What happened on this day, April 30 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1920
Duncan Hamilton was born in Cork, Ireland, on this day. While he only competed in five Formula One Grands Prix, he was a prolific racer in the years following World War II, particularly in endurance racing.
Hamilton made nine appearances at the Le Mans 24 Hours between 1950 and 1958, with his most memorable victory coming in 1953 alongside co-driver Tony Rolt. The duo won the race in a Jaguar C-Type, despite Hamilton suffering a broken nose after colliding with a bird at 130 mph—a testament to the toughness and determination of drivers in that era.
1988
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost confirmed the paddock’s worst fears at the 1988 San Marino Grand Prix race weekend, demonstrating the sheer dominance of the McLaren MP4/4. The duo qualified nearly three seconds ahead of the rest of the field, with Nelson Piquet in third place left a distant spectator.
While Senna had already taken pole in Brazil and Prost had won the opening race, their performance at Imola made it clear that McLaren was in a league of its own for the 1988 season.
McLaren would go on to win all but one race that year, with Senna securing 13 pole positions en route to his first World Championship, marking the beginning of an intense rivalry between the two legendary teammates.
1994
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Imola turned into one of the darkest chapters in Formula One history, with the first fatality during Saturday’s qualifying session when Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a high-speed crash.
Driving for Simtek, Ratzenberger had damaged his front wing on the previous lap, but instead of returning to the pits, he continued pushing in an attempt to secure a spot on the race grid, unaware of the deadly flaw from the damage. Tragically, the broken wing detached completely, lodged under the car, and caused him to lose control, sending him violently into the barriers at Villeneuve Corner. The impact proved fatal, marking the first driver death in Formula One since 1986.
Sadly, the heartbreak did not end there. Just a day later, Ayrton Senna suffered a fatal crash at Tamburello, making Imola 1994 one of the sport’s most tragic weekends.
1995
Formula One returned to Imola one year after the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, with modifications made to the circuit, including a new chicane at Tamburello—the corner where Senna had crashed, and the Villeneuve Corner where Ratzenberger died. The Acque Minerali chicane was also removed and replaced by a right-hand corner, Rivazza was eased and the final corner became a single chicane, rather than the 5th-gear sweep previously.
The race saw Williams driver Damon Hill win after Michael Schumacher crashed heavily on a drying track, struggling with his unpredictable Benetton. The Ferraris of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger finished second and third, respectively. Despite being teammates from 1993 to 1997, this was the only occasion the Ferrari teammates shared a podium racing for the same team.
In the post-race press conference, Hill reflected on the emotional weight of returning to San Marino:
“In all honesty, the thought that this is the place where we saw such terrible times last year, I was able to keep out of my mind most of the time and get on with the job. However, I think today was a good race, and I think Ayrton would have approved of it.”
The weekend was a poignant one, as the sport paid tribute to Senna and Ratzenberger while also looking toward a safer future in Formula One.
1995 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Damon Hill | Williams Renault | 63 | 1:41:42.552 | 10 |
| 2 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 63 | +18.510s | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 63 | +43.116s | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | David Coulthard | Williams Renault | 63 | +51.890s | 3 |
| 5 | 8 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 62 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 30 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber Ford | 62 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | Johnny Herbert | Benetton Renault | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | Eddie Irvine | Jordan Peugeot | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 26 | Olivier Panis | Ligier Mugen Honda | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | Nigel Mansell | McLaren Mercedes | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 25 | Aguri Suzuki | Ligier Mugen Honda | 60 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi Ford | 59 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 9 | Gianni Morbidelli | Footwork Hart | 59 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 24 | Luca Badoer | Minardi Ford | 59 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | Pedro Diniz | Forti Ford | 56 | +7 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | Roberto Moreno | Forti Ford | 56 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Bertrand Gachot | Pacific Ilmor | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Domenico Schiattarella | Simtek Ford | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan Peugeot | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell Yamaha | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell Yamaha | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Andrea Montermini | Pacific Ilmor | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Jos Verstappen | Simtek Ford | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Taki Inoue | Footwork Hart | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton Renault | 10 | DNF | 0 |
2017
Sebastian Vettel secured pole position for the 2017 Russian Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari front-row lockout alongside Kimi Raikkonen—the team’s first since the 2008 French Grand Prix. However, it was Valtteri Bottas who emerged victorious, claiming his maiden Formula 1 win in a closely fought battle.
Bottas held off a late charge from Vettel, who finished second, crossing the line just 0.617 seconds ahead, marking the smallest winning margin since the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen came home in third and secured the fastest lap of the race.
2017 Russian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 52 | 1:28:08.743 | 25 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 52 | +0.617s | 18 |
| 3 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 52 | +11.000s | 15 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 52 | +36.320s | 12 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 52 | +60.416s | 10 |
| 6 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 52 | +86.788s | 8 |
| 7 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India Mercedes | 52 | +95.004s | 6 |
| 8 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 52 | +96.188s | 4 |
| 9 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 51 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren Honda | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber Ferrari | 50 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 5 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 0 | DNS | 0 |
2023
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the first of six races in 2023 to feature the sprint format. Charles Leclerc started from pole position in both the sprint race and the Grand Prix, but Sergio Perez emerged victorious in both events. In Sunday’s race, Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) and Leclerc (Ferrari) finished second and third, respectively.
On the final lap, a serious safety issue occurred when Esteban Ocon came in for a last-minute pit stop, only to find photographers crossing the pit lane, narrowly avoiding a dangerous collision. The race stewards launched an immediate investigation, which led to recommendations for changes to parc fermé procedures to prevent similar incidents in future races.
2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 51 | 1:32:42.436 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 51 | +2.137s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 51 | +21.217s | 15 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 51 | +22.024s | 12 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 51 | +45.491s | 10 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 51 | +46.145s | 8 |
| 7 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 51 | +51.617s | 6 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 51 | +74.240s | 5 |
| 9 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 51 | +80.376s | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 51 | +83.862s | 1 |
| 11 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 51 | +86.501s | 0 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +88.623s | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 51 | +89.729s | 0 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 51 | +91.332s | 0 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 51 | +97.794s | 0 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +100.943s | 0 |
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 50 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 50 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| Note – Russell scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 30 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 30 April 1910 | Kurt Kuhnke (d. 1969) |
| 30 April 1920 | Duncan Hamilton (d. 1994) |
| 30 April 1932 | Ray Reed (d. 1965) |
| Birthday | F1 Mentions |
|---|---|
| 30 April 1964 | Tony Fernandes Founder of the Caterham F1 Formula One team. |
F1 Driver Deaths 30 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 30 April 1994 | Roland Ratzenberger (b. 1960) |
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