What Happened On This Day July 20 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, July 20 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1943

Often considered the greatest driver never to win a World Championship Grand Prix, Chris Amon was born in Bulls, New Zealand. He made his Formula 1 debut at 19 with Reg Parnell’s racing team, scoring his first points before turning 21. After Parnell’s death, Amon raced sporadically for Brabham before joining Ferrari in 1967. He immediately showcased his talent, securing four podiums, though a win remained elusive.

In 1970, Amon joined March, where he did achieve a Formula 1 victory, but it was in the non-championship International Trophy at Silverstone. He won again in 1971 on his debut with Matra, but this too did not count towards the World Championship, and the rest of the season was challenging. He came close to victory in the 1972 French Grand Prix, but a puncture thwarted his efforts. Afterward, his career dwindled, and an attempt to run his own team in 1974 proved unsuccessful.

1957

Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks shared a historic victory at the 1957 British Grand Prix held at Aintree, marking the first win for a British car in Formula One. Driving for Vanwall, they led the Ferraris of Luigi Musso and Mike Hawthorn across the finish line. Moss initially suffered an engine failure but took over teammate Brooks’ car midway through the race. Brooks was still recovering from injuries sustained in a massive accident at Le Mans earlier that year.

Rejoining in ninth place, Moss immediately began an impressive comeback. “I came out quite a long way down but that suited me fine,” he recalled. “The trouble is that when you are leading and the car fails, you get labelled as a car breaker. But when you’re at the back coming through the field, they don’t care if you break it. So at least I could have a go.” He fought his way back up the ranks, reaching fourth place before taking the lead when Jean Behra’s clutch exploded, puncturing the tyres of second-placed Mike Hawthorn. Moss then overtook teammate Stewart Lewis-Evans to secure a comfortable victory.

Over half a century later, Moss told the press that this race was his favourite British Grand Prix: “It was not a great circuit or anything else, but it was the first time a British car won a world championship race. And sharing it with Tony Brooks, who was such a fantastic driver anyway, certainly didn’t take anything away from it.”

1957 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	20	Tony Brooks	Vanwall			4
1	20	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	90	3:06:37.800	5
2	14	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	90	+25.600s	6
3	10	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	90	+42.800s	4
4	16	Maurice  Trintignant	Ferrari		SHC	3
4	16	Peter Collins	Ferrari	88	+2 laps	0
5	36	Roy Salvadori	Cooper Climax	85	+5 laps	2
6	38	Bob  Gerard	Cooper Bristol	82	+8 laps	0
7	22	Stuart  Lewis-Evans	Vanwall	82	+8 laps	0
NC	34	Jack Brabham	Cooper Climax	74	DNF	0
8	32	Ivor  Bueb	Maserati	71	+19 laps	0
NC	4	Jean Behra	Maserati	69	DNF	0
NC	12	Peter Collins	Ferrari	53	DNF	0
NC	18	Stirling Moss	Vanwall		SHC	0
NC	18	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	51	DNF	0
NC	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	49	DNF	0
NC	24	Jack  Fairman	BRM	46	DNF	0
NC	26	Les  Leston	BRM	44	DNF	0
NC	6	Harry Schell	Maserati	39	DNF	0
NC	8	Carlos Menditeguy	Maserati	35	DNF	0
NC	28	Jo Bonnier	Maserati	18	DNF	0

1959

Giovanna Amati, was born on this day. An Italian former professional racing driver, she is the most recent female F1 driver to have entered the Formula 1 World Championship.

In January 1992, Amati signed with the Brabham team to partner with Eric van de Poele. She was the first female driver to enter a Formula One race since Desiré Wilson in 1980. Unfortunately, she failed to qualify in all three of her race entries, leading Brabham to replace her with future 1996 World Champion Damon Hill.

After her Formula One career, Amati competed in the Porsche SuperCup in 1993 and went on to win the Women’s European Championship.

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1963

With a commanding performance, Jim Clark secured his second of five eventual British Grand Prix victories in his career at the 1963 British Grand Prix. Despite a shaky start from pole position, Clark quickly recovered the four positions he lost on the first lap. He then dominated the race, finishing 25 seconds ahead of John Surtees in a Ferrari. BRM driver Graham Hill took third place, resulting in an all-British podium at Silverstone.

