What happened on this day, August 13 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1972
Emerson Fittipaldi won with Lotus the 1972 Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring, finishing ahead of McLaren teammates Denny Hulme and Peter Revson after passing Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart for the lead on lap 24. This victory gave Fittipaldi a 25-point lead in the 1972 Drivers’ Championship with only three races remaining, meaning Hulme would need to win all three without Fittipaldi scoring any points to claim the title from the young Brazilian. Fittipaldi would go on to win the championship.
1978
Widely regarded as one of the best drivers never to win the World Championship, Sweden’s Ronnie Peterson secured his final Grand Prix victory at the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix with Lotus, finishing ahead of Tyrrell driver Patrick Depailler and the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve. Peterson achieved ten victories over his eight-year F1 career but tragically died a month later, after the race, due to complications from a straightforward operation on broken legs sustained during a crash at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
1989
The 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix is unforgettable because of Nigel Mansell‘s brilliant opportunistic move on Ayrton Senna‘s McLaren, which secured victory for him and Ferrari. On lap 58 of 77, the pair approached backmarker Stefan Johansson, who was experiencing gearbox problems in his Onyx. As Johansson’s car slowed unexpectedly, Mansell seized the moment, swerving to the right of Senna and taking the lead.
Senna finished 26 seconds behind Mansell, with Thierry Boutsen third in a Williams-Renault.
1995
Damon Hill achieved a straightforward victory at the 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix, leading his teammate David Coulthard for a Williams 1-2 finish. Michael Schumacher seemed destined to finish second in his Benetton and was closing in on Hill when he had to retire due to a fuel pump problem. Despite this setback, Schumacher maintained an eleven-point lead over Hill in the championship. The race also featured a bizarre incident involving Japanese driver Taki Inoue, whose Footwork had broken down by the side of the track. When Inoue exited his car, he was struck and injured by the medical car while trying to extinguish his own.
With Schumacher out of the race, Gerhard Berger took third in a Ferrari. The Jordan team were hoping for a third-place finish, with Rubens Barrichello, the team piling onto the pit wall to celebrate, only for his engine to die on the last corner. He crawled to the line in 7th.
F1 Driver Birthdays 13 August
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 13 August 1944 | Divina Galica |
F1 Driver Deaths 13 August
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 13 August 1944 | Willi Heeks |
| 13 August 2001 | Otto Stuppacher |
| 13 August 2008 | Peter Jopp |
| 13 August 2011 | Chris Lawrence |
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