What Happened On This Day June 30 In F1 History?

From the tragic death of F1's first world champion, Nino Farina in 1966, to Damon Hill's win at the 1996 French Grand Prix for Williams.

Lee Parker

By Lee Parker
Updated on April 3, 2025

Damon Hill Wins 1996 French Grand Prix
Damon Hill wins the 1996 French Grand Prix for Williams, bringing home a Williams 1-2 finish.

What happened on this day, June 30 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1963

Jim Clark took home a commanding victory at the 1963 French Grand Prix in Reims, driving a Lotus-Climax. He triumphed over Tony Maggs in a Cooper-Climax and Graham Hill in a BRM.

The race started under unusual circumstances: local officials allowed Graham Hill, who had stalled on the grid, to maintain his original starting position instead of moving to the back. Adding to the confusion, the race began with the unconventional use of a red flag to signal the start. Despite these distractions, Clark was unfazed and led the race from start to finish, securing his win by over a minute.

1963 French Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
118Jim ClarkLotus Climax532:10:54.3009
212Tony MaggsCooper Climax53+64.900s6
32Graham HillBRM53+133.900s0
46Jack BrabhamBrabham Climax53+135.200s3
58Dan GurneyBrabham Climax53+153.400s2
636Jo SiffertLotus BRM52+1 lap1
730Chris AmonLola Climax51+2 laps0
828Maurice  TrintignantLotus Climax50+3 laps0
932Innes IrelandBRP BRM49+4 laps0
1046Lorenzo BandiniBRM45+8 laps0
1134Jim  HallLotus BRM45+8 laps0
1210Bruce McLarenCooper Climax42DNF0
1320Trevor  TaylorLotus Climax41DNF0
NC42Phil HillLotus BRM34DNC0
NC44Jo BonnierCooper Climax32DNC0
NC48Masten GregoryLotus BRM30DNF0
NC16John SurteesFerrari12DNF0
NC38Tony  SettemberScirocco BRM5DNF0
NC4Richie GintherBRM4DNF0

1966

On this day, 30 June 1966, the world learnt of the tragic death of the first Formula 1 world champion, Nino Farina, who was killed in a road accident while en route to the 1966 French Grand Prix.

Farina’s career, which spanned three decades, was marked by numerous serious racing incidents, making his death post-retirement a poignant irony. His sole championship win was fiercely contested; he entered the decisive race at Monza, trailing his Alfa Romeo teammates, Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli, in the points standings. Fortunately for Farina, he drove a newer model of the car than Fagioli, and when Fangio’s gearbox failed, Farina seized the opportunity to clinch the championship.

His career wound down after he endured several severe crashes at the start of the 1954 season. He made a brief comeback in 1955 but was so afflicted by pain that he resorted to morphine for relief. Farina continued to compete in sports car races and the Indy 500 for a few more years before retiring permanently.

1975

Ralf Schumacher was born on this day, 30 June 1975, in Hürth-Hermülheim near Cologne, Germany. Growing up alongside his older brother Michael Schumacher, Ralf began his racing career at a young age on their parents’ go-kart track in Kerpen. His progression led him from karts to Formula 3 in 1995, and his success in the Japanese Formula Nippon series paved the way for his Formula One debut with Jordan in 1997.

Despite showing flashes of potential, Ralf struggled to emerge from the considerable shadow cast by his celebrated brother. His breakthrough came in 2001, capturing his first three Grand Prix victories at Imola, Montreal, and Hockenheim. He achieved further wins in Malaysia in 2002 and at the European and French Grands Prix in 2003, which marked the peak of his career.

After a high-profile but ultimately disappointing shift to Toyota in 2005, his career began to wane, leading him to retire from Formula One two years later to pursue a career in DTM racing.

On July 14 2024, Schumacher made F1 history by becoming the fourth openly LGBTQ+ driver in the sport.

1996

Damon Hill secured a victory at the 1996 French Grand Prix, with his teammate Jacques Villeneuve finishing second, resulting in a Williams 1-2 finish. This was the fourth Williams 1-2 finish of the season and significantly diminished Michael Schumacher’s chances of winning the championship in his inaugural season with Ferrari, especially after Schumacher’s engine catastrophically failed during the parade lap. Jean Alesi finished in thrid for Benetton.

