What happened on this day, August 30 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1937
Bruce McLaren was born on this day, 30 August 1937, and was a renowned New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. He founded the McLaren team, which remains one of the most successful in Formula 1 history, having since secured 8 Constructors’ Championships and 12 Drivers’ Championships. Outside of F1, McLaren cars were also dominant in CanAm sports car racing, achieving 56 wins—many with McLaren himself driving—between 1967 and 1972, and winning five constructors’ championships. Additionally, McLaren cars have triumphed in three Indianapolis 500 races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Tragically, on 2 June 1970, while testing the team’s powerful new Can-Am car just two weeks before the opening race of the series, he lost control when the rear bodywork came loose. The car crashed into a marshal’s post, and Bruce was killed instantly.
He raced for Cooper, McLaren and Eagle in F1 between 1958 and 1970, securing 4 wins, 27 podiums, 188.5 (196.5) career points and 3 fastest laps.
1981
Alain Prost won the 1981 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, starting from pole position and driving a Renault. Nelson Piquet secured second place in a Brabham, while Alan Jones finished third in a Williams. Carlos Reutemann, in the sister Williams, failed to finish after a collision with Jacques Laffite‘s Ligier. As a result, Piquet moved into the lead of the 1981 Drivers’ Championship, tied on points with Reutemann but holding the advantage with more wins.
1981 Dutch Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 72 | 1:40:22.430 | 9 |
2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 72 | +8.240s | 6 |
3 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 72 | +35.500s | 4 |
4 | 6 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham Ford | 71 | +1 lap | 3 |
5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Ford | 71 | +1 lap | 2 |
6 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign Ford | 70 | +2 laps | 1 |
7 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows Ford | 69 | +3 laps | 0 |
8 | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore Ford | 69 | +3 laps | 0 |
9 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell Ford | 68 | DNF | 0 |
10 | 10 | Slim Borgudd | ATS Ford | 68 | +4 laps | 0 |
NC | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 62 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 50 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell Ford | 46 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella Hart | 29 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 21 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 19 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 18 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 18 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 16 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 17 | Derek Daly | March Ford | 5 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 4 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier Matra | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1992
Benetton driver Michael Schumacher won the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, making this the first Grand Prix victory for a German driver since Jochen Mass triumphed at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. It was the first of Schumacher’s eventual 91 Grand Prix wins—a record later surpassed by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
Newly crowned World Champion Nigel Mansell finished second in his Williams, with teammate Riccardo Patrese securing third, thereby clinching the 1992 Constructors’ Championship for Williams. Schumacher’s victory was also notable as the last time a Formula One car won a Grand Prix with an H-pattern manual gearbox.
This race also marked Ferrari’s 500th start in a World Championship event as a team and the last race for the Andrea Moda team.
1992 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton Ford | 44 | 1:36:10.721 | 10 |
2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Renault | 44 | +36.595s | 6 |
3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams Renault | 44 | +43.897s | 4 |
4 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton Ford | 44 | +46.059s | 3 |
5 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren Honda | 44 | +68.369s | 2 |
6 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus Ford | 44 | +70.030s | 1 |
7 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara Ferrari | 44 | +98.237s | 0 |
8 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell Ilmor | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
9 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork Mugen Honda | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
10 | 14 | Eric van de Poele | Fondmetal Ford | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
11 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March Ilmor | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
12 | 17 | Emanuele Naspetti | March Ilmor | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
13 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus Ford | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
14 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan Yamaha | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
15 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan Yamaha | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
16 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi Lamborghini | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
17 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi Lamborghini | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
18 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi Lamborghini | 40 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier Renault | 27 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork Mugen Honda | 20 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 7 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell Ilmor | 1 | DNF | 0 |
1998
Damon Hill claimed victory at an eventful 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, much to the delight of the Jordan team, with his teammate Ralf Schumacher finishing in second place. It was the first-ever Formula 1 victory for the Jordan team (the second for Mugen Motorsports engines) after 126 race starts, marking his 22nd career win. This triumph was also Hill’s first victory in two years since departing from Williams and would ultimately be his final F1 career win, as well as his 42nd and last podium finish. Jean Alesi took third for the Sauber team, marking his 32nd and final podium finish in his Formula One career.
The race also had an eventful start. Held under extremely wet conditions throughout, on the first lap, David Coulthard lost control of his McLaren, triggering a massive collision involving thirteen drivers, which led to the race being temporarily stopped. The race resumed more than an hour later once the track had been cleared of debris and cars, with the restart missing four of the drivers involved in the incident. At the restart, championship leader and polesitter Mika Hakkinen spun his McLaren at the first corner, where he was struck by Johnny Herbert‘s Sauber, resulting in both drivers retiring from the race.
