13 has been thought-about unfortunate in lots of cultures for tons of if not 1000’s of years, and the worry of it is named triskaidekaphobia. It’s so prevalent that even within the twenty first century some planes don’t have a row 13, and buildings are constructed with out thirteenth flooring.
The importance of W13 has not gone unnoticed inside the Mercedes camp. Final month when there have been solutions that the brand new automobile nonetheless needed to cross an FIA crash check the staff’s communications division advised the media that the prototype W13 had accomplished its homologation course of on January 13, whereas additionally stating that the crash check laws are contained inside Article 13.
“Good job we’re not superstitious about these items!” a staff spokesperson joked.
In actual fact, Mercedes is the sixth outfit on the present F1 grid to have ignored any hyperlinks to potential dangerous luck through the use of 13 in a mannequin designation. 4 of these automobiles received races – one even earned a world championship – so the Brackley staff is hardly venturing into unknown territory.
Nonetheless, there was a time when utilizing 13 in motor racing was virtually unthinkable. Certainly, Colin Chapman, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees and Ken Tyrrell are among the many staff bosses who stayed effectively away from the quantity, and thus the histories of their marques skipped from 12 to 14.
It’s hardly stunning that superstition performed an enormous position in earlier many years. In different sports activities rivals could have fretted about having an off day or dropping a match or recreation, however in racing dying lurked round each nook.
And it’s not nearly 13. In Italy 17 is the unpopular quantity, whereas within the USA and particularly at Indianapolis inexperienced was thought-about as a foul selection of automobile color for a few years.
Alberto Ascari, Ferrari 500
Picture by: Motorsport Images
Double world champion Alberto Ascari, who was born on June 13, was a hostage to numerology, and the statistics surrounding his dying are well-known. He father Antonio was killed whereas main the French GP on July twenty sixth 1925, and for the youthful Ascari 26 (or double of 13) turned vital.
In 1955 he crashed into the harbour when main the Monaco GP, however someway escaped with minor accidents. 4 days later, sporting a borrowed helmet as a substitute of his fortunate blue one, he died in a testing crash at Monza. It was Could twenty sixth, and he had lived for 13,466 days, simply three longer than his father.
Numbers have had an impression on others. In 1966, and inspired by his then girlfriend, younger F3 driver Francois Cevert went to see a clairvoyant – solely to be advised that he wouldn’t attain his thirtieth birthday.
Simply earlier than qualifying for the 1973 US GP at Watkins Glen he identified to his Tyrrell mechanics that it was October sixth, he was driving Tyrrell 006, his race quantity was 6, and he was sitting in entrance of DFV quantity 066. It was, he stated, his fortunate day. When he died in a grotesque accident that afternoon he was 29 years previous.
It was a Frenchman from a a lot earlier technology who’s believed to have been the set off for motor racing’s worry of 13.
In 1925 13 automobiles began the San Sebastian GP, and Paul Torchy was carrying the quantity when he ran extensive whereas attempting to cross a rival. The Delage driver slid right into a tree and was killed immediately.
Only a yr later Rely Giulio Masetti was additionally killed in a Delage when he crashed on the Targa Florio whereas operating as quantity 13.
Subsequently, race organisers, notably in France, prevented allocating 13. That philosophy continued into the world championship period, and thus since 1950 it has barely been seen in F1.
When Mexican Moises Solana used 13 on his rented BRM at his residence race in 1963 it was a seen as a extremely uncommon prevalence.
The quantity subsequent appeared on the 1976 British GP, when Divina Galica – who used it in different types of racing – didn’t qualify her non-public Surtees.
For a few years F1 numbers have been haphazardly allotted between groups, however even when the system of giving them out in constructor’s championship order was launched the FIA pairings jumped from 11 and 12 to 14 and 15.
It was solely in 2014, when drivers have been first given an opportunity to decide on a quantity that they might maintain for his or her complete profession, that 13 turned an everyday sight. Pastor Maldonado opted for it, and the Venezuelan used it for 2 seasons on his Lotus, to little good impact.
Pastor Maldonado, Lotus E23
Picture by: Patrik Lundin / Motorsport Images
Exterior F1 one other to embrace 13 was common Le Mans 24 Hours entrant Yves Braveness, who used it on his Cougar and Braveness automobiles for a few years, whereas 1982 500cc two-wheeled world champion Franco Uncini was one other to favour it.
