The History of Formula 1

The History of Formula 1 Where Formula 1 becomes memory. An independent archive of stories, sources, and quiet details from the history of the sport since 1950. Stories worth keeping.

Welcome to The History of Formula 1. This is a place where the sport is not only remembered, but respected. A quiet archive of people, machines, and moments that shaped Formula 1 from 1950 to today. We look beyond results and headlines. Behind every number is a name. Behind every race is a story. Behind every car stands a human choice: courage, craft, risk, and the will to build something faster than yesterday. Here you will find history told with care, clarity, and truth. Not just who won, but why it mattered. Not just the statistics, but the spirit. Whether you are a lifelong fan or discovering the roots of the sport for the first time, you are welcome here. This community is built on curiosity, respect, and authenticity.

On 1 October 1942, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was born in Paris. In 1979, he gave Renault its first Formula 1 victory and sec...
01/10/2026

On 1 October 1942, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was born in Paris. In 1979, he gave Renault its first Formula 1 victory and secured the first World Championship Grand Prix win for a turbocharged car.

Our latest Patreon article explores the work behind that breakthrough: Jabouille’s experience as a driver and engineer, the setbacks of Renault’s early turbo programme, and the progress that brought him to victory at Dijon.

Read the full story on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/TheHistoryofFormula1/posts/on-this-day-jean-171097378

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On 1 October 1942, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was born in Paris. A driver and engineer, he would become a central figure in R...
01/10/2026

On 1 October 1942, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was born in Paris. A driver and engineer, he would become a central figure in Renault’s effort to establish turbocharged engines in Formula 1.

Jabouille was closely involved in developing the programme before driving the Renault RS01 on its Grand Prix debut at Silverstone in 1977. Its 1.5-litre turbocharged V6 had considerable potential, but reliability remained a persistent problem. Testing and development continued as mechanical failures repeatedly brought his races to an early end.

The first points arrived on his birthday. On 1 October 1978, Jabouille finished fourth at Watkins Glen, giving Renault its first World Championship points on the day he turned 36.

In 1979, the introduction of twin turbochargers helped improve the engine’s response. At the French Grand Prix at Dijon-Prenois, Jabouille started from pole position, lost the lead to Gilles Villeneuve and then passed the Ferrari during the race. He went on to secure his first Grand Prix victory, Renault’s first in Formula 1 and the first for a turbocharged car in the World Championship.

A second win followed at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix. Both of Jabouille’s Formula 1 victories came with Renault, whose turbo programme he had helped develop from its early testing days.

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On 30 September 1997, Max Verstappen was born in Hasselt, Belgium. Today, he celebrates his 29th birthday.The son of For...
01/10/2026

On 30 September 1997, Max Verstappen was born in Hasselt, Belgium. Today, he celebrates his 29th birthday.

The son of Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen and accomplished kart racer Sophie Kumpen, Max grew up in a family closely involved in motorsport. His own progress through karting brought him to single-seater racing in 2014, when he won ten races and finished third in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. One season later, he was on the Formula 1 grid.

At the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen made his race debut for Toro Rosso aged 17 years and 166 days, becoming the youngest driver to start a Formula 1 World Championship race. His arrival followed an unusually short apprenticeship in cars, but his performances soon demonstrated why he had been given the opportunity.

On 15 May 2016, he won the Spanish Grand Prix on his first appearance for Red Bull Racing. Holding off Kimi Räikkönen, he became Formula 1’s youngest winner at 18 years and 228 days, and the first Dutch driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix.

His first world championship followed in 2021, with further titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2023 season brought 19 victories from 22 Grands Prix, including ten consecutive wins. The teenager who had entered Formula 1 with a single season of Formula 3 behind him had become a four-time world champion.

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On 29 September 1951, Giuseppe Farina won the Goodwood Trophy in a works Alfa Romeo. The reigning World Champion took th...
29/09/2026

On 29 September 1951, Giuseppe Farina won the Goodwood Trophy in a works Alfa Romeo. The reigning World Champion took the main race at the circuit's September meeting, a Formula 1 event held outside the World Championship.

