On This Day In Formula - 31 July

1977

A year on from his horrific accident at the Nurburgring, Niki Lauda bounced back in style by winning the German Grand Prix from Jody Scheckter and Hans-Joachim Stuck, who secured his first podium finish. After Lauda's death-defying accident in 1976, the Nurburgring made way for a new F1 venue in Hockenheim, infamous for being the venue of Jim Clarke's death in an F2 race in 1968. Lauda took the lead from pole-sitter Scheckter on lap 13 and the Austrian never looked back to secure a popular victory.

                                                                 1994

Scary scene of a fuel fire on Jos Verstappen's Benetton.

A frightening moment for Jos Verstappen and watching Formula One fans happened during the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The Benetton driver came into the pits for a regulation stop but fuel sprayed onto the car and ignited as the crew fumbled in attaching the refuelling rig. A split second later, the car was engulfed in flames but marshals acted quickly to extinguish the blaze. Verstappen and the pit crew only suffered minor burns. Gerhard Berger went on to win the race for Ferrari.

2005

Kimi Raikkonen won the Hungarian Grand Prix from brothers Michael and Ralf Schumacher. Although Fernando Alonso could only manage to finish a distant 11th after damaging his front wing during an attempted pass on Ralf into the first corner, the Spaniard still led Raikkonen by 26 points after the race.

2007

Three-time world champion Nelson Piquet was ordered to attend a driving awareness school after losing his licence for repeated speeding and parking offences. His wife, Viviane, was also ordered to attend.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

On This Day In Formula One - 30 July

1972

Jacky Ickx led home a Ferrari 1-2 at the German Grand Prix as Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi fell by the wayside. Ronnie Peterson finished third and Howden Ganley and Brian Redman secured unlikely top five finishes.

1978

Mario Andretti won the German Grand Prix but the star of the show was Jody Scheckter, who battled his way back to second after dropping to the back of the field at the end of the opening lap.

                                                                                        1989

Ayrton Senna led home team-mate Alain Prost for a 1-2 at the German Grand Prix with Nigel Mansell finishing third in his Ferrari. The finishing positions mirrored those of qualifying.

1995

The first of Schumacher's German Grand Prix victories came over a decade earlier when he finished the race behind a tow track after stalling his Benetton whilst waving to the crowd in celebration. In winning, Schumacher became the first German to win his home race since the 1930s. Pole-sitter Damon Hill blew his chances of spoiling the party by spinning off on the second lap.

2000

A disgruntled Mercedes employee endangered his own life and that of the drivers at the German Grand Prix when he cut through the track fence and ran onto the track carrying a sheet with a message about the German car manufacturer. He managed to run across the track before marshals apprehended him. The man's intervention turned the race upside down. Until that point, Mika Hakkinen looked likely to lead home a McLaren 1-2 but the deployment of the safety car shuffled the grid, allowing Rubens Barrichello to take his first Formula one victory from 18th on the grid. It was the first win for a Brazilian driver since Ayrton Senna's last win in Australia 1993.

                                                                                                                                                          2006

Michael Schumacher crosses the line to win his fourth German Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher secured his fourth German Grand Prix victory with a dominant drive in front of his home fans. Felipe Massa rounded off an easy day at the office for Ferrari as the main excitement of the race was provided by Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button in the scrap for third, Raikkonen catching and passing Button's Honda in the closing laps.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

'Tantrums' - By Jake Davis

This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:
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On This Day In Formula One - 29 July

1951

The Nurburgring hosted a world championship race for the first time for the German Grand Prix. Alberto Ascari took his first world championship win for Ferrari.

                                                                1973

David Purley tried in vain to save Roger Williamson.
Source: Sutton Images

A tragic day unfolded at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort when young British driver Roger Williamson was killed in appalling circumstances during the race. A tyre problem caused him to crash and his car came to rest upside down an on fire at the side of the track. He was unable to free himself but the marshals did nothing. Fellow driver David Purley stopped his car and ran to his friend's aid, grabbing a fire extinguisher from a marshal and trying to right the car by himself. Alas his efforts were in vain and Williamson died in the car before a fire truck could reach the scene. Purley was awarded the George medal but remained bitter that the marshals had not done more to help save his friend. Following his decision to quit motorsport, Purley moved into competition aerobatics. He died on July 2 1985 when his Pitts Special aerobatic biplane crashed into the sea off Bognor Regis.

1979

Alan Jones won the German Grand Prix from team-mate and rival Clay Reggazoni. Jones took the lead at the start from second on the grid and when Regazzoni passed Jacques Laffite for second place on lap 13, the 1-2-3 order was settled for the remainder of the race. The victory gave the Williams team its second successive win in Formula One.

