What Happened On This Day February 21 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, February 21 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1940

Peter Gethin was born in Surrey. He competed in F1 for three full seasons between 1970 and 1972, with occasional appearances in subsequent years. Gethin’s career highlights included a single victory at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, which remains the closest finish in F1 history. He won by just 0.01 seconds over Ronnie Peterson, with Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood, and Howden Ganley all finishing within the same second. The dramatic final lap saw Gethin strategically use slipstreaming to move from fourth to first, edging Peterson at the line. Beyond that win, he earned only two more points during his stints with McLaren, BRM, and Embassy Hill. After retiring, Gethin operated a racing school at Goodwood in Chichester before passing away in December 2011.

1944

Ferenc Szisz, winner of the first-ever Grand Prix motor race, passed away in France at the age of 60. A locksmith by trade, Szisz joined Renault as an engineer in 1900. He quickly advanced to the testing department and eventually became a racing driver after initially serving as Louis Renault’s mechanic. In 1906, Szisz claimed victory at the inaugural French Grand Prix in Le Mans, achieving an average speed of 62.9 mph. After competing in a few other races, he retired in 1909 to open his own garage. During World War I, he served in Algeria, where he contracted typhoid. Later in life, Szisz worked in the aviation industry before retiring to the countryside near Paris.

1968

James Allison, born on 21 February 1968, is a British motorsport designer and engineer renowned for his major contributions to Formula One. He has held several prestigious positions throughout his career, starting with roles at Benetton, Larrousse, and Ferrari from 1991 to 2005. He then moved to Renault/Lotus, where he worked from 2005 to 2013, before returning to Ferrari from 2013 to 2016. Since 2017, Allison has been with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, where he serves as the Chief Technical Officer.

Allison was part of the design team for the cars that won the following Formula One World Constructors’ Championships and World Drivers’ Championships:

2001

Max Mosley shared his perspective on one of Formula 1’s most controversial moments, asserting that Ayrton Senna should have been disqualified for intentionally crashing into Alain Prost at the penultimate round of the 1990 championship in Suzuka. The collision secured the title for Senna and was the culmination of a fierce rivalry that boiled over the previous year at the same venue. In 1989, a similar crash led to Senna being disqualified despite going on to win the race. Mosley remarked, “Senna should probably have been excluded from the championship for doing something that dangerous,” Mosley said. “But I think the feeling was that what happened the previous year was absolutely outrageous – that he genuinely won the race and it was taken away from him quite wrongly. So you couldn’t help but have slight sympathy.”

2008

Ralf Schumacher confessed to lying to reporters about his plans to stay in Formula 1 for 2008, aiming to avoid constant questioning and enjoy a peaceful conclusion to his career. Frustrated by relentless speculation, he told the media he would remain in F1 simply to deflect attention. Reflecting on his statement, Schumacher said,”I did make those comments, but the situation never changed for me. I just said that [I would remain in F1] because there were a lot of people talking, and the situation was difficult at Toyota, so I just wanted to finish the season in peace.” Although he tested for Force India, Schumacher wasn’t offered a seat and ultimately moved to a racing career in DTM.

F1 Driver Birthdays 21 February

F1 Driver Deaths 21 February