What Happened On This Day May 1 In F1 History?

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

1898

On May 1, 1898, Renaud de Montaignac de Chauvance, the Marquis de Montaignac was involved in motor racing’s first fatal accident when he lost control and inadvertently caused a crash that killed his mechanic. After swerving and forcing another car off the road, he then lost control of his own car, which rolled, leading to his mechanic’s instant death and his own several hours later. De Chauvance accepted full responsibility for the tragedy before his death.

1928

Desmond Titterington was born in Belfast on May 1, 1928. He began his racing career in Ulster before advancing to European circuits and joining Ecurie Ecosse. His success in a Jaguar led to a Formula One race for the Connaught team at the British Grand Prix on 14 July 1956, he scored no championship points.

Desmond Titterington

F1 Debut 1956

Current/Last Team Connaught

He also competed in several non-Championship Grand Prix, eventually retiring from racing to focus on his business, relocating to Scotland amid increasing local tensions in Ireland. He died in Dundee, