What happened on this day, August 28 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1977
Austrian and Ferrari driver Niki Lauda won the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix ahead of Ligier driver Jacques Laffite and Jody Scheckter in the Wolf. Along with the win Lauda secured the fastest lap with a time of 1:19.99 on lap 72. Mario Andretti took his fifth pole of the season for Lotus with Jacques Laffite alongside on the front row, and the McLaren of James Hunt third.
1983
Rene Arnoux won the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix, driving for Ferrari. His teammate Patrick Tambay finished second, and John Watson took third place in a McLaren. Midway through the race, while they were battling for the lead, a collision between Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet allowed Arnoux to climb to second place in the Drivers’ Championship, just eight points behind Prost. However, this would prove to be Arnoux’s final win in Formula One.
Derek Warwick finished fourth, earning his and the Toleman team’s first championship points. Rounding out the top six were Mauro Baldi in the Alfa Romeo and Michele Alboreto in the Tyrrell. The race also saw McLaren debut the new Porsche-built TAG turbo engine.
1988
McLaren driver Ayrton Senna won the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix from pole position, with his French teammate Alain Prost finishing second. Italy’s Ivan Capelli secured third place in a March-Judd after the Benettons of local driver Thierry Boutsen and Italian Alessandro Nannini were disqualified due to fuel irregularities.
The win marked Senna’s seventh win of the season and his fourth consecutive triumph, giving him a three-point lead over Prost in the 1988 Drivers’ Championship. He would win that year, marking his first of three career Championships. McLaren’s 1-2 finish secured the 1988 Constructors’ Championship for the British team with five races still to go.
1994
The 1994 Belgian Grand Prix, held on 28 August 1994, was initially won by Benetton driver Michael Schumacher, who crossed the finish line first. However, Schumacher was disqualified due to excessive wear on the wooden skid block beneath his car. As a result, British driver Damon Hill, driving a Williams-Renault, was awarded the victory—his third of the season. Finn Mika Hakkinen finished second in a McLaren-Peugeot, while Schumacher’s Dutch teammate, Jos Verstappen, took third. Rubens Barrichello, driving for Jordan, had earlier secured the team’s first pole position.
2008
The 1961 F1 World Champion, Phil Hill, died on this day, 28 August 2008. The first American World Champion, Hill had a complex relationship with racing. Profoundly intelligent and deeply sensitive, he candidly spoke about the personal demons that brought inner turmoil, making his racing career a bittersweet journey. Constantly battling fear, he struggled to balance the perils and pleasures of the sport. Yet, driving became his form of self-expression, taking him to unexpected places.
In 1961, driving the new Ferrari 156, Hill competed for the championship against his teammate Count Wolfgang von Trips. Their battle culminated at Monza, where von Trips collided with Jim Clark‘s Lotus, causing a crash that killed von Trips and 14 spectators. Hill won the race and the championship but felt no joy, serving as a pallbearer at von Trips’ funeral. “I never in my life experienced anything so profoundly mournful,” he reflected.
Hill passed away in 2008 at 81 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.
2011
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix with Red Bull after starting from pole position. His teammate Mark Webber secured second place, while Jenson Button finished third for McLaren, completing the podium.
Prior to the race, the FIA banned the use of DRS through Eau Rouge after drivers raised safety concerns similar to those held in Monaco. Bruno Senna also got the nod for a race seat following a practice session at the Hungaroring with Renault, taking over from Nick Heidfeld. Michael Schumacher also celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his Formula One debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix by wearing a special gold helmet.
2016
Mercedes driver and defending race winner Lewis Hamilton entered the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix leading the World Drivers’ Championship by 19 points over his teammate Nico Rosberg. However, it would be Rosberg who emerged victorious in this race, with Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo finishing second and Lewis Hamilton in third. Before the race, Hamilton received a multi-grid penalty. Despite this, Hamilton retained his lead in the championship, though Rosberg narrowed the gap to nine points. At the start of the race an incident involving Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferrari drivers caused chaos. Verstappen hit Kimi Raikkonen, who in turn then hit his teammate Sebastian Vettel, spinning him around; all three had to come back to the pits for repairs.
2022
Red Bull driver and defending World Champion Max Verstappen triumphed at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in third. Verstappen drove through the field having qualified on pole but starting the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his number of power unit elements. Sainz was promoted to pole. This was also the 350th Grand Prix entry for Alpine driver Fernando Alonso.
F1 Driver Birthdays 28 August
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 28 August 1924 | Jimmy Daywalt |
| 28 August 1989 | Valtteri Bottas |
F1 Driver Deaths 28 August
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 28 August 1977 | Mike Parkes |
| 28 August 2001 | Phil Cade |
| 28 August 2008 | Phil Hill |
F1 Champion 28 August
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 28 August 1988 | McLaren |
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