What Happened On This Day August 16 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 16 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1970

After a six-year break, F1 cars returned to Zeltweg, this time at the Österreichring for the 1970 Austrian Grand Prix. This was the third Austrian Grand Prix, the second to be included in the World Championship, and the first to take place at the picturesque Österreichring. This new circuit was constructed to replace the bumpy and uninspiring Zeltweg Airfield circuit. Local favourite Jochen Rindt secured pole position in his Lotus 72. However, it was Belgian driver Jacky Ickx, starting from the second row for Ferrari, who won the race, finishing ahead of his team-mate Clay Regazzoni after Rindt retired early due to an engine failure. Rolf Stommelen achieved his only podium finish, coming third in a Brabham-Ford.

1970 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	60	1:42:17.320	9
2	27	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	60	+0.610s	6
3	11	Rolf Stommelen	Brabham Ford	60	+87.880s	4
4	17	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	59	+1 lap	3
5	16	Jackie Oliver	BRM	59	+1 lap	2
6	19	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	59	+1 lap	1
7	14	Ignazio  Giunti	Ferrari	59	+1 lap	0
8	4	Chris Amon	March Ford	59	+1 lap	0
9	3	Jo Siffert	March Ford	59	+1 lap	0
10	23	Peter  Gethin	McLaren Ford	59	+1 lap	0
11	18	George Eaton	BRM	58	+2 laps	0
12	22	Andrea de Adamich	McLaren Alfa Romeo	57	+3 laps	0
13	10	Jack Brabham	Brabham Ford	56	+4 laps	0
14	20	Henri Pescarolo	Matra	56	+4 laps	0
15	8	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus Ford	55	+5 laps	0
NC	21	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	30	DNF	0
NC	15	John Surtees	Surtees Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	26	Tim  Schenken	De Tomaso Ford	25	DNF	0
NC	6	Jochen Rindt	Lotus Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	24	Silvio  Moser	Bellasi Ford	13	DNF	0
NC	5	Mario Andretti	March Ford	13	DNF	0
NC	1	Jackie Stewart	March Ford	7	DNF	0
NC	7	John  Miles	Lotus Ford	4	DNF	0
NC	2	Francois  Cevert	March Ford	0	DNF	0

1981

Jacques Laffite won the 1981 Austrian Grand Prix, driving a Talbot Ligier–Matra, finishing ahead of French compatriot Rene Arnoux in a Renault and Brazilian Brabham driver Nelson Piquet. Laffite capitalised on Alain Prost‘s retirement to move up to second late in the race and overtook Arnoux on lap 39. Notable finishes included Carlos Reutemann coasting over the finish line with a dead engine in fifth for Williams, while John Watson in the innovative carbon-fibre McLaren took the final point in sixth.

1981 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Matra	53	1:27:36.470	9
2	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	53	+5.170s	6
3	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Ford	53	+7.340s	4
4	1	Alan  Jones	Williams Ford	53	+12.040s	3
5	2	Carlos Reutemann	Williams Ford	53	+31.850s	2
6	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	53	+91.140s	1
7	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Ford	52	+1 lap	0
8	8	Andrea de Cesaris	McLaren Ford	52	+1 lap	0
9	28	Didier Pironi	Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
10	32	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Osella Hart	51	+2 laps	0
11	17	Derek Daly	March Ford	47	+6 laps	0
NC	22	Mario Andretti	Alfa Romeo	46	DNF	0
NC	10	Slim Borgudd	ATS Ford	44	DNF	0
NC	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	14	Eliseo Salazar	Ensign Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	4	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell Ford	40	DNF	0
NC	23	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	35	DNF	0
NC	6	Hector Rebaque	Brabham Ford	31	DNF	0
NC	30	Siegfried Stohr	Arrows Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	15	Alain Prost	Renault	26	DNF	0
NC	25	Patrick Tambay	Ligier Matra	26	DNF	0
NC	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus Ford	23	DNF	0
NC	27	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	11	DNF	0
NC	33	Marc Surer	Theodore Ford	0	DNF	0

1987

Williams driver Nigel Mansell claimed victory in the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix despite being under the weather after having a wisdom tooth removed before practice. Mansell’s team-mate Nelson Piquet took pole. After two crashes and two red flags, Piquet led until lap 21, when Mansell overtook him and held the lead to win. Pre-race, McLaren’s Stefan Johansson was fortunate to escape with just minor injuries after a severe crash caused by hitting a deer during Friday practice, he was travelling at close to 140 mph, killing the deer instantly. The McLaren MP4/3 spun off into the guard rail, destroying the car. A spare car had to be flown out from the team’s base in Woking.

