Formula 1 has seen its fair share of drivers written off before a race even gets going. A poor qualifying session, a grid penalty, a first-lap incident- any of these can leave a driver stuck at the back of the field with seemingly little hope of a big result.

Yet some of the sport’s greatest performances have come from exactly these situations. Time and again, drivers have carved their way through the pack, turning what looked like a lost cause into one of the most memorable drives of their career.

These recoveries aren’t just about raw pace. They come down to strategy, tire management, racecraft, and often a fair bit of chaos working in the driver’s favor along the way.

In light of this, here are the seven best recovery drives after starting from the back of the grid, according to the article published on September 2nd by Formula One on their website, written by Anna Francis. 

1.Max Verstappen, Brazil 2024

Perhaps one of the most memorable drives on this list, Max Verstappen’s storming performance at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix kicks things off. The weekend was chaotic before the race even started, with heavy rain pushing qualifying to Sunday morning and forcing five red flags.

Verstappen was knocked out in Q2, leaving him 12th on the grid, and a power unit penalty dropped him further back to P17. With more rain falling once the race began, most expected a tough day for the Red Bull driver.

Instead, he carved through the field, passing Esteban Ocon for the lead past the halfway mark and pulling away to win by nearly 20 seconds, making it one of the finest drives of his career.

2. Lewis Hamilton, Hungary, 2014

Lewis Hamilton has pulled off his fair share of comeback drives too, and one such drive was at the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. 

Hamilton was forced to start the race from the pit lane after a fire before qualifying on Saturday. It came amid a rough patch against Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the title fight, with Hamilton expecting a tough day heading into the race.

Rain complicated race day, and Hamilton spun on the opening lap. But as others crashed out, he stayed composed and clawed back, catching the leaders late. He couldn’t chase down Daniel Ricciardo or Fernando Alonso but held on for third, cutting into Rosberg’s title lead.

3. Sebastian Vettel, Abu Dhabi, 2012

Sebastian Vettel delivered a similar pit-lane-to-podium recovery during the tense 2012 title fight. Arriving in Abu Dhabi as points leader, he qualified third but was disqualified for a fuel sample issue, dropping him to the back and handing rival Fernando Alonso a chance to gain ground.

Vettel stayed confident, and it paid off as he tore through the field on race day, even overcoming a second setback after a pit stop for damage cost him more positions. Two Safety Car periods helped his cause, but the German still had to fight for a P3 finish.

It’s remembered as one of his finest drives, limiting the damage to just three points lost to Alonso in the championship. Two races later, Vettel sealed his third world title in Brazil.

4. Mark Webber, China, 2011

A year before that, Vettel’s then-teammate Mark Webber pulled off a similar charge at the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. Just three rounds into the season, Kers issues left him stuck in Q2, starting 18th on the grid.

Undeterred, Webber fought through a string of wheel-to-wheel battles to climb all the way up to third, finishing right behind Vettel. “I had to pass everybody, I really earned it,” he said afterward. “The car put up such a fight, and the guys never gave up.”

5. Kimi Raikkonen , Japan, 2005

Kimi Raikkonen delivered plenty of standout drives across his 19-season F1 career, but few match his run at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix. Shifting weather during Saturday’s one-lap qualifying format left him buried in P17 at Suzuka.

Race day brought drier conditions, and Raikkonen wasted no time carving forward in his McLaren, gaining ground lap after lap. The race built to a dramatic finish as he hunted down Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault for the lead, snatching it on the final lap.

He’d go on to finish runner-up in the championship that year behind Alonso, but his charge through the field at Suzuka remains one of the defining moments of his career.

6. Michael Schumacher, Belgium, 1995

Spa-Francorchamps holds a special place in Michael Schumacher’s career, hosting his F1 debut in 1991 and his first win a year later. But 1995 produced one of his most memorable drives there. A practice crash left him no better than P16 after a wet-dry qualifying.

The championship leader climbed fast on race day, taking the lead by lap 16 and battling title rival Damon Hill as rain returned. Schumacher stayed on slicks while Hill switched to wets, and his aggressive defending later earned him a suspended race ban.

He still took his 12th career win, sealing his second world title a few rounds later at the Pacific Grand Prix.

7. Rubens Barrichello, Germany, 2000

Schumacher led the 2000 championship heading into his home race at Hockenheim, but teammate Rubens Barrichello stole the show. Schumacher qualified second; Barrichello started 18th.

Schumacher’s race ended early after contact with Giancarlo Fisichella on lap one, his third straight retirement. Barrichello fought through a chaotic race full of shifting weather, collisions, a track intruder, and two Safety Cars.

He took the lead and held on for his first F1 win, a stunning turnaround from P18. He broke down in tears on the podium.

From last-lap heroics to pit-lane redemption, these seven drives are proof that in F1, a bad starting position is never the end of the story.