What happened on this day, April 8 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1966
Mark Blundell was born on this day in Hertfordshire in 1966. He found early success in motorsport and, despite setbacks in 1988 and 1989, made his Formula One debut in 1991. Over four full seasons, he started 61 grands prix and claimed three podium finishes. In 1992, he raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Peugeot Talbot Sport, winning alongside Derek Warwick and Yannick Dalmas.
His final F1 season in 1995 came under unusual circumstances—he secured a McLaren seat after Nigel Mansell was unable to fit into the car. Following a brief stint in IndyCar, Blundell moved into management and commentary, continuing his involvement in motorsport beyond the cockpit. Blundell made a return to the track in 2019, driving in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for the Trade Price Cars team.
1979
Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve delivered a commanding victory at the 1979 United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach, leading from the start. However, the race began in chaos, with a disorganised grid followed by multiple crashes. Villeneuve’s triumph was later overshadowed by a fine imposed on him for his role in the confusion. Rene Arnoux finished second in a Renault, with Didier Pironi third for Tyrrell.
His win was aided by Jean-Pierre Jarier’s Tyrrell, which proved difficult for the following pack to overtake and allowed Villeneuve to extend an unchallenged lead. The Ferraris of Villeneuve and teammate Jody Scheckter dominated not only at Long Beach but throughout the entire 1979 season with Scheckter securing the 1979 Drivers’ Championship.
1979 United States Grand Prix West Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 80 | 1:50:25.400 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 80 | +29.380s | 6 |
| 3 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 80 | +59.690s | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 80 | +64.330s | 3 |
| 5 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier Ford | 80 | +83.520s | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow Ford | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows Ford | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| DQ | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell Ford | 72 | DSQ | 0 |
| NC | 31 | Hector Rebaque | Lotus Ford | 71 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign Ford | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 62 | DNF | 0 |
| DQ | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS Ford | 49 | DSQ | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jan Lammers | Shadow Ford | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus Ford | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario Ford | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Ford | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2007
McLaren secured a dominant one-two finish at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso taking victory and teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing second.
The Ferrari of Felipe Massa started from pole but was swiftly overtaken by both McLarens within the first two corners of the opening lap. The result continued Hamilton’s sensational rookie campaign, marking his second podium in as many Formula One races. Previous race winner Kimi Raikkonen finished third for Ferrari.
Reflecting on the gruelling conditions, Hamilton admitted, “I can’t explain how tough it was, how hot in the cockpit,” Hamilton said. “I ran out of water, so halfway through the race I didn’t have enough. It was getting hotter and hotter. It was nice to have a gap, but I pushed to the end. I had to dig as deep as I could by preserving the energy I had to bring the car to the end. I am overwhelmed.”
2007 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | 1:32:14.930 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +17.557s | 8 |
| 3 | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 56 | +18.339s | 6 |
| 4 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 56 | +33.777s | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 56 | +36.705s | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | 56 | +65.638s | 3 |
| 7 | 12 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 56 | +70.132s | 2 |
| 8 | 4 | Heikki Kovalainen | Renault | 56 | +72.015s | 1 |
| 9 | 17 | Alexander Wurz | Williams Toyota | 56 | +89.924s | 0 |
| 10 | 15 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Renault | 56 | +93.556s | 0 |
| 11 | 8 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 7 | Jenson Button | Honda | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri Honda | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 19 | Scott Speed | STR Ferrari | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Toyota | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 23 | Anthony Davidson | Super Aguri Honda | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 18 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | STR Ferrari | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 10 | Robert Kubica | Sauber BMW | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Toyota | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | David Coulthard | Red Bull Renault | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Christijan Albers | Spyker Ferrari | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Spyker Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2018
At the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel entered the race as the defending race winner, holding a seven-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton in the 2018 World Drivers’ Championship. Come the chequered flag Vettel took the race win, followed by the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas in second and Hamilton in third, who had qualified fourth but suffered a five-place grid drop due to an unscheduled gearbox change.
Pierre Gasly secured a remarkable fourth-place finish, matching Toro Rosso‘s best result from 2017. It also marked Honda’s strongest performance since its return to Formula 1 and earned Gasly his first-ever F1 points.
2018 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 57 | 1:32:01.940 | 25 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 57 | +0.699s | 18 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | +6.512s | 15 |
| 4 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 57 | +62.234s | 12 |
| 5 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +75.046s | 10 |
| 6 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 57 | +99.024s | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Renault | 56 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 8 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren Renault | 56 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Renault | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 35 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 28 | Brendon Hartley | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| Note – Perez originally finished 12th but had 30s added to race time for passing on the formation lap. Hartley originally finished 13th but had 30s added to race time for failing to retake his original starting position before reaching the safety-car line on the formation lap. | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 8 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 8 April 1917 | Potsy Goacher (d. 1986) |
| 8 April 1966 | Mark Blundell |
| Birthday | F1 Mentions |
|---|---|
| 8 April 1962 | Paddy Lowe Chief Technical Officer at Williams Racing, Executive Director (Technical) at Mercedes Formula One team and Technical Director at McLaren. |
F1 Driver Deaths 8 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 8 April 2018 | John Miles (b. 1943) |
| 8 April 2023 | Ken McAlpine (b. 1920) |
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