What happened on this day, March 3 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1927
Welsh racing driver John Parry-Thomas became the first person to die while attempting to reclaim a land speed record. Driving his remarkable 27-litre car Babs at 170 mph, a drive chain broke and struck him fatally on the head. The car overturned and caught fire, leaving Parry-Thomas partially decapitated. His crew had to break his legs to remove his body from the wreckage. Babs was buried near the site of the crash at Pendine Sands but was unearthed 40 years later. After 15 years of restoration by Owen Wyn Owen, the car is now displayed at the Pendine Museum of Speed in Carmarthenshire and occasionally appears at historic racing events.
1961
Perry McCarthy was born, best known as the original Stig from the BBC’s hit program Top Gear. McCarthy’s brief F1 career included an ill-fated stint with the Andrea Moda team in 1992, during which he failed to qualify for any races. He later revealed his identity as the anonymous black-clad test driver in his autobiography Flat Out, Flat Broke. His role as the Stig ended after the show’s second series, and he was succeeded by the White Stig.
1973
While driving a Tyrrell, Jackie Stewart won the 1973 South African Grand Prix with Denny Hulme‘s McLaren, achieving the only pole position of his Formula One World Championship career during this event.
This particular race was also notable as it marked Scuderia Ferrari’s 200th appearance in a World Championship event. The race is also remembered for Mike Hailwood’s heroic actions. He was commended for bravery after rescuing Clay Regazzoni from his burning car following their collision on the third lap. Hailwood’s driving suit caught fire during the rescue, but he was quickly helped by a fire marshal and continued to assist Regazzoni, earning him the George Medal for his courage.
1973 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell Ford | 79 | 1:43:11.070 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 | Peter Revson | McLaren Ford | 79 | +24.550s | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus Ford | 79 | +25.060s | 4 |
| 4 | 9 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 78 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 77 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 23 | George Follmer | Shadow Ford | 77 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Ford | 77 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 12 | Andrea de Adamich | Surtees Ford | 77 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 7 | Jody Scheckter | McLaren Ford | 75 | DNF | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | Howden Ganley | Iso Marlboro Ford | 73 | +6 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 73 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Carlos Pace | Surtees Ford | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Eddie Keizan | Tyrrell Ford | 67 | +12 laps | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | March Ford | 66 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Francois Cevert | Tyrrell Ford | 66 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Mike Beuttler | March Ford | 65 | +14 laps | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham Ford | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Jackie Pretorius | Iso Marlboro Ford | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Niki Lauda | BRM | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow Ford | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Dave Charlton | Lotus Ford | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees Ford | 2 | DNF | 0 |
1979
Danish driver Nicolas Kiesa was born. Kiesa competed in five Formula 1 races, finishing all but scoring no points. His most famous moment came during the 2003 Formula 3000 race at Monaco, where he won after leader Bjorn Wirdheim slowed on the final lap to celebrate prematurely, allowing Kiesa to overtake and secure the victory.
1979
The 1979 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit saw Gilles Villeneuve, driving for Ferrari, secure first place. His teammate Jody Scheckter, a local favourite, finished in second place. Jean-Pierre Jarier, driving a Tyrrell-Ford, claimed third place on the podium.
1979 South African Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 78 | 1:41:49.960 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 78 | +3.420s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell Ford | 78 | +22.110s | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 78 | +27.880s | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus Ford | 78 | +66.970s | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 77 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf Ford | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams Ford | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren Ford | 75 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 75 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows Ford | 74 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 74 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Hector Rebaque | Lotus Ford | 71 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 63 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS Ford | 57 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Ford | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow Ford | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier Ford | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jan Lammers | Shadow Ford | 2 | DNF | 0 |
1992
Maria Grazia Lombardi, better known as Lella Lombardi, passed away in Milan at the age of 50. A trailblazer for women in motorsport, she remains the only female driver to score a Formula 1 point—albeit half a point—by finishing sixth in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. That race was halted midway due to a crash involving Rolf Stommelen, which tragically claimed the lives of five spectators.
2002
The Formula 1 season opened in Melbourne with a chaotic 2002 Australian Grand Prix. After a dramatic race with two safety cars, Michael Schumacher secured victory for Ferrari. The race had a high retirement rate, with only eight of the 22 starters finishing. The opening lap saw Ralf Schumacher‘s Williams collide with Rubens Barrichello‘s Ferrari, launching into the air and triggering a pile-up that eliminated eight cars. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was disqualified for exiting the pits under a red light, and Enrique Bernoldi for using the spare car. The race marked the F1 debut of Felipe Massa, Takuma Sato, Allan McNish, Mark Webber, and the Toyota F1 Team. Juan Pablo Montoya finished second for Williams, and Kimi Raikkonen third for McLaren. But Webber’s fifth-place finish was the more remarkable for Minardi on his debut, at his home race. They celebrated on the podium post-race.
2002 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 58 | 1:35:36.792 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 58 | +18.628s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +25.067s | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | Eddie Irvine | Jaguar Cosworth | 57 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 23 | Mark Webber | Minardi Asiatech | 56 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 24 | Mika Salo | Toyota | 56 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 22 | Alex Yoong | Minardi Asiatech | 55 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | Pedro de la Rosa | Jaguar Cosworth | 53 | +5 laps | 0 |
| NC | 3 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Honda | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Takuma Sato | Jordan Honda | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams BMW | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Honda | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Felipe Massa | Sauber Petronas | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber Petronas | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jenson Button | Renault | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Olivier Panis | BAR Honda | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Allan McNish | Toyota | 0 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 3 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 3 March 1947 | Otto Stuppacher |
| 3 March 1963 | Perry McCarthy |
| 3 March 1978 | Nicolas Kiesa |
F1 Driver Deaths 3 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 3 March 1956 | Ernst Loof |
| 3 March 1992 | Lella Lombardi |
| 3 March 2022 | Bruce Johnstone |
Seen in:
