What happened on this day, April 1 in Formula 19 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1912
Rudi Fischer was born on this day in Stuttgart, Germany. A Swiss racing driver, he competed in eight Formula One World Championship races, making his first start at the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix.
Fischer enjoyed two podium finishes with Écurie Espadon driving a Ferrari 500, during his time in Formula One, scoring a total of 10 championship points. In addition to his World Championship appearances, he also took part in numerous non-championship Formula One and Formula Two races, establishing himself as a reputed driver in the early years of the sport.
1939
Basil van Rooyen, a South African racing driver, was born on this day. He competed in two Formula One Grands Prix, but unfortunately retired from both races, leaving him without any championship points in his career.
1970
Reigning World Champion Jackie Stewart secured a March car its first-ever Championship Grand Prix victory in dominant fashion, winning the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix with such ease that he lapped the entire field at least once.
The race saw early drama on the opening lap, when Jackie Oliver—having lost his brakes—collided with Jacky Ickx, sending both cars crashing into the barriers before bursting into flames. Miraculously, both drivers escaped with only minor burns. The fire, however, was so intense that it continued to burn for over an hour and a half.
Bruce McLaren scored his last podium, points and race finish for McLaren. The race also marked a milestone for Mario Andretti, as the American driver secured his first-ever Formula One podium, finishing third in his March. Graham Hill, driving for Lotus, followed in fourth place.
1970 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jackie Stewart | March Ford | 90 | 2:10:58.200 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren Ford | 89 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 3 | 18 | Mario Andretti | March Ford | 89 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 89 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Johnny Servoz-Gavin | March Ford | 88 | +2 laps | 2 |
| NC | 8 | John Surtees | McLaren Ford | 76 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Rolf Stommelen | Brabham Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Henri Pescarolo | Matra | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Chris Amon | March Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jochen Rindt | Lotus Ford | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2009
Sebastian Vettel delivered Red Bull Racing’s first-ever Formula One victory with a commanding performance at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix. Having previously secured Toro Rosso’s maiden win the previous season, Vettel once again made history, starting from pole position and leading a dominant 1-2 finish for Red Bull alongside teammate Mark Webber.
Behind them, Brawn GP’s Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello continued their strong early-season form, finishing third and fourth, respectively. The result marked a major milestone for Red Bull Racing, who have since gone on to be one of the most successful teams in F1 history.
During the podium ceremony, there was confusion when “God Save the Queen”, the British national anthem, was played for winning constructor Red Bull instead of “Land der Berge, Land am Strome”, the Austrian national anthem.
2009 Chinese Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR Renault | 56 | 1:57:43.485 | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Mark Webber | RBR Renault | 56 | +10.970s | 8 |
| 3 | 22 | Jenson Button | Brawn Mercedes | 56 | +44.975s | 6 |
| 4 | 23 | Rubens Barrichello | Brawn Mercedes | 56 | +63.704s | 5 |
| 5 | 2 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +65.102s | 4 |
| 6 | 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +71.866s | 3 |
| 7 | 10 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 56 | +74.476s | 2 |
| 8 | 12 | Sebastien Buemi | STR Ferrari | 56 | +76.439s | 1 |
| 9 | 7 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 56 | +84.309s | 0 |
| 10 | 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 56 | +91.750s | 0 |
| 11 | 11 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR Ferrari | 56 | +94.156s | 0 |
| 12 | 6 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 56 | +95.834s | 0 |
| 13 | 5 | Robert Kubica | Sauber BMW | 56 | +106.853s | 0 |
| 14 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India Mercedes | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 16 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Toyota | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 8 | Nelson Piquet | Renault | 54 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams Toyota | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 18 | DNF | 0 |
2015
Defending race winner Lewis Hamilton arrived at the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix with a 13-point lead over Sebastian Vettel in the 2015 Drivers’ Championship, following his victory the previous week in China.
During Saturday’s qualifying, Hamilton secured the 42nd pole position of his career—his fourth consecutive pole. He carried that momentum into the race, claiming his 36th Grand Prix victory, finishing ahead of Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari in second and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in third.
2015 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | 1:35:05.809 | 25 |
| 2 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 57 | +3.380s | 18 |
| 3 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 57 | +6.033s | 15 |
| 4 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 57 | +42.957s | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 57 | +43.989s | 10 |
| 6 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Renault | 57 | +61.751s | 8 |
| 7 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Mercedes | 57 | +84.763s | 6 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull Racing Renault | 56 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 28 | Will Stevens | Marussia Ferrari | 55 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 98 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia Ferrari | 54 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Max Verstappen | STR Renault | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | STR Renault | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 0 | DNS | 0 |
2020
The 2020 Chinese Grand Prix was originally scheduled as the fourth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship, set to take place on April 19, 2020, at the Shanghai International Circuit. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was postponed indefinitely in February 2020 and later cancelled outright when Formula 1 reorganised the calendar to accommodate the disrupted season.
The cancellation was the first time since the race’s debut in 2004 that the Chinese Grand Prix was absent from the Formula One calendar. The decision was made to prioritise health and safety, given the outbreak’s severity in China at the time. The Grand Prix returned to the Formula One calendar in 2024.
F1 Driver Birthdays 19 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 April 1912 | Rudi Fischer (d. 1976) |
| 19 April 1939 | Basil van Rooyen |
| 19 April 1940 | Kurt Ahrens |
| 19 April 1944 | Jac Nelleman |
F1 Driver Deaths 19 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 April 1971 | Luigi Piotti |
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