What Happened On This Day June 21 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, June 21 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1953

Alberto Ascari clinched victory at the 1953 Belgian Grand Prix after an exciting race. Juan Manuel Fangio started on pole and initially pulled away with his teammate Froilan Gonzales, followed by Ascari. However, engine troubles for the two leading Maseratis allowed Ascari to overtake and secure the win, followed by Luigi Villoresi and Onofre Marimon.

1953 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	10	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	36	2:48:30.300	8
2	8	Luigi  Villoresi	Ferrari	36	+158.200s	6
NC	6	Johnny Claes	Maserati		SHC	0
NC	6	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	35	DNF	0
3	28	Onofre Marimon	Maserati	35	+1 lap	4
4	30	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	35	+1 lap	3
5	18	Maurice  Trintignant	Gordini	35	+1 lap	2
6	14	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	35	+1 lap	0
7	20	Harry Schell	Gordini	33	+3 laps	0
8	32	Louis  Rosier	Ferrari	33	+3 laps	0
9	38	Fred Wacker	Gordini	32	+4 laps	0
10	24	Paul Frere	HWM Alta	30	+6 laps	0
11	40	Andre Pilette	Connaught Lea Francis	29	+7 laps	0
NC	22	Lance Macklin	HWM Alta	19	DNF	0
NC	12	Nino Farina	Ferrari	16	DNF	0
NC	4	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	13	DNF	0
NC	2	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Maserati	11	DNF	1
NC	16	Jean Behra	Gordini	9	DNF	0
NC	26	Peter Collins	HWM Alta	4	DNF	0
NC	34	Georges Berger	Simca-Gordini	3	DNF	0
NC	36	Arthur Legat	Veritas	0	DNF	0

1969

The 1969 Dutch Grand Prix, held on June 21 at Circuit Zandvoort, was the fourth round of the 1969 Formula One World Championship. Jochen Rindt secured pole position for Lotus with a time of 1:20.85, followed closely by the Matra of Jackie Stewart and Lotus teammate Graham Hill. At the race’s start, Hill took an early lead, but Rindt overtook him on lap 3. However, Rindt’s race ended prematurely on lap 16 due to a driveshaft failure, allowing Stewart to assume the lead. Stewart maintained his position for the remainder of the 90-lap race, securing victory with a time of 2:06:42.08.​

Jo Siffert, driving for Lotus, advanced from his tenth-place starting position to finish second, trailing Stewart by 24.52 seconds. Ferrari’s Chris Amon completed the podium in third place. Notable retirements included Bruce McLaren, who exited on lap 24 due to suspension issues, and Piers Courage, who would die at the same race, on the same day a year later, retired on lap 12 with clutch problems. Following this race, Stewart led the Drivers’ Championship with 27 points, while Matra-Ford topped the Constructors’ standings with an equal tally.

1969 Dutch Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	4	Jackie Stewart	Matra Ford	90	2:06:42.080	9
2	10	Jo Siffert	Lotus Ford	90	+24.520s	6
3	8	Chris Amon	Ferrari	90	+30.510s	4
4	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	90	+37.160s	3
5	12	Jacky Ickx	Brabham Ford	90	+37.670s	2
6	11	Jack Brabham	Brabham Ford	90	+70.810s	1
7	1	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	88	+2 laps	0
8	5	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra Ford	87	+3 laps	0
9	14	John Surtees	BRM	87	+3 laps	0
10	18	Vic  Elford	McLaren Ford	84	+6 laps	0
NC	17	Silvio  Moser	Brabham Ford	54	DNF	0
NC	6	Bruce McLaren	McLaren Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	2	Jochen Rindt	Lotus Ford	16	DNF	0
NC	16	Piers  Courage	Brabham Ford	12	DNF	0
NC	15	Jackie Oliver	BRM	9	DNF	0

1970

Piers Courage, a promising Formula 1 driver, tragically died on this day at age 28 during the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. As the lead driver for Frank Williams Racing Cars, which entered Formula One in 1969, Courage drove the team’s Brabham BT26, securing podium finishes in Monaco and the US. In 1970, the team switched to a lighter De Tomaso chassis made partly from magnesium. During the race, Courage’s car veered off the track, rolled over an embankment, and caught fire, leading to a fatal accident. The investigation suggested that he died instantly upon impact. Courage had competed in 29 Grand Prix races, achieving two podiums and scoring 20 championship points.

Formula One History Recommends

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  List of Fatal Accidents in F1

1970

The 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, held on June 21 at Circuit Zandvoort, was the fifth round of the 1970 Formula One World Championship. Jochen Rindt had secured pole position driving the innovative Lotus 72, a car featuring a radical wedge shape, inboard brakes, and torsion bar suspension. Rindt’s mastery of the new car was evident as he dominated both qualifying and the race, leading for 78 of the 80 laps and finishing 30 seconds ahead of second-placed Jackie Stewart in a March. Jacky Ickx completed the podium, finishing third for Ferrari. The race also saw the Formula One debut of Clay Regazzoni, who finished fourth for Ferrari.

