What happened on this day, February 24 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1955
Alain Prost, a four-time world champion, was born on this day in Lorette, France. During his career, Prost achieved 51 victories in 202 races, mostly with McLaren. Known for his intense rivalry with team-mate Ayrton Senna during 1988 and 1989, he moved to Ferrari in 1990. After a mixed 1991 season, Prost took a break from racing, only to return in 1993 to win his final championship with Williams before retiring. In 1997, he founded Prost GP, which initially showed promise but ultimately failed in 2002 after losing its main sponsor, Gauloises, in 2000. Prost continued to race in the Rally Andros ice racing series and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
1971
Born in Barcelona, Pedro de la Rosa rarely had the opportunity to drive a leading car. After starting his career in Formula Nippon, de la Rosa joined Formula One as a test driver for Jordan, then raced with Arrows, and declined a seat at Prost to join Jaguar in 2001. Despite high hopes, Jaguar underperformed, leading de la Rosa to a testing role at McLaren, where he was well-received for his neutral stance. He substituted for Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005 and 2006, achieving a podium in Hungary. De la Rosa raced for Sauber in 2010, returned to McLaren as a test driver, and concluded his F1 racing career at HRT in 2012.
1995
The investigation into Ayrton Senna‘s fatal accident at Imola in 1994 culminated in a 500-page report by Italian magistrate Maurizio Passarini, suggesting a steering failure as the likely cause. The definitive reason for the crash remains a topic of debate, and legal proceedings continued into the mid-1990s, ending with the acquittal of all Williams personnel involved.
2005
Narain Karthikeyan faced an unusual order from the Indian government, which required him to change the colours of his helmet, which featured the Indian flag, claiming a violation of the Flag Code of India. Initially confused, Karthikeyan remarked, “If that is what the government wants, it is their loss. We as sportsmen are only doing the country proud by performing well. I have the tricolour on my helmet, but I can probably sell that space to sponsors and make a lot of money. I love India and I am proud to be an Indian and that’s what I want to portray. But if I can’t carry the tricolour on my helmet, it is the government’s loss.”. Ultimately, the government relented, allowing him to retain his helmet design for his debut F1 season.
F1 Driver Birthdays 24 February
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 24 February 1936 | Lance Reventlow (d. 1972) |
| 24 February 1943 | Francois Mazet |
| 24 February 1955 | Alain Prost |
| 24 February 1968 | Emanuele Naspetti |
| 24 February 1971 | Pedro de la Rosa |
F1 Driver Deaths 24 February
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 24 February 1955 | Clemente Biondetti – cancer (b. 1898) |
| 24 February 2013 | Dave Charlton (b. 1936) |
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