What Happened On This Day July 7 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, July 7 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1936

Jo Siffert, a two-time race winner, was born on this day, 7 July 1936, in Fribourg, Switzerland. He claimed victory at the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch while driving a Cooper–Lotus. Despite being offered a drive with Ferrari later on in his career, he chose to continue racing with Porsche, which also financed his drive with March during its debut season in 1970. Unfortunately, this decision proved to be a mistake, as he only secured one more win with BRM before tragically dying in an accident at Brands Hatch in 1971 in the non-championship World Championship Victory Race, the scene of his first victory in 1968.

1957

Juan Manuel Fangio triumphed at the 1957 French Grand Prix, finishing ahead of a trio of Ferraris driven by Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, and Mike Hawthorn. Although Fangio lost the lead from pole position, he quickly overtook Jean Behra and Musso to reclaim his spot at the front. The win marked his third consecutive victory in the 1957 F1 World Championship, paving the way for him to secure his fifth and final drivers’ title with ease.

1957 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	77	3:07:46.400	8
2	10	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	77	+50.800s	7
3	12	Peter Collins	Ferrari	77	+126.000s	4
4	14	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	76	+1 lap	3
5	6	Harry Schell	Maserati	70	+7 laps	2
6	4	Jean Behra	Maserati	70	+7 laps	0
7	24	Mike  MacDowel	Cooper Climax		SHC	0
7	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper Climax	68	+9 laps	0
NC	18	Stuart  Lewis-Evans	Vanwall	30	DNF	0
NC	8	Carlos Menditeguy	Maserati	30	DNF	0
NC	20	Roy Salvadori	Vanwall	25	DNF	0
NC	28	Herbert MacKay-Fraser	BRM	24	DNF	0
NC	16	Maurice  Trintignant	Ferrari	23	DNF	0
NC	30	Horace  Gould	Maserati	4	DNF	0
NC	22	Jack Brabham	Cooper Climax	4	DNF	0
NC	26	Ron Flockhart	BRM	2	DNF	0

1968

Jo Schlesser became the fourth driver to die during the 1968 season after being trapped upside down in his blazing car. Despite John Surtees‘ warnings about the safety of Honda‘s experimental RA302 car, the car was entered in the 1968 French Grand Prix with support from Honda’s French division, and local driver Schlesser was hired to drive it. On the second lap, the car slid wide at a corner and crashed into a bank, causing its full tank of fuel and magnesium body to explode on impact. Jacky Ickx won the race, with John Surtees finishing second in the Honda RA301 and Jackie Stewart third for Matra.

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1968 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	26	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	60	2:25:40.900	9
2	16	John Surtees	Honda	60	+118.600s	6
3	28	Jackie Stewart	Matra Ford	59	+1 lap	4
4	30	Vic  Elford	Cooper BRM	58	+2 laps	3
5	8	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	58	+2 laps	2
6	36	Piers  Courage	BRM	57	+3 laps	1
7	22	Richard Attwood	BRM	57	+3 laps	0
8	10	Bruce McLaren	McLaren Ford	56	+4 laps	0
9	6	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	56	+4 laps	0
10	24	Chris Amon	Ferrari	55	+5 laps	0
11	34	Jo Siffert	Lotus Ford	54	+6 laps	0
NC	20	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	53	+7 laps	0
NC	2	Jochen Rindt	Brabham Repco	45	DNF	0
NC	4	Jack Brabham	Brabham Repco	15	DNF	0
NC	32	Johnny  Servoz-Gavin	Cooper BRM	14	DNF	0
NC	12	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	14	DNF	0
NC	18	Jo  Schlesser	Honda	2	DNF	0

1974

The 1974 French Grand Prix took place on July 7 at the Dijon-Prenois circuit, marking the ninth round of the 1974 Formula One World Championship. Niki Lauda had secured pole for Ferrari with a lap time of 58.79 seconds. At the race’s start, Lauda maintained his lead, while a first-lap collision involving Tom Pryce, Carlos Reutemann, and James Hunt led to their immediate retirements. Lauda led the initial 16 laps but began experiencing handling issues, allowing Lotus driver Ronnie Peterson to overtake him on lap 17. Peterson then dominated the remainder of the 80-lap race, clinching victory with a 20.36-second margin over Lauda. Clay Regazzoni, also driving for Ferrari, secured third place, finishing 27.84 seconds behind the leader.

