What happened on this day, January 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1960
French driver Pascal Fabre was born in Lyon. Fabre competed in Formula One in 1987 with the AGS team, achieving his best results with ninth-place finishes in the 1987 French Grand Prix and 1987 British Grand Prix. Following his F1 career, Fabre found success in sports car racing.
1977
The Formula One season opened at Argentina’s Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez for the 1977 Argentine Grand Prix. Jody Scheckter won in a Ford-powered Wolf—the team’s first-ever win. It was a disappointing race for reigning champion and McLaren driver James Hunt, who led the field by 15 seconds halfway through but crashed into the barriers after misjudging a hairpin exit. The 1975 champion, Niki Lauda, also faced frustration as his Ferrari broke down. Brabham driver Carlos Pace secured P2, while Lauda’s teammate Carlos Reutemann completed the podium in third.
1977 Argentine Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf Ford | 53 | 1:40:11.190 | 9 |
| 2 | 8 | Carlos Pace | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 53 | +43.240s | 6 |
| 3 | 12 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 53 | +46.020s | 4 |
| 4 | 28 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 53 | +55.480s | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 51 | DNF | 2 |
| 6 | 22 | Clay Regazzoni | Ensign Ford | 51 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Ian Scheckter | March Ford | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Tom Pryce | Shadow Ford | 45 | +8 laps | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Alex Ribeiro | March Ford | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 37 | +16 laps | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | James Hunt | McLaren Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Jochen Mass | McLaren Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Ronnie Peterson | Tyrrell Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Ingo Hoffman | Fittipaldi Ford | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Hans Binder | Surtees Ford | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Renzo Zorzi | Shadow Ford | 2 | DNF | 0 |
1997
Eddie Jordan signed Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who had previously completed eight races with Minardi, to his Jordan team. “His only drives in F1 have been in a bad car, so it’s hard to judge from that,” noted Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine. Fisichella impressed in his debut season, earning his first podium in Canada and outscoring his teammate Ralf Schumacher. His strong performance led to a contract with Benetton for 1998.
2001
Eddie Irvine, known for his outspoken nature, called David Coulthard “a loser” in an interview. “He’s got as much chance of being crowned Formula One World Champion as I have of winning the lottery—and I don’t do the lottery,” Irvine quipped. Coulthard finished a distant second to Michael Schumacher that season, the best result of his career, while Irvine placed 12th and remains lottery-free.
2003
Dutch driver Jos Verstappen returned to Formula One by signing with the financially struggling Minardi team. “I am really impressed with [team principal] Paul Stoddart’s plans for the team and by this year’s technical package,” he said. However, the car’s poor performance and reliability frustrated Verstappen, who declined a seat for 2004 and ultimately left F1.
2007
Ferrari team boss Jean Todt promised equality between drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa following Michael Schumacher’s retirement. “It will be healthy for two drivers to compete equally with each other,” Todt said. Some fans, who were sceptical of Ferrari’s later tactics, found the statement ironic.
F1 Driver Birthdays 9 January
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 January 1960 | Pascal Fabre |
F1 Driver Deaths 9 January
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 January | None |
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