{"id":47111,"date":"2025-04-23T12:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=47111"},"modified":"2025-04-23T12:26:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:26:19","slug":"the-top-10-drivers-with-the-most-f1-starts-without-winning-a-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/the-top-10-drivers-with-the-most-f1-starts-without-winning-a-race\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 10 Drivers With The Most F1 Starts Without Winning A Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the high-stakes world of Formula One, some drivers have carved out long careers without ever standing on the top step of the podium, and here, SportsCasting takes a look at the 10 drivers with the most F1 starts without winning a race.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These drivers, though talented, have faced a mix of bad luck, unreliable machinery, or simply the misfortune of racing in eras dominated by other F1 stars.<\/p>\n

Below, we explore the 10 drivers with the most F1 starts without a win, highlighting their careers and how close they came to winning a Formula One Grand Prix. The numbers are accurate as of April 23, 2025.<\/p>\n

The 10 Drivers With The Most F1 Starts Without Winning A Race<\/h2>\n

10. Eddie Cheever – 132<\/h4>\n

American driver Eddie Cheever had a journeyman career in Formula One between 1978 and 1989. During that time, he raced for teams including Renault, Ligier, Arrows, Tyrrell among others.<\/p>\n

His best years came in the early 1980s scoring seven podiums, across the 1982 and 1983 seasons.<\/p>\n

Cheever’s closest calls to victory came in the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix and 1983 Canadian Grand Prix – finishing second on both occasions.<\/p>\n

The 1983 season was his finest season with four podiums in 15 races and finishing seventh in the championship.<\/p>\n

Cheever took two more podiums with the Arrows team at the end of the 1980s. His nine podiums without a win tie him with Jean Behra and Martin Brundle for fifth-most in this category.<\/p>\n

The American found success in IndyCar, where he won the 1998 Indy 500.<\/p>\n

9. Jean-Pierre Jarier – 134<\/h4>\n

Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier was active for 13 seasons in Formula One from 1971 to 1983.<\/p>\n

Entering F1 with promise, he led 79 laps across his career but never clinched a victory – despite taking three pole positions and three podiums.<\/p>\n

Driving for teams like March, Shadow and Lotus, Jarier’s closest call came at the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

He started on pole for Lotus and led 49 laps before an oil leak forced him out of the race.<\/p>\n

Jarier was desperately unlucky in 1975 as he took pole in the Argentine Grand Prix only to break down in the warm-up which prevented him from starting.<\/p>\n

He took pole again at the very next race in Brazil, only to retire with a fuel system failure on Lap 32.<\/p>\n

8. Derek Warwick – 146<\/h4>\n

British driver Derek Warwick, active from 1981 to 1993, endured persistent bad luck.<\/p>\n

At the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix for Renault, he led before retiring with suspension issues. Declining a 1985 Williams seat\u2014later taken by Nigel Mansell, who won races and challenged for championships\u2014marked a pivotal moment.<\/p>\n

Ayrton Senna also vetoed Warwick\u2019s potential 1986 Lotus seat in another race-winning car. His heartbreak came at the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix, leading for Arrows before an engine failure on Lap 40; Senna, who overtook him, later retired.<\/p>\n

With four podiums, Warwick never won in F1 but triumphed at the 1992 Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot.<\/p>\n

7. Martin Brundle – 158<\/h4>\n

Now an iconic F1 commentator, Martin Brundle raced from 1984 to 1996 for\u00a0 Tyrrell, Benetton, McLaren and Jordan, among others.<\/p>\n

He notched up nine podiums during his career, with second-place finishes at the 1992 Italian Grand Prix and the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Brundle was famously teammates alongside Michael Schumacher in 1992 and another former champion, Mika Hakkinen in 1994.<\/p>\n

His 1992 Canadian Grand Prix retirement remains a painful what-if. Brundle passed teammate Schumacher and was closing in on leader Gerhard Berger before his transmission failed.<\/p>\n

Brundle’s nine podiums is currently tied-fifth for the drivers who have the most podiums not to win a race alongside Eddie Cheever and 1950s star Jean Behra.<\/p>\n

\n

I received this great 1992 image from Ren\u00e9 Fagnan which was captured by Charles Gauthier. My Benetton had just broken down in a a race which looked certain to be my first F1 victory. Ayrton had stopped in the same place. He said to me \u201cbad luck, it hurts doesn\u2019t it?\u201d It did \ud83d\ude22 pic.twitter.com\/Af9bITbmwu<\/a><\/p>\n

— Martin Brundle OBE (@MBrundleF1) January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n