What Happened On This Day April 29 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, April 29 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1958

Martin Whitmarsh, born on this day 29 April 1958, is best known for his leadership roles in Formula One. He joined McLaren in 1989, eventually becoming CEO and Team Principal in 2009, overseeing multiple F1 World Championship victories and expanding McLaren into new ventures like McLaren Automotive. After leaving in 2014, he took on leadership roles in other industries, including as CEO of Land Rover BAR, a British America’s Cup sailing team, and chairman of BAR Technologies, which focused on marine innovation and sustainability.

In 2021, Whitmarsh returned to F1 as the Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, where he led the team’s F1 operations and broader technical initiatives.

1973

Emerson Fittipaldi secured a dominant victory at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix, held on the tight and challenging Montjuïc circuit. Starting from seventh on the grid, Fittipaldi worked his way through the field and ultimately won by a commanding 42 seconds, lapping everyone up to fourth place.

His Lotus teammate Ronnie Peterson had been the fastest driver all weekend, securing pole, but his race ended in disappointment when a gearbox failure forced him to retire from the lead on lap 46. Meanwhile, Jackie Stewart, another key contender, also retired, clearing the path for Fittipaldi’s victory.

The Brazilian’s dominant performance further cemented Lotus’ competitiveness in the 1973 season as he continued his push toward a second World Championship. François Cevert finished second for the Tyrrell team, and Shadow driver George Follmer came in third, scoring his only podium finish in Formula One.

1973 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

1979

Patrick Depailler delivered a commanding victory at the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix, leading from the front for Ligier. His only real challenger, teammate Jacques Laffite, retired with engine failure on lap 15, leaving Depailler unchallenged for the remainder of the race. Lotus drivers Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti were second and third, respectively.

Ligier had been the surprise package of the 1979 season, with Laffite winning the first two races and the team leading the 1979 Constructors’ Championship up until the sixth round. However, after Depailler’s triumph at Jarama, Ligier failed to win another race for the rest of the season.

Depailler’s campaign was also cut short. He was forced to miss the second half of the season following a serious hang-gliding accident, marking a disappointing turn for both driver and team after their strong start.

1979 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier Ford	75	1:39:11.840	9
2	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus Ford	75	+20.940s	6
3	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	75	+27.310s	4
4	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	75	+28.680s	3
5	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell Ford	75	+30.390s	2
6	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell Ford	75	+48.430s	1
7	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	75	+52.310s	0
8	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows Ford	75	+74.840s	0
9	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	74	+1 lap	0
10	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	74	+1 lap	0
11	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	74	+1 lap	0
12	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow Ford	73	+2 laps	0
13	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren Ford	72	+3 laps	0
14	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS Ford	69	+6 laps	0
NC	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham Alfa Romeo	63	DNF	0
NC	31	Hector Rebaque	Lotus Ford	58	DNF	0
NC	27	Alan  Jones	Williams Ford	54	DNF	0
NC	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow Ford	52	DNF	0
NC	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	20	James Hunt	Wolf Ford	26	DNF	0
NC	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	21	DNF	0
NC	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Ford	15	DNF	0
NC	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Alfa Romeo	15	DNF	0

1984

At the season-opening 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix, held at Jacarepaguá, the sport witnessed the start of one of F1’s most legendary drivers’ careers with the debut of Ayrton Senna. However, Senna’s first F1 race was short-lived, as his Toleman suffered a turbo failure on lap 8, making him the first retirement of the season.

In qualifying, Elio de Angelis secured pole position for Lotus, marking just the second pole of his career, with Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto lining up alongside him on the front row. During the race, Alain Prost in the McLaren secured victory, claiming his second Brazilian GP win. Keke Rosberg finished second for Williams, while de Angelis salvaged third place for Lotus.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the teams, however. With a 220-litre fuel limit, teams employed creative strategies to minimize fuel evaporation in the Rio heat. McLaren wrapped their cars in tin foil to reduce heat absorption.
Lotus and Renault attempted to freeze their fuel to fit more into the tank. At the same time, Renault introduced an advanced electronic fuel monitoring system, hoping to gain a technical advantage over rivals.

