Formula One History

Formula One History F1 history from 1950 to modern day. Explore the legendary drivers, circuits, seasons and records with daily F1 on this day articles.
(1)

1984: Senna and Bellof star in the rain 3 June, in just 31 laps at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, two of Formula One’s bri...
02/06/2026

1984: Senna and Bellof star in the rain

3 June, in just 31 laps at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, two of Formula One’s brightest stars, Ayrton Senna and Stefan Bellof, showcased their exceptional talent. They chased down McLaren’s Alain Prost for the lead, outdriving their cars in torrential rain. Nigel Mansell initially took the lead from Prost but crashed out five laps later as the rain intensified. When second-place Niki Lauda also crashed, Senna closed in on Prost at an astonishing pace. Senna’s Toleman slid gracefully through each corner, cutting into Prost’s lead with every lap.

Meanwhile, Bellof, starting from the back of the grid, rapidly gained on both. Prost repeatedly signalled to race director Jacky Ickx to stop the race due to the worsening conditions. The red flag was finally shown at the end of lap 31, leaving Senna and Bellof frustrated. What might have happened if the race had been allowed to continue is still a hotly debated topic in F1 history.

Prost won the rain-curtailed race, with Senna second in his first podium in Formula One. Rene Arnoux was later promoted to third after the disqualification of Stefan Bellof due to weight restrictions broken by Tyrrell.

1973: Stewart ties Clark's Win Record 3 June, Jackie Stewart won the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix, marking the 25th victory o...
02/06/2026

1973: Stewart ties Clark's Win Record

3 June, Jackie Stewart won the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix, marking the 25th victory of his career and tying Jim Clark’s record. He capitalised on Ronnie Peterson‘s reliability issues to take the win, with Emerson Fittipaldi finishing second and Peterson recovering to third. The race also saw James Hunt‘s world championship debut, where he impressively drove from 18th to sixth, only to be stopped by a Cosworth engine failure in his Hesketh-entered March.

The race was also held on a heavily revised circuit, with a longer tunnel, a new section of track around the new swimming pool on the harbour front, and the Gasworks hairpin replaced by the Rascasse and Antony Noghès corners, the latter named after the race's founder. The pits were also moved back to the start-finish straight, on a wider pit lane.

1996: Schumacher's First Ferrari Win 2 June, Michael Schumacher delivered one of the most defining performances of his ...
01/06/2026

1996: Schumacher's First Ferrari Win

2 June, Michael Schumacher delivered one of the most defining performances of his career at the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix, winning the rain-soaked race by 45 seconds over Benetton driver Jean Alesi. It was his first victory with Ferrari, long before the team produced the dominant cars that earned him five titles from 2000 to 2004. His best lap was an astounding 2.2 seconds faster than anyone else’s, firmly establishing him as the field’s top driver in wet conditions. The race was also Schumacher’s 20th career win. Jacques Villeneuve finished third for Williams.

Remembering 4x Grand Prix winner and legendary constructor Bruce McLaren, who tragically died 2 June 1970, while testi...
01/06/2026

Remembering 4x Grand Prix winner and legendary constructor Bruce McLaren, who tragically died 2 June 1970, while testing one of his Can-Am cars at Goodwood.

In 1959, he became the youngest F1 driver at the time to win an F1 race, securing victory in Sebring at just 22 years old. He went on to win three more Grand Prix: in Argentina in 1960, Monaco in 1962, and at Spa Francorchamps in 1968 in a car of his own design.

McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963, which continues today as one of the most successful teams ever under the McLaren name. His team found significant success in the Can-Am Series, winning five championships between 1967 and 1972. In 1969, McLaren M8Bs won all 11 races that season, including two 1-2-3 finishes led by McLaren himself. Another notable triumph was winning the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours in a Ford GT40 with fellow New Zealander driver Chris Amon.

Happy Birthday to Jan Lammers, who was born 2 June 1956. His F1 career spanned two separate stints a decade apart. Fro...
01/06/2026

Happy Birthday to Jan Lammers, who was born 2 June 1956. His F1 career spanned two separate stints a decade apart. From 1979 to 1982, he raced for Shadow, ATS, and Theodore before returning for two races with March in 1992.

Few drivers in modern motorsport can match Lammers’ longevity. The Dutchman carved out one of racing’s most eclectic and enduring careers — from touring cars and Formula One to Le Mans glory, Japanese sportscar domination and even the Dakar Rally.

