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The F1 turbo-hybrid era was more or less dominated by Mercedes from start to finish. The team won every constructors' title and, if it was not for the controversial finish of the 2021 F1 season, they could have had a clean sweep of the drivers' title as well. Throughout that era, because of the team's dominance, it did become a bit predictable to find one of its drivers picking up a race win.
There were, however, a few instances where it was not the usual suspects that picked up a win on Sunday. In this piece, let's take a look at the top five surprise race-winners of the sport's turbo-hybrid era.
#5 Sergio Perez (2020 F1 Sakhir Grand Prix)
Sergio Perez, at the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season, was on the cusp of losing out on a drive on the grid. He had not finalized a seat yet for the 2021 season after his team opted for Sebastian Vettel in his place. At the Sakhir GP, it wasn't a great start to the race for the Mexican as a first-lap crash by Charles Leclerc left him with extensive damage.
A trip to the pits dropped him at the back of the grid as well. From this point onwards, Perez started a comeback drive that culminated in him winning the race. One could consider him fortunate with interspersed safety car periods. Winning from the back of the grid in a car that was not Mercedes, however, was an outcome hardly anyone could have predicted.
#4 Pierre Gasly (2020 F1 Italian Grand Prix)
The 2020 F1 season saw Mercedes produce arguably the fastest car ever in the history of the sport, breaking lap records wherever it went. What that entailed was leaving the chasing pack so far down the road that no one expected anyone but a Mercedes to win a race. The numbers substantiate the expectations as the German team won all but 4 races in the entire season.
Expectations were the same for the Italian GP and it all appeared normal when Lewis Hamilton was on his way to pick up yet another win. Things, however, turned on its head when Hamilton missed the red light at the entrance of the pitlane during the Safety Car period, resulting in a penalty.
The Mercedes driver dropped down the order after serving the penalty, allowing Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly to fight for the win. The Frenchman would duly oblige to pick up the first win of his career.
#3 Max Verstappen (2016 F1 Spanish Grand Prix)
It's not easy to switch teams mid-season and partner Daniel Ricciardo. It's not easy to hold off a former world champion for a huge part of the race. It's not easy to win your very first race in a car you're not used to driving. And most importantly, it's not easy to do it as a teenager.
Yet Max Verstappen did that at the 2016 Spanish GP. He replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull mid-season, winning his debut race for Red Bull by holding off Kimi Raikkonen. And he did all of that in just his second season in F1, as a teenager. So, it was surprising when a teen, who had just swapped seats, went ahead and won his very first race with a new team.
#2 Esteban Ocon (2021 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix)
The 2021 Hungarian GP was arguably one of the biggest feel-good moments of the entire season. Ocon is a good driver without a doubt, but he does not get the same kind of reverence reserved for the likes of Charles Leclerc or Lando Norris.
In Hungary, however, Ocon found himself leading the race with Sebastian Vettel right behind him. The Frenchman had a bit of luck on his side too, thanks to Valtteri Bottas wiping off most of the frontrunners on the first lap and Lewis Hamilton making a strategic error. Ocon, driving a midfield car, kept a cool head and held off Vettel for more than 90% of the race to pick up his first win.
He could be considered fortunate because of the first-lap incident. After the initial stroke of luck, however, Ocon drove with the maturity of an established Grand Prix driver and managed the race perfectly. In the end, this was one of the more unexpected, yet feel-good moments of the season.
#1 Daniel Ricciardo (2014 F1 Canadian Grand Prix)
Daniel Ricciardo is one of the best drivers on the F1 grid right now. If he wins a race these days then it's not much of a surprise. In 2014, however, things were different. He was a young driver teaming up with a four-time champion in Sebastian Vettel, and wasn't expected to win a race. To add to this, Mercedes had a car that was miles ahead of the chasing pack.
Yet in Canada, when the two Mercedes drivers encountered reliability issues, Ricciardo would be the first driver to pounce. After completing a race-winning overtake of Sergio Perez at a crucial juncture, Ricciardo was able to overtake Nico Rosberg as well to pick up the first win of his F1 career. Not bad for a driver who was supposed to be a supporting cast to the four-time world champion in Red Bull.