The race was marred by the tragic death of British driver Piers Courage. On lap 22, Courage’s De Tomaso-Ford suffered a suspension failure, leading to a fatal crash at the Tunnel Oost corner. The car somersaulted and caught fire, resulting in Courage’s immediate death. Despite the severity of the accident, the race continued, casting a somber shadow over the proceedings. A similar accident occurred at the 1973 race, which claimed the life of Roger Williamson.

1970 Dutch Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	10	Jochen Rindt	Lotus Ford	80	1:50:43.410	9
2	5	Jackie Stewart	March Ford	80	+30.000s	6
3	25	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	79	+1 lap	4
4	26	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	79	+1 lap	3
5	23	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	79	+1 lap	2
6	16	John Surtees	McLaren Ford	79	+1 lap	1
7	12	John  Miles	Lotus Ford	78	+2 laps	0
8	24	Henri Pescarolo	Matra	78	+2 laps	0
9	22	Ronnie Peterson	March Ford	78	+2 laps	0
10	1	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	77	+3 laps	0
11	18	Jack Brabham	Brabham Ford	76	+4 laps	0
NC	15	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	71	+9 laps	0
NC	6	Francois  Cevert	March Ford	31	DNF	0
NC	3	George Eaton	BRM	26	DNF	0
NC	2	Jackie Oliver	BRM	23	DNF	0
NC	4	Piers  Courage	De Tomaso Ford	22	DNF	0
NC	9	Jo Siffert	March Ford	22	DNF	0
NC	20	Peter  Gethin	McLaren Ford	18	DNF	0
NC	32	Dan Gurney	McLaren Ford	2	DNF	0
NC	8	Chris Amon	March Ford	1	DNF	0

1981

At the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, held at the Jarama circuit, spectators witnessed one of Formula One’s tightest finishes. Gilles Villeneuve, driving for Ferrari, advanced from seventh to first by the 14th lap, closely pursued by a pack led by Jacques Laffite. While Villeneuve showed more speed on the straights, he had to defend his position in the corners fiercely. In the final 18 laps, the top cars trailed him in a tight line, but Villeneuve managed to keep them at bay, securing a win with the first five cars finishing within just 1.24 seconds of each other — the second-closest finish in the F1 history at that time.

Laffite finished in second for Ligier while Birtihs driver John Watson took third for McLaren.

This was the 300th Grand Prix in which a Frenchman participated. In those 300 races, French drivers had won 15 Grands Prix, achieved 106 podium finishes, 24 pole positions, 29 fastest laps and 2 Grand Slams.

1981 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	27	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	80	1:46:35.010	9
2	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Matra	80	+0.220s	6
3	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	80	+0.580s	4
4	2	Carlos Reutemann	Williams Ford	80	+1.010s	3
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Ford	80	+1.240s	2
6	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus Ford	80	+28.580s	1
7	1	Alan  Jones	Williams Ford	80	+56.580s	0
8	22	Mario Andretti	Alfa Romeo	80	+60.800s	0
9	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	80	+67.080s	0
10	23	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	80	+73.650s	0
11	21	Chico Serra	Fittipaldi Ford	79	+1 lap	0
12	20	Keke Rosberg	Fittipaldi Ford	78	+2 laps	0
13	33	Patrick Tambay	Theodore Ford	78	+2 laps	0
14	14	Eliseo Salazar	Ensign Ford	77	+3 laps	0
15	28	Didier Pironi	Ferrari	76	+4 laps	0
16	17	Derek Daly	March Ford	75	+5 laps	0
NC	3	Eddie  Cheever	Tyrrell Ford	61	+19 laps	0
NC	25	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Ligier Matra	52	DNF	0
NC	6	Hector Rebaque	Brabham Ford	46	DNF	0
NC	30	Siegfried Stohr	Arrows Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	15	Alain Prost	Renault	28	DNF	0
NC	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	8	Andrea de Cesaris	McLaren Ford	9	DNF	0

1986

After securing pole position for the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna left the circuit to watch the World Cup quarter-final match between France and Brazil. He recorded a commentary on his qualifying lap for the media. Brazil was defeated on penalties, but Senna returned to win the Grand Prix the following day.

1987

The 1987 Detroit Grand Prix, held on June 21, 1987, at the Detroit street circuit, was the sixth iteration of the event and the fifth round of the 1987 Formula One World Championship. Ayrton Senna, driving the Lotus 99T equipped with computer-controlled active suspension, secured victory, marking his second consecutive win following his triumph at Monaco. Senna’s mastery over the bumpy street circuit allowed him to manage his tires effectively, enabling him to complete the 63-lap race without a pit stop and finish 33 seconds ahead of Nelson Piquet in the Williams FW11B. Reigning world champion Alain Prost completed the podium, securing third place in his McLaren MP4/3.