Later in the season, Martin Brundle and the Tyrrell team were disqualified from the entire championship for technical infringements. This promoted Patrick Tambay to fifth place and Thierry Boutsen (Arrows) to sixth, reshuffling the final points standings.

1984 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	7	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	61	1:42:34.492	9
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams Honda	61	+40.514s	6
3	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Renault	61	+59.128s	4
4	23	Eddie  Cheever	Alfa Romeo	60	+1 lap	3
5	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	59	DNF	2
6	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows Ford	59	+2 laps	1
7	17	Marc Surer	Arrows Ford	59	+2 laps	0
8	10	Jonathan  Palmer	RAM Hart	58	+3 laps	0
NC	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	51	DNF	0
NC	26	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier Renault	42	DNF	0
NC	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	41	DNF	0
NC	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren TAG	38	DNF	0
NC	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus Renault	35	DNF	0
NC	1	Nelson Piquet	Brabham BMW	32	DNF	0
NC	2	Teo Fabi	Brabham BMW	32	DNF	0
NC	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	30	DNF	0
NC	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella Alfa Romeo	28	DNF	0
NC	25	Francois Hesnault	Ligier Renault	25	DNF	0
NC	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM Hart	24	DNF	0
NC	20	Johnny Cecotto	Toleman Hart	18	DNF	0
NC	5	Jacques Laffite	Williams Honda	15	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	14	DNF	0
NC	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit Hart	12	DNF	0
NC	19	Ayrton Senna	Toleman Hart	8	DNF	0

2001

Even Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher admitted to having mixed emotions about his victory at the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, as Mika Hakkinen retired from the lead on the final lap due to a clutch failure.

Häkkinen had taken control of the race after the second round of pit stops, and victory seemed assured until his McLaren suddenly came to a halt, just moments from the checkered flag. Frustrated and heartbroken, Häkkinen could only express his disappointment:

“I’m super-disappointed—goddamn it, you know, Jesus,” he spluttered after the race. Schumacher, who inherited the win, acknowledged the cruel twist of fate, saying: “I have to say I feel very sorry for Mika. Until the last pit stop, we had an entertaining race, and then he jumped me at the last stop. I was shocked when I saw he had retired. This is not the way I like to win, but it has happened to me in the past, and these things happen in racing.”

Häkkinen’s misfortune also opened the door for Jacques Villeneuve, who finished third, securing BAR its first-ever podium in Formula One. Williams’s Juan Pablo Montoya finished second for his first Formula One podium finish.

2001 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	65	1:31:03.305	10
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	65	+40.738s	6
3	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	65	+49.626s	4
4	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan Honda	65	+51.253s	3
5	4	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	65	+51.616s	2
6	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	65	+61.893s	1
7	9	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	65	+64.977s	0
8	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber Petronas	65	+79.808s	0
9	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	64	DNF	0
10	22	Jean Alesi	Prost Acer	64	+1 lap	0
11	23	Luciano Burti	Prost Acer	64	+1 lap	0
12	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows Asiatech	63	+2 laps	0
13	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi European	63	+2 laps	0
14	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault	63	+2 laps	0
15	8	Jenson Button	Benetton Renault	62	+3 laps	0
16	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi European	62	+3 laps	0
NC	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	49	DNF	0
NC	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	48	DNF	0
NC	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	20	DNF	0
NC	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Asiatech	8	DNF	0
NC	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	5	DNF	0
NC	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan Honda	5	DNF	0

2002

Rob Walker, the legendary privateer team owner, passed away on this day at the age of 84. During the 1950s and 1960s, his independent team challenged manufacturer-backed outfits, securing multiple Grand Prix wins—a remarkable achievement for a privateer.

Stirling Moss was the team’s most iconic driver, delivering historic wins for both Lotus and Cooper, often outperforming the works teams in the process. One of Walker’s most notable triumphs came at the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, where Moss drove a Cooper-Climax to victory—the first-ever Formula One win for a rear-engined car, a milestone that would shape the future of the sport.

