What happened on this day, March 1 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1969
The 1969 season started with its first round, the 1969 South African Grand Prix, an 80-lap race in which Jackie Stewart won with Matra from fourth on the grid. Lotus driver Graham Hill secured second place, while the McLaren of Denny Hulme rounded out the top three.
In the lead-up to the season opener, all competing teams except Ferrari were expected to field two drivers each. Enzo Ferrari, the head of the Ferrari team, initially surprised the racing community by nominating two drivers. However, this decision was later revised, and only Chris Amon was ultimately entered to represent Ferrari. In contrast, teams like Brabham, BRM, Lotus, Matra, and McLaren all nominated two drivers for the race.
1969 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Jackie Stewart | Matra Ford | 80 | 1:50:39.100 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 80 | +18.800s | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 80 | +31.800s | 4 |
| 4 | 4 | Jo Siffert | Lotus Ford | 80 | +49.200s | 3 |
| 5 | 6 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 8 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra Ford | 78 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 11 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 77 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | Sam Tingle | Brabham Repco | 73 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Peter de Klerk | Brabham Repco | 67 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Jochen Rindt | Lotus Ford | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | John Surtees | BRM | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Chris Amon | Ferrari | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | John Love | Lotus Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jacky Ickx | Brabham Ford | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Basil van Rooyen | McLaren Ford | 12 | DNF | 0 |
1975
The 1975 South African Grand Prix was the 21st edition of the race since its beginning in 1934 and the ninth time at the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg. Jody Scheckter etched his name in F1 history as the first South African to win the race. Driving the Tyrrell 007, he seized the lead from Carlos Pace on the third lap and maintained it to secure a victory by a margin of three seconds over Carlos Reutemann in the Brabham BT44B. Patrick Depailler, Scheckter’s teammate, completed the podium in third place.
The race also featured Lella Lombardi. She became the first woman to compete in a World Championship race since Maria Teresa de Filippis at the 1958 Italian Grand Prix.
1975 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jody Scheckter | Tyrrell Ford | 78 | 1:43:16.900 | 9 |
| 2 | 7 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Ford | 78 | +3.740s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 78 | +16.920s | 4 |
| 4 | 8 | Carlos Pace | Brabham Ford | 78 | +17.310s | 3 |
| 5 | 12 | Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 78 | +28.640s | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | Jochen Mass | McLaren Ford | 78 | +63.340s | 1 |
| 7 | 23 | Rolf Stommelen | Hill Ford | 78 | +72.910s | 0 |
| 8 | 28 | Mark Donohue | Penske Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Tom Pryce | Shadow Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 5 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 34 | Guy Tunmer | Lotus Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 6 | Jacky Ickx | Lotus Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 33 | Eddie Keizan | Lotus Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Dave Charlton | McLaren Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | Bob Evans | BRM | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 11 | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | 71 | DNF | 0 |
| 17 | 27 | Mario Andretti | Parnelli Ford | 70 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Jacques Laffite | Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams | 69 | +9 laps | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | McLaren Ford | 65 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Ian Scheckter | Tyrrell Ford | 55 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | James Hunt | Hesketh Ford | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Shadow Ford | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Lella Lombardi | March Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Arturo Merzario | Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | John Watson | Surtees Ford | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Vittorio Brambilla | March Ford | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | DNF | 0 |
1980
Driving for Renault, Rene Arnoux clinched victory at the 1980 South African Grand Prix, marking his second win in just three races, propelling him to the top of the 1980 Drivers’ Championship. He benefitted somewhat from a stroke of luck as Jean-Pierre Jabouille, his teammate, was forced out of the lead due to a puncture with only 17 laps to go. A similar fortune had favoured Arnoux in Brazil, where he won after Jabouille’s turbocharger failed while leading. Meanwhile, Ferrari‘s dismal season continued, with no points from the first three races, as Jody Scheckter exited the race due to engine failure after 14 laps and Gilles Villeneuve withdrew with a broken drive shaft after 31 laps. Jacques Laffite finished in second place for Ligier, and teammate Didier Pironi finished in third.
1980 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 78 | 1:36:52.540 | 9 |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Ford | 78 | +34.070s | 6 |
| 3 | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier Ford | 78 | +52.490s | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 78 | +61.020s | 3 |
| 5 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | Clay Regazzoni | Ensign Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 6 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 11 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 17 | Geoff Lees | Shadow Ford | 70 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell Ford | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi Ford | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | 53 | +25 laps | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 31 | Eddie Cheever | Osella Ford | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
1992
Williams driver Nigel Mansell won the season opener at Kyalami for the 1992 South African Grand Prix before a crowd of 80,000 fans. Controversy arose when Andrea Sassetti, the new owner of the struggling Andrea Moda team, was asked to pay a US$100,000 entry fee. He contested the charge, arguing that he had bought an existing team, but was nonetheless compelled to pay, despite exemptions granted to the March and Fondmetal teams who were in similar positions. Mansell’s teammate Riccardo Patrese finished second, with Ayrton Senna completing the podium in third place for McLaren.
1992 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Renault | 72 | 1:36:45.320 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams Renault | 72 | +24.360s | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren Honda | 72 | +34.675s | 4 |
| 4 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton Ford | 72 | +47.863s | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren Honda | 72 | +73.634s | 2 |
| 6 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus Ford | 71 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier Renault | 71 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork Mugen Honda | 70 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus Ford | 70 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork Mugen Honda | 70 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan Yamaha | 70 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi Lamborghini | 68 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham Judd | 68 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell Ilmor | 62 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier Renault | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara Ferrari | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi Lamborghini | 55 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara Ferrari | 46 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi Lamborghini | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell Ilmor | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March Ilmor | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi Lamborghini | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
2009
Ron Dennis stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of the McLaren Technology Group (MTG) after a shareholder meeting on Tuesday. Dennis, who joined McLaren in 1980 and guided the F1 team to 17 world championship titles, went on gardening leave until his contract concluded in January 2010. He continued to serve on the MTG board and retained his shareholder status. The move came after conflicts between Dennis and the group’s majority shareholders regarding management approaches and the company’s strategic direction.
F1 Driver Birthdays 1 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 March 1919 | Leroy Warriner |
F1 Driver Deaths 1 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 March 1984 | Peter Walker |
| 1 March 1987 | Wolfgang Seidel |
| 1 March 1995 | Jackie Holmes |
| 1 March 2006 | Leo Drollinger |
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