What Happened On This Day August 18 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 18 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1957

Stirling Moss claimed victory at the inaugural 1957 Pescara Grand Prix in Italy, an addition to the calendar following the cancellations of the Belgian and Dutch GPs. Ferrari did not enter with their cars for Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, partly because Juan Manuel Fangio had already secured the championship and also in protest against the Italian government’s moves to ban road racing. The race became a duel between Moss’ Vanwall and Fangio’s Maserati, with Moss winning after Fangio spun on oil left by Luigi Musso’s privateer Ferrari.

1974

Carlos Reutemann triumphed at the 1974 Austrian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Denny Hulme and James Hunt. Starting from second on the grid, Reutemann took the lead at the start and maintained his position throughout the race. While Reutemann led effortlessly, numerous cars, including those of Scheckter, Lauda, Peterson, Pace, and Fittipaldi, retired behind him.

1985

Italian driver Andrea de Cesaris, notorious for his crashes and nicknamed ‘Andrea de Crasheris,’ had another spectacular accident at the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix. His Ligier veered off the circuit and somersaulted several times. Despite walking away unscathed, a shaken De Cesaris was immediately sacked by Guy Ligier upon his return to the pits. Ligier reportedly said, “I can no longer afford the services of this young man.” Alain Prost went on to win the race.

2002

Rubens Barrichello led a Ferrari 1-2 finish at the 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix, securing another Constructors’ title for the team. In an otherwise uneventful race, Michael Schumacher finished second, and Ralf Schumacher took third. The only moment of interest occurred when Mika Salo received a 25-second post-race penalty for an unsafe pit stop while trying to stay ahead of Pedro de la Rosa.

F1 Driver Birthdays 18 August

Birthday	F1 Driver
18 August 1898	Clemente Biondetti
18 August 1927	John Rhodes
18 August 1929	Jimmy Davies
18 August 1934	Michael May

F1 Driver Deaths 18 August

Death	F1 Driver
18 August 1967	Al Miller

F1 Champion 18 August

Date	Team/Driver
18 August 2002	Ferrari

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Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.