races)

The man who to date holds the record for having the longest gap between two F1 race victories is none other than the 2007 F1 World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen. The Finnish driver won the first race of the 2013 F1 season with the Lotus F1 tea, but in 2014, he moved to Ferrari, where he was seen as a supporting partner for Sebastian Vettel. During his four-year spell with the team, he just was not able to land his car on the top step. But he finally was able to end his long race-win drought in 2018 at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, that victory came for Raikkonen after a long spell of 114 races.

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