What Happened On This Day March 2 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, March 2 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1913

American driver Duke Nalon was born on this day. Although he participated in three Indianapolis 500 races, his most notable performance came in 1951 when he set a new qualifying record with a lap time of 4:23.74 in his Kurtis Kraft Novi. However, the race itself was less successful; Nalon was outpaced at the start by Lee Wallard, who drove a much smaller car without a supercharged engine. By the end of the first lap, Nalon was at the back of the field and ultimately failed to finish the race.

1962

Gabriele Tarquini, born on this day in Giulianova, Italy, holds an unfortunate Formula One record. Between 1987 and 1995, he entered 78 Grands Prix but managed to start only 38 of them, failing to pre-qualify on a record 24 occasions. With pre-qualifying now a relic of F1 history, it’s likely a record that will remain unbroken. However, this statistic unfairly reflects on Tarquini’s talent; outside of F1, he enjoyed considerable success in other motorsport categories. Unfortunately, his F1 career was hampered by stints with underperforming teams.

2000

Never shying away from controversy, Bernie Ecclestone made headlines with a dismissive comment about women in Formula One. “In all likelihood, they [women] will never get the opportunity because no one will ever take them seriously,” he said. “Therefore, they’re never going to get into a competitive race car. Who is going to take a chance? Ferrari can’t take a chance.”

2001

Michael Schumacher survived a terrifying crash during the first practice session of the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. His Ferrari lost control at the high-speed 175mph Turn 6, flipped twice after digging into the gravel sideways, and came to rest in dramatic fashion. Remarkably, Schumacher emerged unharmed and was taken from the scene in a medical car. Unfazed, he claimed pole position in qualifying and went on to win the race.

2024

Introducing a departure from the norm, the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix saw a change of schdule with the race being held on a Saturday, instead of a Sunday, due to F1 observing Ramadan later in the season.

Max Verstappen defending his 2023 title with Red Bull Racing qualified on pole position and dominated the race from lights out leading all 57 laps of the race. Along with pole, securing the win, and recording the fastest lap, he earned his fifth career grand chelem (grand slam). His teammate, Sergio Pérez, clinched second place, with Carlos Sainz driving for Ferrari completing the podium in third.

2024 Bahrain Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Max Verstappen¹	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	57	1:31:44.742	26
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	57	+22.457s	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	57	+25.110s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	+39.669s	12
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	57	+46.788s	10
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	57	+48.458s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	+50.324s	6
8	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	57	+56.082s	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	57	+74.887s	2
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	57	+93.216s	1
11	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB Honda RBPT	56	+1 lap	0
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	56	+1 lap	0
15	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	56	+1 lap	0
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	56	+1 lap	0
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	56	+1 lap	0
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
20	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams Mercedes	55	+2 laps	0

¹Max Verstappen scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race – 1:32.608 on lap 39.

F1 Driver Birthdays 2 March

Birthday	F1 Driver
2 March 1913	Duke Nalon
2 March 1962	Gabriele Tarquini
2 March 1990	Adderly Fong
2 March 1999	Nikita Mazepin

Birthday	F1 Mentions
2 March 1969	Corinna Schumacher Wife of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher and mother of former F1 driver Mick Schumacher.

F1 Driver Deaths 2 March

Death	F1 Driver
2 March	None

Death	F1 Mentions
2 March 2012	Peter Agg Former team principal of Trojan F1 Team.

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Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.