Race numbers are one factor, however what of kind designations, which might be related to a number of automobiles and drivers, and race for greater than a season?
Colin Chapman was in all probability the primary F1 constructor to consciously skip 13, though it wouldn’t have been seen on the grand prix grids anyway. The Lotus Sort 12 was an F1/F2 machine, however the subsequent within the sequence – the 14 – was the interior quantity for the Elite GT automobile.
“Dad was not superstitious,” says Chapman’s son Clive. “However you’re proper to say that Crew Lotus at all times prevented 13, and nonetheless does. Though there was a 33/R13, however we suspect this was numbered by Reg Parnell Racing – it was by no means a works chassis.”
The following main title to keep away from 13 was Brabham. Crew co-founder Ron Tauranac was born on January thirteenth, and he even used the quantity in his early motor sport actions. It was thus his associate Jack Brabham who decreed that there can be no BT13, skipping from the BT12 Indy contender to the BT14, a buyer single-seater constructed for Libre racing.
Neither of the above marques would have used 13 in F1, however Bruce McLaren had the choice to take action. His M12 was a buyer CanAm automobile, however the subsequent mannequin his staff constructed – the 1970 F1 entry – was named the M14. In a tragic twist Bruce solely began three GPs with it earlier than dropping his life in a CanAm testing crash in June that yr.
McLaren can also be a uncommon instance of an F1 staff avoiding 13 in chassis quantity allocation, just because not many automobiles have been in-built giant numbers. Nonetheless, when in 1977 McLaren constructed the thirteenth M23 chassis for using Brett Lunger and the BS Fabrications staff it was designated as 14.
Like Brabham and McLaren earlier than him John Surtees was one other proprietor/driver who prevented utilizing 13, though he had simply hung up his helmet when he opted to skip it and name his 1973 F1 contender the TS14. Whether or not that selection introduced him any luck is a moot level – famously at that yr’s British GP all three of his entries have been wrecked within the crash triggered by the spinning Jody Scheckter.
Exterior the British-based outfits Man Ligier was one other who opted to not use 13, regardless of his desire for less than utilizing odd numbers connected to the initials of his buddy Jo Schlesser, who was killed within the 1968 French GP. Ligier’s F1 automobiles went from the JS11 of 1979 to the up to date JS11/15 of 1980 and onto the JS17 in 1981.
The final huge F1 title to actively keep away from utilizing 13 was Ken Tyrrell. His first Renault-powered automobile in 1985 ought to have been 013, however as a substitute he went to 014.
“Ken was not notably superstitious,” remembers his son Bob. “However it was undoubtedly determined to skip unfortunate 13. Why tempt destiny?”
Some well-known buyer racing automobile producers additionally prevented the quantity. There was no Merlyn Mk13, whereas Chevron boss Derek Bennett didn’t make a B13. Intriguingly, he additionally skipped B11, and its multiples B22, B33 and B44, after a crash at Oulton Park in a automobile carrying quantity 11.
It was simply 4 years after Ken Tyrrell ignored 13 that the quantity was first utilized by a significant F1 staff, and it’s maybe not stunning that the man who opted to not be swayed by superstition was no-nonsense Frank Williams, Nonetheless, even he had an earlier second of doubt.
“It’s a humorous one as FW07 is the one design of ours of which 13 or extra automobiles have been made,” remembers his son Jonathan.
“There have been 16 chassis in complete, however they did deliberately not allocate chassis 13, the chassis being numbered 01 to 12, after which 14 via 17.
“I requested my father about this a few years after, and he stated it was on account of racing superstition. I then requested how come you allotted 13 to a design – FW13? He thought for a second and replied, ‘We will need to have forgotten the superstition!’”
Thierry Boutsen, Williams FW13 Renault 1st place .
Picture by: Motorsport Images
The FW13 was the primary purpose-built, Renault-powered Williams. The staff started the 1989 season with FW12C, transformed from the Judd V8 spec of the earlier yr, whereas Patrick Head and his colleagues honed the brand new mannequin.
The early indicators weren’t optimistic. It was completed late because the staff realized concerning the necessities of the brand new engine, lastly showing 4 races from the top of the season.
On its debut in Portugal each Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen retired after their radiators crammed with tyre particles. Subsequent day trip in Jerez their entrance wings have been hitting the bottom so laborious that Boutsen’s fell off in apply, and Patrese refused to race the automobile.
