What Happened On This Day January 26 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, January 26 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1917

Edgar Barth, born in what is now East Germany, entered five German Grands Prix over an 11-year career, achieving a best finish of sixth place in 1958. Barth began on motorcycles, then moved to Formula Two, defecting to the West in 1957 to continue racing. A versatile driver, he won the European Hillclimb Championship three times and the 1959 Targa Florio. He passed away from cancer in 1964, nine months after his final F1 race. His son, Jürgen Barth, went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977.

1945

David Purley was born in Bognor Regis. Though he competed in only 11 Grands Prix between 1973 and 1977, he experienced hair-raising moments throughout his career. At the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, in only his second race, he displayed extraordinary heroism. Ahead of him, Roger Williamson’s car crashed, flipping and catching fire, trapping Williamson inside. Purley immediately stopped, ran down the track, and tried to rescue Williamson by attempting to right the car despite the flames and the threat of an explosion. Receiving no assistance from nearby marshals, Purley’s courageous attempt was ultimately in vain, as Williamson died. However, Purley was awarded the George Medal for bravery. In 1977, he survived a massive crash at the 1977 British Grand Prix when his throttle jammed, and he hit a wall, decelerating from over 100 mph to zero in just 26 inches. The estimated G-force was 179.8, one of the highest recorded survivable impacts for a human. He later raced in the Aurora AFX series and eventually moved to aerobatics. Tragically, he was killed in 1985 when his home-built biplane crashed into the sea off Bognor Regis.

1975

Brazil hosted a memorable second round of the season at the 1975 Brazilain Grand Prix as a crowd of over 80,000 celebrated local driver and Brabham driver Carlos Pace’s first and only F1 victory. Defending champion and McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi, another Brazilian, stole the spotlight with an incredible comeback drive from sixth place to finish just six seconds behind Pace. Jean-Pierre Jarier, driving a Shadow, initially led the race with a commanding 27-second advantage before a fuel pump failure dashed his chances. Jochen Mass rounded out the podium in third for McLaren. Meanwhile, James Hunt had a challenging day in his Hesketh, admitting, “I completely messed up the start.” Dropping to 15th by the end of the first lap, Hunt battled a tricky tail slide but was pleased to finish in the top six.

1975 Brazilain Grand Prix Race Results

1990

Sergio “Checo” Perez best known for driving with Red Bull Racing was born on this day in Guadalajara, Mexico. He entered F1 in 2011 with Sauber as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He went on to drive for McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point and finally Red Bull.

Although Perez had initially signed a contract through 2026 with Red Bull, it was announced on 18 December 2024 that he would depart the team after four seasons. Perez ended his career with a best result of finishing runner-up in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship. Perez achieved six race wins, three pole positions, 12 fastest laps, and 39 podiums in Formula One. He held the Formula One record for the most starts before a race win (190) and the most races before a pole position (219).

2001

The BAR 003 developed by British American Racing (BAR) for the 2001 season, was officially launched in a highly anticipated event in London. This car was the team’s third model since its debut in 1999 but was generally considered to be less competitive than it’s predecessor, the BAR 002, due in large part to handling issues caused by flexibility in the chassis. The car was powered by a Honda RA001E V10 engine, as part of the BAR-Honda partnership, which was in its second year by 2001. During the launch, BAR’s drivers for the 2001 season, Jacques Villeneuve, former 1997 World Champion, and Olivier Panis, presented the car to the media and guests.

2008

A businessman set a record by paying £375,000 for the “F1” license plate, marking the highest price ever paid for a number plate in Britain. Afzal Kahn, the buyer, placed the plate on his £300,000 McLaren SLR and expressed his excitement: “I’ve spent years chasing it. I can’t believe I’ve finally got it. It’s every man’s dream to have his perfect car with a plate like this.” Originally registered in 1904 for Essex’s county surveyor, “F1” was sold by Essex County Council to raise funds for young driver training. By 2010, after transferring the plate to a Bugatti Veyron, Kahn reportedly declined a £5 million offer for the unique registration.

F1 Driver Birthdays 26 January

F1 Driver Deaths 26 January