What happened on this day, January 29 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1915
Johnny McDowell, born on this day in Delavan, Illinois, competed in three Indianapolis Grand Prix races from 1950 to 1952, which were part of the FIA World Championship. He tragically died in 1952 during a qualifying crash at Milwaukee a week after his last Indianapolis appearance. He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.
1940
Kunimitsu Takahashi, born in Tokyo, competed in only one Grand Prix—his home race in 1977 where he finished ninth in a non-works Tyrrell. He continued racing until 2000 and served as president of the Japanese GT association from 1993 to 2007.
1950
Born on this day in East London, South Africa, Jody Scheckter competed in Formula 1 from 1972 to 1980, achieving 10 wins over 113 Grands Prix races. He clinched the 1979 Drivers’ Championship during his inaugural season with Ferrari, despite securing only three wins that year. Initially viewed as reckless, Scheckter transformed his driving style after the tragic death of Francois Cevert in 1973, prioritising safety thereafter. “From then on, all I wanted to do was save my life.” He replaced Jackie Stewart at Tyrrell, where he was supposed to partner with Cevert, and later moved to Wolf Racing, where he continued to win. After his time with Ferrari, which culminated in the championship, he retired in 1980. Scheckter thrived in business post-racing, running a security firm and later an organic farm in England.
1978
Carlos Reutemann achieved his first victory for Ferrari at the 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix, ending Goodyear’s 80-race winning streak as his car was equipped with Michelin tyres. Starting strongly, Reutemann led from the first lap, thrilling the crowd as local hero Emerson Fittipaldi secured second place. The race saw many retirements due to the intense heat, including McLaren driver James Hunt who had a challenging weekend, crashing mid-race and being fined for a previous incident. Niki Lauda finished third for Brabham.
1978 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 63 | 1:49:59.860 | 9 |
2 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 63 | +49.130s | 6 |
3 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 63 | +57.020s | 4 |
4 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 63 | +93.120s | 3 |
5 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow Ford | 62 | +1 lap | 2 |
6 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell Ford | 62 | +1 lap | 1 |
7 | 9 | Jochen Mass | ATS Ford | 62 | +1 lap | 0 |
8 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
9 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 61 | +2 laps | 0 |
10 | 36 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 59 | +4 laps | 0 |
11 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 58 | +5 laps | 0 |
NC | 25 | Hector Rebaque | Lotus Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 35 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren Ford | 34 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf Ford | 16 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 15 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 22 | Danny Ongais | Ensign Ford | 13 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren Ford | 11 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 8 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 18 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees Ford | 5 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 23 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS Ford | DNS | 0 |
2012
François Migault, born on December 4, 1944, in Le Mans, France, was a professional racing driver. He made his Formula One debut on 13 August 1972 and competed in 16 World Championship Grands Prix with Connew, BRM, Hill, and Williams without scoring any championship points.
Migault remained active in racing well into his mid-fifties, notably at the Le Mans circuit, where he secured his best result with a second-place finish in 1976, among other podium appearances. He passed away on this day 29 January 2012, after a lengthy fight with cancer.
F1 Driver Birthdays 29 January
Birthday | F1 Driver |
---|---|
29 January 1915 | Johnny McDowell |
29 January 1929 | Jerry Hoyt |
29 January 1940 | Kunimitsu Takahshi |
29 January 1950 | Jody Scheckter |
F1 Driver Deaths 29 January
Death | F1 Driver |
---|---|
29 January 2012 | Francois Migault |
Seen in: