Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc.

[RAF]

Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc winner on the grid? Not reigning just former.

[Jolle]

Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc winner on the grid? Not reigning just former.

Not an entire season, but most of 1994 was without a WC on the grid. (And 1950 of course)

[914hald]

Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc winner on the grid? Not reigning just former.

Not an entire season, but most of 1994 was without a WC on the grid. (And 1950 of course)

[RAF]

Or more specifically when was the last time the drivers lined up on the grid and there wasn't a wdc driver on the grid?

[Jolle]

Or more specifically when was the last time the drivers lined up on the grid and there wasn't a wdc driver on the grid?

1994 Japanese GP.

Edit: Oh, my bad, Portugese GP 1994.

[hollus]

Or more specifically when was the last time the drivers lined up on the grid and there wasn't a wdc driver on the grid?

Didn't Schumi have any pit lane starts between 2000 and 2005?
Ah yes: 2005 chinese GP:

During warmup, as the cars ran from the pits to line up on the grid, a slow-moving Michael Schumacher pulled left into the path of Christijan Albers who was at speed. The cars collided causing considerable damage to each, earning Schumacher a reprimand from the stewards after the race.[3] Both drivers changed to their teams' spare cars and started the race from the pitlane, along with Narain Karthikeyan.

I know that's not what you meant /nitpicking off/

[Manoah2u]

If i would read the OP's question as the SPECIFIC WDC season winner not being on the grid for the following season,
then Nico Rosberg would be the most recent one.

As for an entire season, that has never happened and is unlikely to happen UNTILL the 2024 season.

2021 will hold an interesting amount of champions and titles though.

Hamilton (7), Vettel (4), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1).

That's a total of 4 WDC pilots in 1 season, and a record experience of 14 driver titles on the grid.
And by the last race of 2021, it's going to be 15 driver titles of experience regardless who will grab it.

The amount of different pilots was topped only by the last race in 2016 when we had 6 in 1 season!
Vettel (4), Hamilton (3), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1), Button (1), Rosberg (1).
resulting in 11 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

The last race of 2012 we had a total of 5 WDC pilots in 1 season.:
Schumacher (7), Vettel (3), Raikkonen (1), Hamilton (1), Button (1),
with 13 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

All of that experience offcourse could 'vanish overnight' when inevitably,
Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, and kimi, all retire permanently.

I can see Hamilton either ending with his 8th title, or going on for his 10th (could happen end of 2023),
and I can see Vettel and Alonso playing it out for another title untill they also simply get enough of it,
regardless whether they actually grab it or not. Vettel surely will stay a bit longer than just 1 season with AMR,
and Alonso probably too longer than just '21 and '22 with Alpine, but neither is going to stay a good much longer.

Interestingly, the most 'exciting' situation would be if Max would NOT grab the title yet.
As much as i'd like Max to get a title, and as much as i'd like to see Daniel grab a title,

if neither 'new gun' grabs it by let's say the end of 2023,
then 2024 would be thus the first time in all of F1 history minus it's inception,
where there is NO WDC on the grid for an ENTIRE SEASON (well, untill the last race).
I'd reckon 2025 could be more probable for that to happen though.

I also wonder when's the last time there was ONLY a 1-time WDC driver on the grid?

1994 for example did have Senna for the first few races, but first of all, he wasn't a 1-time winner but multiple,
and Mansell participated too during that season as one his replacements, and though he might have been a 1-time WDC, he did not participate the entire season.

With a little luck, 2024 or 2025 will see a very interesting F1 season.

[NathanOlder]

I wouldn't add Nico to the 2016 number of champions. He never raced as a champion. So for 2016 there was only ever 5 champions on the grid.

[cliffgamerz]

If i would read the OP's question as the SPECIFIC WDC season winner not being on the grid for the following season,
then Nico Rosberg would be the most recent one.

As for an entire season, that has never happened and is unlikely to happen UNTILL the 2024 season.

2021 will hold an interesting amount of champions and titles though.

Hamilton (7), Vettel (4), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1).

That's a total of 4 WDC pilots in 1 season, and a record experience of 14 driver titles on the grid.
And by the last race of 2021, it's going to be 15 driver titles of experience regardless who will grab it.

The amount of different pilots was topped only by the last race in 2016 when we had 6 in 1 season!
Vettel (4), Hamilton (3), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1), Button (1), Rosberg (1).
resulting in 11 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

The last race of 2012 we had a total of 5 WDC pilots in 1 season.:
Schumacher (7), Vettel (3), Raikkonen (1), Hamilton (1), Button (1),
with 13 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

All of that experience offcourse could 'vanish overnight' when inevitably,
Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, and kimi, all retire permanently.

I can see Hamilton either ending with his 8th title, or going on for his 10th (could happen end of 2023),
and I can see Vettel and Alonso playing it out for another title untill they also simply get enough of it,
regardless whether they actually grab it or not. Vettel surely will stay a bit longer than just 1 season with AMR,
and Alonso probably too longer than just '21 and '22 with Alpine, but neither is going to stay a good much longer.

