How many drivers have taken the lead for the first time on the last lap of a grand prix and won the race? Asked George Campbell.
There have, rather surprisingly, been as many as 12 occasions when a driver took the lead for the first time on the last lap of a grand prix and hung on to win it. The most recent instance was by Jenson Button in an incident-packed rain-affected race in Canada in 2011.
The others to pull off this unusual feat are:
Bruce McLaren (USA 1959 and Belgium 1968)
Jim Clark (Belgium 1964 - he was fourth at the start of the last lap)
John Surtees (Italy 1967)
Jochen Rindt (Monaco 1970)
Mario Andretti (France 1977)
Ronnie Peterson (South Africa 1978)
Nelson Piquet (Canada 1991)
Jacques Villeneuve (Hungary 1997)
Mika Hakkinen (1997 European GP at Jerez)
Giancarlo Fisichella (Brazil 2003)
There have been 14 further occasions when a grand prix has been won after a driver took the lead on the last lap, having led previously in the race; the most recent of these was by Kimi Raikkonen in Japan in 2005.