What happened on this day, July 5 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1953
After 300 miles of racing, the 1953 French Grand Prix was decided in the final straight when Mike Hawthorn in a Ferrari overtook Juan Manuel Fangio in a Maserati to clinch victory. With just a second separating the leading two cars, it was widely acclaimed as the best grand prix since the inception of the Formula One World Championship and marked the first win by a British driver. Throughout the season, a fierce battle for Italian pride raged between Ferraris and Maseratis, culminating at the Reims circuit. Jose Froilan Gonzalez, driving a Maserati, took an early lead in his A6GCM, but his light fuel load forced him to pit, thrusting him back into a fierce contest with Fangio, Hawthorn, and Alberto Ascari in a Ferrari. The battle raged on for the entire race, with no driver able to gain a clear advantage. In the end, the top four cars crossed the finish line within five seconds of each other, a remarkable feat after 2 hours and 44 minutes of racing. Gonzalez finished third.
1959
Jean Behra’s promising career at Ferrari ended dramatically following a physical altercation with team manager Romolo Tavoni after the 1959 French Grand Prix at Reims. Fellow Ferrari driver Tony Brooks won the race, seemingly outperforming Behra in front of the Frenchman’s home fans. Behra eventually retired from the race due to a broken piston and returned to the pits, convinced that Ferrari had favoured Brooks over him. In a heated discussion with Tavoni, Behra threw a punch at his boss and was immediately dismissed from the team. Less than a month later, Behra tragically died while racing a Porsche RSK Spyder at Avus. He lost control and flew off the top of the 45-degree banking at the Nordkurve, hitting a flagpole and dying instantly.
1970
Clermont Ferrand, one of the greatest Grand Prix circuits of all time, nearly lost the right to host the 1970 French Grand Prix. However, local supporters gathered enough funds to prevent the race from moving to Albi. On this day, Jochen Rindt claimed victory in front of massive crowds gathered on the hillsides. Jacky Ickx initially led the race, but his Ferrari’s flat-12 engine, which had sounded troubled on the way to the grid, failed 15 laps in. Jean Pierre Beltoise then took the lead but lost time due to a slow puncture, eventually conceding the position to Rindt. The Lotus driver went on to win the race. Despite the locals’ efforts to keep the race at Clermont Ferrand, it moved to Paul Ricard the following year and returned only once more in 1972 before permanently dropping off the calendar.
1981
The 1981 French Grand Prix delivered a thrilling race, marked by two distinct halves and culminating in Alain Prost‘s first F1 victory. Nelson Piquet made an excellent start from the Dijon grid, leading the race ahead of John Watson, Prost, Andrea de Cesaris, and Gilles Villeneuve. While Prost’s Renault showed impressive speed, it took him several laps to overtake Watson’s McLaren, allowing Piquet to extend his lead. However, on lap 58, heavy rain drenched the track, rendering it undriveable and prompting the stewards to halt the race. Fortunately, it was only a passing shower, and the eager organisers decided to restart the race from the grid in the positions the drivers held on lap 58. Prost quickly closed in on Piquet, eventually forcing his way past, followed closely by Watson, to secure his maiden victory.
1992
Eleven years later, similar weather conditions led to another 1992 French Grand Prix being split into two halves, this time at Magny-Cours. Riccardo Patrese led the first half in the dominant Williams, ahead of his teammate Nigel Mansell, but his lead evaporated with the mid-race downpour. At the restart, Mansell was right behind Patrese, and the Italian eventually and quite obviously waved him through. After the race, Mansell sidestepped questions about whether Patrese had let him pass: “I think it was the biggest casino of a race that we have had with regards to the weather. I must compliment Riccardo because the first race was great and it was a shame that it was stopped.”
2009
Bernie Ecclestone sparked global outrage when he claimed Adolf Hitler was a man who “could get things done.” In an interview with The Times, Ecclestone was asked if he had a favourite historical dictator, such as Stalin or Napoleon. He responded: “Maggie [Margaret Thatcher] has gone. In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people able to get things done. In the end he got lost so he wasn’t a very good dictator. Either he knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it — either way he wasn’t a dictator.” These comments generated headlines worldwide and were heavily criticised by politicians and Jewish organizations.
2020
The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix became the opening round of the Championship and also the first of two consecutive races at the Red Bull Ring, with the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix scheduled to take place the following week.
Lewis Hamilton entered the round as the defending World Drivers’ Champion, while Mercedes sought to defend their Constructors’ title. However, it was Valtteri Bottas who emerged victorious for Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc finishing second for Ferrari and Lando Norris securing third for McLaren—his first career podium in Formula One. At 20 years old, Norris became the third-youngest driver in F1 history to stand on an F1 podium.
The race took place under unique circumstances, as the original 2020 F1 calendar was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The planned season opener in Australia was abruptly canceled just two days before the race, forcing the FIA to reorganise the schedule. The revised championship finally commenced on July 5, with Austria hosting the first race.
To accommodate the disrupted season, race organizers signed a contract to host a second round at the same circuit on July 12, known as the Styrian Grand Prix. This marked several firsts in Formula One history: it was the first time since 1995 that a country hosted back-to-back Grands Prix in a single season (Japan previously hosted the Pacific and Japanese Grands Prix). It was the first time ever that the same circuit layout hosted two consecutive World Championship races in a season. And it was the first F1 race weekend to be held behind closed doors, with no spectators allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
2020 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 71 | 1:30:55.739 | 25 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 71 | +2.700s | 18 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 71 | +5.491s | 16 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 71 | +5.689s | 12 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 71 | +8.903s | 10 |
| 6 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 71 | +15.092s | 8 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri Honda | 71 | +16.682s | 6 |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 71 | +17.456s | 4 |
| 9 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 71 | +21.146s | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 71 | +24.545s | 1 |
| 11 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes | 71 | +31.650s | 0 |
| 12 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri Honda | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 49 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 49 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 11 | DNF | 0 |
| Note – Norris scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Hamilton received a 5-second time penalty for causing a collision. Perez received a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 5 July
| Birth Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 5 July | None |
F1 Driver Deaths 5 July
| Death Date | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 5 July | None |
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