What Happened On This Day February 11 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, February 11 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1934

John Surtees, a legendary motorcycle and auto racing figure, was born on this day in Tatsfield, Surrey. Surtees became a British motorsport legend, excelling as a motorcycle road racer and a Formula 1 driver. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1952 to 1960 and Formula One from 1960 to 1972. Surtees claimed seven Grand Prix motorcycle World Championships, including four in the premier 500cc class with MV Agusta. In 1964, he won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari, making him the only person in history to win World Championships on both two wheels and four.

When he switched to four wheels and Formula One in 1960 with Lotus, he quickly earned a podium in his second race. He joined Ferrari in 1963, achieving his first win at the Nurburgring and clinching the World Championship in 1964. Disagreements with Ferrari management led him to leave mid-season in 1966, finishing the year driving a Cooper Maserati. He led Honda’s F1 team in 1967 but without significant success. In 1970, he founded his own racing team, initially in Can-Am and later in F1, but mechanical issues plagued his efforts despite promising results. He retired in 1972, the same year his team celebrated a Formula 2 championship win with Mike Hailwood. Despite withdrawing his team from racing in 1978, Surtees continued to influence British motorsport significantly. He died on 10 March 2017, aged 83.

1973

The 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix was the first Brazilian GP to have counted towards the Formula One World Championship and was held at the infamous Interlagos, where Emerson Fittipaldi triumphed for Lotus. The win was particularly sweet before his home crowd, besting racing legends Jackie Stewart in a Tyrrell and the McLaren of Denny Hulme. Unfortunately, the other Brazilian participants didn’t perform as well: Wilson Fittipaldi’s Brabham succumbed to overheating early in the race, Carlos Pace’s race ended prematurely due to suspension issues, and Luiz Bueno finished last in his only Grand Prix appearance.

1973 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

2002

Born on this day in 2002, Liam Lawson is a New Zealand racing driver who made his debut in 2023 for AlphaTauri. Lawson’s career showed early promise when he became the 2019 champion in the Toyota Racing Series. This success led to his inclusion in the Red Bull Junior Programme, a platform for recruiting talented drivers for its F1 team. After replacing Daniel Ricciardo at the RB team in 2024 for the remaining six races of the season, Lawson was promoted to the parent team, Red Bull Racing, for the 2025 season, replacing Sergio Perez to partner Max Verstappen.

2003

After retiring from driving due to a severe crash in 1996, two-time F1 Champion Emerson Fittipaldi reentered the Champ Car scene in 2003 as a team owner. Though initially rumoured to be driving, he appointed Tiago Montiero as the lead driver instead. However, the team struggled throughout its sole season, paralleling Fittipaldi’s limited success with his F1 team, which achieved only three podiums in 103 races.

2005

A Champ Car driver, Mario Dominguez experienced the briefest stint in Formula One history, managing only one lap in a Jordan F1 car at Silverstone. He was scheduled an afternoon test session, but adverse weather conditions restricted his time on track to a slow installation lap due to the medical helicopter’s inability to fly in fog and rain. Although there were speculations about him joining the team, he returned to Champ Car and later competed in the FIA GT series.

2008

Travellers passing through Zurich Airport had a unique opportunity to purchase a Formula One car alongside their duty-free shopping. Former team principal Peter Sauber organised a six-week tax-free auction of F1 cars and memorabilia, featuring vehicles like Jean Alesi’s 1998 and 1999 Saubers and Kimi Raikkonen‘s debut F1 car from 2001.

F1 Driver Birthdays 11 February

F1 Driver Deaths 11 February