What Happened On This Day August 10 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 10 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1910

French racer Guy Mairesse was born. He participated in three Formula One races between 1950 and 1951 driving a non-works Talbot-Lago but mainly competed in other racing series. Mairesse tragically died in 1954 during practice for the Coupe de Paris at Montlhéry, crashing into a concrete wall after swerving to avoid another car.

1915

Carlos Menditeguy was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He competed in Formula One from 1953 to 1960, making ten Grand Prix appearances and achieving one podium finish. He drove for Gordini, Maserati, and Scuderia Centro Sud. Menditeguy was also a skilled polo player who reached the highest possible handicap of 10. He passed away on 27 April 1973 aged 58.

1986

Alain Prost marked his 100th Grand Prix start at the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix, but it ended in disappointment as he retired on lap 23. Nelson Piquet won the race with Williams, followed by the Lotus of Ayrton Senna in second and third-place Nigel Mansell in the other Williams. This result left four men—Mansell, Senna, Piquet, and Prost—within just 11 points of each other in the 1986 Drivers’ Championship standings.

Notably it was the first Hungarian Grand Prix since 1936 and the inaugural F1 race held behind the Iron Curtain. The event drew 200,000 spectators from across the Eastern Bloc, setting a record for Formula One attendance that stood for nearly a decade until it was surpassed by the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, which attracted 210,000 fans.

1997

Damon Hill experienced heartbreak at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix after leading most of the race. A hydraulics failure dashed his hopes for an unlikely victory in his Arrows-Yamaha. Hill was ahead of Jacques Villeneuve in the Williams by 35 seconds with three laps remaining when he got stuck in third gear due to the technical issue. Villeneuve only managed to overtake Hill on the final lap. A victory would have marked Hill’s first podium finish and second points of the season with the Arrows team. Even his bitter rival, Michael Schumacher, praised Hill’s performance, saying, “I hoped he would win, because he deserved to, and I congratulate him. I also hoped he’d win because it would have helped me in the championship.”

Johnny Herbert took third in a Sauber-Petronas. Villeneuve’s victory marked his fifth win of the season, bringing him within three points of Schumacher in the 1997 Drivers’ Championship, as the Ferrari driver finished only fourth in the race. This race also saw Shinji Nakano score his final world championship points, driving a Prost-Mugen-Honda.

F1 Driver Birthdays 10 August

F1 Driver Deaths 10 August