What happened on this day, February 15 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1913
Percy Lambert set a motoring milestone at Brooklands by averaging 103 mph over 38 laps in his 4.5-litre ‘Invincible’ Talbot 25, becoming the first to reach triple-digit speeds in such a run. Tragically, eight months later, he died at the same venue attempting to break his record when a tyre burst. His ghost is rumoured to haunt the Brooklands Museum.
1929
Graham Hill was born on this day in Hampstead, London. A celebrated figure in the sport, he secured two Formula One Championships, winning in 1962 with BRM and in 1968 with Lotus. Hill, who came from a modest background, began racing later in life, not driving a road car until he was 24. He got his start in Formula One in 1958 after working as an engineer at Lotus. Over his career, he won 14 races, including five victories at the Monaco street circuit where he became known as the ‘King of Monaco’. He later formed his own racing team Embassy Hill, competing sporadically until his death in 1975 when his private plane crashed in thick fog. His son, Damon Hill, later became the first second-generation champion in 1996 while driving for Williams.
1974
Born on this day in Austria, Alex Wurz joined Benetton in 1997 at a time when the team faced a decline in performance. He later served as a McLaren reserve driver and scored a podium at Imola during the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix in place of the injured Juan Pablo Montoya. He returned full-time with Williams in 2007 but was replaced by Kazuki Nakajima at season’s end. Wurz went on to win the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot. Alongside racing, he has been a commentator as well as being the Williams F1 Team’s driver coach, and chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, and occasionally a driver steward.
1998
British racing driver George Russell was born on this day, joining the F1 grid with Williams in 2019, and was finally rewarded with a drive for the front-running team Mercedes in 2022.
A rising star, Russell’s first major success in single-seaters came in 2014 when he competed in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship. In his rookie season, he clinched the championship title. It was the first of several major titles he would secure on his path to Formula 1.
In 2017, Russell moved to ART Grand Prix to compete in the GP3 Series. He dominated the championship, winning the title with two races to spare in his rookie season. Following his GP3 success, Russell graduated to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2018, once again with the ART Grand Prix team. In his rookie season, he claimed the title, becoming only the fifth driver in history to win the GP2/F2 championship in their first attempt. His back-to-back titles in GP3 and Formula 2 mirrored the achievements of other future Formula One stars.
2005
A severe crash during testing at the Circuit de Catalunya cut short the McLaren team’s program when Kimi Raikkonen‘s car, due to brake failure, violently crashed, extensively damaging it. The incident left Raikkonen with a bruised thumb, which stopped further testing. Despite reliability issues, the car he tested, the MP4-20, achieved ten wins that season.
2006
Super Aguri confirmed Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide as drivers for its inaugural F1 season. The team, led by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki and supported financially by Honda, struggled with a car based on the 2003 Arrows design. While Sato achieved respectable results, Ide, lacking experience in powerful single-seaters, was replaced after just four races by Franck Montagny. The team exited the sport in 2008 following Honda’s withdrawal.
2006
Max Mosley faced strong criticism after proposing a promotion and relegation system for Formula One, suggesting a feeder formula akin to F3000/GP2 with structured regulation. He advocated for more equitable prize money distribution by Bernie Ecclestone. The proposal, highlighting the financial disparity between GP2 and F1, was largely ignored.
2007
The threat of a Formula One breakaway series lessened as Renault exited the Grand Prix Manufacturers’ Association (GPMA), following Toyota. This left BMW, Mercedes, and Honda as the remaining members. The GPMA had been discussing the sport’s future with the FIA and Formula One Management.
F1 Driver Birthdays 15 February
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 15 February 1919 | Earl Motter (d. 1992) |
| 15 February 1920 | Hans Blees (d. 1994) |
| 15 February 1929 | Graham Hill (d. 1975) |
| 15 February 1974 | Alex Wurz |
| 15 February 1990 | Charles Pic |
| 15 February 1998 | George Russell |
F1 Driver Deaths 15 February
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 15 February 1999 | Billy Garrett (b. 1933) |
| 15 February 2000 | Ray Knepper (b. 1920) |
| 15 February 2004 | Luigi Taramazzo (b. 1932) |
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