What Happened On This Day July 19 In F1 History?

From Alberto Ascari's dominance of the 1952 British Grand Prix to a dramatic end of the 1975 race with Emerson Fittipaldi claiming the win.

Mark Phelan

By Mark Phelan
Updated on February 8, 2025

1975 British Grand Prix Silverstone Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren M23-Cosworth
1975 British Grand Prix (Silverstone). Emerson Fittipaldi, who won the race, in a McLaren M23-Cosworth // Image: John Millar

What happened on this day, July 19 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1952

Alberto Ascari dominated the 1952 and 1953 seasons, and the 1952 British Grand Prix was no exception. Ascari, driving a Ferrari, led almost the entire race. His teammate, Giuseppe Farina, also performed strongly for much of the race. However, Farina encountered spark-plug issues, causing him to finish in sixth place. Ascari’s commanding performance underscored his dominance during the early 1950s. Teammate Piero Taruffi finished in second, while Mike Hawthorn, on home soil, finished in third for Cooper.

1958

Peter Collins‘ victory at Silverstone for the 1958 British Grand Prix unfolded amid internal turmoil at Ferrari. Just two weeks earlier, the irritable Enzo Ferrari had demoted Collins to the No. 2 team, only to reverse his decision after Mike Hawthorn stood up for his teammate. Collins had a brilliant start, moving into the lead from sixth on the grid within a lap. When Stirling MossVanwall blew its engine, Collins’ path to victory was all but assured.

1969

The 1969 British Grand Prix featured an epic battle between Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt. The highlight of the race was settled when Rindt was forced to pit twice for repairs, allowing Stewart to secure victory by more than a lap. Stewart’s win was particularly remarkable as he had crashed at Woodcote the day before and had to commandeer Jean-Pierre Beltoise’s car for the race.

1975

The 1975 British Grand Prix concluded in dramatic fashion as Emerson Fittipaldi was declared the winner while he was in the pits when the red flag was waved. Meanwhile, the next four drivers were busy removing themselves from crashed cars around Silverstone.

A sudden downpour on lap 55 transformed the track into an ice rink, leading to numerous cars ending up in catch fences within a single lap. Out of the 26 starters, only six cars were still running at the premature end of the race. Fittipaldi had pitted to change tyres and was subsequently announced as the winner.

Thankfully, there were no serious injuries. The record crowd of 77,000 spectators—reduced pre-race due to gridlock for miles around—left in a state of bewilderment. The race had already been given an extra layer of interest when Jacky Ickx left Lotus with mutual consent days before the event, frustrated by delays in receiving a promised new car. Despite this, Colin Chapman entered three cars, as did March, while Frank Williams Racing only managed a single entry due to a shortage of engines.

2020

Lewis Hamilton, the defending race winner, once again dominated at the Hungaroring for the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, securing his second consecutive victory of the 2020 season and an unprecedented eighth win at the circuit.

Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull Racing, while Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas took third for Mercedes, rounding out the podium.

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
144Lewis HamiltonMercedes701:36:12.47326
233Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda70+8.702s18
377Valtteri BottasMercedes70+9.452s15
418Lance StrollRacing Point BWT Mercedes70+57.579s12
523Alexander AlbonRed Bull Racing Honda70+78.316s10
65Sebastian VettelFerrari69+1 lap8
711Sergio PerezRacing Point BWT Mercedes69+1 lap6
83Daniel RicciardoRenault69+1 lap4
955Carlos SainzMcLaren Renault69+1 lap2
1020Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari69+1 lap1
1116Charles LeclercFerrari69+1 lap0
1226Daniil KvyatAlphaTauri Honda69+1 lap0
134Lando NorrisMcLaren Renault69+1 lap0
1431Esteban OconRenault69+1 lap0
157Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari69+1 lap0
168Romain GrosjeanHaas Ferrari69+1 lap0
1799Antonio GiovinazziAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari69+1 lap0
1863George RussellWilliams Mercedes69+1 lap0
196Nicholas LatifiWilliams Mercedes65+5 laps0
NC10Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri Honda15DNF0
Note – Hamilton scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Magnussen and Grosjean received 10-second time penalties for use of driver aids during the formation lap.

F1 Driver Birthdays 19 July

Birth DateF1 Driver
19 July 1902Chester Clarence “Chet” Miller
19 July 1940Brian Raubenheimer

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Mark Phelan
Mark Phelan

Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.

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