The race was remembered for its exceptionally short lap times, with 12 drivers recording laps under one minute during qualifying—a rarity in F1 history. Jody Scheckter set the fastest lap during the race with a time of exactly 1:00.00 on lap 10. The race also saw the Championship debuts of French drivers José Dolhem and future Grand Prix winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille. It was also the 100th Grand Prix start for a German driver, a milestone that included two victories, ten podium finishes, one pole position, and two fastest laps up to that point.

1974 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	80	1:21:55.020	9
2	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	80	+20.360s	6
3	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	80	+27.840s	4
4	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	80	+28.110s	3
5	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus Ford	80	+37.540s	2
6	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	80	+38.140s	1
7	33	Mike Hailwood	McLaren Ford	79	+1 lap	0
8	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	79	+1 lap	0
9	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso Marlboro Ford	79	+1 lap	0
10	14	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	79	+1 lap	0
11	10	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	79	+1 lap	0
12	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	79	+1 lap	0
13	26	Graham Hill	Lola Ford	78	+2 laps	0
14	37	Francois  Migault	BRM	78	+2 laps	0
15	27	Guy Edwards	Lola Ford	77	+3 laps	0
16	28	John Watson	Brabham Ford	76	+4 laps	0
NC	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	19	Jochen Mass	Surtees Ford	4	DNF	0
NC	15	Henri Pescarolo	BRM	1	DNF	0
NC	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	1	DNF	0
NC	24	James Hunt	Hesketh Ford	0	DNF	0

1985

The 1985 French Grand Prix, held on July 7 at Circuit Paul Ricard, marked the seventh round of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. Keke Rosberg secured pole for Williams with a time of 1:32.462. The race started with Rosberg maintaining his lead, followed by Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. Piquet showcased the power of his Brabham-BMW by overtaking Senna on the Mistral Straight and then passing Rosberg on lap 11 to claim the lead. Senna’s race ended on lap 27 due to an engine failure that resulted in a dramatic crash at the Signes corner, from which he emerged unscathed. Niki Lauda, driving for McLaren, retired on lap 31 due to gearbox issues. Rosberg, after a tyre change, managed to reclaim second place by overtaking Alain Prost on the final lap. Piquet secured victory, finishing 6.6 seconds ahead of Rosberg, with Prost completing the podium. ​

The race was the final Formula One victory for the Brabham team and the first win for Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli since 1957. The win elevated Piquet in the Drivers’ Championship standings, while Prost’s third-place finish brought him within five points of championship leader Michele Alboreto, who retired early in the race due to a turbo failure. The Constructors’ Championship saw Ferrari leading with 50 points, followed by Lotus and McLaren.

The race was the last French Grand Prix held on the full Paul Ricard circuit until 2018; subsequent races used a shorter version of the track following safety concerns. ​

1985 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham BMW	53	1:31:46.266	9
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams Honda	53	+6.660s	6
3	2	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	53	+9.285s	4
4	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	53	+53.491s	3
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Renault	53	+53.690s	2
6	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	53	+75.167s	1
7	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	53	+104.212s	0
8	8	Marc Surer	Brabham BMW	52	+1 lap	0
9	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows BMW	52	+1 lap	0
10	23	Eddie  Cheever	Alfa Romeo	52	+1 lap	0
11	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	52	+1 lap	0
12	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM Hart	50	+3 laps	0
13	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell Ford	50	+3 laps	0
14	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman Hart	49	DNF	0
15	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella Alfa Romeo	49	+4 laps	0
NC	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell Renault	32	DNF	0
NC	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren TAG	30	DNF	0
NC	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus Renault	26	DNF	0
NC	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows BMW	20	DNF	0
NC	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Motori Moderni	19	DNF	0
NC	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM Hart	8	DNF	0
NC	30	Jonathan  Palmer	Zakspeed	6	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	5	DNF	0
NC	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier Renault	4	DNF	0
NC	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Renault	2	DNF	0

1991

Nigel Mansell won the inaugural—and arguably most exciting—1991 French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. The race had moved from Paul Ricard to the newly built circuit closer to Paris, though it faced widespread criticism for its remote location, which eventually led to the race being discontinued after 2008. Despite this, the first event featured thrilling racing, with Mansell delivering a brilliant performance in his Williams to triumph over local hero Alain Prost.

