What Happened On This Day April 28 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, April 28 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1974

Niki Lauda secured his maiden Formula One victory at the 1974 Spanish Grand Prix, delivering a commanding performance for Ferrari. He crossed the line 35 seconds ahead of his teammate Clay Regazzoni, securing a dominant 1-2 finish for the team.

The race began on a damp track, with Ronnie Peterson initially leading the field. However, his engine overheated on lap 23, forcing him to retire and handing the lead to Lauda.

FrankA terrifying accident on lap 38 saw Arturo Merzario’s Iso-Marlboro go airborne over the barriers, landing dangerously close to spectators and photographers. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident added to the chaotic nature of the race.

The Grand Prix was ultimately shortened by six laps, reaching its two-hour time limit before the full distance could be completed. Lauda’s triumph also marked Ferrari’s 50th Grand Prix victory, making the occasion even more significant for the Scuderia. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi finished third in a McLaren-Ford.

1974 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	84	2:00:29.560	9
2	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	84	+35.610s	6
3	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren Ford	83	+1 lap	4
4	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March Ford	82	+2 laps	3
5	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	82	+2 laps	2
6	56	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	82	+2 laps	1
7	16	Brian  Redman	Shadow Ford	81	+3 laps	0
8	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	81	+3 laps	0
9	33	Mike Hailwood	McLaren Ford	81	+3 laps	0
10	24	James Hunt	Hesketh Ford	81	+3 laps	0
11	28	John Watson	Brabham Ford	80	+4 laps	0
12	15	Henri Pescarolo	BRM	80	+4 laps	0
13	18	Carlos Pace	Surtees Ford	78	+6 laps	0
14	23	Tim  Schenken	Trojan Ford	76	DNF	0
NC	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	73	+11 laps	0
NC	26	Graham Hill	Lola Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso Marlboro Ford	37	DNF	0
NC	19	Jochen Mass	Surtees Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	37	Francois  Migault	BRM	27	DNF	0
NC	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus Ford	26	DNF	0
NC	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	23	DNF	0
NC	30	Chris Amon	Amon Ford	22	DNF	0
NC	8	Rikky von Opel	Brabham Ford	14	DNF	0
NC	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	12	DNF	0
NC	14	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	2	DNF	0

1991

McLaren dominated the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix, with Ayrton Senna leading Gerhard Berger to a 1-2 finish, both drivers lapping the entire field at least once.

Riccardo Patrese initially led the race in his Williams, but a misfire forced him to pit, dropping him several laps down. His teammate Nigel Mansell had the pace to challenge McLaren, but his race ended on the first lap after a collision with Martin Brundle’s Brabham.

With several front-runners retiring, JJ Lehto capitalised on the high retirements, delivering an impressive drive from 16th on the grid to claim third place, securing his first career podium.

1991 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	61	1:35:14.750	10
2	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	61	+1.675s	6
3	22	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Dallara Judd	60	+1 lap	4
4	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ferrari	59	+2 laps	3
5	11	Mika Hakkinen	Lotus Judd	58	+3 laps	2
6	12	Julian Bailey	Lotus Judd	58	+3 laps	1
7	25	Thierry Boutsen	Ligier Lamborghini	58	+3 laps	0
8	8	Mark Blundell	Brabham Yamaha	58	+3 laps	0
9	35	Eric van de Poele	Lambo Lamborghini	57	DNF	0
10	26	Erik Comas	Ligier Lamborghini	57	+4 laps	0
11	7	Martin Brundle	Brabham Yamaha	57	+4 laps	0
12	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Ilmor	55	DNF	0
13	19	Roberto Moreno	Benetton Ford	54	DNF	0
NC	4	Stefano Modena	Tyrrell Honda	41	DNF	0
NC	33	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Ford	37	DNF	0
NC	32	Bertrand Gachot	Jordan Ford	37	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	Leyton House Ilmor	24	DNF	0
NC	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Ford	17	DNF	0
NC	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	17	DNF	0
NC	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Honda	15	DNF	0
NC	24	Gianni Morbidelli	Minardi Ferrari	10	DNF	0
NC	28	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	2	DNF	0
NC	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Ford	2	DNF	0
NC	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	1	DNF	0

1996

Jacques Villeneuve secured the first victory of his Formula One career at the 1996 European Grand Prix, making up for a missed opportunity three rounds earlier when an oil leak cost him a debut win in Australia.

At the Nürburgring, Villeneuve delivered a fantastic performance, holding off Michael Schumacher to take the checkered flag by just 0.762 seconds. While the Williams had the outright speed advantage, Schumacher thrilled his home crowd by braking later and closing the gap in the final laps.

Despite the pressure, Villeneuve remained composed, confident that he had control of the race.

“The rear end was a little bit light, mostly in the second stint,” Villeneuve explained afterward. “It got good again for the third stint, which was important because Michael was going really strongly. I could keep an eye on him.”

His victory marked the first of 11 career wins on his way to the 1997 World Championship.

