What happened on this day, January 1 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1909
Marcel Balsa, born in Saint-Frion, France, began racing post-World War II in a Bugatti Type 51 and became quite competitive in the French national events. He competed in one Championship race, the 1952 German Grand Prix, with a private BMW entry, only to retire after six laps.
1928
American driver Hap Sharp was born on this day in Tulsa. He raced in six Grands Prix from 1961 to 1964, mainly in the United States and Mexico. Sharp tragically took his own life in 1992 after a terminal cancer diagnosis. He was most famous, however, for being a co-owner and driver of the revolutionary Chaparral sports racing cars built by Jim Hall and Sharp in Midland, Texas.
1938
Italian driver Carlo Franchi, known by the pseudonym “Gimax,” was born in Milan. He attempted to qualify for the 1978 Italian Grand Prix in a Surtees TS20 but did not make the starting grid. His son later raced under the same pseudonym.
1945
Belgian driver Jackie Ickx was born. Known primarily for endurance racing with six Le Mans wins, Ickx also had a successful Formula 1 career from 1967 to 1979, winning eight races and finishing as runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship in 1969 and 1970. After retiring, he helped nurture young racing talent through the Renault Academy.
1951
Hans Stuck, the German driver who raced in 74 Grands Prix from 1974 to 1979, was born in Grainau. Part of a three-generation racing family, his father, Hans von Stuck, raced in F1 from 1951 to 1953, and both of his sons, Johannes and Ferdinand, also took to the track.
1963
Jean-Marc Gounon, born in Aubenas, France, became known primarily for sports car racing but also competed in nine Formula 1 races for Minardi and Simtek in 1993 and 1994.
1965
The 1965 South African Grand Prix, initially planned as the last race of the 1964 season, was rescheduled a week earlier, becoming the first of ten races in the 1965 Formula One season. Due to this shift, teams competed with their 1964 cars, as there hadn’t been time to develop new 1965 designs.
The 85-lap race saw Jim Clark with Lotus winning from pole position. John Surtees secured second place for Ferrari, while Graham Hill finished third for BRM. The race also marked the World Championship debut of future champion Jackie Stewart with BRM and saw the entry of Goodyear into Formula 1, ending Dunlop’s longstanding dominance in the sport.
1965 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Jim Clark | Lotus Climax | 85 | 2:06:46.000 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | John Surtees | Ferrari | 85 | +29.000s | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Graham Hill | BRM | 85 | +31.800s | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Mike Spence | Lotus Climax | 85 | +54.400s | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | Bruce McLaren | Cooper Climax | 84 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | Jackie Stewart | BRM | 83 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | Jo Siffert | Brabham BRM | 83 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Climax | 81 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 18 | Paul Hawkins | Brabham Ford | 81 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Peter de Klerk | Alfa Romeo | 79 | +6 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 15 | Tony Maggs | Lotus BRM | 77 | +8 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | Frank Gardner | Brabham BRM | 75 | +10 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 25 | Sam Tingle | LDS Alfa Romeo | 73 | +12 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 19 | David Prophet | Brabham Ford | 71 | +14 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 2 | Lorenzo Bandini | Ferrari | 66 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Bob Anderson | Brabham Climax | 50 | +35 laps | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Jo Bonnier | Brabham Climax | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Jochen Rindt | Cooper Climax | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | John Love | Cooper Climax | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Dan Gurney | Brabham Climax | 11 | DNF | 0 |
1968
Jim Clark won the season-opening 1968 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, marking his final race victory before his tragic death three months later at the 1968 German Grand Prix. Clark went out in style, setting numerous records, including leading the most Grands Prix (43), most laps led (1,943), most perfect weekends (11), most pole positions (33), and surpassing Juan Manuel Fangio’s long-standing record with his 25th career win. Graham Hill finished second for Lotus, and Jochen Rindt took third in his Brabham.
This race also marked a turning point in Formula One sponsorship: Team Gunston became the first team to paint their cars in sponsor colours rather than national colours, entering a Brabham for John Love and an LDS for Sam Tingle. It was also Mike Spence’s final Grand Prix; he tragically died a few months later while practising for the Indianapolis 500.
1968 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jim Clark | Lotus Ford | 80 | 1:53:56.600 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 80 | +25.300s | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Jochen Rindt | Brabham Repco | 80 | +30.400s | 4 |
| 4 | 8 | Chris Amon | Ferrari | 78 | +2 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | Denny Hulme | Mclaren BRM | 78 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 21 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra Ford | 77 | +3 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 19 | Jo Siffert | Cooper Maserati | 77 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | John Surtees | Honda | 75 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 17 | John Love | Brabham Repco | 75 | +5 laps | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Jackie Pretorius | Brabham Climax | 70 | +10 laps | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Dan Gurney | Eagle Weslake | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Jo Bonnier | Cooper Maserati | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Jackie Stewart | Matra Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Sam Tingle | LDS Repco | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Basil van Rooyen | Cooper Climax | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Repco | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Andrea de Adamich | Ferrari | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Mike Spence | 8 | DNF | 0 | |
| NC | 14 | Brian Redman | Cooper Maserati | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Dave Charlton | Brabham Repco | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Ludovico Scarfiotti | Cooper Maserati | 2 | DNF | 0 |
1981
Hungary’s first Formula One driver, Zsolt Baumgartner, was born in Budapest. He competed in 20 F1 races for Jordan and Minardi, later moving to the US as a test driver for Minardi’s ChampCar team until its exit from the series in 2008.
1981
American driver Mauri Rose passed away in Royal Oak, Michigan, at age 74. A frequent competitor at Indianapolis, Rose raced in two US Grand Prix in 1950 and 1951, achieving a best finish of third in 1950. He was invited back to Indy in 1967 to drive the Chevrolet Camaro pace car.
F1 Driver Birthdays 1 January
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 January 1909 | Marcel Balsa |
| 1 January 1928 | Hap Sharp |
| 1 January 1938 | Carlo Franchi |
| 1 January 1945 | Jacky Ickx |
| 1 January 1951 | Hans-Joachim Stuck |
| 1 January 1963 | Jean-Marc Gounon |
| 1 January 1981 | Zsolt Baumgartner |
F1 Driver Deaths 1 January
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 January 1981 | Mauri Rose |
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