Nonetheless, only a few weeks later in atrociously moist circumstances in Adelaide, Boutsen survived the carnage to win the red-flagged occasion. Any lingering doubts about FW13 and dangerous luck have been forgotten, and certainly in 1990 Patrese received in Imola and Boutsen triumphed in Hungary with the identical mannequin.
However, Head doesn’t have fond recollections of it: “It’s not a automobile that I look again on with any heat or pleasure!”
For the reason that FW13 F1 groups seem to have had few if any qualms about utilizing the quantity. In 1992 Michele Alboreto and Aguri Suzuki raced the Footwork FA13 with little in the way in which of excellent or dangerous luck, and that continued with the FA13B firstly of the next yr when Derek Warwick changed the Japanese driver.
In 1994 Sauber gave the C13 designation to its second F1 automobile, raced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger. It was to be a yr of turmoil for the game and, after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola, tensions ran excessive on the subsequent race in Monaco.
In Thursday morning apply Wendlinger suffered critical head accidents when he had an enormous accident on the chicane, however fortunately the Austrian not solely survived however was in a position to return to the cockpit the next yr. Was subsequently the C13 a fortunate or unfortunate automobile? It’s a troublesome name to make.
Mika Hakkinen, McLaren MP4/13 Mercedes-Benz leads David Coulthard, McLaren MP4/13 Mercedes-Benz
Picture by: Motorsport Images
Then 4 years later got here the automobile that basically put any doubts about 13 to mattress. By co-incidence Ron Dennis made his first look at a GP as a mechanic to Moises Solana at Cooper in 1966, albeit not with 13 on that event. Given his logical strategy to all the things in life, it’s maybe no shock that the McLaren boss was glad to make use of the MP4/13 designation in 1998.
Between them Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard would rating 9 Grand Prix victories that season, and the Finn clinched the world championship on the Suzuka finale.
The following automobile to make use of the quantity was additionally a race winner, and an unlikely one at that, in 2003.
“I don’t recall any actual dialogue on utilizing EJ13,” remembers former Jordan GP industrial boss Ian Phillips. “It was in all probability ‘I’m not feckin’ superstitious,’ from EJ [Eddie Jordan], and matter concluded.
“The one time he claimed to be superstitious was when Benson and Hedges proposed the snake design for 1997. He didn’t prefer it, and claimed everybody in Eire was fearful of snakes, and he can be a laughing inventory. He was outvoted. It was in all probability our most admired livery!”
In 2003 the Silverstone staff was on the ropes financially, with unloved Ford engines and Giancarlo Fisichella joined by pay driver Ralph Firman. The automobile hardly figured all season, and solely completed within the high six as soon as – on a soaking moist afternoon at spherical three in Brazil.
That was the day that Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber had enormous crashes on the pit straight and the race was red-flagged, however not earlier than Fisichella had moved to the entrance of the sector with good technique and tenacious driving within the terrible circumstances. The staff was satisfied that he had received, having crossed the road twice as chief earlier than the flag. Nonetheless, the win was awarded to Hakkinen.
Later it was realised that F1’s timekeepers had made a uncommon mistake, and Fisichella obtained his winner’s trophy on the subsequent race at Imola.
In 2017 Crimson Bull used the RB13 for the fourth yr of the hybrid laws. It was an honest sufficient automobile given the efficiency of its Renault engine and the robust type of Mercedes and Ferrari, and it logged three wins within the arms of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Nonetheless, the staff scored 100 fewer factors than the earlier season.
A yr later sister staff Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) fielded the STR13 for Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley. They scored factors with it, however the staff slipped from seventh to ninth within the championship that season.
The shift to embracing 13 triggered by Frank Williams 33 years in the past continues this yr with the Mercedes W13.
In earlier eras when groups have been small and run by one man, and security was sketchy, no person questioned it when the quantity was prevented.
In trendy occasions, it’s a lot tougher to justify. Lately are owned by producers or company shareholders, they’re sponsored by multinationals who function in international locations the place 13 has no significance, and so they make use of tons of of data-driven and logical considering engineers. Thus previous superstitions can’t be seen to play a job.
Nonetheless, a person driver can nonetheless have his private ideas on the matter – thus it is going to be fascinating to listen to what Lewis Hamilton and George Russell consider quantity 13…
