What happened on this day, April 25 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1981
Felipe Massa was born on this day in São Paulo, Brazil, and went on to become one of Ferrari’s most celebrated drivers. He began karting competitively at the age of eight and quickly rose through the ranks, winning Formula Renault and Formula 3000, which paved the way for his Formula One debut with Sauber in 2002.
In 2003, Massa became a test driver for Ferrari, where he refined his raw, aggressive driving style into a more polished and consistent drive. After two more seasons with Sauber, he was promoted to Ferrari’s race team in 2006, partnering Michael Schumacher and securing his first two F1 victories.
Massa came agonizingly close to winning the 2008 World Championship, but lost the title to Lewis Hamilton by a single point in a dramatic season finale.
In 2009, tragedy struck at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when he was hit by a spring from a rival’s car at 160 mph, sustaining life-threatening head injuries. After sitting out the remainder of the season, he made a remarkable comeback, securing a podium finish at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix in his first race back. His long career ended at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after 269 race starts, 11 wins and 41 podiums.
1982
The 1982 San Marino Grand Prix was marred by controversy within the Ferrari team, leading to a bitter fallout between Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi.
The race was boycotted by several independent teams, including Williams and Brabham, due to the ongoing FISA-FOCA war over commercial and technical disputes. With fewer competitors on the grid, Ferrari was in prime position for an easy victory, with Villeneuve comfortably ahead of Pironi.
To ensure both cars finished, the team instructed its drivers to back off and conserve fuel. Villeneuve believed this meant they would hold position—but in the closing laps, Pironi overtook him on the last lap to snatch victory. Villeneuve was outraged, feeling betrayed, and vowed never to speak to Pironi again. Michele Alboreto
finished third for Tyrrell.
Tragically, just two weeks later, Villeneuve lost his life during qualifying at Zolder for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, still reportedly fuming over the incident. The controversy remains one of Ferrari’s most infamous team disputes in Formula One history.
1982 San Marino Grand Prix Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 60 | 1:36:38.887 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 60 | +0.370s | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell Ford | 60 | +67.680s | 4 |
| 4 | 31 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella Ford | 59 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 10 | Eliseo Salazar | ATS Ford | 57 | +3 laps | 2 |
| DQ | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS Ford | 54 | DSQ | 0 |
| NC | 36 | Teo Fabi | Toleman Hart | 52 | +8 laps | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Riccardo Paletti | Osella Ford | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Brian Henton | Tyrrell Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1993
Alain Prost strengthened his grip on the 1993 Formula One World Championship with a commanding victory at the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix with Williams.
Although Ayrton Senna had fiercely contested the opening rounds in his McLaren, the technologically superior Williams gradually asserted its dominance. At Imola, Williams showcased its raw pace, qualifying over two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
On race day, Prost cruised to victory, while Senna’s challenge ended early due to a hydraulics failure, further cementing Williams’ supremacy in the championship battle. Michael Schumacher finished second with Benetton, with Martin Brundle third in a Ligier.
1993 San Marino Grand Prix Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams Renault | 61 | 1:33:20.413 | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton Ford | 61 | +32.410s | 6 |
| 3 | 25 | Martin Brundle | Ligier Renault | 60 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 30 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Sauber | 59 | DNF | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Philippe Alliot | Larrousse Lamborghini | 59 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 24 | Fabrizio Barbazza | Minardi Ford | 59 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 22 | Luca Badoer | Lola Ferrari | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| 8 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus Ford | 57 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork Mugen Honda | 54 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Alessandro Zanardi | Lotus Ford | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren Ford | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi Ford | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Michael Andretti | McLaren Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Derek Warwick | Footwork Mugen Honda | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell Yamaha | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams Renault | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Erik Comas | Larrousse Lamborghini | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell Yamaha | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan Hart | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Thierry Boutsen | Jordan Hart | 1 | DNF | 0 |
2001
Michele Alboreto, a five-time Formula One race winner and former Ferrari driver, tragically lost his life while testing an Audi R8 sportscar at the Lausitzring in Germany. A high-speed tire blowout on the oval circuit caused his car to crash into a wall, killing him instantly.
Alboreto raced for Ferrari for five seasons in the 1980s, achieving his best result as runner-up in the 1985 World Championship. He remained in Formula One until the mid-1990s, driving for smaller teams like Footwork and Minardi as his F1 career wound down.
Shifting his focus to endurance racing, Alboreto enjoyed major success, including winning the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours in a Joest TWR-Porsche. Following his death, Audi chairman Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen paid tribute:
“His great passion for motorsport never dimmed throughout his long and successful career. We are mourning the loss of a great driver and a great person.”
2004
Jenson Button disrupted Ferrari’s dominance by securing pole position for the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix, marking a breakthrough moment for BAR. Up until that point, Michael Schumacher had been unstoppable, winning the first three rounds of the season from pole. However, at Imola, Button edged out Schumacher by 0.258 seconds in qualifying, proving Ferrari wasn’t invincible.
Despite his impressive one-lap pace, Button was unable to convert pole into victory. Schumacher overtook him during the first round of pit stops and went on to claim his fourth consecutive win of the season, finishing nine seconds ahead of Button. Juan Pablo Montoya completed the podium in third for Williams.
2004 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 62 | 1:26:19.670 | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Jenson Button | BAR Honda | 62 | +9.702s | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 62 | +21.617s | 6 |
| 4 | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 62 | +23.654s | 5 |
| 5 | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 62 | +36.216s | 4 |
| 6 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 62 | +36.683s | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams BMW | 62 | +55.730s | 2 |
| 8 | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 61 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 9 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Sauber Petronas | 61 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 12 | Felipe Massa | Sauber Petronas | 61 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | Olivier Panis | Toyota | 61 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 5 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 61 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 14 | Mark Webber | Jaguar Cosworth | 61 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | Christian Klien | Jaguar Cosworth | 60 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | Zsolt Baumgartner | Minardi Cosworth | 58 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 10 | Takuma Sato | BAR Honda | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Nick Heidfeld | Jordan Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Cristiano da Matta | Toyota | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Gianmaria Bruni | Minardi Cosworth | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Giorgio Pantano | Jordan Ford | 6 | DNF | 0 |
2009
Niki Lauda announced his aspiration to become an astronaut, expressing his eagerness to pilot Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spacecraft as part of the pioneering space tourism project. Rather than settling for a passenger seat, the three-time Formula One world champion was determined to take the controls himself.
“I have been a professional pilot for many years,” Lauda explained. “I fly Boeing and Airbuses, and my only dream was to fly the Space Shuttle. I was always fascinated by it, but that was impossible because only Americans were allowed to do it. When I saw this project, I was the first knocking on the door.”
His ambition reflected his lifelong passion for aviation and adventure, which extended far beyond the racetrack.
F1 Driver Birthdays 25 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 25 April 1917 | Jean Lucas (d. 2003) |
| 25 April 1925 | Sergio Sighinolfi (d. 1956) |
| 25 April 1981 | Felipe Massa |
| 25 April 1985 | Giedo van der Garde |
| 25 April 1990 | Jean-Eric Vergne |
F1 Driver Deaths 25 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 25 April 2001 | Michele Alboreto (b. 1956) |
| 25 April 2005 | John Love (b. 1924) |
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