What happened on this day, August 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1944
Patrick Depailler was born on this day 9 August 1944 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Competing in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, Depailler made 95 race starts, securing two victories and 19 podium finishes before tragically being killed during testing at Hockenheim on 1 August 1980. A suspension failure pitched his Alfa Romeo into the barrier at the high-speed Ostkurve, causing fatal head injuries. He was 35 years old at the time.
Depailler drove for Tyrrell, Ligier, and Alfa Romeo.
1987
Williams driver Nigel Mansell once again faced misfortune when a loose right rear wheel nut forced him to retire from the 1987 Hungarian Grand Prix while in a commanding lead. After securing Williams’ 25th pole position, Mansell led most of the race, only to be denied victory five laps from the chequered flag. His rival and Williams teammate Nelson Piquet capitalised on this and went on to win the race and later the 1987 Drivers’ Championship.
Ayrton Senna took second for Team Lotus, and France’s Alain Prost third for McLaren.
Before the race, Ayrton Senna notified Lotus of his decision to leave the team at the end of the year. Shortly thereafter, Lotus quickly signed Nelson Piquet, Senna’s fellow Brazilian and the current Drivers’ Championship leader. Piquet expressed that he felt Williams had not respected his position as the number one driver within their team.
2005
Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone expressed confidence that the United States Grand Prix would occur in 2006 despite uncertainties following the 2005 race. The future of the Indianapolis event was questioned after seven of the ten Formula One teams withdrew due to Michelin tyre safety concerns. The resulting fiasco led to significant criticism from the local public, prompting Michelin to announce it would refund all ticket holders.
2007
McLaren denied reports from British newspapers that Lewis Hamilton had used the ‘F word’ during a radio conversation with team boss Ron Dennis in qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton had been held up by teammate Fernando Alonso, missing the chance to complete a final flying lap. The papers claimed Hamilton had a heated discussion with Dennis, allegedly telling him to ‘never f****** do that to me again’ and ‘go f****** swivel.’ On the same day, Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy returned to Formula One action for a day of testing with the Spyker team, assisting with their aero development program after not driving the Spyker since May.
2020
The 2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix was the fifth round of the rescheduled 2020 Formula One World Championship and served as a commemorative event marking 70 years since the first-ever Formula One World Championship race, which was held at Silverstone in 1950.
Max Verstappen claimed victory for Red Bull Racing, securing the first non-Mercedes win of the season. It was also Red Bull’s first Silverstone victory in the V6 turbo-hybrid era, their first triumph at the circuit since Mark Webber won at the 2012 British Grand Prix, and the first Honda-powered victory at Silverstone since 1989.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton finished second, and in doing so, he equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 155 career Formula One podiums. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas finished third.
2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 52 | 1:19:41.993 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 52 | +11.326s | 19 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 52 | +19.231s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 52 | +29.289s | 12 |
| 5 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 52 | +39.146s | 10 |
| 6 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 52 | +42.538s | 8 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 52 | +55.951s | 6 |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 52 | +64.773s | 4 |
| 9 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 52 | +65.544s | 2 |
| 10 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri Honda | 52 | +69.669s | 1 |
| 11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri Honda | 52 | +70.642s | 0 |
| 12 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 52 | +73.370s | 0 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 52 | +74.070s | 0 |
| 14 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| Note – Hamilton scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Magnussen received a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and rejoining unsafely. | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 9 August
| Birth Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 August 1925 | Len Sutton |
| 9 August 1944 | Patrick Depailler |
F1 Driver Deaths 9 August
| Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 August | None |
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