What Happened On This Day January 25 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, January 25 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1906

Toni Ulmen, born in Düsseldorf, Germany, competed in two Grand Prix in 1952 driving a Veritas, achieving a best result of eighth at the Nürburgring. A dominant Formula 2 driver, Ulmen won the 1949 championship and continued his career in sports car racing before retiring.

1910

Born in Suresnes, France, Henri Louveau started as a bicycle racer before moving to motorsport as a FIAT test driver. During his career, he competed in two Grand Prix in a Talbot Lago, but mechanical issues prevented him from finishing either race. Louveau enjoyed greater success in endurance racing, finishing second at the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours. After retiring in 1951, he opened a car dealership and used his motorsport connections to sell Maseratis and Delages. Later, he expanded into the car and truck rental business.

1930

Swiss driver Heinz Schiller competed in a single Formula One race, the 1962 German Grand Prix, retiring due to oil pressure issues. Schiller had moved from speedboat racing to motorsport in the 1950s. While his F1 career was brief, he had notable success in sports car racing, finishing tenth in the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours.

1956

Johnny Cecotto, born in Caracas, Venezuela, moved to Formula One in 1983 after an illustrious motorcycle racing career, including becoming the youngest 350cc motorcycle world champion. He impressed early, finishing sixth at Long Beach in his second F1 race with the Theodore team. However, no further points followed, and his switch to Toleman in 1984 ended abruptly after a leg-breaking crash at Brands Hatch. Despite this, Cecotto went on to win numerous touring car championships in Italy and Germany.

1971

Luca Badoer, born in Treviso, Italy, faced a challenging F1 career, racing in 56 Grands Prix between 1993 and 1999 in largely uncompetitive cars. After stepping into the role of Ferrari’s test driver in 2000, his days in the spotlight seemed over. However, in August 2009, at 38 years old, he made a surprise return as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari during the 2009 European Grand Prix in Valencia. Badoer’s recall came after Michael Schumacher, Ferrari’s first choice, was unable to take the seat due to a neck injury. Though his stint as the oldest driver on the F1 grid was brief, Badoer’s commitment as Ferrari’s test driver since 1997 remains noteworthy.

1976

Reigning world champion Niki Lauda opened the season in commanding fashion, dominating the 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Driving his Ferrari, he finished a staggering 35 seconds ahead of Patrick Depailler in a Tyrrell-Ford, with Welshman Tom Pryce securing third place in a Shadow. James Hunt, who had earned his first F1 pole position in a new six-speed McLaren, faced challenges throughout the race. He ultimately retired seven laps from the end while running seventh.

1976 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	40	1:45:16.780	9
2	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	40	+21.470s	6
3	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	40	+23.840s	4
4	34	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March Ford	40	+88.170s	3
5	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	40	+116.460s	2
6	12	Jochen Mass	McLaren Ford	40	+118.270s	1
7	2	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	40	+135.240s	0
8	20	Jacky Ickx	Wolf-Williams	39	+1 lap	0
9	21	Renzo Zorzi	Wolf-Williams	39	+1 lap	0
10	8	Carlos Pace	Brabham Alfa Romeo	39	+1 lap	0
11	31	Ingo Hoffman	Fittipaldi Ford	39	+1 lap	0
12	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Alfa Romeo	37	DNF	0
13	30	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	37	+3 laps	0
14	10	Lella Lombardi	March Ford	36	+4 laps	0
NC	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	33	DNF	0
NC	11	James Hunt	McLaren Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	9	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	15	DNF	0
NC	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Matra	14	DNF	0
NC	5	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	10	DNF	0
NC	6	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	6	DNF	0
NC	28	John Watson	Penske Ford	2	DNF	0
NC	14	Ian Ashley	BRM	2	DNF	0

2007

Rookie Lewis Hamilton had a dramatic moment in Spain, crashing his McLaren at 165 mph during practice after just 11 days of driving an F1 car. “I’m completely fine and was conscious throughout,” he assured afterwards. Jenson Button also endured a tough day, as his new Honda broke down on the first lap of a warm-up session in Barcelona.

F1 Driver Birthdays 25 January

Birthday	F1 Driver
25 January 1906	Toni Ulmen
25 January 1910	Henri Louveau
25 January 1930	Heinz Schiller
25 January 1956	Johnny Cecotto
25 January 1971	Luca Badoer

F1 Driver Deaths 25 January

Death	F1 Driver
25 January	None