1963 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	4	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	82	2:14:09.600	9
2	10	John Surtees	Ferrari	82	+25.800s	6
3	1	Graham Hill	BRM	82	+37.600s	4
4	2	Richie Ginther	BRM	81	+1 lap	3
5	3	Lorenzo Bandini	BRM	81	+1 lap	2
6	12	Jim  Hall	Lotus BRM	80	+2 laps	1
7	19	Chris Amon	Lola Climax	80	+2 laps	0
8	20	Mike Hailwood	Lotus Climax	78	+4 laps	0
9	7	Tony Maggs	Cooper Climax	78	+4 laps	0
10	23	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	76	+6 laps	0
11	21	Masten Gregory	Lotus BRM	75	+7 laps	0
12	22	Bob Anderson	Lola Climax	75	+7 laps	0
13	24	John  Campbell-Jones	Lola Climax	74	+8 laps	0
NC	25	Jo Siffert	Lotus BRM	66	DNF	0
NC	14	Jo Bonnier	Cooper Climax	65	DNF	0
NC	9	Dan Gurney	Brabham Climax	59	DNF	0
NC	26	Ian Raby	Gilby BRM	59	DNF	0
NC	16	Ian Burgess	Scirocco BRM	36	DNF	0
NC	8	Jack Brabham	Brabham Climax	27	DNF	0
DQ	11	Innes Ireland	BRP BRM	26	DSQ	0
DQ	5	Trevor  Taylor	Lotus Climax	23	DSQ	0
NC	15	Tony  Settember	Scirocco BRM	20	DNF	0
NC	6	Bruce McLaren	Cooper Climax	6	DNF	0

1968

The 1968 British Grand Prix, held on July 20 at Brands Hatch, marked a significant milestone in Formula One history. Swiss driver Jo Siffert secured his first and only World Championship victory, driving a Lotus 49B for the privateer Rob Walker Racing Team. It was also the first win for a Swiss driver. This win was also recognised as the last by a true privateer team in Formula On. It was the team’s 9th win. Siffert started from fourth on the grid and took the lead on lap 44 after the retirements of factory Lotus drivers Graham Hill and Jackie Oliver due to mechanical failures. He maintained his lead to finish 4.4 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Chris Amon, with Jacky Ickx, also in a Ferrari, completing the podium one lap behind.

The race saw a high rate of retirements due to mechanical issues, with only 8 of the 20 starters finishing. Graham Hill, who had secured pole position with a time of 1:28.9, retired on lap 26 due to a halfshaft failure, while teammate Jackie Oliver retired on lap 43 with a transmission issue. Despite these setbacks, Siffert’s victory propelled him into a group of drivers with nine points in the championship standings. Graham Hill remained at the top with 24 points, followed by Jacky Ickx with 20 and Jackie Stewart with 17. In the 1968 Constructors’ Championship, Lotus-Ford extended their lead with 38 points, ahead of Ferrari’s 25 and McLaren-Ford’s 22. ​

1968 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	22	Jo Siffert	Lotus Ford	80	2:01:20.300	9
2	5	Chris Amon	Ferrari	80	+4.400s	6
3	6	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	79	+1 lap	4
4	1	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	79	+1 lap	3
5	7	John Surtees	Honda	78	+2 laps	2
6	14	Jackie Stewart	Matra Ford	78	+2 laps	1
7	2	Bruce McLaren	McLaren Ford	77	+3 laps	0
8	20	Piers  Courage	BRM	72	+8 laps	0
NC	4	Jochen Rindt	Brabham Repco	55	DNF	0
NC	10	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	52	DNF	0
NC	19	Silvio  Moser	Brabham Repco	52	+28 laps	0
NC	9	Jackie Oliver	Lotus Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	16	Robin  Widdows	Cooper BRM	34	DNF	0
NC	15	Vic  Elford	Cooper BRM	26	DNF	0
NC	8	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	26	DNF	0
NC	18	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	11	DNF	0
NC	11	Richard Attwood	BRM	10	DNF	0
NC	24	Dan Gurney	Eagle Weslake	8	DNF	0
NC	23	Jo Bonnier	Mclaren BRM	6	DNF	0
NC	3	Jack Brabham	Brabham Repco	0	DNF	0

1974

The 1974 British Grand Prix, held at Brands Hatch on July 20, witnessed a dramatic turn of events that led to the Tyrrell of Jody Scheckter securing his second career victory. Ferrari’s Niki Lauda, who had clinched pole position with a time of 1:19.7 and dominated much of the race, suffered a slow puncture on his right rear tyre in the closing laps. This misfortune allowed Scheckter to overtake Lauda on lap 70 and maintain the lead to the finish, completing 75 laps in 1:43:02.2. McLaren’s Emerson Fittipaldi finished second, 15.3 seconds behind, while Lotus’s Jacky Ickx secured third place, over a minute adrift of the leader.

The race saw several major retirements due to mechanical failures and accidents. Notably, James Hunt retired on lap 2 due to suspension issues, and Hans-Joachim Stuck crashed on lap 36, scattering debris that contributed to Lauda’s tyre puncture. Despite completing only 74 laps, Lauda was initially classified ninth but was later promoted to fifth after Ferrari’s protest regarding a blocked pit exit during his late tyre change. This adjustment awarded Lauda two championship points, bringing his total to 38 and maintaining a narrow lead over Fittipaldi (37) and Scheckter (35) in the 1974 Drivers’ Championship.

1974 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	75	1:43:02.200	9
2	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren Ford	75	+15.300s	6
3	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus Ford	75	+61.500s	4
4	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	75	+67.200s	3
5	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	74	+1 lap	2
6	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	74	+1 lap	1
7	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	74	+1 lap	0
8	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	74	+1 lap	0
9	8	Carlos Pace	Brabham Ford	74	+1 lap	0
10	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	73	+2 laps	0
11	28	John Watson	Brabham Ford	73	+2 laps	0
12	14	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	72	+3 laps	0
13	26	Graham Hill	Lola Ford	69	+6 laps	0
14	19	Jochen Mass	Surtees Ford	68	+7 laps	0
NC	15	Henri Pescarolo	BRM	64	DNF	0
NC	37	Francois  Migault	BRM	62	+13 laps	0
NC	33	Mike Hailwood	McLaren Ford	57	DNF	0
NC	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	45	DNF	0
NC	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March Ford	36	DNF	0
NC	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso Marlboro Ford	25	DNF	0
NC	10	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	17	DNF	0
NC	23	Tim  Schenken	Trojan Ford	6	DNF	0
NC	24	James Hunt	Hesketh Ford	2	DNF	0
NC	27	Peter  Gethin	Lola Ford	0	DNF	0

1985

Keke Rosberg set one of the most remarkable qualifying laps in history at Silverstone, securing pole position for the 1985 British Grand Prix with an average speed above 160 mph. This record-breaking lap was the last qualifying lap set on one of the fastest configurations of the historic track. Rosberg’s best time was 0.658 seconds faster than his Williams teammate, Nelson Piquet.

Lewis Hamilton holds the current fastest qualifying lap record at the Italian Grand Prix. His 2020 pole lap holds the record for the fastest average speed across a lap in F1 history, surpassing the previous record of 263.587 km/h (163.785 mph) set by Kimi Räikkönen two years earlier in the Ferrari SF71H.

Räikkönen’s record broke the long-standing benchmark set by Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2004 qualifying session at Monza. Montoya’s pole lap in the BMW FW26 held the single lap record with an average speed of 259.83 km/h (161.451 mph) until new, wider cars were introduced.

Montoya’s lap, in turn, had surpassed Keke Rosberg’s record, which had stood for 19 years.

Previous F1 average lap speed records

Driver	Team	Car	Speed	Year
Keke Rosberg	Williams	FW10	259.01km/h (160.94mph)	1985
Juan Pablo Montoya	BMW-Williams	FW26	259.83 km/h (161.451mph)	2004
Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	SF17H	263.586km/h (163.785mph)	2018
Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	W11	264.362km/h (164.267mph)	2020* Current record

2003

One of the most bizarre races in history happened at the 2003 British Grand Prix at Silverstone when a defrocked Irish Roman Catholic priest, Father Cornelius Horan, burst onto the Hangar Straight with a confused religious message. Claiming the world was coming to an end, Horan’s sudden appearance forced drivers to swerve out of his way. Though his prediction proved false, he nearly halted the race, prompting the deployment of a safety car to facilitate his arrest. The incident dramatically altered the race order, leading to an unexpectedly thrilling race.

Rubens Barrichello, who started from pole position, initially lost a few places but fared better than his Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher, along with Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso, who all fell out of the top ten. Barrichello staged a remarkable comeback, executing a brilliant overtake around Kimi Raikkonen at Bridge, ultimately securing one of the greatest victories of his career. Montoya finished second after an impressive drive through the field, with Raikkonen taking third.

Horan was charged with aggravated trespass and pleaded guilty, claiming an open gate onto the track was a sign from God. He was sentenced to two months in jail but later gained more fame on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent.

2003 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	60	1:28:37.554	10
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	60	+5.462s	8
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren Mercedes	60	+10.656s	6
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	60	+25.648s	5
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	60	+36.827s	4
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	60	+43.067s	3
7	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	60	+45.085s	2
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR Honda	60	+45.478s	1
9	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	60	+58.032s	0
10	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	60	+63.569s	0
11	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	60	+65.207s	0
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Petronas	60	+65.564s	0
13	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan Ford	59	+1 lap	0
14	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar Cosworth	59	+1 lap	0
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi Cosworth	58	+2 laps	0
16	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi Cosworth	58	+2 laps	0
17	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	58	+2 laps	0
NC	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	52	DNF	0
NC	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan Ford	44	DNF	0
NC	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar Cosworth	32	DNF	0

2004

Sebastien Buemi became one of the youngest drivers ever to test an F1 car at just 15 years old, driving a 1999 Arrows as part of a collaboration with his sponsor TAG Heuer. “The sensations are extraordinary,” Buemi remarked.

“More than ever, after this experience, I am determined to conquer the Formula BMW Championship to gradually climb the rungs that I hope will one day lead to Formula One.”

He eventually realised his dream in 2009 when he was signed as a Toro Rosso driver.

2008

Lewis Hamilton overcame a botched strategy to defeat world championship rival Felipe Massa in one of his standout performances during his first title-winning season. Hamilton initially controlled the 2008 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim until a severe accident involving Timo Glock in a Toyota brought out the safety car. While most drivers pitted as expected, Hamilton remained on track, later losing positions when he had to pit under racing conditions. Despite this setback, Hamilton showcased his skill with a remarkable overtaking display, recovering from fifth place to secure victory at the Hockenheim circuit.

Nelson Piquet Jr. finished second for Renault, with Massa third for Ferrari.

2008 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	67	1:31:20.874	10
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	67	+5.586s	8
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	67	+9.339s	6
4	3	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber BMW	67	+9.825s	5
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren Mercedes	67	+12.411s	4
6	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	67	+14.483s	3
7	4	Robert Kubica	Sauber BMW	67	+22.603s	2
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR Ferrari	67	+33.282s	1
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	67	+37.199s	0
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams Toyota	67	+37.658s	0
11	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	67	+38.625s	0
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR Ferrari	67	+39.111s	0
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Renault	67	+54.971s	0
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams Toyota	67	+60.003s	0
15	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India Ferrari	67	+69.488s	0
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India Ferrari	67	+84.093s	0
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	66	+1 lap	0
NC	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	50	DNF	0
NC	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Renault	40	DNF	0
NC	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	35	DNF	0

2014

The 2014 German Grand Prix, held on July 20 at the Hockenheimring, was the tenth round of the 2014 Formula One World Championship. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg secured a commanding victory at his home Grand Prix, starting from pole position and leading the race to the finish. This win was Rosberg’s fourth of the season, extending his lead in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship. Williams‘ Valtteri Bottas finished second, his third consecutive podium finish. Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton delivered a remarkable performance, climbing from 20th on the grid—after a qualifying crash and subsequent gearbox penalty—to finish third, just 22.5 seconds behind Rosberg.

The race featured several incidents. At the start, Williams’ Felipe Massa collided with McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, causing Massa’s car to flip and leading to his immediate retirement; Magnussen continued after pitting for repairs. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso engaged in a prolonged battle, with Vettel ultimately finishing fourth and Alonso fifth. Daniel Ricciardo, in the sister Red Bull, secured sixth place. The race was run without the use of the Front and Rear Interconnected Suspension (FRIC) system, as all teams had agreed to suspend its use following regulatory concerns.

2014 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	67	1:33:42.914	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	67	+20.789s	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	67	+22.530s	15
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	67	+44.014s	12
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	67	+52.467s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing Renault	67	+52.549s	8
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	67	+64.178s	6
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	67	+84.711s	4
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren Mercedes	66	+1 lap	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	66	+1 lap	1
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	66	+1 lap	0
12	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus Renault	66	+1 lap	0
13	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Renault	66	+1 lap	0
14	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	66	+1 lap	0
15	17	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Ferrari	66	+1 lap	0
16	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham Renault	65	+2 laps	0
17	4	Max Chilton	Marussia Ferrari	65	+2 laps	0
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham Renault	65	+2 laps	0
NC	99	Adrian Sutil	Sauber Ferrari	47	DNF	0
NC	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR Renault	44	DNF	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	26	DNF	0
NC	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	0	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 20 July

Births	F1 Driver
20 July 1931	Tony Marsh (d. 2009)
20 July 1943	Chris Amon (d. 2016)
20 July 1959	Giovanna Amati
20 July 1964	Bernd Schneider
20 July 1976	Alex Yoong

F1 Driver Deaths 20 July

Births	F1 Driver
20 July 1999	Emil Andres (b. 1911)
20 July 2019	Red Hamilton (b. 1926)