What Happened On This Day January 12 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, January 12 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1924

Olivier Gendebien, born in Brussels, had a brief F1 career, with two second-place finishes for Cooper in 1960 among his highlights from 15 races over six years. Gendebien was a member of the Belgian resistance during World War II and served in the British Army before entering motorsport. While working in forestry in the Belgian Congo, he began racing after meeting a rally driver. A trusted Ferrari driver, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours four times (1958, 1960, 1961, and 1962), as well as the Targa Florio and 12 Hours of Sebring three times each. Widely admired, even by Enzo Ferrari, he retired after his fourth Le Mans win, choosing family and safety over a sport known for its high risks.

1928

Lloyd Ruby, an American racer born in Wichita Falls, Texas, competed in two Grands Prix, the 1960 Indianapolis 500 and the 1961 United States Grand Prix. Despite limited F1 appearances, Ruby was a prominent figure in the USAC Championship Car series, with 177 starts and seven wins. He finished in the top ten 88 times, including third place at the 1964 Indy 500. Notably, he led 68 laps in the 1966 Indy 500.

1938

Alan Rees was born in Newport, Wales. Although he participated in just three in 1966 (1) and 1967 (2) Grand Prix, he made a lasting impact in team management. Rees co-founded March Engineering, with his initials (AR) incorporated into the team’s name alongside those of Max Mosley (M), Graham Coaker (C), and Robin Herd (H). Later, he served as team principal of Shadow and eventually co-founded Arrows. Sadly, he passed away on 6 September 2024 (aged 86).

1957

British driver Ken Wharton, who competed in 16 Grands Prix, with a career-best fourth at the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix, tragically died while testing a Ferrari Monza at New Zealand’s Ardmore Circuit. Reports stated he exited a corner too quickly, hit loose gravel, and crashed into barriers, hay bales, and the timekeeper’s tower. Wharton had previously survived several harrowing incidents, including a Monte Carlo Rally crash in 1952 that left his car atop two others in a gorge and a massive pile-up in 1955 during a Belfast race that claimed the lives of two other drivers.

1962

Born in Rome, Emanuele Pirro competed in 40 Grands Prix between 1989 and 1991 for Benetton and Scuderia Italia. Following an underwhelming F1 career, he succeeded in touring cars before moving to endurance racing. Pirro excelled in long-distance events, claiming five Le Mans victories in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, and 2007.

1975

The 1975 Argentine Grand Prix was the championship’s first round, where Jean-Pierre Jarier secured his and the Shadow team’s maiden pole position. However, the celebration was brief as his car’s gearbox failed before the warm-up lap. Local hero, Brabham driver, and eventual P3 finisher Carlos Reutemann thrilled the crowd by taking an early lead, but James Hunt overtook him on the 27th lap, where he eventually finished P2 for Hesketh. Ultimately the McLaren of Emerson Fittipaldi claimed victory. Emerson’s brother, Wilson Fittipaldi, made a dramatic comeback after a year away, driving Brazil’s first F1 car, the Copersucar Fitti-1, for the Fittipaldi team. His race ended spectacularly on the ninth lap when he lost control, crashed into a guard rail, and escaped from the flaming wreckage, furiously signalling his frustration with the car.

1975 Argentine Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren Ford	53	1:39:26.290	9
2	24	James Hunt	Hesketh Ford	53	+5.910s	6
3	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	53	+17.060s	4
4	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	53	+35.790s	3
5	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	53	+54.250s	2
6	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	53	+79.650s	1
7	28	Mark Donohue	Penske Ford	52	+1 lap	0
8	6	Jacky Ickx	Lotus Ford	52	+1 lap	0
9	9	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	52	+1 lap	0
10	22	Graham Hill	Lola Ford	52	+1 lap	0
11	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	52	+1 lap	0
12	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	51	DNF	0
13	23	Rolf Stommelen	Lola Ford	51	+2 laps	0
14	2	Jochen Mass	McLaren Ford	50	+3 laps	0
NC	8	Carlos Pace	Brabham Ford	46	DNF	0
NC	20	Arturo Merzario	Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams	44	+9 laps	0
NC	27	Mario Andretti	Parnelli Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	14	Mike Wilds	BRM	24	DNF	0
NC	5	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	15	DNF	0
NC	21	Jacques Laffite	Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams	15	DNF	0
NC	30	Wilson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	12	DNF	0
DQ	18	John Watson	Surtees Ford	6	DSQ	0

2020

Tom Belso became Denmark’s first Formula One driver after attempting the 1973 Swedish Grand Prix with Frank Williams Racing Cars. He qualified 22 to drive the team, known at the time as Iso-Marlboro but was unable to start the race due to the absence of crucial sponsorship funds.

In 1974, Belso made two race starts, including a commendable eighth-place finish at the 1974 Swedish Grand Prix. After retiring from racing, Belso entered a series of business ventures. Tragically, he passed away in 2020 after battling stomach cancer.

F1 Driver Birthdays 12 January

Birthday	F1 Driver
12 January 1924	Oliver Gendebien
12 January 1928	Lloyd Ruby
12 January 1938	Alan Rees
12 January 1962	Emanuele Pirro

Birthday	F1 Mentions
12 January 1972	Toto Wolff Mercedes F1 Team shareholder, Team Principal and CEO.

F1 Driver Deaths 12 January

Death	F1 Driver
12 January 1957	Ken Wharton
12 January 1988	Piero Taruffi
12 January 2011	Clemar Bucci
12 January 2020	Tom Belsø

Death	F1 Mentions
12 January 2014	John Button (b.1943) English rallycross driver and the father of 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button.

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Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.