1998 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | Damon Hill | Jordan Mugen Honda | 44 | 1:43:47.407 | 10 |
2 | 10 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan Mugen Honda | 44 | +0.932s | 6 |
3 | 14 | Jean Alesi | Sauber Petronas | 44 | +7.240s | 4 |
4 | 2 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Mecachrome | 44 | +32.242s | 3 |
5 | 16 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows | 44 | +51.682s | 2 |
6 | 12 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Peugeot | 42 | +2 laps | 1 |
7 | 7 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 39 | +5 laps | 0 |
8 | 22 | Shinji Nakano | Minardi Ford | 39 | +5 laps | 0 |
NC | 5 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton Playlife | 26 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 23 | Esteban Tuero | Minardi Ford | 17 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Mecachrome | 16 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 21 | Toranosuke Takagi | Tyrrell Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 19 | Jos Verstappen | Stewart Ford | 8 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 8 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 6 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton Playlife | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 15 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Petronas | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2009
Kimi Raikkonen secured victory for Ferrari at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix after starting from sixth on the grid. Giancarlo Fisichella finished second for Force India, having started from the team’s first and only pole position. Sebastian Vettel took third place for Red Bull after beginning the race from eighth on the grid. It was Raikkonen’s first win since the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix and Ferrari’s only victory of the 2009 season.
2009 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 44 | 1:23:50.995 | 10 |
2 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India Mercedes | 44 | +0.939s | 8 |
3 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR Renault | 44 | +3.875s | 6 |
4 | 5 | Robert Kubica | Sauber BMW | 44 | +9.966s | 5 |
5 | 6 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 44 | +11.276s | 4 |
6 | 2 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 44 | +32.763s | 3 |
7 | 23 | Rubens Barrichello | Brawn Mercedes | 44 | +35.461s | 2 |
8 | 16 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Toyota | 44 | +36.208s | 1 |
9 | 14 | Mark Webber | RBR Renault | 44 | +36.959s | 0 |
10 | 10 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 44 | +41.490s | 0 |
11 | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 44 | +42.636s | 0 |
12 | 12 | Sebastien Buemi | STR Ferrari | 44 | +46.106s | 0 |
13 | 17 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams Toyota | 44 | +54.241s | 0 |
14 | 3 | Luca Badoer | Ferrari | 44 | +102.177s | 0 |
NC | 7 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 26 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 9 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 21 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 22 | Jenson Button | Brawn Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 11 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Renault | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2020
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix leading every lap from start to finish, with teammate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen maintaining their positions in second and third throughout the entire race. Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap on the final lap with a time of 1:47.483, earning an additional championship point.
A minute of silence was observed before the race to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Anthoine Hubert’s passing. Pierre Gasly, one of Hubert’s closest friends, honoured him by wearing a tribute helmet, while all teams and drivers displayed a star sticker on their chassis and helmets in memory of Hubert.
2020 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 44 | 1:24:08.761 | 25 |
2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 44 | +8.448s | 18 |
3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 44 | +15.455s | 15 |
4 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 44 | +18.877s | 13 |
5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 44 | +40.650s | 10 |
6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 44 | +42.712s | 8 |
7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 44 | +43.774s | 6 |
8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri Honda | 44 | +47.371s | 4 |
9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 44 | +52.603s | 2 |
10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 44 | +53.179s | 1 |
11 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri Honda | 44 | +70.200s | 0 |
12 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 44 | +71.504s | 0 |
13 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 44 | +72.894s | 0 |
14 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 44 | +74.920s | 0 |
15 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 44 | +76.793s | 0 |
16 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes | 44 | +77.795s | 0 |
17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 44 | +85.540s | 0 |
NC | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 9 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 9 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 0 | DNS | 0 |
Note – Ricciardo scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. |
F1 Driver Birthdays 30 August
Birthday | F1 Driver |
---|---|
30 August 1923 | Neal Carter |
30 August 1928 | Lucky Casner |
30 August 1935 | Gerhard Mitter |
30 August 1937 | Bruce McLaren |
30 August 1941 | Ignazio Giunti |
F1 Driver Deaths 30 August
Death | F1 Driver |
---|---|
30 August 1959 | Ed Elisian |
F1 Champion 30 August
Date | Team/Driver |
---|---|
30 August 1992 | Williams |
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