                                                                                                                                                         1990

Ayrton Senna wins the 1990 German Grand Prix.

Ayrton Senna held off a spirited challenge from Benetton's Alessandro Nannini to win the German Grand Prix. Starting from his customary pole position, Senna squeezed ahead of team-mate Gerhard Berger at the start and positions remained the same until Nannini emerged ahead of Senna after the pit stops. With an unlikely victory in sight, Nannini's tyres started to suffer and Senna nailed his man with 12 laps remaining.

2001

Ralf Schumacher benefitted from the retirement of Williams team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya to win the German Grand Prix in front of his own fans at Hockenheim. In a real tortoise and hare grand prix, pole-sitter Montoya played the role of the hare and raced off into the distance from Schumacher, only for his BMW engine to fail on him, gifting the race to Ralf.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com] 

On This Day in Formula One - 28 July

                                                                                                                                                          1935

Source: Getty Images

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi hierarchy watched on at the Nurburgring confident that the German-made Mercedes and Auto Union cars would dominate with their German drivers in front of an equally expectant 300,000 fans. Hitler had made it clear that a German victory was imperative but Italian Tazio Nuvolari did not read the script and his less powerful Alfa Romeo took a dramatic victory on the final lap to ruin the Fuhrer's day. 'At first there was deathly silence,' reported Motorsport magazine, 'and then the innate sportsmanship of the Germans triumphed over their astonishment. Nuvolari was given a wonderful reception.' So sure of a German victory were they that the Nazi officials did not have the Italian national anthem on hand. But Nuvolari was able to produce his own record of the anthem, which he always carried for luck.

1991

Nigel Mansell won the German Grand Prix from Williams team-mate Riccardo Patrese and Ferrari's Jean Alesi to close the gap in the drivers' championship to Ayrton Senna. Pole-sitter Mansell made a good start and that was pretty much that for the afternoon as he sailed off into the distance, leaving his rivals to squabble over second place.

1996

Damon Hill claimed his 20th grand prix victory to equal Michael Schumacher's career tally of F1 victories after winning the German Grand Prix. Although victory marked Hill's seventh victory of the year, it was not an easy one as a poor start dropped him behind the Benettons of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. A superior strategy enabled him to pass Alesi but Hill was looking as if he had to settle for second until Berger's engine blew up only three laps from home.

                                                              2002

Michael Schumacher celebrates the 2002 German Grand Prix victory.

Michael Schumacher equalled his own and Nigel Mansell's record of nine grand prix wins in a season after emerging victorious in the German Grand Prix. Schumacher did not have things all his own way, however, as brother Ralf began to chip into his lead on his superior Michelin tyres. Ralf narrowed the gap to six seconds after the first stop but a late pneumatic problem dropped him to third behind Williams team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

On This Day In Formula One - 27 July

                                                         1986

Alain Prost tries to push his car over the line at the 1986 German Grand Prix.

Alain Prost was swarming all over the back of Nigel Mansell's Williams at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim when his McLaren ran out of fuel on the last lap on the finishing straight. To the applause of the crowd, Prost got out of his car and tried to push it over the line. He failed to make it but still earned a point for sixth place as the next car was over a lap adrift.

                                                         1954

Former Formula One driver Philippe Alliot was born in Voves, France. Alliot raced for raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse and McLaren and had a reputation for accidents leading to heavy criticism from team members, other drivers and even sports commentators, such as James Hunt who caled Alliot "one of the worst Grand Prix drivers ever to drive a Grand Prix car". He left F1 for sports car racing in the early 1990s and enjoyed considerable success with the Peugeot team, run by Jean Todt.

                                                                                                        1997

Gerhard Berger scored a popular victory in the German Grand Prix. Victory marked the Austrian's last win in Formula One and the last for the Benetton team. Fittingly, Berger's first grand prix victory in 1986 was also Benetton's first.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com] 

On This Day In Formula One - 26 July

                                                                                     1925

Antonio Ascari

Italian racing driver Antonio Ascari was killed while leading the French Grand Prix in an Alfa Romeo P2 at the Autodrome de Montlhery near Paris. Ascari left behind a seven-year old son, Alberto, who went on to win the FIA World Championship in 1952 and 1953. Eerily, Alberto died in similar circumstances to his father, on the 26th day of the month, aged 36 in car No. 26. Both had won 13 grands prix and both died four days after surviving previous accidents and both left a wife and two children.

                                                                                     1987
Nelson Piquet won the German Grand Prix from Stefan Johansson and Ayrton Senna. Nigel Mansell had started on pole ahead of his title rivals Senna, Prost and Piquet and he overtook Senna for the lead on the second lap after a slow start. The race was Mansell's to lose and so it transpired when an engine problem forced his retirement, Prost then seemed to have the race won himself but a broken alternator belt left Piquet to reap the rewards.