This was the last Grand Prix where a Forti car started the race as they would fail to qualify for the remaining Grand Prix they would enter. Both cars were forced to retire.

Formula One History Recommends

1996 French Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
15Damon HillWilliams Renault721:36:28.79510
26Jacques VilleneuveWilliams Renault72+8.127s6
33Jean AlesiBenetton Renault72+46.442s4
44Gerhard BergerBenetton Renault72+46.859s3
57Mika HakkinenMcLaren Mercedes72+62.774s2
68David CoulthardMcLaren Mercedes71+1 lap1
79Olivier PanisLigier Mugen Honda71+1 lap0
812Martin BrundleJordan Peugeot71+1 lap0
911Rubens BarrichelloJordan Peugeot71+1 lap0
1019Mika SaloTyrrell Yamaha70+2 laps0
1116Ricardo RossetFootwork Hart69+3 laps0
1220Pedro LamyMinardi Ford69+3 laps0
NC15Heinz-Harald FrentzenSauber Ford56DNF0
NC18Ukyo KatayamaTyrrell Yamaha33DNF0
NC22Luca BadoerForti Ford29DNF0
NC10Pedro DinizLigier Mugen Honda28DNF0
NC17Jos VerstappenFootwork Hart10DNF0
NC2Eddie IrvineFerrari5DNF0
NC21Giancarlo FisichellaMinardi Ford2DNF0
NC23Andrea MonterminiForti Ford2DNF0
NC1Michael SchumacherFerrari0DNF0

2013

The 2013 British Grand Prix, held on June 30 at Silverstone Circuit, was the eighth round of the 2013 Formula One World Championship. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton secured pole for his home race with a time of 1:29.607 and led the initial stages of the race. However, on lap 8, Hamilton suffered a left-rear tyre failure, dropping him down the order and promoting Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to the lead. The race saw multiple tyre failures, including incidents involving Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Toro Rosso’s Jean-Éric Vergne, leading to a safety car to clear debris and address safety concerns.

Vettel maintained his lead until lap 41, when a gearbox failure forced him to retire, bringing out the safety car once more. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg inherited the lead and managed to fend off a late charge from Red Bull’s Mark Webber to secure victory. Webber finished second, while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso completed the podium in third place.

Post-race, Pirelli faced scrutiny over the tyre failures, prompting immediate investigations and subsequent changes to their construction for future races to enhance safety.

2013 British Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
19Nico RosbergMercedes521:32:59.45625
22Mark WebberRed Bull Racing Renault52+0.765s18
33Fernando AlonsoFerrari52+7.124s15
410Lewis HamiltonMercedes52+7.756s12
57Kimi RäikkönenLotus Renault52+11.257s10
64Felipe MassaFerrari52+14.573s8
715Adrian SutilForce India Mercedes52+16.335s6
819Daniel RicciardoSTR Ferrari52+16.543s4
914Paul di RestaForce India Mercedes52+17.943s2
1011Nico HulkenbergSauber Ferrari52+19.709s1
1116Pastor MaldonadoWilliams Renault52+21.135s0
1217Valtteri BottasWilliams Renault52+25.094s0
135Jenson ButtonMcLaren Mercedes52+25.969s0
1412Esteban GutierrezSauber Ferrari52+26.285s0
1520Charles PicCaterham Renault52+31.613s0
1622Jules BianchiMarussia Cosworth52+36.097s0
1723Max ChiltonMarussia Cosworth52+67.660s0
1821Giedo van der GardeCaterham Renault52+67.759s0
198Romain GrosjeanLotus Renault51DNF0
206Sergio PerezMcLaren Mercedes46DNF0
NC1Sebastian VettelRed Bull Racing Renault41DNF0
NC18Jean-Eric VergneSTR Ferrari35DNF0

2019

The 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, held on June 30 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, marked the ninth round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had secured pole the day before with a time of 1:03.003, with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen second but experienced an anti-stall issue at the start, dropping him to eighth by Turn 2. Leclerc maintained his lead in the initial stages, while Verstappen began a determined recovery through the field. By lap 9, Verstappen had climbed to fifth place, overtaking drivers including Kimi Räikkönen and Lando Norris. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who started fourth, encountered front wing damage from repeatedly running over kerbs, requiring a pit stop on lap 31 that dropped him to fifth. ​