Interestingly, the most 'exciting' situation would be if Max would NOT grab the title yet.
As much as i'd like Max to get a title, and as much as i'd like to see Daniel grab a title,

if neither 'new gun' grabs it by let's say the end of 2023,
then 2024 would be thus the first time in all of F1 history minus it's inception,
where there is NO WDC on the grid for an ENTIRE SEASON (well, untill the last race).
I'd reckon 2025 could be more probable for that to happen though.

I also wonder when's the last time there was ONLY a 1-time WDC driver on the grid?

1994 for example did have Senna for the first few races, but first of all, he wasn't a 1-time winner but multiple,
and Mansell participated too during that season as one his replacements, and though he might have been a 1-time WDC, he did not participate the entire season.

With a little luck, 2024 or 2025 will see a very interesting F1 season.

You missed out Alonso in 2012 stats, so it would be 6 drivers with total of 15 titles.

[Just_a_fan]

Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc winner on the grid? Not reigning just former.

1959.

Fangio had retired, Ascari had died, Farina had retired, Hawthorn had died. They were the WDCs up to that point. So in 1959 there wasn't a WDC on the grid.

[Manoah2u]

If i would read the OP's question as the SPECIFIC WDC season winner not being on the grid for the following season,
then Nico Rosberg would be the most recent one.

As for an entire season, that has never happened and is unlikely to happen UNTILL the 2024 season.

2021 will hold an interesting amount of champions and titles though.

Hamilton (7), Vettel (4), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1).

That's a total of 4 WDC pilots in 1 season, and a record experience of 14 driver titles on the grid.
And by the last race of 2021, it's going to be 15 driver titles of experience regardless who will grab it.

The amount of different pilots was topped only by the last race in 2016 when we had 6 in 1 season!
Vettel (4), Hamilton (3), Alonso (2), Raikkonen (1), Button (1), Rosberg (1).
resulting in 11 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

The last race of 2012 we had a total of 5 WDC pilots in 1 season.:
Schumacher (7), Vettel (3), Raikkonen (1), Hamilton (1), Button (1),
with 13 WDC titles of experience on the grid.

All of that experience offcourse could 'vanish overnight' when inevitably,
Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, and kimi, all retire permanently.

I can see Hamilton either ending with his 8th title, or going on for his 10th (could happen end of 2023),
and I can see Vettel and Alonso playing it out for another title untill they also simply get enough of it,
regardless whether they actually grab it or not. Vettel surely will stay a bit longer than just 1 season with AMR,
and Alonso probably too longer than just '21 and '22 with Alpine, but neither is going to stay a good much longer.

Interestingly, the most 'exciting' situation would be if Max would NOT grab the title yet.
As much as i'd like Max to get a title, and as much as i'd like to see Daniel grab a title,

if neither 'new gun' grabs it by let's say the end of 2023,
then 2024 would be thus the first time in all of F1 history minus it's inception,
where there is NO WDC on the grid for an ENTIRE SEASON (well, untill the last race).
I'd reckon 2025 could be more probable for that to happen though.

I also wonder when's the last time there was ONLY a 1-time WDC driver on the grid?

1994 for example did have Senna for the first few races, but first of all, he wasn't a 1-time winner but multiple,
and Mansell participated too during that season as one his replacements, and though he might have been a 1-time WDC, he did not participate the entire season.

With a little luck, 2024 or 2025 will see a very interesting F1 season.

You missed out Alonso in 2012 stats, so it would be 6 drivers with total of 15 titles.

ah yes, you're right! it still isn't a record title amount then , and it won't be untill atleast the end of 2022, or the start of 2023, and in all cases, Kimi must stay (that goes the same for Nando, Lewis and Seb.)

Either way, i'm hoping for a situation where Hamilton makes atleast his 8th title in 2021,
and Either Lewis, Alonso or Vettel each will grab, the three seasons afterwards (2022, 2023, 2024).

See all three of them call it quits. And have a brand new champ at the end of 2025.
Or perhaps 2026, when supposedly the new engine format is going to come into play, so that would leave some extra room for seb/nando to stay or go.

[Just_a_fan]

if neither 'new gun' grabs it by let's say the end of 2023,
then 2024 would be thus the first time in all of F1 history minus it's inception,
where there is NO WDC on the grid for an ENTIRE SEASON (well, untill the last race).
I'd reckon 2025 could be more probable for that to happen though.

No. In 1959 there was no WDC at all on the grid as all of the previous champions had either retired or died.

[PlatinumZealot]

Has there ever been an F1 season without a wdc winner on the grid? Not reigning just former.

1950.

[Skippon]

1959

[F1James]

Depends if you count showing up, qualifying and doing the formation lap, in 1996 French grand Prix M Schumacher, the only champion on the grid until the last race of the season when Damon Hill won seasons championship.

During the formation lap Michael Schumacher had an engine failure and didn't start the race.

Otherwise it'll be the 1994 season before Michael was crowned but after Imola