What Happened On This Day June 26 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, June 26 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

2002

Ferrari received a $1 million penalty for violating podium protocol at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. During the race, Rubens Barrichello allowed his teammate Michael Schumacher to pass him, ensuring Schumacher’s win. However, the controversy escalated on the podium when Schumacher, in an effort to calm a disapproving crowd, urged Barrichello to join him on the top step.

Although team orders were permitted at the time, the FIA imposed the fine on Ferrari for the podium incident rather than for manipulating race outcomes. Bernie Ecclestone, at the time, commented, “There are team orders in bicycle racing and whatever. I don’t think we should change it. It’s a team event. In this case it didn’t make any difference to the constructors’ championship and as you can now see it didn’t make any difference to the world drivers’ championship either.”

2003

As the 2003 season progressed, McLaren faced significant challenges with its new car, the MP4-18, which failed another crash test on this day, June 26, 2003. Initially intended as the team’s car for 2003, it became apparent during pre-season trials that it was unsuitable for racing due to numerous unexplained crashes, overheating issues, and crash test failures. Consequently, McLaren opted to compete with a modified version of their 2002 car, the MP4-17, now designated as the MP4-17D. This updated model competed throughout the season, narrowly missing the drivers’ championship by just two points with Kimi Raikkonen as the lead driver.

The MP4-18 was ultimately abandoned, but its core design principles were integrated into the subsequent MP4-19 and MP4-19B models, with the latter claiming victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. A chassis of the MP4-18, tested by David Coulthard in 2003, was later installed in McLaren’s simulator.

2005

On this day in 2005, Max Mosley largely dismissed calls for his resignation following the problematic 2005 US Grand Prix, where only six cars competed due to safety issues with Michelin tyres.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, whose team was one of the few participants, suggested Mosley should resign after it was rumoured that a solution for the tyre issue was blocked by a single team and the FIA just hours before the race began.

Racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart also advocated for Mosley’s resignation. However, the FIA president was unfazed, remarking, “It doesn’t particularly bother me. My predecessor [Jean-Marie Balestre], when he had a conflict like this [in the FIA versus FOCA war] – and I must say I was on the other side with the teams – we used to ask him to resign on an hourly basis. He never took any notice. The fact is that the referee is often unpopular, it’s something you can’t avoid.” Asked what his response would be if the teams demanded he quit, Mosley said: “I’d take not the slightest notice. I’m not here to try to be friends with the teams, I’m here to see that Formula One is run safely and fairly and that the rules are observed and it’s the same for everyone.”

2011

The 2011 European Grand Prix took place on June 26 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain, serving as the eighth round of the 2011 Formula One World Championship. Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel had secured pole with a time of 1:36.975 and maintained his dominance throughout the race, leading every lap to claim victory. Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso finished a distant 10.891 seconds behind Vettel for P2, while Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber completed the podium in third. The Grand Prix set a new record in F1 History for the most finishers in a Formula One race, with all 24 cars that started crossing the finish line.

The race saw minimal overtakes among the lead drivers, with Vettel establishing an early lead and maintaining it throughout. Alonso and Webber were gripped in a prolonged battle for second, with strategic pit stops influencing their positions. Webber initially held second after the first round of pit stops, but Alonso regained the position during the second round, ultimately finishing ahead of Webber. This victory extended Vettel’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 77 points over both Jenson Button and Webber, who were tied for second place. Red Bull Racing also strengthened their lead in the Constructors’ Championship, now holding an 89-point advantage over McLaren.

2011 European Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	57	1:39:36.169	25
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	57	+10.891s	18
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	57	+27.255s	15
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	57	+46.190s	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	57	+51.705s	10
6	4	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	57	+60.065s	8
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	57	+98.090s	6
8	19	Jaime Alguersuari	STR Ferrari	56	+1 lap	4
9	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	56	+1 lap	2
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	56	+1 lap	1
11	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams Cosworth	56	+1 lap	0
13	18	Sebastien Buemi	STR Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
14	15	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	56	+1 lap	0
15	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	56	+1 lap	0
16	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
17	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	56	+1 lap	0
18	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Cosworth	56	+1 lap	0
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus Renault	55	+2 laps	0
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Lotus Renault	55	+2 laps	0
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Cosworth	55	+2 laps	0
22	25	Jerome d’Ambrosio	Virgin Cosworth	55	+2 laps	0
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT Cosworth	54	+3 laps	0
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT Cosworth	54	+3 laps	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 26 June

Birthday	F1 Driver
26 June 1929	Rodney Nuckey (d. 2000)
26 June 1935	Carlo Facetti
26 June 1955	Philippe Streiff

F1 Driver Deaths 26 June

Death	F1 Driver
26 June	None