What Happened On This Day January 2 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, January 2 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1957

Italian driver Beppe Gabbiani was born in Piacenza. Competing in Formula 1 from 1978 to 1981, Gabbiani entered 17 races but managed to qualify for only three, all in 1981. He made the grid for the Long Beach, San Marino, and Belgian Grands Prix but did not finish any of those races.

1967

The 1967 South African Grand Prix became the season opener at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa, the track’s debut on the Formula 1 calendar. Pedro Rodriguez claimed victory behind the wheel of a Cooper Maserati. South African privateer John Love delivered an impressive performance, finishing second in his Cooper Climax, outpacing several winning drivers, including Honda driver John Surtees, who secured third place.

This was the only Championship podium for John Love and a Rhodesian driver, and the the first win and podium for Pedro Rodriguez and a Mexican driver.

1967 South African Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	4	Pedro Rodriguez	Cooper Maserati	80	2:05:45.900	9
2	17	John Love	Cooper Climax	80	+26.400s	6
3	11	John Surtees	Honda	79	+1 lap	4
4	2	Denny Hulme	Brabham Repco	78	+2 laps	3
5	14	Bob Anderson	Brabham Climax	78	+2 laps	2
6	1	Jack Brabham	Brabham Repco	76	+4 laps	1
NC	19	Dave Charlton	Brabham Climax	63	+17 laps	0
NC	20	Luki Botha	Brabham Climax	60	+20 laps	0
NC	18	Sam Tingle	LDS Climax	56	DNF	0
NC	16	Piers Courage	Lotus BRM	51	DNF	0
NC	9	Dan Gurney	Eagle Climax	44	DNF	0
NC	12	Jo Siffert	Cooper Maserati	41	DNF	0
NC	3	Jochen Rindt	Cooper Maserati	38	DNF	0
NC	6	Mike Spence	BRM	31	DNF	0
NC	15	Jo Bonnier	Cooper Maserati	30	DNF	0
NC	7	Jim Clark	Lotus BRM	22	DNF	0
NC	8	Graham Hill	Lotus BRM	6	DNF	0
NC	5	Jackie Stewart	BRM	2	DNF	0

2003

Arrows faced the end of its journey in Formula 1, making 300 employees redundant and entering receivership after failing to secure a spot in the 2003 championship. The team had already missed the final five races of the 2002 season due to disputes with suppliers, notably engine provider Cosworth. Arrows departed the sport without a single victory across 382 entries.

F1 Driver Birthdays 2 January

Birthday	F1 Driver
2 January 1957	Beppe Gabbiani

F1 Driver Deaths 2 January

Death	F1 Driver
2 January 2003	Leroy Warriner

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Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.