1996 European Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Renault	67	1:33:26.473	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	67	+0.762s	6
3	8	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	67	+32.834s	4
4	5	Damon Hill	Williams Renault	67	+33.511s	3
5	11	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan Peugeot	67	+33.713s	2
6	12	Martin Brundle	Jordan Peugeot	67	+55.567s	1
7	14	Johnny Herbert	Sauber Ford	67	+78.027s	0
8	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	67	+78.438s	0
9	4	Gerhard Berger	Benetton Renault	67	+81.061s	0
10	10	Pedro Diniz	Ligier Mugen Honda	66	+1 lap	0
11	16	Ricardo Rosset	Footwork Hart	65	+2 laps	0
12	20	Pedro Lamy	Minardi Ford	65	+2 laps	0
13	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Minardi Ford	65	+2 laps	0
NC	15	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Ford	59	DNF	0
NC	17	Jos Verstappen	Footwork Hart	38	DNF	0
NC	9	Olivier Panis	Ligier Mugen Honda	6	DNF	0
NC	2	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	6	DNF	0
NC	3	Jean Alesi	Benetton Renault	1	DNF	0

2002

Michael Schumacher cruised to a dominant victory at the 2002 Spanish Grand Prix, securing his fourth win in five races to further strengthen his grip on the 2002 championship. He finished 35 seconds ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, in what was another processional race typical of Ferrari’s dominance that season.

One of the more notable moments of the Grand Prix came when Montoya accidentally ran over the foot of one of his mechanics during a pit stop, costing him a few seconds—though it had no real impact on the race outcome. A far more concerning incident happened when Kimi Raikkonen’s rear wing detached from his McLaren at high speed heading into Turn 1. The Finn somehow managed to keep the car under control, avoiding what could have been a major accident.

Schumacher’s relentless form continued throughout the season, winning seven more races on his way to clinching the title with ease in one of the most dominant campaigns in F1 history.

2002 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	65	1:30:29.981	10
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	65	+35.630s	6
3	3	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	65	+42.623s	4
4	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	65	+66.697s	3
5	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber Petronas	65	+78.973s	2
6	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows Cosworth	65	+80.430s	1
7	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	64	+1 lap	0
8	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	64	+1 lap	0
9	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	64	+1 lap	0
10	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	63	DNF	0
11	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	63	DNF	0
12	15	Jenson Button	Renault	60	DNF	0
NC	12	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	43	DNF	0
NC	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	41	DNF	0
NC	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Cosworth	40	DNF	0
NC	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan Honda	10	DNF	0
NC	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan Honda	5	DNF	0
NC	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren Mercedes	4	DNF	0
NC	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	2	DNF	0
NC	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	0	DNF	0

2006

Damon Hill was officially confirmed as President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), succeeding Sir Jackie Stewart, who had held the role since 2000.

One of Hill’s most noteworthy contributions in the role was securing the future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. In 2009, it seemed likely that the historic circuit would lose the race, as plans were in place to move it to Donington Park. However, when Donington’s proposed deal collapsed, Hill and Silverstone officials successfully negotiated a new agreement, ensuring that the British Grand Prix would remain at Silverstone until at least the 2026 F1 World Championship.

2007

Nick Heidfeld became the first driver in 31 years to take a modern Formula One car around the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, piloting a 2006 BMW Sauber.

Although his lap time of 8:34 was far from representative—due to several slowdowns for photo opportunities—the experience left a profound impact on Heidfeld.

“This drive was simply incredible,” Heidfeld said. “I thought it would be great to drive on the Nordschleife before I started out, but it was even better than I had expected. This racing track is the best in the world. I’d really like to have emptied the tank.”

He described several sections of the circuit as particularly intense, notably Bergwerk and the Dottinger Hohe straight.

“It was a very special moment when I left the Grand Prix circuit in the direction of the Nordschleife. I’ll never forget today as long as I live. Another particularly special experience has now joined the many fantastic childhood memories and racing successes.”

2019

Valtteri Bottas secured his fifth career victory at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two finish with Lewis Hamilton in second place. This marked Mercedes‘ fourth consecutive one-two finish of the season. Sebastian Vettel completed the podium in third for Ferrari while teammate, Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap and was named Driver of the Day. Daniel Ricciardo received a three-place grid penalty for the next round in Spain following the race due to an incident with Daniil Kvyat.

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	1:31:52.942	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	+1.524s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	+11.739s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda	51	+17.493s	12
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	51	+69.107s	11
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	51	+76.416s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren Renault	51	+83.826s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Renault	51	+100.268s	4
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	51	+103.816s	2
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	50	+1 lap	1
11	23	Alexander Albon	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	50	+1 lap	0
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	50	+1 lap	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	50	+1 lap	0
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	50	+1 lap	0
15	63	George Russell	Williams Mercedes	49	+2 laps	0
16	88	Robert Kubica	Williams Mercedes	49	+2 laps	0
NC	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing Honda	38	DNF	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	38	DNF	0
NC	26	Daniil Kvyat	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	33	DNF	0
NC	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	31	DNF	0
Note – Leclerc scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Kubica, Raikkonen and Gasly started the race from the pit lane.

F1 Driver Birthdays 28 April

Birthday	F1 Driver
28 April 1907	Al Miller (d. 1967)

Birthday	F1 Mentions
28 April 1907	Laurent Mekies Former Racing Director of Ferrari and Team Principal of Racing Bulls.

F1 Driver Deaths 28 April

Death	F1 Driver
28 April 1973	Piero Drogo