What happened on this day, April 21 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1985
Ayrton Senna secured his maiden Formula One victory in dominant fashion at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, marking the start of what would become a legendary career. The weekend began with another milestone, as Senna claimed his first pole position, putting his Lotus ahead of Alain Prost in a McLaren on the grid.
A rain-soaked race saw all drivers start on wet tyres, though Nigel Mansell and Eddie Cheever were forced to start from the pit lane after spinning on the warm-up lap. When the lights went out, Senna launched into an unassailable lead, mastering the treacherous conditions while the rest of the field struggled behind him.
In the closing laps, Michele Alboreto (Ferrari) and Patrick Tambay (Renault) managed to overtake Elio de Angelis to finish P2 and P3, respectively, but no one could challenge Senna, who cruised to victory with a gap of over a minute, and at least one lap ahead of every car except second-place finisher, Alboreto, delivering a masterclass in wet-weather driving.
1985 Portuguese Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Renault | 67 | 2:00:28.006 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 67 | +62.978s | 6 |
| 3 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 66 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Renault | 66 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 65 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell Ford | 65 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 65 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 62 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 61 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM Hart | 50 | +17 laps | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren TAG | 49 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier Renault | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham BMW | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell Ford | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit Hart | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams Honda | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Renault | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows BMW | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi Ford | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM Hart | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Francois Hesnault | Brabham BMW | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 2 | DNF | 0 |
2004
MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi made his highly anticipated first test in a Ferrari Formula One car, immediately impressing the team with his raw speed. During his maiden run at the Fiorano test circuit, Rossi reportedly lapped in 59 seconds, an impressive time for someone with no prior single-seater experience.
His performance fueled speculation that he might move from MotoGP to Formula One in the near future. Despite further testing for Ferrari on two more occasions, Rossi always dismissed the rumours, maintaining that he had no plans to switch from two wheels to four.
2005
Red Bull Racing made a bold statement at the start of the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix race weekend, unveiling its Energy Station motorhome. This extravagant, three-story structure both shocked and impressed the paddock. Designed as a hub for the team, it featured meeting rooms, a bar, a lounge area with 48 flat-screen TVs, and a sundeck on top, creating a luxury space that dwarfed every other motorhome at Imola, including McLaren’s, which had previously been the largest.
Despite its imposing presence, the Energy Station was rumoured to have cost just a quarter of the price of McLaren’s facility. Red Bull driver Tonio Liuzzi summed up the team’s unique approach, saying:
“I think, as they show with the motorhome, as they’ve shown in the past with some events, Red Bull are really great.”
The Energy Station has remained a fixture of the F1 paddock since, becoming ever more extravagant as years have passed.
2013
The 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix saw Mercedes‘ Nico Rosberg start from pole position, but it was Sebastian Vettel who claimed victory, leading home Lotus F1 drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. Remarkably, the top three finishers were identical to the 2012 event, with the same drivers finishing in the same order.
The race took place amid controversy, as protests continued in Bahrain following the cancellation of the 2011 event due to civil unrest. Despite ongoing tensions, the Grand Prix went ahead as scheduled.
The race marked a milestone for Mark Webber, as he competed in his 200th Grand Prix. This was also the final Bahrain Grand Prix held in daylight, as the event was switched to a night race from 2014 onward.
2013 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing Renault | 57 | 1:36:00.498 | 25 |
| 2 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus Renault | 57 | +9.111s | 18 |
| 3 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Renault | 57 | +19.507s | 15 |
| 4 | 14 | Paul di Resta | Force India Mercedes | 57 | +21.727s | 12 |
| 5 | 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | +35.230s | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | Sergio Perez | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +35.998s | 8 |
| 7 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing Renault | 57 | +37.244s | 6 |
| 8 | 3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 57 | +37.574s | 4 |
| 9 | 9 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 57 | +41.126s | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +46.631s | 1 |
| 11 | 16 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams Renault | 57 | +66.450s | 0 |
| 12 | 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +72.933s | 0 |
| 13 | 15 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 57 | +76.719s | 0 |
| 14 | 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Renault | 57 | +81.511s | 0 |
| 15 | 4 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 57 | +86.364s | 0 |
| 16 | 19 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 20 | Charles Pic | Caterham Renault | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 12 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19 | 22 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia Cosworth | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 20 | 23 | Max Chilton | Marussia Cosworth | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 21 | 21 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham Renault | 55 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR Ferrari | 16 | DNF | 0 |
2024
During Friday’s Sprint qualifying for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton looked to have taken pole, only to be beaten by his fellow Brit, Lando Norris. Hamilton would line up second, with Fernando Alonso in third and Max Verstappen in fourth. The following day during the Sprint, Max Verstappen surged from fourth place on the starting grid to win the season’s first Sprint race. Lewis Hamilton secured second place for Mercedes, followed by Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.
Max Verstappen continued his form from the Sprint race into the race’s qualifying session later on the Saturday by claiming pole and making it Red Bull’s 100th F1 pole position. Lewis Hamilton’s elation in securing second just hours earlier turned sour with a shock Q1 exit and qualifying 18th for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. Max’s teammate Sergio Perez claimed second, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in third.
In the race, on this day, Max Verstappen led almost every lap and secured his first Shanghai victory and his fourth win in five races in the 2024 season, extending his lead in the world championship over Sergio Perez. Lando Norris in the McLaren capitalised on two Safety Car interruptions to finish second, thwarting Red Bull’s hopes for a one-two finish by keeping Sergio Perez at bay. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton managed to climb from his poor starting position of 18th on the grid to finish ninth, salvaging points in a challenging race.
2024 Chinese Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 56 | 1:40:52.554 | 25 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +13.773s | 18 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 56 | +19.160s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 56 | +23.623s | 12 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 56 | +33.983s | 10 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 56 | +38.724s | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso* | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 56 | +43.414s | 7 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +56.198s | 4 |
| 9 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 56 | +57.986s | 2 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 56 | +60.476s | 1 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 56 | +62.812s | 0 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +65.506s | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 56 | +69.223s | 0 |
| 14 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +71.689s | 0 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 56 | +82.786s | 0 |
| 16 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen** | Haas Ferrari | 56 | +87.533s | 0 |
| 17 | 2 | Logan Sargeant*** | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +95.110s | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | DNF | 0 |
**Magnussen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.
***Sargeant received a 10-second time penalty for a Safety Car infringement.
F1 Driver Birthdays 21 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 21 April 1991 | Bill Whitehouse |
F1 Driver Deaths 21 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 21 April | None |
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