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Formula 1 has given us some spectacular races in its long and illustrious history. World champions have been crown on the last races of a season while few races were won by a driver by overtaking his opponent on the very last lap. Losing the race on the last lap is gut-wrenching enough, no matter if it is a driving mistake, a crash or the other driver simply had a better car. However, a bunch of drivers had bad-luck written all over their Grand Prix win as they ran out of fuel on the very last lap.
Such a sight is almost non-existent in the modern Formula 1. However, the 60s, 70s and 80s saw a fair bit of action when the drivers ran out of fuel on the last lap. Let us take a long trip down the memory lane and shed some light on the unfortunate drivers who were robbed of a victory on the very last lap due to insufficient fuel in their car.
#6 Graham Hill - 1964 Belgian Grand Prix
Graham Hill had a productive qualifying session and started the race from the front row along with Dan Gurney.
They both had a good start and battled for the lead along with Jim Clark at the top of the grid. In the latter laps, Gurney pulled away from the Briton and Clark and established a comfortable lead at the top. However, with two laps to go, Gurney headed to the pits to refuel, but his team had sent him back on the rack without making any arrangements as the team had none to spare. The American's Brabham-Climax eventually gave up and came to a halt on the last lap. Driving the BRM, Hill took the lead, but he too ran out of fuel on the last lap as his fuel pump failed to deliver the extra fuel stored in the front of the seat.
Much to the surprise of everyone, the two favorites were out of the race, and Jim Clark cruised to victory in his Lotus-Climax after starting the race from the sixth place.
Graham Hill was classified as fifth while Dan Gurney was classified as sixth. Hill finished the season in the second place, just a point behind his fellow countryman John Surtees.
#5 Jackie Stewart - 1968 Belgian Grand Prix
Four years later, the 1968 Belgium Grand Prix would witness another drama when the race leader ran out of fuel on the very last lap.
The first half of the race played host to some great overtaking maneuvers as the front-runners battled for the lead. However, crashes and mechanical problems retired most of them, and the closing stages of the race saw Jackie Stewart lead the race with a comfortable margin over Bruce McLaren after enduring a tough battle with Denny Hulme.
However, on the last lap of the race, Stewart's Matra-Ford ran out of fuel and surrendered the lead to the New Zealander. McLaren crossed the finish line to pick up his only win of the season. The Briton completed the last lap by returning to the pits, but the lap was not counted for being too slow and was credited only 27 laps out of the 28-lap race.
#4 Jim Clark - 1967 Italian Grand Prix
Jim Clark may have won the 1964 Belgian Grand Prix due to the misfortunes of Graham Hill. However, three years later, the Briton would face the same fate of his fellow countryman at the 1967 Italian Grand Prix.
Although Clark could not claim the win, his performance at Monza is widely credited as the best performance of his entire Formula 1 career. The Briton had a fantastic qualifying session that saw him start the race from pole. After a brilliant start, Clark took the lead and was leading comfortably until lap 12, when he punctured his rear tyre. A change of tyre cost the Briton quite a lot of time and was over a lap behind the race leaders.
An inspired drive from Clark and misfortunes of other drivers ensured that the Briton would be back in contention for the lead. With just under ten laps to go, he eventually took the lead and looked in a strong position to finish the race on the top. However, on the last lap, Clark's engine cut out due to the lack of fuel on the Curva Grande, which surrendered the lead to Honda's John Surtees, who claimed Honda's second F1 win. Jim Clark struggled on the last lap and coasted his car across the finish line to take the final step on the podium.
#3 John Watson - 1977 French Grand Prix
Driving the Brabham-Alfa Romeo, John Watson started the French Grand Prix from fourth on the grid. With a great start, the Briton managed to take the lead on lap 5 and controlled the race pace beautifully. Mario Andretti in the Lotus-Ford was a good 5 seconds behind the Watson during the first half of the race. However, a fired-up Andretti closed the gap and was right on Watson's tail during the closing stages of the race.
The Alfa Romeo had a sudden loss of power on the last lap as it ran out of fuel. This slight window of opportunity gave Mario Andretti the lead, who flew past the checkered flag to claim his third win of the season. A disappointed John Watson finished the race second, over a second behind the American driver.
#2 Didier Pironi - 1982 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1982 Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most memorable races in Formula 1. Not only was that an exciting race with some brilliant driving in changing weather conditions, it also witnessed some unforgettable drama on the last lap that drastically changed the results and the championship standings.
Pironi was the only Ferrari driver as the team decided to field only a single car after Gilles Villeneuve's crash. The Frenchman started the race from the fourth position and continued at a decent pace putting pressure on the leaders. Polesitter Arnoux and favourite Alain Prost suffered retirements due to accidents on track, which allowed Pironi to take the lead during the final stages of the Grand Prix. However, Pironi's Ferrari stalled on the final lap right before the iconic tunnel as it had issues with the fuel supply. Amusingly, second-placed Cesaris also ran out of fuel on the final lap. This ensured that Patrese would pick up his first win, who managed an excellent comeback after stalling his car earlier in the race.
Video: 1982 Monaco GP highlights
#1 Jack Brabham - 1959 US Grand Prix, 1970 British Grand Prix
Bad luck haunted Jack Brabham multiple times as he ran out of fuel while leading the last of a Grand Prix twice in his career. His first incident came in the 1959 US Grand Prix while the 1970 British Grand Prix played host to the second incident.
The 1959 US Grand Prix held at Sebring International Raceway was the final race of the season, which had three drivers in contention for the championship including Jack Brabham. The Australian, chasing his first championship started the race from the second place and was a favourite to win the race. He led the closing stages of the race, but his car came to a halt on the final straight as it had run out of fuel. Bruce McLaren zoomed past Brabham and claimed the win. The desperate Australian got out of his car and pushed it across the finish line to claim fourth. He was declared as the world champion as his rivals failed to secure enough points in the final race.
The 1970 British Grand Prix saw Brabham start the race from the front row. He was in the thick of things at the top for most of the race, continuously battling for the lead with Rindt. However, Jack Brabham was denied a second victory in his last Formula 1 season as his car ran out of fuel on the last lap, which ensured that Rindt finished the race on top. The Australian coasted home to take the second spot while Hulme took the third place.