Prost initially led after Riccardo Patrese botched his start from pole position. Mansell overtook Prost on lap 22, only to lose his advantage due to a slow pit stop midway through the race. However, on lap 54, he caught up to Prost again and made a daring move around the outside at the Adelaide hairpin to reclaim the lead.

1991 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Renault	72	1:38:00.056	10
2	27	Alain Prost	Ferrari	72	+5.003s	6
3	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	72	+34.934s	4
4	28	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	72	+35.920s	3
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	71	+1 lap	2
6	33	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Ford	71	+1 lap	1
7	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Ilmor	70	+2 laps	0
8	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	70	+2 laps	0
9	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ferrari	70	+2 laps	0
10	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus Judd	70	+2 laps	0
11	26	Erik Comas	Ligier Lamborghini	70	+2 laps	0
12	25	Thierry Boutsen	Ligier Lamborghini	69	+3 laps	0
NC	19	Roberto Moreno	Benetton Ford	63	DNF	0
NC	4	Stefano Modena	Tyrrell Honda	57	DNF	0
NC	14	Olivier Grouillard	Fondmetal Ford	47	DNF	0
NC	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	22	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Dallara Judd	39	DNF	0
NC	8	Mark Blundell	Brabham Yamaha	36	DNF	0
NC	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	9	Michele Alboreto	Footwork Porsche	31	DNF	0
NC	7	Martin Brundle	Brabham Yamaha	21	DNF	0
NC	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Honda	12	DNF	0
NC	24	Gianni Morbidelli	Minardi Ferrari	8	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	Leyton House Ilmor	7	DNF	0
NC	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	6	DNF	0

2002

Michael Schumacher achieved the 60th win of his career and moved closer to his fifth world title with a stellar performance at a wet 2002 British Grand Prix.

Juan Pablo Montoya initially led the race from pole position, but as the field switched to intermediate tyres and the track conditions worsened, Schumacher capitalised on a mistake by Montoya to seize the lead.

Rubens Barrichello, in the second Ferrari, had been making a remarkable comeback after stalling at the start. He surged past Montoya on lap 19, briefly securing a Ferrari one-two. However, Barrichello spun on the wet track, allowing Montoya to challenge him once again. Despite Montoya retaking second place at one point, Barrichello ultimately prevailed in their battle for a Ferrari 1-2.

Meanwhile, Schumacher navigated the treacherous conditions effortlessly, securing his seventh victory of the season.

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2002 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	60	1:31:45.015	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	60	+14.578s	6
3	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	60	+31.661s	4
4	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	59	+1 lap	3
5	12	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	59	+1 lap	2
6	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	59	+1 lap	1
7	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan Honda	59	+1 lap	0
8	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	59	+1 lap	0
9	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber Petronas	59	+1 lap	0
10	3	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	58	+2 laps	0
11	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	58	+2 laps	0
12	15	Jenson Button	Renault	54	DNF	0
NC	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan Honda	50	DNF	0
NC	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren Mercedes	44	DNF	0
NC	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	29	DNF	0
NC	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Cosworth	28	DNF	0
NC	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	23	DNF	0
NC	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows Cosworth	20	DNF	0
NC	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	15	DNF	0
NC	23	Mark Webber	Minardi Asiatech	9	DNF	0
NC	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	0	DNF	0

2008

FIA president Max Mosley vehemently denied any Nazi role-play involvement in an orgy with prostitutes, a scandal published by the News of the World. During the court case, Max Mosley, son of the 1930s fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, made a public statement: “I can think of few things more unerotic than Nazi role-play,” he was quoted by The Daily Telegraph. “It also has associations for me in other ways which would make it even less interesting. All my life, I have had hanging over me my antecedents, my parents, and the last thing I want to do in some sexual context is be reminded of it. I wouldn’t consider my parents to be Nazis, but there is obviously a link.” Mosley won the case, proving that no Nazi theme had been involved and that the story’s publication was a breach of his privacy.