Walker’s influence on independent teams in F1 remains legendary, as his successes proved that privateers could compete at the highest level against factory-backed giants.

2004

Ferrari threatened to quit Formula One amid growing tensions over a proposed breakaway series by several rival teams. The dispute stemmed from disagreements over the future direction of the sport, with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo making it clear that the team was prepared to leave if necessary.

“I don’t think it is possible to find another solution altogether,” di Montezemolo stated. “Maybe to save the future of F1, everybody has to take their own decisions—either stop or commit. I don’t see a different solution. What is for sure is that after the end of 2007, we are free, we have no deal with anybody. After that, everybody can do whatever they want.”

When asked directly if Ferrari would consider withdrawing from Formula One, he responded:

“Yes, why not? This could be one idea.”

The threat of a breakaway series resurfaced in 2009, as teams clashed with F1’s governing body over financial and regulatory issues. However, a new Concorde Agreement was signed, binding Ferrari and other teams to the sport until the end of 2012, ultimately preventing the split.

2009

McLaren received a three-race suspended ban for bringing Formula One into disrepute following a controversial incident at the Australian Grand Prix where the team misled race stewards.

The controversy centred around Lewis Hamilton and team manager Dave Ryan, who falsely claimed to stewards that Hamilton had not been instructed to let Jarno Trulli pass under the final safety car period. In reality, Trulli had gone off track, and McLaren advised Hamilton to let him back through, surrendering a podium position. However, when the FIA investigated the incident, Ryan and Hamilton lied, leading to Hamilton being awarded third place.

When the truth emerged, Hamilton was disqualified from the race, and at the next round in Malaysia, he issued a public apology. McLaren’s punishment, though serious, stopped short of an outright race ban, allowing the team to continue competing under a suspended penalty.

2018

Defending race winner Daniel Ricciardo returned to Baku for the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix hoping for further success, but his dream was short-lived. The race took a dramatic turn on lap 40 when the Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Ricciardo collided while battling for fourth place, eliminating both cars.

A furious Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, labelled the incident “unacceptable” and demanded both drivers apologise to the entire Red Bull staff for the costly crash. The FIA issued official reprimands to both Verstappen and Ricciardo for their roles in the incident.

Lewis Hamilton took victory for Mercedes, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing second for Ferrari. Sergio Perez finished third, securing Force India their final podium before the team’s rebranding.

Charles Leclerc finished sixth, becoming the first Monegasque driver to score points since Louis Chiron in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. Brendon Hartley finished tenth, making him the first New Zealander to score in Formula One since Chris Amon in 1976.

2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	1:43:44.291	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	51	+2.460s	18
3	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	51	+4.024s	15
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	+5.329s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	51	+7.515s	10
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber Ferrari	51	+9.158s	8
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Renault	51	+10.931s	6
8	18	Lance Stroll	Williams Mercedes	51	+12.546s	4
9	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren Renault	51	+14.152s	2
10	28	Brendon Hartley	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	51	+18.030s	1
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	51	+18.512s	0
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	51	+24.720s	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	51	+40.663s	0
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	48	DNF	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	42	DNF	0
NC	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	39	DNF	0
NC	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	39	DNF	0
NC	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	10	DNF	0
NC	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India Mercedes	0	DNF	0
NC	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams Mercedes	0	DNF	0
Note – Magnussen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.

F1 Driver Birthdays 29 April

Birthday	F1 Driver
29 April 1907	Mike Burch (d. 1981)
29 April 1914	Cal Niday (d. 1988)

Birthday	F1 Mentions
29 April 1958	Martin Whitmarsh Known for being the former CEO of the McLaren F1 team and then the Group CEO of the Aston Martin team.

F1 Driver Deaths 29 April

Death	F1 Driver
29 April 1966	Francois Picard (b. 1921) F2 Driver to Increase F1 Grid.
29 April 1978	Theo Helfrich (b. 1913)
29 April 2008	Chuck Daigh (b. 1923)
29 April 2019	Carlo Abate (b. 1932)