Farina had arrived from Italy with his Alfetta and three mechanics. His principal opponent was Reg Parnell, driving Tony Vandervell's Ferrari Thinwall Special.

Earlier in the meeting, Farina had won the Woodcote Cup and a handicap race, in which staggered starts were used to balance the cars' performance. In the latter, Stirling Moss's HWM had been given a 47-second head start. Farina caught him on the final lap and passed him on the run to the finish, winning by two seconds.

For the 15-lap Goodwood Trophy, Parnell led the opening lap before Farina passed him on lap two. The Italian then worked through the slower cars and raised the circuit's lap record to an average speed of 97.36 mph. He finished 5.6 seconds ahead of Parnell, with Tony Rolt third in Rob Walker's ERA-engined Delage, one lap down. The result completed Farina's clean sweep: three starts and three victories.

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On 28 September 1968, Mika Häkkinen was born in Finland. His years with McLaren would bring two world championships, but...
28/09/2026

On 28 September 1968, Mika Häkkinen was born in Finland. His years with McLaren would bring two world championships, but his first victory came only after a long wait.

After two seasons racing for Lotus, he joined McLaren in 1993 as a test and reserve driver. Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti occupied the race seats. When Andretti left before the end of the season, Häkkinen was promoted, beginning a partnership that would last for the rest of his Formula 1 career.

That career was threatened by a serious accident during qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. He recovered and was back on the grid for the opening race of 1996. Four podium finishes that season confirmed his return to competitive form.

The wait for a win continued. In 1997, engine failures ended his races while leading at Silverstone, the A1-Ring and the Nürburgring. His first Grand Prix victory finally came at Jerez in the season-ending European Grand Prix.

In 1998, Häkkinen won eight races and secured the world championship with victory at Suzuka. In 1999, he arrived at the same circuit four points behind Eddie Irvine in the title standings. His victory secured a second consecutive world title for the team he had joined as a reserve driver six years earlier.

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On 27 September 2015, Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, taking his 41st Formula 1 victory and drawin...
27/09/2026

On 27 September 2015, Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, taking his 41st Formula 1 victory and drawing level with Ayrton Senna.

Senna had been Hamilton’s childhood hero, and Suzuka was central to the Brazilian’s career. It was here that he secured all three of his world championships. Hamilton arrived one victory short of Senna’s total, with the opportunity to match it at the same circuit.

Starting second alongside Nico Rosberg, Hamilton made the better getaway. The Mercedes drivers ran side by side through the opening corner before Hamilton emerged ahead at Turn 2. Rosberg dropped behind Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, leaving his team-mate to build a lead while he worked his way back to second.

Hamilton completed the 53 laps with 18.964 seconds in hand over Rosberg, with Vettel third for Ferrari. His eighth victory of the season extended his championship lead to 48 points, with five races remaining.

On the podium, Hamilton recalled how much he had enjoyed watching Senna race at Suzuka. Asked about matching his tally, he said: “I can’t really describe it, it doesn’t really feel real at the moment.”

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On 26 September 1999, Johnny Herbert won the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, delivering Stewart Grand Prix’s fir...
26/09/2026

On 26 September 1999, Johnny Herbert won the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, delivering Stewart Grand Prix’s first Formula 1 victory.

He had started 14th, one place ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello. In its third season, the team founded by Jackie and Paul Stewart had a quick car in the SF3, but reliability problems had repeatedly limited its results. A poor qualifying session left both drivers needing to recover.

Changing weather gave Herbert that opportunity. He stayed on dry-weather tyres through an early shower, then switched to wet-weather tyres at his scheduled stop on lap 35. He later recalled asking for them as heavier rain approached, with dry-weather tyres already prepared in the pits. The decision allowed him to gain ground as others struggled for grip.

