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Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Part 2 - The German Grand Prix - DID YOU KNOW [FACTS]

On This Day in Formula One - 15 July

Prince Bira mood after winning the Road Racing Club's Imperial Trophy Race at Crystal Palace

1914

The birth in Bangkok of Prince Bira, one of the most colourful drivers whose playboy lifestyle ensured he was never far from the headlines either side of the war. A car fanatic from an early age, when at school in England he made it his ambition to become a racing driver. He eventually graduated to a mighty ERA, but his career was interrupted by the Second World War, after which he won various Formula Two races before making his Formula One debut in 1950 for Maserati, finishing fifth at Monaco and then fourth in the Swiss Grand Prix. Running in Maserati, then Gordini, then Connaught, then Maserati again, 'B Bira' raced on until the start of 1955 when he retired.

1961

Ferrari dominated the British Grand Prix with Taffy Von Trips leading home Phil Hill and Ritchie Ginther. The race, which started in the rain and ended in blazing sunshine, was eventful for Stirling Moss who retired, took over Jack Fairman's four-wheel-drive Ferguson only to then be disqualified for having received a push start.

1967

Jim Clark wins the 1967 British Grand Prix

Jim Clark kick-started his faltering season with victory in the British Grand Prix. Lotus had the fastest car but struggled with transmission problems - both cars had retired while running 1-2 in the French Grand Prix a fortnight earlier - but as Clark and Graham Hill dominated all seemed to be right at Silverstone. Hill led up to the 55th lap when his car suffered from a rear suspension issues and then engine failure, but Clark held on.

1972

Emerson Fittipaldi wins the 1972 British Grand Prix

Emerson Fittipaldi won an eventful British Grand Prix. Jackie Icyx led early on before retiring with oil pressure problems, while Ronnie Peterson appeared set to take fourth place when his engine cut out and he crashed into the abandoned cars of Graham Hill and Francois Cevert.

1990

Alain Prost secured his third successive win to move ahead of Ayrton Senna in the drivers' championship. The early battle had been between Senna and Nigel Mansell as the pair swapped the lead, but mechanical problems took their toll on Mansell while Senna spun off, allowing Prost to cruise home. A fuming Mansell, who eventually had to retire on the 56th lap, said afterwards that he was "much quicker than anyone else … I'm bound to wonder why these problems don't happen to the other guys". He then announced his retirement - "I'm not making an excuse, just a statement … I don't want to burst into tears" - but soon changed his mind.

2001

In his period of dominance, the British Grand Prix was a rare failure for Michael Schumacher as he failed to win despite taking pole, the victory going to Mike Hakkinen. For Heinz-Harald Frentzen it marked the end of his time with Jordan who sacked him following a disappointing season.

[Information By - ESPNF1.com]

Monday, 14 July 2014

Part 1 - The German Grand Prix - DID YOU KNOW [FACTS]

On This Day in Formula One - 14 July

1951

The British Grand Prix was supposed to be about the long-awaited appearance of the BRMs, but they had to settle for fifth and seventh. "The cars showed up exceedingly well," enthused the Guardian. "Their only untoward behaviour was a tendency to roast the driver … both had to receive first-aid treatment for burns to their arms and legs." The writer also noted one other issue: "The engine needs to be permitted to develop full power without the risk of blowing up." The race was won by Froilan Gonzalez in a Ferrari, the first time an Alfa Romeo had failed to win a championship event.

1956

The death of two one-race Formula One drivers - Bill Whitehouse and Herbert MacKay-Fraser - came during an F2 race at Reims. Whitehouse died when his borrowed Cooper-Climax left the track after a tyre burst, somersaulted and exploded in flames, while later on MacKay-Fraser lost control of his Lotus at high speed and was killed on impact.

1956

Fangio wins the 1956 British Grand Prix

Juan-Manuel Fangio won the British Grand Prix but it wasn't one of his most memorable successes. An early spin put him back down the field but he kept going as a steam of drivers ahead of him were forced to retire. Tony Brooks had a lucky escape when his BRM overturned and caught fire; he was thrown clear and was fortunate to avoid serious injury.

1973

Paul Revson secured his debut F1 win at the British Grand Prix in a race which saw first-lap chaos following a series of accidents. It started when Niki Lauda was rear-ended by Jack Oliver, and at the end of the lap Jodi Scheckter lost control of his McLaren, hit the pitwall, and spun back into the middle of the track where it set in play a nine-car pile-up. Andrea de Adamich was the most seriously hurt, and it took half-an-hour to extract him from his Brabham and another hour before the race could be restarted with a reduced 19-car field.

1979

Clay Regazzoni claims first win for Sir Frank Williams.

Clay Regazzoni, the oldest man in the field, gave Frank Williams his first grand prix win, and a home one at that. Alan Jones had led early on before his engine overheated. Regazzoni's podium antics were subdued, standing back as Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jarier splashed around the champagne - the team's Saudi Arabian sponsors insisted there could be no association with alcohol and so he resorted to lemonade.

1991

Mansell gives Senna lift back to the paddock

All the talk ahead of the British Grand Prix had been about Nigel Mansell, who was second behind Ayrton Senna in the drivers' championship, and the excitement heightened when he took pole. He made a poor start to allow Senna into the lead, but straight away overtook his rival and went on to secure a win which left the 150,000 crowd delighted. "For the last two laps I was so terrified I was going to be left without gears," Mansell admitted after his gearbox started misbehaving. Senna ran out of fuel on the last lap but was saved a long walk back to the pits when Mansell stopped on his victory lap to pick him up.

1996

Another British success was anticipated when Damon Hill took pole; like Mansell, he too made a poor start but did not battle back, spinning off as he tried to pass Mike Hakkinen. For the third consecutive race, Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine were both forced to retire with technical issues in the first six laps - Schumacher with hydraulic problems and Irvine with an engine fadeout.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

Sunday, 13 July 2014

On This Day in Formula One - 13 July

Saturday, 12 July 2014

Susie Wolff proves herself in Silverstone By - Jake Davis

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