What happened on this day, April 13 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1931
Dan Gurney, born on this day in Port Jefferson, is widely regarded as one of the greatest American drivers in Formula One history—and one of his crowning achievements came in a car of his own making.
His F1 journey began with Ferrari in 1959 before moving to BRM in 1960 and then Porsche in 1961. With far better reliability than he had experienced at BRM, Gurney finished third in the championship despite not winning a race. The breakthrough came in 1962 when he secured his first Grand Prix victory at Rouen, a circuit that would become a favourite. Two years later, now driving for Brabham, he won again in Rouen and capped off the 1964 season with another victory in Mexico.
Ironically, despite stronger performances in both 1963 and 1965, where he frequently challenged Jim Clark, race wins eluded him. In 1966, he took a bold step, building his own car—the Eagle. The gamble paid off in 1967 when, powered by a Weslake engine, Gurney guided his Eagle to a stunning victory in Belgium. However, reliability remained an issue, with mechanical failures often denying him further success.
Beyond Formula One, Gurney’s achievements were just as impressive. In 1967, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Ford alongside A.J. Foyt. He also finished runner-up at the Indianapolis 500 in both 1968 and 1969. Notably, he became the first driver to win races in Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and IndyCar (1967), cementing his legacy as one of motorsport’s most versatile and accomplished racers.
Dan Gurney passed away on 14 January 2018, after a long battle with pneumonia at the age of 86.
1940
Max Mosley, born on this day in 1940, played a key role in shaping modern Formula 1 and global motorsport regulation. As co-founder of March Engineering in the late 1960s, he gained a respect in F1 before moving into governance. In 1991, he was elected president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), a role he held until 2009. Mosley was instrumental in implementing safety reforms following Ayrton Senna’s tragic death in 1994, working closely with Professor Sid Watkins to enhance car and circuit safety standards. His time also saw the introduction of cost-cutting measures and regulatory changes aimed at improving competitiveness and sustainability.
Despite his time at the FIA, Mosley’s presidency was often controversial. He clashed with teams over rule changes, budget caps, and governance issues, particularly with the formation of the breakaway Grand Prix Manufacturers’ Association. His later years at the FIA were overshadowed by a 2008 tabloid scandal, but he survived a vote of confidence and continued advocating for privacy rights and safety initiatives beyond motorsport. Mosley’s legacy remains complex—characterised by both safety reforms, divisive leadership and his storied private life.
1940
Mike Beuttler, born on this day, competed in Formula One as a privateer, backed by a group of stockbroker friends who lent their names to his team—Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher Racing– driving a non-works March.
Racing between 1971 and 1973, he made 28 Grand Prix starts, with his best result coming at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished seventh. Outside of racing, he was the brother-in-law of British politician Alan Clark.
Beuttler passed away in 1988 due to complications from AIDS, making him one of the few openly gay figures in motorsport and F1 history, though his sexuality was not widely discussed during his career. It wasn’t until 2024 when German former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher announced that he was in a same-sex relationship.
1949
Argentine driver Ricardo Zunino, born on this day in San Juan, got his unexpected break in Formula One at the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix when Niki Lauda abruptly quit Brabham and walked away from the sport.
Zunino, who had recently tested for the team, was attending the race as a spectator during a break from his British F1 Championship campaign. With Brabham needing a last-minute replacement, he was handed the opportunity to race. He finished seventh, marking his best result in what would be a brief F1 career.
He remained with Brabham into 1980 but lost his seat after the French Grand Prix, bringing his total tally to ten Grand Prix starts.
1986
The 1986 Spanish Grand Prix delivered a thrilling finish as Ayrton Senna in a Lotus-Renault edged out the Williams-Honda of Nigel Mansell by just 0.014 of a second in a dramatic drag race to the line.
Senna led for much of the race until Mansell overtook him on lap 40. However, a slow puncture forced Mansell to pit, and upon returning to the track, he launched a relentless charge, lapping two seconds faster than Senna. A crucial moment came when Mansell took half a lap to pass the McLaren of Alain Prost, a delay that ultimately cost him victory. Prost would finish third. Mansell jokingly added post-race that the finish was so close they should give them both 7 1/2 points each (the average between the winner’s 9 points and second place’s 6).
“Had the race been 20 yards longer,” remarked Maurice Hamilton in the Guardian, “then Mansell would have won his third grand prix in devastating style.”
1986 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Renault | 72 | 1:48:47.735 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 72 | +0.014s | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 72 | +21.552s | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren TAG | 71 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton BMW | 71 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton BMW | 71 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 68 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola Hart | 66 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus Renault | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell Renault | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Renault | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams Honda | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows BMW | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Elio de Angelis | Brabham BMW | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier Renault | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell Renault | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Christian Danner | Osella Alfa Romeo | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 11 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi Motori Moderni | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola Hart | DNS | 0 | |
| NC | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | DNS | 0 | |
| NC | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi Motori Moderni | DNS | 0 |
1997
Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve battled through a debilitating stomach bug to secure victory at the 1997 Argentine Grand Prix, the 600th World Championship Grand Prix, narrowly edging out the Ferrari of Eddie Irvine (P2) in a tense finish. Villeneuve’s three-stop strategy just about paid off against Irvine’s two, setting up a thrilling race end.
For the final ten laps, the two cars remained within a second of each other, with Irvine relentlessly chasing down the Williams. A last-corner lock-up from Villeneuve gave Irvine a glimmer of hope, but he couldn’t quite capitalise.
Meanwhile, Jordan celebrated its 100th Grand Prix with a podium finish, as Ralf Schumacher took third in only his third F1 race, despite an on-track collision with teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.
1997 Argentine Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Renault | 72 | 1:52:01.715 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 72 | +0.979s | 6 |
| 3 | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan Peugeot | 72 | +12.089s | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Petronas | 72 | +29.919s | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 72 | +30.351s | 2 |
| 6 | 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton Renault | 72 | +31.393s | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | Jean Alesi | Benetton Renault | 72 | +46.359s | 0 |
| 8 | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell Ford | 71 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | Minardi Hart | 71 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 23 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart Ford | 66 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Nicola Larini | Sauber Petronas | 63 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows Yamaha | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Shinji Nakano | Prost Mugen Honda | 49 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Jos Verstappen | Tyrrell Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Ukyo Katayama | Minardi Hart | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Damon Hill | Arrows Yamaha | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Peugeot | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Olivier Panis | Prost Mugen Honda | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Renault | 5 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 13 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 13 April 1926 | Andre Testut (d. 2005) |
| 13 April 1928 | Gianni Marzotto (d. 2012) |
| 13 April 1931 | Dan Gurney (d. 2018) |
| 13 April 1940 | Mike Beuttler (d. 1988) |
| 13 April 1949 | Ricardo Zunino |
| Birthday | F1 Mentions |
|---|---|
| 13 April 1940 | Max Mosley (d. 2021) |
F1 Driver Deaths 13 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 13 April 1981 | Guerino Bertocchi (b. 1907) |
| 13 April 2002 | Desmond Titterington (b. 1928) |
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