1992

Huge crowds turned up to watch Michael Schumacher at Hockenheim but it was Nigel Mansell who ended up the winner of the 1992 German Grand Prix. Mansell was in dominant mood while behind him, the non-stopping Ayrton Senna and Schumacher finished second and third, the German benefitting from a late spin by Riccardo Patrese's Williams.

                                                                                                                                                          1998

Mika Hakkinen emotional after dominating the 1998 Australian Grand Prix.

Mika Hakkinen won the Austrian Grand Prix from team-mate David Coulthard and the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. Rain during qualifying led to an unusual grid with Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton on pole from Jean Alesi's Sauber. Both Hakkinen and Schumacher passed the front row cars at the start but the drive of the day came from David Coulthard who stormed through the field from 14th on the grid to seventh on lap 16. Further passes and pit stops by cars ahead meant that Coulthard found himself second at the end ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari as Hakkinen held on for victory.

2009

Lewis Hamilton celebrated his tenth grand prix victory after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

On This Day In Formula One - 25 July

                                                                           1982

Rene Arnoux wins the 1982 French Grand Prix ahead of Alain Prost.
Source: ESPNF1.com

Rene Arnoux won the French Grand Prix for Renault on home soil to bring up ten wins in Formula One for the French manufacturer. Arnoux led home Alain Prost to secure the first ever 1-2 for the team. But Prost was livid with his team-mate as he thought he should have allowed him to win to aid his championship bid.

                                                             1993
Alain Prost won the German Grand Prix to consolidate his grip on a fourth drivers' title. Prost made a bad start from pole and was passed by both team-mate Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. The Frenchman then caught and passed both his rivals but was called in for a stop-go penalty for cutting a chicane which dropped him back to fifth. Hill looked certain of victory but a left-rear tyre failure on the penultimate lap handed the win to his grateful team-mate.

               1999

Eddie Irvine crosses the line to win the 1999 Australian Grand Prix.

Two weeks after Michael Schumacher broke his leg in a crash at the British Grand Prix, Eddie Irvine won the Austrian Grand Prix for Ferrari to settle into his newfound status as the team's lead driver. Mike Hakkinen took the lead from pole but was tipped into a spin by team-mate David Coulthard at the first corner. Coulthard stayed ahead of Irvine until his pit stop, the Ulsterman sneaking out ahead where he stayed until the finish.

                                             2004

Michael Schumacher celebrates his victory.

Michael Schumacher won the German Grand Prix to notch up his 11th victory in 12 races of a dominant season. Jenson Button ended the day just eight seconds behind the German star and the Englishman may well have won the race but for an engine failure in practice that demoted him ten places to 13th on the grid instead of the third he would have qualified. Fernando Alonso finished third in his Renault.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com]

On This Day In Formula One - 24 July

                                                                 1938

Dick Seaman celebrates his 1938 German Grand Prix victory.

A young British aristocrat racer named Dick Seaman won the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring driving a Mercedes-Benz and watched by Adolf Hitler. The young Brit, who was given a country estate for his 20th birthday, was the first Englishman to win a major grand prix since Major Henry Segrave in 1923. On the podium he gave a Nazi salute but said afterwards: "I only wish it had been a British car." A year later, Seaman was killed when pushing too hard at Spa. Hitler sent an enormous wreath and Mercedes still tends to his grave to this day.

1966

Jack Brabham won the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort to extend his lead in the drivers' championship over Graham Hill. There had been much newspaper speculation that the 40-year-old was too old to be a serious challenger for the world championship and Brabham limped to his car with the aid of a stick whilst sporting a false beard, much to the amusement of the paddock. But Jack had the last laugh as he won the race en route to the championship.

                                                                               1988

Ayrton Senna crosses the line to win the 1988 German Grand Prix.

Ayrton Senna won the German Grand Prix from team-mate Alain Prost as McLaren continued its dominant March towards the championship. Victory marked the team's eighth successive victory in a season where they would only fail to win one race, in Italy. The race also marked Nelson Piquet's 150th grand prix start.

                                                            2005

Fernando Alonso won the German Grand Prix from Juan Pablo Montoya and Jenson Button to extend his championship lead to 36 points over Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen had looked certain to win the race until a hydraulics problem forced his retirement on lap 35, leaving Alonso to coast to victory and, almost certainly, the drivers' title.

[INFORMATION BY - ESPNF1.com] 

Part 4 - The Hungarian Grand Prix - DID YOU KNOW (FACTS)