The race continued to change around him. David Coulthard and Giancarlo Fisichella both spun out of the lead, while Ralf Schumacher suffered a puncture. Herbert had returned to dry-weather tyres as conditions improved, and took the lead when Schumacher slowed. He brought the car home 22.618 seconds ahead of Jarno Trulli’s Prost, with Barrichello third.

It was Herbert’s third and final Grand Prix victory, and Stewart’s only win in Formula 1. Ford had already agreed to buy the team, which would race as Jaguar in 2000. With just two races remaining under the Stewart name, both of its drivers stood on the Nürburgring podium.

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On 25 September 1982, Keke Rosberg secured the Formula 1 World Championship by finishing fifth in the Caesars Palace Gra...
25/09/2026

On 25 September 1982, Keke Rosberg secured the Formula 1 World Championship by finishing fifth in the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas, driving a Williams FW08.

He had joined Williams that year after Alan Jones announced his retirement. The move transformed Rosberg's prospects. His previous season with Fittipaldi had brought no championship points; Williams gave him the opportunity to compete at the front.

His first World Championship Grand Prix victory came at the Swiss Grand Prix, held at Dijon-Prenois in France. By the final round, Rosberg led McLaren's John Watson by nine points. With nine awarded for a win, Watson needed victory and Rosberg to finish outside the top six. A single point would guarantee the title for the Finn.

Watson started ninth and worked his way through the field to second, but Michele Alboreto took his maiden Grand Prix victory for Tyrrell. Rosberg brought his Williams home fifth, collecting two points and ending the season with 44.

He had won only once, but six podium finishes and points in ten races had built his championship total. In his first season with Williams, Rosberg became Finland's first Formula 1 World Champion. It remained the only world title of his Grand Prix career.

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On 24 September 1931, Mike Parkes was born in Richmond, Surrey. He would combine work as a development engineer with a p...
24/09/2026

On 24 September 1931, Mike Parkes was born in Richmond, Surrey. He would combine work as a development engineer with a place in Ferrari’s factory racing team.

Parkes joined Ferrari in 1963 after helping to develop the Hillman Imp at Rootes. His responsibilities in Maranello extended from testing competition cars to developing road models, while his race programme centred on sports cars.

That balance changed when John Surtees left Ferrari during the 1966 season. Parkes was called into the Formula 1 team, with a longer chassis needed to accommodate his height. He later recalled that the mechanics worked three shifts, day and night, to complete his car in time for the French Grand Prix.

At Reims on 3 July, he finished second behind Jack Brabham in his first World Championship start. Two months later, he took pole position at Monza and finished second to Ludovico Scarfiotti, completing a Ferrari one-two in the Italian Grand Prix.

A serious accident at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix ended his Formula 1 career. After recovering, Parkes returned to sports car racing and continued his engineering work. In the 1970s, that work included the development of the Lancia Stratos.

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On 23 September 2024, Rupert Keegan died at the age of 69.He had reached the Formula 1 World Championship with Hesketh i...
23/09/2026

On 23 September 2024, Rupert Keegan died at the age of 69.

He had reached the Formula 1 World Championship with Hesketh in 1977, having won the British BP Super Visco Formula 3 title the previous year. In his debut season, he qualified for all 12 Grands Prix he entered. Seventh in Austria was his best finish, just outside the points.

A difficult season with Surtees followed in 1978. The following year, Keegan found a different opportunity in the Aurora British Formula 1 Championship, a series run separately from the World Championship. Driving an Arrows A1 for Charles Clowes Racing, he became a regular race winner.

Five victories brought him to the Silverstone finale still in contention for the title. In the deciding race, he passed Geoff Lees to finish second, securing the championship by two points over David Kennedy.

Keegan later returned to the World Championship with RAM in 1980 and March in 1982, bringing his total to 25 starts without scoring a point. Dave ‘Beaky’ Sims, who worked with him at Hesketh and during his Aurora campaign, later recalled: “He was very positive and always up for it.”

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