Things don’t always go accordingly when attempting a spot of maintenance on a Formula 1 vehicle. You and I might leisurely pop down to Halfords on a Saturday afternoon for a bottle of anti-freeze, then back at home roll up our sleeves, gently turn the cap off the radiator, and pour the gooey stuff in until it overflows. Well, in the world of Grand Prix racing, car maintenance is a much more highly organized, speedy and slick operation! Or is it? Here at F1 Badger, we’ve got some comic capers to share that even movie legends Laurel and Hardy couldn’t have scripted.

How hard can it be to change a few wheels on a car? They only have one nut holding each of them on. If the fuel tank is low on juice, can it really be so difficult to pour in a few litres and get that needle reading pointing away from the red? We all know the feeling of driving down the motorway and the fuel gauge reads low, can we make it to the next service station? Well in Formula 1 there’s only one service station available, and if they can’t help, you’ve really had it. A lot depends on your pit crew. They may look smart and trendy in their coordinated overalls but if they’ve been out on the beer the night before, your car may suffer with a hang over as well.

With Fisichella’s pit lane episode in Melbourne, I thought it fitting to reminisce some of the greatest bad pit stops in Formula 1.

You may think this is obvious, but the first thing a driver has to do is actually drive his car into the pit lane. It’s clearly marked with white lines, cones or signs, but some drivers still have problems steering their car through the entrance. Mr Hamilton again had trouble in this department 2 years ago in China. What a Shanghai surprise his team had whilst they’re all waiting patiently with a lovely set of wheels and tyres, and he didn’t have the courtesy to show up. Where could he be they thought? He said he was coming straight over –didn’t mention anything about calling at Tesco’s for milk, or anywhere else on the way. Soon enough our eagle-eyed men with the TV cameras spot young Lewis parked up off the track near the pit lane entrance. It seems the tight left hand bend in the pit lane had been just too much for the McLaren to handle, and off it went into the nice deep gravel trap. Gotcha, like a mouse in a trap! Here’s an informative TV clip showing the disaster unfolding.

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It’s not just Lewis Hamilton that suffers with these kinds of problems! Veteran David Coulthard along with rookie Roberto Moreno display a similar fate at the Adelaide circuit of old. Later, Coulthard claimed that a gremlin in his machinery had caused the car to lurch forward and send him into a red-faced hell! I also feel a need to credit John Watson’s mighty commentary on the following spectacle, as it’s almost as captivating as the visuals!
(unfortunately the original video has been removed, so we’ll have to make do with this one minus Mr Watson… – Ed)

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Now that you’ve made it into your pit, the last thing you want is the darn car to catch fire. Think of the inconvenience! You’re leading the race, pop into the pits for a bit of petrol, a newspaper and a Twix and the next thing you know, your ears are burning! Here we see Michael Schumacher in the following clip just about to start on his chocolate biscuit, when the forecourt attendant in avertedly splashed unleaded all over the hot engine! Whoosh –the whole thing went up! But as quickly as it started, the flames were put out, and Michael was off out to play again. No harm done! Just like the boys at Kwik-Fit!

Cartoon diva Penelope Pitstop knows how to get the job done! Though she doesn’t have much time for Wacky Races these days. Our Nigel should have employed her talents for a wheel change back in 1991. That’s what happens when you buy cheap spanners off Lewisham Market! It’s just not worth it! Nevermind! Cast your eyes over the ensuing clip to see what really happened to Mansell’s runaway wagon wheel.

You can always trust Sir Alan Sugar to make a firm decision under pressure!