What Happened On This Day April 20 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, April 20 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1927

Phil Hill, one of only two American drivers to win the Formula One World Championship, was born on this day in Miami, Florida.

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  Every World Champion in F1 History

Hill began racing full-time for Ferrari in 1959, securing three podium finishes and ending the season fourth in the 1959 Drivers’ Championship. The following year, he made history by winning the 1960 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, becoming the first American driver in nearly 40 years to win a ‘Grand Prix’—since Jimmy Murphy’s victory at the 1921 French Grand Prix.

In 1961, Hill took victory at the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix and emerged as a leading title contender. With two races remaining, he trailed only his Ferrari teammate Wolfgang von Trips in the standings. However, tragedy struck at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, where von Trips crashed, killing spectators and himself. Hill went on to win the race, securing the World Championship, but the triumph was overshadowed by the tragic events of the day.

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  List of Fatal Accidents in F1

Ferrari opted not to compete in the season’s final race at Watkins Glen, denying Hill the opportunity to race as the newly crowned World Champion in front of his home crowd. When he returned for the 1962 season, his last with Ferrari, Hill reflected on his changing mindset: “I no longer have as much need to race to win. I don’t have as much hunger anymore. I am no longer willing to risk killing myself.”

1930

Stuart Lewis-Evans was born on this day in Luton, England. A promising British driver, he competed in 14 Formula One Grands Prix between 1957 and 1958, securing two podiums, two pole positions, and 16 championship points.

Lewis-Evans made an immediate impression in his Formula One debut at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished an impressive fourth in an underpowered Connaught Type-B. He was beaten only by Juan Manuel Fangio, Tony Brooks, and Masten Gregory, who were driving the dominant Maserati 250Fs. His performance caught the attention of Vanwall, earning him a race seat for 1958.

Driving for Vanwall, Lewis-Evans put in several strong performances, collecting three points finishes. However, tragedy struck at the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix, the final race of the season. While battling in the race, his engine seized, sending him crashing into the barriers at high speed. His car burst into flames, and though he was airlifted back to the UK, he succumbed to his injuries six days later.

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  List of Fatal Accidents in F1

His death cast a dark shadow over Vanwall’s triumph in the 1958 Constructors’ Championship, the first F1 Championship winners, a title to which Lewis-Evans had played a key role. The loss deeply affected team owner Tony Vandervell, who, devastated by the tragedy, withdrew Vanwall from motorsport at the end of the season.

1963

Mauricio Gugelmin was born on this day in Joinville, Brazil. He competed in 80 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut in 1988 with the March team.

A close friend of Ayrton Senna, Gugelmin shared a house with him from 1982 to 1987. Senna, having previously raced in Formula Ford with Van Diemen, used his influence within the team to help secure Gugelmin a race seat in 1982, giving him a crucial early opportunity in his career.

After leaving Formula One, Gugelmin moved to the Champ Car series, where he raced from 1993 to 2001, making 147 starts. His most notable season came in 1997, when he claimed his only career victory in Vancouver and finished fourth in the championship. That same year, he briefly held the world speed record for a closed race track, reaching 240.942 mph (387.759 km/h) at California Speedway.

Gugelmin retired at the end of 2001, following a difficult season that included the tragic loss of his son.

2003

Michael Schumacher claimed victory at the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix, securing a win from pole position for Ferrari in the 62-lap race. Kimi Raikkonen finished second for McLaren, while Rubens Barrichello completed the podium in third, making it a strong result for Ferrari at their home race.

The race was characterised by an emotional backdrop, as Michael and brother Ralf Schumacher took to the grid despite the passing of their mother, Elisabeth, just hours before the Grand Prix. At the start, Ralf made a bold move, driving for Williams, overtaking his brother to take the early lead, holding onto it until the first round of pit stops. However, Michael regained control of the race and went on to take his first victory of the season, dedicating the win to his late mother. They had sported black armbands and no champagne was sprayed on the podium as a mark of respect.

2003 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	62	1:28:12.058	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren Mercedes	62	+1.882s	8
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	62	+2.291s	6
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	62	+8.803s	5
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	62	+9.411s	4
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	62	+43.689s	3
7	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	62	+45.271s	2
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR Honda	61	+1 lap	1
9	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	61	+1 lap	0
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	61	+1 lap	0
11	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Petronas	61	+1 lap	0
12	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	61	+1 lap	0
13	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	61	+1 lap	0
14	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar Cosworth	60	+2 laps	0
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan Ford	57	DNF	0
NC	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar Cosworth	54	DNF	0
NC	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan Ford	51	DNF	0
NC	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi Cosworth	38	DNF	0
NC	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi Cosworth	23	DNF	0
NC	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	19	DNF	0

2014

Lewis Hamilton dominated the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix, securing a lights-to-flag victory for Mercedes after starting from pole position. His teammate Nico Rosberg finished second, making it another Mercedes 1-2, while Fernando Alonso claimed third place for Ferrari.

Though the race was scheduled for 56 laps, a marshalling error led to the chequered flag being shown one lap early at the end of lap 54. Despite the mistake, the final standings remained unchanged, and Hamilton’s commanding victory was unaffected. This meant that Kamui Kobayashi’s overtake of Jules Bianchi on the final lap did not stand.

2014 Chinese Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	54	1:33:28.338	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	54	+18.062s	18
3	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	54	+23.604s	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing Renault	54	+27.136s	12
5	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	54	+47.778s	10
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	54	+54.295s	8
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	54	+55.697s	6
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	54	+76.335s	4
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	54	+82.647s	2
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR Renault	53	+1 lap	1
11	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	53	+1 lap	0
12	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Renault	53	+1 lap	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren Mercedes	53	+1 lap	0
14	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus Renault	53	+1 lap	0
15	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	53	+1 lap	0
16	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	53	+1 lap	0
17	17	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Ferrari	53	+1 lap	0
18	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham Renault	53	+1 lap	0
19	4	Max Chilton	Marussia Ferrari	52	+2 laps	0
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham Renault	52	+2 laps	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	28	DNF	0
NC	99	Adrian Sutil	Sauber Ferrari	5	DNF	0
Note – result was declared at the end of Lap 54 of 56, in accordance with Article 43.2 of the FIA Sporting Regulations (the chequered flag was shown to the leader at the end of Lap 55).

F1 Driver Birthdays 20 April

Birthday	F1 Driver
20 April 1927	Phil Hill (d. 2008)
20 April 1930	Stuart Lewis-Evans (d. 1958)
20 April 1961	Paolo Barilla
20 April 1963	Mauricio Gugelmin

F1 Driver Deaths 20 April

Death	F1 Driver
20 April 1952	Gordon Reid (b. 1923)