What happened on this day, February 22 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1922
Jesus Ricardo Iglesias, born in Buenos Aires, made his mark in Argentine long-distance racing with a Chevrolet Special. In 1955, he joined the Gordini works team for his home grand prix but had to retire due to a transmission failure. He never raced in Formula 1 again and returned to endurance racing.
1949
Today marks the birthday of three-time world champion Niki Lauda. Born into an affluent Austrian family, Lauda defied his parents’ wishes by borrowing money to pursue racing. He quickly established himself, and after racing for Frank Williams and March in Formula 2 in the early 1970s, he progressed to Formula 1. By 1974, he was racing for Ferrari, and by 1975, he had won his first world championship. In 1976, he was poised to win consecutive titles but suffered severe facial burns in a horrific crash at the Nurburgring. Remarkably, he made a comeback the same season, though he narrowly missed the championship to James Hunt. Lauda secured another title in 1977 before initially retiring. He returned in 1982 and clinched another championship in 1984 before permanently retiring in 1985. Post-retirement, he founded his own airline and briefly managed the Jaguar team in the early 2000s. He went on to persuade Lewis Hamilton to join the Mercedes team in 2013, a combo that went on to win eight consecutive Constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021 together. Lauda passed away on 20 May 2019, aged 70.
1971
Andrea Stella, born on 22 February 1971, is an Italian F1 engineer by trade and currently serves as the team principal of the McLaren Formula 1 Team. Before joining McLaren, Stella worked as a performance and race engineer at Ferrari. His step up to team principal at McLaren saw him shape them into a winning team, crowned as the 2024 Constructors’ Champions. It was the team’s first in 26 years with a victory at the season-ending 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Norris had led from start to finish, and his fourth win of the season was enough to seal the championship over Ferrari by 14 points. McLaren last won the Drivers’ Championship in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton, but their team’s title drought went back to 1998.
2001
Jaguar boss, Bobby Rahal, advised his driver, Eddie Irvine, to curb his negative comments of the team before the upcoming season. Previously, Irvine had candidly criticised the car’s slow pace during a test session, prompting Rahal to attempt to quell his outspoken driver. Rahal suggested that while Irvine might have been trying to spur improvements, he questioned whether such criticism was an effective motivator.
2001
Ferrari renewed its sponsorship contract with tobacco giant Philip Morris to continue Marlboro branding until 2006. Despite rumours that EU regulations on tobacco sponsorship would deter Philip Morris, the partnership continued. Furthermore, they agreed to extend the sponsorship to 2011 in a deal rumoured to be worth $1 billion over seven years. Due to the ban starting in 2006, the Ferrari cars displayed only a pattern of stripes rather than the Marlboro logo.
F1 Driver Birthdays 22 February
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 22 February 1911 | Emil Andres (d. 1999) |
| 22 February 1918 | George Constantine (d. 1968) |
| 22 February 1920 | Ray Knepper (d. 2000) |
| 22 February 1922 | Jesus Iglesias (d. 2005) |
| 22 February 1938 | Tim Mayer (d. 1964) |
| 22 February 1944 | Jorge de Bagration (d. 2008) |
| 22 February 1949 | Niki Lauda (d. 2019) |
| Birthday | F1 Mentions |
|---|---|
| 22 February 1971 | Andrea Stella Known as the Team Principal of McLaren. |
F1 Driver Deaths 22 February
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 22 February 2011 | Roy Newman (b. 1918) |
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