What happened on this day, July 16 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1928
Jim Rathmann was born on this day in Alhambra, California. He competed in ten Indianapolis 500s between 1950 and 1960, when they were a part of the F1 Championship, winning in 1960 and finishing second three times. He also won the 1958 Race of Two Worlds at Monza and had six more race wins in his career.
1955
Despite being overshadowed by the previous month’s Le Mans tragedy, which led to the cancellation of the 1955 French Grand Prix, the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree was a classic race dominated by Mercedes. A crowd of 150,000 witnessed an epic battle between Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio, with the lead changing hands multiple times. Moss won by 0.2 seconds, securing his first Formula 1 victory. The Guardian reported that Moss “waved Fangio through” as they approached the finish, but Fangio held back, allowing Moss to cross first. Fangio always denied letting his teammate win.
1960
The 1960 British Grand Prix was notable for the blistering pace set by Graham Hill driving a BRM. Hill led until a few laps from the finish when he spun off under pressure from Jack Brabham, who took the win for the Cooper team. This race also highlighted the promising talent of John Surtees, who finished second in his Grand Prix debut for Lotus, ahead of his more experienced teammate Innes Ireland.
1966
Strikes in Italy meant Ferraris missed the 1966 British Grand Prix, resulting in a field filled with local entries. On a drying track, Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme secured a 1-2 finish for the Brabham team. Despite pitting for brake issues, Jim Clark fought back to take fourth.
1977
Defending drivers’ champion James Hunt faced challenges at the 1977 British Grand Prix driving the tricky McLaren M26 rather than the familiar and easier-to-drive M23, with which Hunt had driven for the ’77 title. John Watson in a Bernie Ecclestone flat-12 Alfa-engined Brabham BT45, outpaced him early in the race, but Watson’s fuel pick-up problem allowed Hunt to win, with Niki Lauda in a Ferrari also suffering from brake troubles.
1978
Lotus’ early-season dominance ended at the 1978 British Grand Prix with three mechanical failures. James Hunt’s early spin further disappointed the Silverstone crowd, but Carlos Reutemann capitalised, winning the race by less than two seconds ahead of Niki Lauda.
1983
Alain Prost didn’t win the 1983 championship, missing out by 1 point to Nelson Piquet, but he did drive to victory at the 1983 British Grand Prix, showcasing his pace and fitness in tough conditions. Driving the Renault RE40, Prost held off challenges from the Ferraris of Patrick Tambay and Rene Arnoux, and the Brabham-BMW of Nelson Piquet. Nigel Mansell also impressed by finishing fourth in a debut outing of the new Lotus 94T.
1995
A collision between Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher ended the 1995 British Grand Prix early for both drivers, allowing Schumacher’s teammate, Johnny Herbert, to secure his first career win. Hill had led but fell behind due to a two-stop strategy. Attempting an overtake on the 46th lap, Hill collided with Schumacher, who cut him off. Most experts blamed Hill, leading to post-race tensions. “It was a stupid overtaking manoeuvre,” fumed Schumacher. “I know Damon wanted to win his home grand prix badly, but it was crazy.” Hill had none of it, admitting: “Michael is a bit harder to pass than that.”
2000
The 2000 Austrian Grand Prix was marred by controversy. Mika Hakkinen won the race, but Pedro Diniz in the Sauber caused a six-car collision on the first lap, forcing the retirements of Michael Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Jarno Trulli. McLaren was later docked ten points because an FIA seal was missing from Hakkinen’s car.
2006
Michael Schumacher made history by becoming the first driver to win the same Grand Prix— the French—eight times. His dominance in the race also earned him his 22nd career hat trick (pole position, win, and fastest lap in the same race), setting another record.
F1 Driver Birthday’s 16 July
| Birth Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 16 July 1928 | Royal Richard “Jim” Rathmann |
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