2013

The 2013 German Grand Prix took place on July 7 at the Nurburgring circuit, and was the ninth round of the 2013 Formula One World Championship. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton lined up on pole with a time of 1:29.398. However, it was Red Bull Racing‘s Sebastian Vettel who clinched victory, his first home Grand Prix win. Vettel took the lead early in the race and managed to fend off challenges from the Lotus duo of Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean, who finished second and third. Fernando Alonso of Ferrari secured the fastest lap of the race on lap 51 with a time of 1:33.468, ultimately finishing in fourth place. ​

The race included a pit lane mishap involving Mark Webber‘s Red Bull, where a loose wheel struck a cameraman, leading to a €30,000 fine for the team. A safety car was also deployed due to Jules Bianchi’s Marussia rolling back across the track after an engine failure. As a result of this win, Vettel extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 157 points, with Alonso trailing at 123 points and Räikkönen at 116 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull led with 250 points, followed by Mercedes with 183 points and Ferrari with 180 points

2013 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	60	1:41:14.711	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus Renault	60	+1.008s	18
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	60	+5.830s	15
4	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	60	+7.721s	12
5	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	60	+26.927s	10
6	5	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	60	+27.996s	8
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	60	+37.562s	6
8	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren Mercedes	60	+38.306s	4
9	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	60	+46.821s	2
10	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber Ferrari	60	+49.892s	1
11	14	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	60	+53.771s	0
12	19	Daniel Ricciardo	STR Ferrari	60	+56.975s	0
13	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	60	+57.738s	0
14	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	60	+60.160s	0
15	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Renault	60	+61.929s	0
16	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Renault	59	+1 lap	0
17	20	Charles Pic	Caterham Renault	59	+1 lap	0
18	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham Renault	59	+1 lap	0
19	23	Max Chilton	Marussia Cosworth	59	+1 lap	0
NC	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Ferrari	22	DNF	0
NC	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Cosworth	21	DNF	0
NC	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	3	DNF	0

2021

Carlos Reutemann was born in Santa Fe, Argentina. A supremely talented driver, he was capable of brilliance, yet his performances could be as inconsistent as they were spectacular. At his best, he was untouchable, but on other days, he could struggle to make an impact.

This inconsistency was never more evident than in the dramatic conclusion of the 1981 season. On the verge of clinching the World Championship, Reutemann secured pole position with a stunning lap. However, in the race, he faded to a disappointing eighth place—despite only needing to finish ahead of Nelson Piquet, who himself was barely conscious in fifth, to claim the title.

Reutemann’s later years were overshadowed by health issues, leading to his death on July 7, 2021, at the age of 79.

2024

Lewis Hamilton claimed a long-awaited and record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory in a thrilling race at the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with the Mercedes driver fending off a challenge from Lando Norris to take the win.

Initially, pole-sitter George Russell led the race, pulling ahead of Hamilton as the race began. However, amid changing weather conditions, an exciting battle soon unfolded between the two Mercedes cars and the McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The lead changed hands when the field switched to intermediate tyres after the opening phase of the race. Later, as the skies cleared, Hamilton capitalised on pitting for slick tyres one lap before Norris – who also faced a slow pit stop – to become the new race leader.

While Russell retired due to a water system issue and Max Verstappen snatched P2 from Norris in the latter stages, Hamilton held his position to clinch an emotional victory. This marked a record ninth win in a single Grand Prix and his first P1 finish since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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2024 British Grand Prix Race Results

The 2024 British Grand Prix Race was held on 7 July 2024, at 3:00 pm local time.

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/Retired	PTS
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52	1:22:27.059	25
2	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	52	+1.465s	18
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	52	+7.547s	15
4	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	52	+12.429s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	52	+47.318s	11
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	52	+55.722s	8
7	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	52	+56.569s	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	52	+63.577s	4
9	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	52	+68.387s	2
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	52	+79.303s	1
11	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams Mercedes	52	+88.960s	0
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	52	+90.153s	0
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB Honda RBPT	51	+1 lap	0
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	51	+1 lap	0
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	51	+1 lap	0
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	50	+2 laps	0
17	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	50	+2 laps	0
18	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber Ferrari	50	+2 laps	0
NC	63	George Russell	Mercedes	33	DNF	0
NC	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	0	DNS	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 7 July

Births	F1 Driver
7 July 1936	Jo Siffert (d. 1971)
7 July 1959	Alessandro Nannini

F1 Driver Deaths 7 July

Deaths	F1 Driver
7 July 1968	Jo Schlesser (b. 1928)
7 July 2010	Frank Dochnal (b. 1920)
7 July 2021	Carlos Reutemann (b. 1942)