Kelis beats Nigel Mansell: The unusual two-seater F1 GP with an even more unusual winner

A very unusual ‘F1’ race took place 23 years ago at Donington Park on August 21st 2001, which was won by then-Minardi boss Paul Stoddart and… singer/songwriter Kelis!

Two days after the Hungarian Grand Prix, a special one-off race took place at Donington Park in the UK, having been organised by Minardi and then-team owner Paul Stoddart.

Minardi reveals unusual two-seater F1 cars

The eponymous Minardi team, which was struggling for finances during 2000, was sold by Gabriele Rumi to Australian businessman Paul Stoddart ahead of the 2001 season, who merged it with his European Racing Formula 3000 team after operating the Arrows junior outfit during 2000.

Now known as European Minardi, Stoddart had big plans for his F1 team as he rolled out with a sense of fun and daring for the backmarkers, having come up with the idea for an ‘F1 x2’ programme in 1999 in an unusual flight of fancy.

In 2001, as the owner of Minardi, the unique two-seater Formula 1 cars made their public debuts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as Stoddart brought along two of its fleet of eight chassis to showcase the project to the public.

The first passengers were ‘chaffeured’ by Stoddart himself, as well as Minardi’s F1 testers Andrea Piccini, with the plan being to initially offer passenger rides for purchase for corporate events.

But Stoddart had the idea to showcase the cars in an altogether different setting and arranged a race amongst his two-seater F1 cars at Donington Park for August 21st, 2001.

This event was to take place at Donington Park’s ‘Thunder In The Park’ family day, and saw Stoddart bring along five cars for the ‘Donington Park Two-Seater Grand Prix’ – four of which were kitted out in the 2001 Minardi F1 livery, and one of which was painted red.

With Stoddart driving one of the cars, 2001 Minardi drivers Fernando Alonso and Tarso Marques were given the responsibility of another two, while 2002 signing Alex Yoong was given another.

Who for the fifth? None other than 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell, who had signed a deal to take part in any racing carried out in the Minardi two-seater during 2001.

Building up to the race, Stoddart couldn’t have been more excited: “It should be a great day out for everybody and there will be that little extra bit of excitement, knowing that we’re making motorsport history by staging the first-ever Formula 1 two-seater race.

“Ever since we instigated the F1x2 programme, in 1999, we’ve dreamed of staging such an event. Now it’s about to become reality, and the best part is that we will be able to share it with the fans. I’m really looking forward to it.”

What happened in the Minardi two-seater F1 Grand Prix?

With each car requiring a passenger, it led to some unusual names sitting behind the drivers.

Yoong was partnered with BBC Sport journalist Desmond Kelly, while Marques wheeled around with Boyzone star Shane Lynch.

Alonso paired up with F1 broadcaster Louise Goodman, and Mansell was given British entrepeneus Jonathan Frost.

But it was Stoddart who had the most unusual guest of honour. Years before she would date Groundhog Day star Bill Murray or before her milkshakes brought any boys to her yard, Kelis climbed into the back of the Australian’s Minardi for the 12-lap battle for honour at Donington Park.

The day was to get even more surreal as Kelis ended up winning the Grand Prix with Stoddart, with the duo capitalising on a crash between the two leading drivers on the penultimate lap.

Mansell had been lining up to pass Alonso out of the final corner when he was caught out by the Spaniard’s slow acceleration and launched off the back of the F1 rookie’s car.

Nobody was hurt, with Stoddart gathering things up by taking to the grass before crossing the line to win.

With Mansell’s car having been thrown into the air and ripping off a front wheel, breaking the front nose and damaging the suspension, the 1992 F1 World Champion was nonplussed after climbing out.

“One thing’s for sure, you saw a real motor race there,” he said.

“It was just one of those hiccups in motor racing. We just hit the back of the car in front, it was very unfortunate and very regrettable. I think we overtook whoever was in front in the air!”

While the first two-seater F1 Grand Prix had ended ignominiously, Stoddart made it a regular event for a while. In 2002, at the same event and track, Stoddart was joined by Damon Hill, Christijan Albers, Alex Yoong, Giorgio Pantano, and Mark Webber, amongst others.

This time, without Kelis willing him on, Stoddart couldn’t replicate his heroics from 2001 as Pantano won the event while, in 2003, Jos Verstappen brought home his Minardi two-seater to win the race held at Rockingham Speedway.

“It was great to take the chequered flag and hear the Dutch national anthem on the podium. I only wish it had been a real Grand Prix.

“I must say, it was a great experience,” the Dutchman said afterwards.

“I still can’t believe how close the two-seater is to the Formula One car. I drove the F1 car in pit-stop demonstrations and the two-seater was only a few seconds slower.”

While the two-seaters were never going to be used for any serious racing, the machines still exist.

To this day, the Minardi two-seaters are still rolled out for occasional demonstration runs and, since 2006, Stoddart opened up the possibility for the general public to purchase demo runs in the back of one of the machines. The machines are also used for F1’s own two-seater demonstration runs.