What happened on this day, March 19 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1943
Vernon Schuppan was born on this day in Booleroo, Australia. Competing in Formula One from 1972 to 1977 with BRM, Ensign, Hill, and Surtees, he raced in nine Championship races alongside five non-championship events. Schuppan’s career highlight was a dominant victory at the 1974 Macau Grand Prix, where he won by an impressive four laps. He won again in 1976.
Despite describing himself as a single-seater driver, Schuppan took the win with the factory-supported Rothmans Porsche team at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Americans Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert. In 1984, he was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his contributions to motor racing.
1964
Nicola Larini, an Italian who raced in 49 Grand Prix from 1987 to 1997, was born in Camaiore, Italy. His best result was a second-place finish at the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, substituting for the injured Jean Alesi in a Ferrari. Despite securing second place in ’94, he only scored one more point in F1 at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix in his final season.
1985
Ernesto Viso, a Venezuelan driver, was born on this day. He briefly appeared in Formula One as the third driver for Spyker during the Friday practice session at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix. In 2007, he competed in the GP2 Series for Racing Engineering, and in more recent years, he drove for Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series.
1995
Former South African Formula One driver Trevor Blokdyk passed away on March 19, 1995, from a heart attack at 59 while working as a farmer. Blokdyk competed in F1 as a privateer from 1963 to 1965, entering two Championship races but qualified for only one, the 1963 South African Grand Prix.
1998
Trouble arose in Tony Blair’s administration when he confessed to violating House of Commons rules by not disclosing a £1,500 hospitality gift from Bernie Ecclestone. Blair, who attended the British Grand Prix at Silverstone with his family, faced criticism from oversight authority Sir Gordon Downey, as gifts over £215 required registration. Blair pledged to follow the rules in the future.
2006
Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella led from start to finish to secure his first Grand Prix victory in a year at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix, outpacing his teammate Fernando Alonso, who notched up his 25th podium finish. British driver Jenson Button achieved his first podium of the season for Honda, finishing third ahead of McLaren’s Juan Pablo Montoya.
Fisichella’s victory is the last for an Italian driver as of 2025. This was Renault’s first 1-2 finish since returning to F1 as a constructor in 2002 and also their first 1-2 finish overall since the 1982 French Grand Prix.
2006 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | 56 | 1:30:40.529 | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 56 | +4.585s | 8 |
| 3 | 12 | Jenson Button | Honda | 56 | +9.631s | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +39.351s | 5 |
| 5 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 56 | +43.254s | 4 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 56 | +43.854s | 3 |
| 7 | 17 | Jacques Villeneuve | Sauber BMW | 56 | +80.461s | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | Ralf Schumacher | Toyota | 56 | +81.288s | 1 |
| 9 | 8 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 20 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | STR Cosworth | 54 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 19 | Christijan Albers | MF1 Toyota | 54 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Tiago Monteiro | MF1 Toyota | 54 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri Honda | 53 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Scott Speed | STR Cosworth | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Yuji Ide | Super Aguri Honda | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Christian Klien | RBR Ferrari | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Mark Webber | Williams Cosworth | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | David Coulthard | RBR Ferrari | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Cosworth | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2023
In the second round of the season, the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Sergio Perez clinch his second career pole and emerge victorious in the race. He was followed by his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso in third for Aston Martin. However, post-race results stirred controversy when Fernando Alonso was investigated for improperly serving an earlier penalty during his pit stop. Initially, he received a ten-second penalty that relegated him to fourth place behind George Russell.
Subsequently, Alonso’s team, Aston Martin, appealed the decision. After reviewing additional evidence, the stewards retracted the penalty, reinstating Alonso to his third-place finish. Alonso criticised the FIA’s delayed penalty notice after the podium celebrations, while Russell described the penalty as too extreme.
2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 50 | 1:21:14.894 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen* | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 50 | +5.355s | 0 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 50 | +20.728s | 15 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 50 | +25.866s | 12 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 50 | +31.065s | 10 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 50 | +35.876s | 8 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 50 | +43.162s | 6 |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 50 | +52.832s | 4 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 50 | +54.747s | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 50 | +64.826s | 1 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 50 | +67.494s | 0 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 50 | +70.588s | 0 |
| 13 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 50 | +76.060s | 0 |
| 14 | 21 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 50 | +77.478s | 0 |
| 15 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 50 | +85.021s | 0 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 50 | +86.293s | 0 |
| 17 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 50 | +86.445s | 0 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 49 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| *Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race – Lap 50 – 1:31.906 | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 19 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 March 1943 | Vern Schuppan |
| 19 March 1964 | Nicola Larini |
| 19 March 1985 | Ernesto Viso |
F1 Driver Deaths 19 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 March 1995 | Trevor Blokdyk (b. 1935) |
| 19 March 2017 | Ian Stewart (b. 1929) |
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