1987 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Honda	52	1:18:44.898	9
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams Honda	52	+55.704s	6
3	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton Ford	51	+1 lap	4
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton Ford	51	+1 lap	3
5	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus Honda	50	+2 laps	2
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	50	+2 laps	1
7	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren TAG	50	+2 laps	0
8	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier Megatron	50	+2 laps	0
9	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	49	+3 laps	0
10	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier Megatron	49	+3 laps	0
11	16	Ivan Capelli	March Ford	49	+3 laps	0
12	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola Ford	49	+3 laps	0
13	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus Honda	49	+3 laps	0
14	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	48	+4 laps	0
15	3	Jonathan  Palmer	Tyrrell Ford	47	+5 laps	0
NC	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS Ford	45	+7 laps	0
NC	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham BMW	43	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	42	DNF	0
NC	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham BMW	35	DNF	0
NC	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows Megatron	35	DNF	0
NC	18	Eddie  Cheever	Arrows Megatron	31	DNF	0
NC	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	5	DNF	0
NC	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi Motori Moderni	3	DNF	0
NC	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi Motori Moderni	1	DNF	0

1992

Nigel Mansell finally achieved his dream of becoming Formula One World Champion when he finished second in the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix to Ayrton Senna. Mansell had come tantalisingly close to the title in 1986 and 1987 and was runner-up again in 1991. However, he dominated the 1992 season, securing the championship in just the 11th race, setting a new record for the fewest races needed to clinch the title since the 16-race season format was adopted. The Hungarian Grand Prix also marked the final race for the renowned Brabham team, which was plagued by financial struggles and internal conflicts.

1992 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	77	1:46:19.216	10
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Renault	77	+40.139s	6
3	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	77	+50.782s	4
4	11	Mika Hakkinen	Lotus Ford	77	+54.313s	3
5	20	Martin Brundle	Benetton Ford	77	+57.498s	2
6	28	Ivan Capelli	Ferrari	76	+1 lap	1
7	9	Michele Alboreto	Footwork Mugen Honda	75	+2 laps	0
8	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell Ilmor	75	+2 laps	0
9	17	Paul Belmondo	March Ilmor	74	+3 laps	0
10	33	Mauricio Gugelmin	Jordan Yamaha	73	+4 laps	0
11	8	Damon Hill	Brabham Judd	73	+4 laps	0
NC	19	Michael Schumacher	Benetton Ford	63	DNF	0
NC	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	55	DNF	0
NC	22	Pierluigi Martini	Dallara Ferrari	40	DNF	0
NC	30	Ukyo Katayama	Venturi Lamborghini	35	DNF	0
NC	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	14	DNF	0
NC	29	Bertrand Gachot	Venturi Lamborghini	13	DNF	0
NC	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork Mugen Honda	13	DNF	0
NC	3	Olivier Grouillard	Tyrrell Ilmor	13	DNF	0
NC	16	Karl Wendlinger	March Ilmor	13	DNF	0
NC	32	Stefano Modena	Jordan Yamaha	13	DNF	0
NC	14	Eric van de Poele	Fondmetal Ford	2	DNF	0

1998

Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher won the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowing the championship gap with Mika Hakkinen to just seven points. Hakkinen and his McLaren team-mate David Coulthard had occupied the front row, but Schumacher’s impressive pace and a strategic three-stop plan enabled him to outmanoeuver the two-stopping McLarens. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve finished third in a Williams-Mecachrome, while Hakkinen could only manage sixth place after shock absorber problems in the closing stages of the race.

1998 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	77	1:45:25.550	10
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	77	+9.433s	6
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Mecachrome	77	+44.444s	4
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan Mugen Honda	77	+55.075s	3
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams Mecachrome	77	+56.510s	2
6	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	76	+1 lap	1
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber Petronas	76	+1 lap	0
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Playlife	76	+1 lap	0
9	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan Mugen Honda	76	+1 lap	0
10	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber Petronas	76	+1 lap	0
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	74	+3 laps	0
12	11	Olivier Panis	Prost Peugeot	74	+3 laps	0
13	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart Ford	74	+3 laps	0
14	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell Ford	74	+3 laps	0
15	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi Ford	74	+3 laps	0
16	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton Playlife	69	DNF	0
NC	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart Ford	54	DNF	0
NC	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost Peugeot	28	DNF	0
NC	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	18	DNF	0
NC	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	13	DNF	0
NC	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi Ford	13	DNF	0

2020

The 2020 Spanish Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place on 10 May, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed and rescheduled as part of a revised calendar. Lewis Hamilton dominated the race, winning by 24 seconds and lapping every driver except for the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who finished second and third, respectively, to complete the podium.

Charles Leclerc endured a frustrating race for Ferrari, retiring due to a mechanical issue after spinning at the chicane. Meanwhile, his teammate Sebastian Vettel managed to salvage seventh place, impressively completing more than half the race on a single set of soft tyres.

2020 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	66	1:31:45.279	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda	66	+24.177s	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	+44.752s	16
4	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	65	+1 lap	12
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	65	+1 lap	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren Renault	65	+1 lap	8
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	65	+1 lap	6
8	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing Honda	65	+1 lap	4
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri Honda	65	+1 lap	2
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Renault	65	+1 lap	1
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	65	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri Honda	65	+1 lap	0
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	65	+1 lap	0
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	65	+1 lap	0
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	65	+1 lap	0
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	65	+1 lap	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams Mercedes	65	+1 lap	0
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Mercedes	64	+2 laps	0
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	64	+2 laps	0
NC	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	38	DNF	0
Note – Bottas scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Perez and Kvyat each received a 5-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.

F1 Driver Birthdays 16 August

Birthday	F1 Driver
16 August 1906	George Connor
16 August 1911	Hal Robson
16 August 1916	Kenny Eaton

F1 Driver Deaths 16 August

Death	F1 Driver
16 August 1997	Jacques Pollet

F1 Champion 16 August

Date	Team/Driver
16 August 1992	Nigel Mansell