As the race unfolded, Verstappen continued his charge, overtaking Sebastian Vettel on lap 50 and Valtteri Bottas on lap 56 to move into second place. He then closed the gap to Leclerc, engaging in a fierce battle for the lead. On lap 69, Verstappen executed a contentious overtake at Turn 3, making contact with Leclerc and forcing him off the track. Despite an investigation, the stewards deemed the move a racing incident, allowing Verstappen to claim victory. This win marked the first for a Honda-powered F1 car since 2006 and ended Mercedes’ winning streak for the season. Leclerc finished second, with Bottas completing the podium in third. All 20 drivers finished the race, a result last seen at the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix.

2019 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
133Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda711:22:01.82226
216Charles LeclercFerrari71+2.724s18
377Valtteri BottasMercedes71+18.960s15
45Sebastian VettelFerrari71+19.610s12
544Lewis HamiltonMercedes71+22.805s10
64Lando NorrisMcLaren Renault70+1 lap8
710Pierre GaslyRed Bull Racing Honda70+1 lap6
855Carlos SainzMcLaren Renault70+1 lap4
97Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari70+1 lap2
1099Antonio GiovinazziAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari70+1 lap1
1111Sergio PerezRacing Point BWT Mercedes70+1 lap0
123Daniel RicciardoRenault70+1 lap0
1327Nico HulkenbergRenault70+1 lap0
1418Lance StrollRacing Point BWT Mercedes70+1 lap0
1523Alexander AlbonScuderia Toro Rosso Honda70+1 lap0
168Romain GrosjeanHaas Ferrari70+1 lap0
1726Daniil KvyatScuderia Toro Rosso Honda70+1 lap0
1863George RussellWilliams Mercedes69+2 laps0
1920Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari69+2 laps0
2088Robert KubicaWilliams Mercedes68+3 laps0
Note – Verstappen scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

2024

George Russell seized a surprising win at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris clashed in a contentious battle for the lead during the race’s final laps.

With eight laps remaining at the Red Bull Ring, the Red Bull of Verstappen and the McLaren of Norris collided while fighting for the lead. The stewards found Verstappen at fault and imposed a 10-second penalty, while Norris was forced to retire. This allowed Russell to capitalise and secure Mercedes’ first win since November 2022.

Oscar Piastri for McLaren came home in second, with Carlos Sainz for Ferrari in third.

Full Race Report

2024 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/RetiredPTS
163George RussellMercedes711:24:22.79825
281Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes71+1.906s18
355Carlos SainzFerrari71+4.533s15
444Lewis HamiltonMercedes71+23.142s12
51Max Verstappen1Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT71+37.253s10
627Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari71+54.088s8
711Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT71+54.672s6
820Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari71+60.355s4
93Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT71+61.169s2
1010Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault71+61.766s1
1116Charles LeclercFerrari71+67.056s0
1231Esteban OconAlpine Renault71+68.325s0
1318Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes70+1 lap0
1422Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT70+1 lap0
1523Alexander Albon2Williams Mercedes70+1 lap0
1677Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari70+1 lap0
1724Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari70+1 lap0
1814Fernando Alonso3Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes70+1 lap0
192Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes69+2 laps0
204Lando Norris4McLaren Mercedes64+7 laps0
1Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.
2Albon received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at pit entry.
3Fastest lap: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – 1:07.694 (lap 70)
4Norris received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times.

F1 Driver Birthdays 30 June

BirthdayF1 Driver
30 June 1975Ralf Schumacher

F1 Driver Deaths 30 June

DeathF1 Driver
30 June 1966Giuseppe Farina (b. 1906)
30 June 1974Eddie Johnson (b. 1919)

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Lee Parker
Lee Parker

Lee is our staff writer specialising in anything technical within Formula 1 from aerodynamics to engines. Lee writes most of our F1 guides for beginners and experienced fans as well as our F1 on this day posts having followed the sport since 1991, researching and understanding how teams build the ultimate machines. Like everyone else on the team he listens to podcasts about F1 and enjoys reading biographies of former drivers.

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