Pole-sitter Nigel Mansell who had impressively lapped the 4.023 km Detroit circuit in under 1:40 during qualifying, led the initial stages of the race. However, after a tyre change, he experienced cramping in his right leg, hindering his ability to brake effectively. Despite contemplating retirement due to the pain, Mansell persevered to finish fifth, one lap down from Senna.

This race was Team Lotus’s final victory in Formula One, ending a historic journey that began with their first win at the 1961 United States Grand Prix. The next occasion on which a car bearing the Lotus name would win a Grand Prix was the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, won by Kimi Räikkönen driving for the Lotus F1 team.

1987 Detroit Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus Honda	63	1:50:16.358	9
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams Honda	63	+33.819s	6
3	1	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	63	+45.327s	4
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	63	+62.601s	3
5	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Honda	62	+1 lap	2
6	18	Eddie  Cheever	Arrows Megatron	60	DNF	1
7	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren TAG	60	+3 laps	0
8	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	60	+3 laps	0
9	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham BMW	60	+3 laps	0
10	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier Megatron	60	+3 laps	0
11	3	Jonathan  Palmer	Tyrrell Ford	60	+3 laps	0
12	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS Ford	58	+5 laps	0
NC	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton Ford	52	DNF	0
NC	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier Megatron	51	+12 laps	0
NC	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell Ford	44	DNF	0
NC	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola Ford	38	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	25	DNF	0
NC	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi Motori Moderni	22	DNF	0
NC	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	16	DNF	0
NC	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows Megatron	12	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	March Ford	9	DNF	0
NC	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton Ford	6	DNF	0
NC	21	Alex Caffi	Osella Alfa Romeo	3	DNF	0
NC	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham BMW	2	DNF	0
NC	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi Motori Moderni	1	DNF	0
NC	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus Honda	0	DNF	0

2009

Sebastian Vettel triumphed for Red Bull Racing at the 2009 British Grand Prix, leading from start to finish ahead of his teammate Mark Webber and Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello.

Vettel’s commanding performance was complemented by Webber, who overtook Barrichello during the pit stops. Championship leader Jenson Button struggled in the sister Brawn GP car, finishing sixth after losing three places at the start.

2009 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	RBR Renault	60	1:22:49.328	10
2	14	Mark Webber	RBR Renault	60	+15.188s	8
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn Mercedes	60	+41.175s	6
4	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	60	+45.043s	5
5	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams Toyota	60	+45.915s	4
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn Mercedes	60	+46.285s	3
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	60	+68.307s	2
8	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	60	+69.622s	1
9	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	60	+69.823s	0
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India Mercedes	60	+71.522s	0
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams Toyota	60	+74.023s	0
12	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
13	5	Robert Kubica	Sauber BMW	59	+1 lap	0
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber BMW	59	+1 lap	0
16	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	59	+1 lap	0
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	59	+1 lap	0
18	12	Sebastien Buemi	STR Ferrari	59	+1 lap	0
NC	11	Sebastien Bourdais	STR Ferrari	37	DNF	0
NC	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren Mercedes	36	DNF	0

2015

The 2015 Austrian Grand Prix, held on June 21 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, was the eighth round of the 2015 Formula One World Championship. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg secured victory after starting from second on the grid, overtaking his teammate Lewis Hamilton at the start and maintaining the lead for the majority of the 71-lap race. Hamilton, who began from pole position, finished second but received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit, widening Rosberg’s winning margin to 8.8 seconds. Williams‘ Felipe Massa completed the podium, finishing third after a strategic race and benefiting from a slow pit stop by the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel, who ultimately secured fourth place. ​

The race started under dramatic fashion when Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso collided on the opening lap, leading to their immediate retirements and the deployment of the safety car. The incident resulted in Alonso’s car mounting Räikkönen’s, though both drivers emerged unscathed. Other retirements included Lotus’s Romain Grosjean due to gearbox issues and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz with electrical problems.

2015 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	1:30:16.930	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+8.800s	18
3	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	71	+17.573s	15
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+18.181s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	71	+53.604s	10
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	71	+64.075s	8
7	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus Mercedes	70	+1 lap	6
8	33	Max Verstappen	STR Renault	70	+1 lap	4
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	70	+1 lap	2
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing Renault	70	+1 lap	1
11	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing Renault	70	+1 lap	0
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	69	+2 laps	0
14	98	Roberto Merhi	Marussia Ferrari	68	+3 laps	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Mercedes	35	DNF	0
NC	55	Carlos Sainz	STR Renault	35	DNF	0
NC	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Honda	8	DNF	0
NC	28	Will Stevens	Marussia Ferrari	1	DNF	0
NC	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	0	DNF	0
NC	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda	0	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 21 June

Birthday	F1 Driver
21 June 1937	John Cannon (d. 1999)

Birthday	F1 Mentions
20 June 1979	James Vowles Team Principal for Williams. He previously worked for the Mercedes team.

F1 Driver Deaths 21 June

Death	F1 Driver
21 June 1970	Piers Courage (b. 1942)
21 June 2021	Brian Raubenheimer (b. 1940)