What Happened On This Day June 28 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, June 28 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1964

Dan Gurney clinched Brabham’s first Formula 1 victory at the 1964 French Grand Prix in Rouen. Team owner Jack Brabham also drove for the team and finished third behind Graham Hill in a BRM.

The race featured an intense fight for the lead between Jim Clark and Gurney, which concluded on lap 31 when Clark’s engine failed, paving the way for Gurney’s relatively unchallenged finish. Hill showed promise in the early laps before a spin set him back, yet he managed to recover and secure second place.

Meanwhile, Mike Hailwood ended up in eighth place. This was impressive, considering he had won the Dutch TT motorcycle race at Assen just the day before and had driven back to Rouen for the Grand Prix due to an airline strike.

1964 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	22	Dan Gurney	Brabham Climax	57	2:07:49.100	9
2	8	Graham Hill	BRM	57	+24.100s	6
3	20	Jack Brabham	Brabham Climax	57	+24.900s	4
4	4	Peter  Arundell	Lotus Climax	57	+70.600s	3
5	10	Richie Ginther	BRM	57	+132.100s	2
6	12	Bruce McLaren	Cooper Climax	56	+1 lap	1
7	14	Phil Hill	Cooper Climax	56	+1 lap	0
8	6	Mike Hailwood	Lotus BRM	56	+1 lap	0
9	26	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	55	+2 laps	0
10	34	Chris Amon	Lotus BRM	53	+4 laps	0
11	28	Maurice  Trintignant	BRM	52	+5 laps	0
12	19	Bob Anderson	Brabham Climax	50	+7 laps	0
NC	16	Innes Ireland	BRP BRM	31	DNF	0
NC	2	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	31	DNF	0
NC	24	John Surtees	Ferrari	6	DNF	0
NC	18	Trevor  Taylor	BRP BRM	6	DNF	0
NC	30	Jo Siffert	Brabham BRM	4	DNF	0

1998

The 1998 French Grand Prix was a pivotal moment in the season, with Ferrari, led by Michael Schumacher, beginning to mount a challenge against McLaren and Mika Hakkinen. Despite McLaren’s dominance in winning five of the season’s first seven races, Ferrari made considerable strides with their car during a three-week break and two test sessions.

Hakkinen had secured pole position at Magny Cours, but Schumacher and Eddie Irvine overtook him at the start. Irvine effectively shielded Schumacher, allowing him to establish a lead, although Hakkinen eventually managed to pass him. Nonetheless, Hakkinen’s hold on second place was short-lived, as he soon spun out and fell to fourth place. McLaren driver David Coulthard couldn’t help in the sister McLaren when fuel hose issues affected his race during his pit stops, ultimately finishing sixth. Irvine finished second, with Finn Hakkinen climbing back to third.

Schumacher secured three more victories that season, but it was Hakkinen who clinched the 1998 Championship with four more wins of his own.

1998 French Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	1:34:45.026	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	71	+19.575s	6
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	71	+19.747s	4
4	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Mecachrome	71	+66.965s	3
5	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton Playlife	70	+1 lap	2
6	7	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	70	+1 lap	1
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber Petronas	70	+1 lap	0
8	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber Petronas	70	+1 lap	0
9	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Playlife	70	+1 lap	0
10	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart Ford	69	+2 laps	0
11	11	Olivier Panis	Prost Peugeot	69	+2 laps	0
12	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart Ford	69	+2 laps	0
13	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	69	+2 laps	0
14	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	69	+2 laps	0
15	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams Mecachrome	68	DNF	0
16	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan Mugen Honda	68	+3 laps	0
17	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi Ford	65	DNF	0
NC	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell Ford	60	DNF	0
NC	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost Peugeot	55	DNF	0
NC	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi Ford	41	DNF	0
NC	9	Damon Hill	Jordan Mugen Honda	19	DNF	0
NC	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell Ford	16	DNF	0

2002

In a strategic financial move, the Italian banking giant Mediobank acquired a 34% stake in Ferrari from FIAT, which was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, for $768 million.

Over the following years, Mediobank gradually divested this stake to various other banks. By 2005, much of the 34% had changed hands, leaving FIAT with a 56% share and Piero Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari’s sole surviving son, with 10%.

Many analysts initially believed Mediobank had paid too much; however, as the shares were sold, Ferrari’s market valuation remained stable at approximately $2.25 billion. This value likely increased when Ferrari divested its Maserati brand to Alfa Romeo during the same period.

2005

One week after withdrawing its tyres due to safety concerns at the 2005 US Grand Prix, Michelin announced its decision to refund all spectators at Indianapolis and provide 20,000 complimentary tickets for the following year’s event. This gesture was made a day before the teams supplied by Michelin were to face charges in Paris for tarnishing the sport’s reputation.

Michelin commented, “One week after the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Michelin wishes to make a sincere gesture of goodwill towards the people present at the GP, a group whose passion for F1 is encouraging in the development of this sport in the United States.”

2007

Robert Kubica, on this day, expressed scepticism regarding claims that his life had been miraculously saved by the late Pope John Paul II.

Earlier in the year, Kubica had survived a severe crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, leading a Polish news agency to suggest that his survival contributed to the miracle evidence needed in the beatification process of John Paul II.

Despite his roots in Krakow, the same city as the late pope, and often racing with the pontiff’s name on his helmet, Kubica was puzzled by the reports: “I know nothing about this. In Poland there are many things that are reported that are not true. I don’t know by whom I was saved, I don’t know if I was saved by someone. I’m here in one piece so I think that is very positive.”

The original report originated from a Church source seeking to gather sufficient miracle evidence to saint John Paul II.

2020

The 2020 French Grand Prix, initially scheduled for June 28 at Circuit Paul Ricard, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The French government’s extension of restrictions on major events until mid-July and ongoing travel limitations made it impossible to hold the race as planned. This cancellation was the tenth Formula One race affected by the pandemic in the 2020 F1 World Championship.

Eric Boullier, Managing Director of the GIP Grand Prix de France—Le Castellet, supported the government’s decision and focused on preparing for the 2021 event. Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey also backed the cancellation and looked forward to returning to Circuit Paul Ricard in the future.

F1 Driver Birthdays 28 June

Birthday	F1 Driver
28 June 1923	Adolfo Schwelm-Cruz (d. 2012)
28 June 1991	Will Stevens

F1 Driver Deaths 28 June

Death	F1 Driver
28 June 1960	Juan Jover (b. 1903
28 June 1992	Peter Hirt (b. 1910)
28 June 2016	Andre Guelfi (b. 1919)