Half points

[Mark]

The BBC website states that Malaysia was 'only the 5th time in F1 history that half-points have been awarded'.

So who knows what the other four were? And under what circumstances?

[V12]

Off the top of my head I can actually only think of two so far:

1984 Monaco GP
1991 Australian GP

both rained off early like this one.

EDIT: Spain and Austria 1975. Austria was called off due to rain as well, while Spain was halted after Rolf Stommelen's Hill crashed out of the lead, injuring himself badly and killing a number of spectators after a week long row about the safety of the track and its barriers.

[christophulus]

Spain & Austria 1975, apparently

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/05042009/58/malaysian-gp-factbox-half-point-races.html

[UltimateDanGTR]

wasnt there some races in the 50s that ended up getting 1/3 points or something silly?

[V12]

wasnt there some races in the 50s that ended up getting 1/3 points or something silly?

Nope - but it used to be possible for drivers to share a car during the race, and if that car finished in the points, then the points were shared between those drivers, usually two. However one year in Argentina (1955)? It was incredibly hot and some cars had three drivers in them, so you had some drivers finish the year on x.33 points :cool:

That's not all, you used to get a point for fastest lap from the start of the WDC in 1950 to...1958 off the top of my head. Anyway this was also possible to be shared, and one year at Silverstone, back at this time they only did timing to the nearest second, the result: six drivers shared the point for fastest lap, so that was 0.16 of a point each (!)

[ChrisS]

wasnt there some races in the 50s that ended up getting 1/3 points or something silly?

Yes drivers that shared drives split the points so for example at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix 3 drivers shared the 4 points for 3rd getting 1.33 each

Also in the 50s when 1 point was for fastest lap and timing wasn't accurate drivers would get the same fastest lap. At the 1954 British Grand Prix 7 drivers shared the fastest lap each receiving 1/7 of a point (0.14).

Edit:Oops, so the post and pressed quote before scrolling all the way down to see that V12 answered the very same thing

[UltimateDanGTR]

Yes thanks V12 and Cris for that. I had just researched this beforhand actually, Looks like motorsport in those days was terribly confusing points wise! at least nowadays we dont have to worry about best 5 scores or whatever for the championship. That just seems to confuese things thank god its like it is nowadays. I say that Bernie is about to change everything............for the worse........

[cynisca]

The 1954 British GP, seven drivers set the equal time of the fastest lap and then the driver who drove the fastest lap got a point. But in that case the seven set the equal time, the point was shared by seven drivers. :p

So 0.14 points each.

[emporer_k]

Spain 1975 of course being the only time a woman has ever scored points, and she only managed half a point.

[inimitablestoo]

I'd love to ask Bernie, out of interest, whether under his new system, Jenson would have taken half a win yesterday? :p :

Out of all the half-point races, it's worth noting four of them were stopped due to rain. Only the first one - fatal spectator accident at what, by all accounts was a shambolically organised Spanish Grand Prix in 1975 - was not.

For that matter, on an historic point, IIRC this was the first Grand Prix to be red-flagged to a halt, and not restarted, since Canada 1997.

[Sonic]

I'd love to ask Bernie, out of interest, whether under his new system, Jenson would have taken half a win yesterday? :p :

LOL! I'll get the saw!

[ChrisS]

For that matter, on an historic point, IIRC this was the first Grand Prix to be red-flagged to a halt, and not restarted, since Canada 1997.

The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix wasnt restarted

[leopard]

sorry this was to plead my ignorance of thread Mark has started off cleverly.

The last occurrence was nearly two decades ago, The race can stop anytime once the race undeserved of another effect. I just think of any accident shouldn't ruin legality of a race for its half points.

;)

[Mark]

sorry this was to plead my ignorance of thread Mark has started off cleverly.

The last occurrence was nearly two decades ago, The race can stop anytime once the race undeserved of another effect. I just think of any accident shouldn't ruin legality of a race for its half points.

;)

Agreed. Button worked just as hard to get that win as he did in Melbourne, so should have been rewarded accordingly.

[DazzlaF1]

Spain 1975 of course being the only time a woman has ever scored points, and she only managed half a point.

Yep, Lella Lombardi in a March, came up from 24th on the grid too, it was also Jochen Mass's only GP win

The others i know of

Austria 1975 - Won by Vittorio Brambilla in a March who then crashed on the pit stright while celebrating

Monaco 1984 - Won by Alain Prost after he appealed to the stewards to stop the race after Ayrton Senna and Stefan Bellof were closing in on him by as much as 4 seconds a lap, ironically if he allowed the race to continue to 3 quarter distance he would have ended up being world champion instead of losing by half a point to Niki Lauda, the smallest world championship winning margin in history

Adelaide 1991 - Won by Ayrton Senna when the race was stopped despite suffering the exact same conditions in the same race 2 years earlier when the race went the full distance

[inimitablestoo]

The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix wasnt restarted

Of course! Why didn't I remember that one? Given the whole confusion over who'd actually won it, it did come to mind on Sunday when they were trying to work out who'd finished where :p :

[ChrisS]

with the original results of the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix why weren't the drivers given half the points?

They thought they stopped the race on lap 55, so Kimi was given the win for being the leader at the end of lap 53, lap 53 was less that 75%

[woody2goody]

with the original results of the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix why weren't the drivers given half the points?

They thought they stopped the race on lap 55, so Kimi was given the win for being the leader at the end of lap 53, lap 53 was less that 75%

Yeah, spot on I think.

[DazzlaF1]

Yeah, spot on I think.

When they re-caclulated it to the end of lap 54 giving Fisichella the win, that was the limit for 75% race distance...

...i think

[woody2goody]

I'm sure that was it, one of my favourite races ever that one, was absolutely brilliant to watch.

All those cars crashing at turn 3, I remember Schumacher, Montoya, Pizzonia, Button, maybe Wilson as well.

I remember Panis' suspension breaking and T-boning Firman. Firman was infront of eventual winner Fisichella, and the Giancarlo was lucky that it was the Irishman that was taken out of the race!

[D28]

It is prudent to be scepical of claims from the press regarding histoical F! statistics. The BBC claim requires a qualifier, such as since 1960, etc. There were a few more instances of split points in the shared drive era. In 1956 Landi/Gerini placed fourth in the Argentine GP and split the 3 points evenly, presumably because they drove close to equal numbers of laps. Castellotti scored 7.5 points in 1956, so he split some points, I don't know where. In the 1959 British GP Moss and McLaren split 1 point for fastest lap. I suspect this list is not exhaustive. It seems the officials had a bit more discretion in those days as to how points were allocated, the danger of legal action being not so prevalent.

[D-Type]

I'd love to ask Bernie, out of interest, whether under his new system, Jenson would have taken half a win yesterday? :p :

.It wouldn't be a problem. Jenson would be credited with half a win, come the end of the season his (say) 8 1/2 wins would rank above 8 wins but below 9 wins.