What happened on this day, March 24 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1915
French driver Eugene Martin, one of the oldest drivers of the 1950 British Grand Prix, was born on this day in 1915. He drove a Talbot-Lago in that race and in the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix later the same year. In both races, he retired. Martin is best remembered for his involvement in numerous prewar Grands Prix. He claimed victory at the inaugural Grand Prix at the Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac in 1949, driving a Jicey-BMW developed by Jean Caillas. Martin passed away in 2006 at the age of 91.
1923
British driver Brian Naylor was born on this day in Salford, Manchester. His Formula One career spanned from 1957 to 1961, during which he finished only two out of seven races. Naylor later moved to Marbella to operate a café, where he died in 1989 at 66 following an accident.
1988
French racer Roger Loyer passed away at age 80 on this day in 1988. He competed in the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix driving a Gordini T16 but did not finish due to an oil pressure issue.
1991
At the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna won despite severe cramps from loosing fifth and third gears and having to maintain sixth gear in slow and medium corners, requiring help to exit his car post-race. This win marked his first home win and the first time a Brazilian had triumphed in their home race since 1986. An eagerly awaited showdown with Nigel Mansell ended prematurely when Mansell’s Williams retired due to gearbox and transmission issues 12 laps from the finish. Senna, facing his own gearbox troubles, managed to coax his car across the line, securing a narrow 2.9-second win over Riccardo Patrese in second for Williams. Senna’s Austrian teammate Gerhard Berger was third.
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren Honda | 71 | 1:38:28.128 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams Renault | 71 | +2.991s | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren Honda | 71 | +5.416s | 4 |
| 4 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 71 | +19.369s | 3 |
| 5 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton Ford | 71 | +21.960s | 2 |
| 6 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 71 | +23.641s | 1 |
| 7 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton Ford | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi Ferrari | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| 9 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus Judd | 68 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier Lamborghini | 68 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara Judd | 68 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham Yamaha | 67 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan Ford | 63 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Renault | 59 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier Lamborghini | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi Ferrari | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham Yamaha | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola Ford | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara Judd | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan Ford | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell Honda | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House Ilmor | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell Honda | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House Ilmor | 9 | DNF | 0 |
2002
Bob Said, an American property mogul and avid motorsport enthusiast, passed away at 69 from cancer. While he built a vast fortune in real estate, his passion remained with motorsport, having raced in the 1959 United States Grand Prix in a Connaught. Said was also a TV producer and had once participated in the Olympic bobsleigh event.
2010
Mark Webber expressed scepticism regarding Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula One after a four-year hiatus, commenting, “I have never ever seen a phenomenal comeback.” Webber speculated that Nico Rosberg would outperform Schumacher, his teammate, predicting a challenging season ahead for Schumacher.
2013
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix from pole position. His teammate Mark Webber finished second, and Lewis Hamilton was third for the Mercedes team.
The race began on a damp track after an earlier downpour with Vettel on pole. Vettel’s teammate, Mark Webber, quickly moved from fifth to first, overtaking Vettel, who had pitted for slick tyres as the track dried, holding on to first for most of the race. Vettel, defying a Red Bull team order to maintain position and save engine performance, controversially passed Webber on the 46th lap to win the race, his first victory of the season. The infamous “Multi-21” incident, often recounted in F1 history, took place post-race.
Webber, outraged by Vettel’s defiance, nearly boycotted the podium ceremony but was ultimately persuaded to participate. In the cool-down room, a tense interaction unfolded as Vettel sought to discuss the incident, but Webber, showing his anger, simply told him, “Multi 21, Seb. Multi 21,” indicating a team code Vettel ignored. During the podium interviews conducted by ex-driver Martin Brundle, Vettel described their contest as “very close wheel-to-wheel racing,” whereas Webber openly vented that Vettel had decided to overtake him despite team orders and expected Red Bull’s management to shield him from repercussions.
2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing Renault | 56 | 1:38:56.681 | 25 |
| 2 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing Renault | 56 | +4.298s | 18 |
| 3 | 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 56 | +12.181s | 15 |
| 4 | 9 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 56 | +12.640s | 12 |
| 5 | 4 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 56 | +25.648s | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Renault | 56 | +35.564s | 8 |
| 7 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus Renault | 56 | +48.479s | 6 |
| 8 | 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber Ferrari | 56 | +53.044s | 4 |
| 9 | 6 | Sergio Perez | McLaren Mercedes | 56 | +72.357s | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR Ferrari | 56 | +87.124s | 1 |
| 11 | 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Renault | 56 | +88.610s | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber Ferrari | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia Cosworth | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Charles Pic | Caterham Renault | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham Renault | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 23 | Max Chilton | Marussia Cosworth | 54 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| 18 | 19 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR Ferrari | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams Renault | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Paul di Resta | Force India Mercedes | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1 | DNF | 0 |
2024
Following a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2024 Australian Grand Prix returned to Albert Park with high hopes for local heroes, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, both eager to deliver memorable performances for their fans.
Once again, Red Bull outshone their rivals when it mattered most, with Max Verstappen taking his third pole of the season after Ferrari had been snapping at their heals in free practice. Carlos Sainz came home to line up second on the grid after a strong comeback from surgery two weeks before, with Lando Norris promoted to third after Sergio Perez was penalised for impeeding in Q1 and falling back to sixth.
However, come race day, the championship saw a significant turn of events. Max Verstappen, the leading contender for the 2024 title, retired early after his car suffered a brake fire, ending his attempt to match his record of 10 consecutive wins. Carlos Sainz led Ferrari to a one-two finish despite recovering from an appendectomy alongside Charles Leclerc, with Lando Norris securing his season’s first podium.
2024 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 58 | 1:20:26.843 | 25 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc* | Ferrari | 58 | +2.366s | 19 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +5.904s | 15 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +35.770s | 12 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 58 | +56.309s | 10 |
| 6 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +93.222s | 8 |
| 7 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 58 | +95.601s | 6 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso** | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +100.992s | 4 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 58 | +104.553s | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon*** | Williams Mercedes | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly**** | Alpine Renault | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 3 | DNF | 0 |
**Alonso received a drive-through penalty converted to 20-second time penalty for potentially dangerous driving.
***Logan Sargeant no longer featured in the race weekend, with Alexander Albon using his chassis after he suffered a crash in FP1, damaging his own car beyond repair.
****Gasly received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at the pit exit.
F1 Driver Birthdays 24 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 24 March 1915 | Eugene Martin (d. 2006) |
| 24 March 1923 | Brian Naylor (d. 1989) |
F1 Driver Deaths 24 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 24 March 1982 | Francis Rochat (b. 1913) |
| 24 March 1988 | Roger Loyer (b. 1907) |
| 24 March 2002 | Bob Said (b. 1932) |
| 24 March 2009 | Hans Klenk (b. 1919) |
| 24 March 2020 | John Campbell-Jones (b. 1920) |
Seen in:
