What happened on this day, July 21 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1962
In 1962, Jim Clark achieved the first of his five British Grand Prix victories. At a crowded Aintree, Clark demonstrated his immense driving by securing the win, pole position, and fastest lap. While the race lacked much action, the home crowd was delighted to see John Surtees join Clark on the podium in second place.
1985
McLaren driver Alain Prost clinched victory at the 1985 British Grand Prix after an intense battle with Ayrton Senna, which ended when Senna’s Lotus ran out of fuel. Senna had made a brilliant start, overtaking pole-sitter Keke Rosberg to take the lead. He maintained his lead comfortably until about lap 30, when Prost began to challenge him. In the final 10 laps, Senna’s engine started to falter, and on lap 58, Prost seized the opportunity to take the lead. Although Senna briefly regained his position, he was ultimately forced to retire due to running out of fuel. Prost went on to win by over a lap ahead of Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari. In an embarrassing moment for the race director, the chequered flag was mistakenly waved one lap too late, making the race 2.9 miles longer than intended. Fortunately, this error did not affect the final result.
2002
In 2002, Michael Schumacher secured his fifth Formula One title, matching the legendary record of Juan Manuel Fangio. Schumacher clinched the championship in the 11th round at the 2002 French Grand Prix, held at Magny-Cours, marking his eighth win of the season and accumulating his 96th point of the year. The race itself was uneventful, with Kimi Raikkonen surrendering the lead to Schumacher five laps from the finish after sliding on oil at the Adelaide hairpin. Schumacher’s main championship rival, Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello, failed to start the race due to an engine failure on the grid.
2006
BAR set a new land-speed record for a Formula One car but fell short of its ambitious 400 km/h (248 mph) target. The team brought a modified version of its V10 F1 car to the Bonneville salt flats, with South African driver Alan van der Merwe at the wheel. While the BAR, equipped with a fin instead of a rear wing, did pass 400 km/h in one direction, it could not replicate the speed in the opposite direction, which is required to set an official record. The official top speed was an impressive 397.360 km/h average over two consecutive runs. Van der Merwe served as the official driver of the FIA medical car in Formula One events from 2009 until the end of the 2021 season.
F1 Driver Birthday’s 21 July
| Birth Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
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