2003: Montoya wins Monaco 1 June, Juan Pablo Montoya earned his only win in Monte Carlo at the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix, ...
31/05/2026

2003: Montoya wins Monaco

1 June, Juan Pablo Montoya earned his only win in Monte Carlo at the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix, narrowly beating the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen by less than a second. The race was decided during the pit stops when Montoya overtook his teammate, Ralf Schumacher, during refuelling and maintained his lead on the tight circuit. Early on, Heinz-Harald Frentzen suffered a severe crash at the Swimming Pool section, hitting the barriers after misjudging the kerb. Montoya’s victory marked Williams' first win in Monaco in over 20 years and remains their last to date. Their previous win came in 1983 with Keke Rosberg. German Michael Schumacher third in a Ferrari.

There were no recorded on-track overtakes during this race, which was one of the very few occasions in Formula One history where this happened. The other three races not to feature any on-track overtakes were the controversial 2005 United States Grand Prix and 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, as well as the 2009 European Grand Prix.

Happy Birthday to Martin Brundle, a veteran of 165 grands prix and a famous commentator, who was born 1 June 1959. Bru...
31/05/2026

Happy Birthday to Martin Brundle, a veteran of 165 grands prix and a famous commentator, who was born 1 June 1959. Brundle climbed the ranks in the late 1970s and early 1980s, competing in BTCC, British Formula Ford, and Formula 3. In 1983, he narrowly missed the F3 title to Ayrton Senna, but his performance earned him a drive with Tyrrell in F1 the following year.

While he never won a race, he took two second-place finishes and a best-season result of sixth with Benetton in 1992 alongside Michael Schumacher. His crowning achievement was winning the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans with Price Cobb and John Nielsen in a Jaguar XJR-12.

Brundle retired from F1 at the end of 1996, turning down a Sauber contract to join Murray Walker as a commentator for ITV, where he quickly became a fan favourite. In 2010, he returned to racing in the VW Scirocco Cup, finishing on the podium on his debut.

Happy Birthday to Ron Dennis, born 1 June 1947. He began his motorsport career as a mechanic in the 1960s, working wit...
31/05/2026

Happy Birthday to Ron Dennis, born 1 June 1947. He began his motorsport career as a mechanic in the 1960s, working with teams like Cooper and Brabham. In 1971, he co-founded Rondel Racing, a Formula Two team, and later established Project Four Racing in 1976. He achieved remarkable success in junior categories, which soon caught McLaren’s attention, leading to a merger in 1980.

As McLaren’s team principal from 1981 to 2009, Dennis transformed the team into a dominant force in Formula One. Under his leadership, McLaren secured seven Constructors’ Championships and 10 Drivers’ Championships, including with F1 legends such as Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and Lewis Hamilton.

1981 - Gilles Villeneuve delivered Ferrari‘s first championship win in a turbocharged car May 31, at the 1981 Monaco G...
31/05/2026

1981 - Gilles Villeneuve delivered Ferrari‘s first championship win in a turbocharged car May 31, at the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix.

Nelson Piquet initially led but crashed while overtaking backmarkers, and defending champion Alan Jones suffered a fuel-feed problem, allowing Villeneuve to overtake him four laps from the end.

Chaos ensued before the scheduled start when a fire in the hotel kitchens above the tunnel caused water to cascade onto the track, raising concerns about the tunnel’s electric lighting. The race started an hour late. Jones finished second for Williams, with Frenchman Jacques Laffite third for Ligier.

1992 - May 31, in another frustrating day for Williams driver Nigel Mansell at the Monaco Grand Prix, a loose wheel nu...
31/05/2026

1992 - May 31, in another frustrating day for Williams driver Nigel Mansell at the Monaco Grand Prix, a loose wheel nut forced him into the pits while leading with eight laps remaining, again handing the win to Ayrton Senna as he did in 1987.

Mansell, on fresh tyres, smashed the lap record but was brilliantly kept at bay by Senna, whose tyres were gone. This ended Mansell’s streak of five consecutive wins, though he went on to win the 1992 Drivers’ Championship.

Mansell said, “When I got up behind Ayrton, I thought my eyes were playing tricks because it seemed there were three McLarens across the track ahead of me. He made his car very wide but it was absolutely fair.” Senna simply smiled and said, “I used my equipment to the maximum.”

With the win, it was Senna’s fifth at Monaco, equalling the record set by Graham Hill. Mansell’s teammate Riccardo Patrese was third, half a minute behind.

Address

Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone
NN128TN

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Formula One History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category