What Happened On This Day August 3 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 3 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1939

The final day of racing at the iconic Brooklands circuit went unnoticed as the last. With the outbreak of World War II, the land was taken over by the Vickers aircraft company, which used it to build airplanes such as Spitfires. Sections of the banking were demolished, making it impossible to restore the venue to its pre-war state after the conflict.

Opened in 1907, it was the world’s first purpose-built ‘banked’ motor racing circuit and one of Britain’s earliest airfields. By 1918, it had also become the largest aircraft manufacturing centre in Britain, producing military aircraft like the Wellington and civil airliners such as the Viscount and VC-10.

1958

Peter Collins tragically lost his life during the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring while chasing Tony Brooks‘ Vanwall in the Pflanzgarten section. After running wide and catching a wheel in a ditch, his Ferrari somersaulted across the track. Collins was thrown into a tree and succumbed to his head injuries later that day. Brooks went on to win the race, and later in life, in his biography, he stated that Collins drove more aggressively than any other driver he encountered throughout his racing career.

A favourite of Enzo Ferrari, Collins had previously shown his team spirit by giving up his car for teammate Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix, even when Collins still had a chance to become the champion.

From 32 race starts, Collins took three wins, nine podiums, and 47 career points driving for HWM, Vanwall, Maserati and Ferrari.

2003

Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya achieved a hat-trick by securing pole position, the fastest lap, and victory at the 2003 German Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher, competing in his home race, managed only seventh place but maintained a six-point lead in the championship by the end of the weekend.

David Coulthard finished second for McLaren, with Jarno Trulli third in a Renault. Schumacher went on to become F1 world champion for the fourth time in a row (and sixth time overall) for Ferrari with 93 points.

2008

Felipe Massa suffered a heartbreaking loss at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix when his Ferrari engine blew three laps from the finish, forcing him to coast to a halt on the pit straight. Massa, who had taken the lead from the first corner and maintained it throughout the race, saw his victory snatched away through no fault of his own. Heikki Kovalainen went on to claim his maiden race win for McLaren, which made him the sport’s 100th driver to win a World Championship race, while Lewis Hamilton, who had secured pole position the previous day, achieved his 10th career pole.

Timo Glock with Toyota came home in P2 and Finland’s Kimi Räikkönen with Ferrari in P3. As a consequence of the race, Hamilton extended his lead in the World Drivers’ Championship to five points over Räikkönen, with Massa a further three behind.

2009

Renault’s sacking of Nelson Piquet Jr marked the beginning of the Crashgate scandal. Piquet, who had a best finish of seventh after a season-and-a-half, criticised his manager, Flavio Briatore, for lack of support, calling him “my executioner.” Piquet and his father later sought revenge, leading to the unravelling of the scandal.

F1 Driver Birthday’s 3 August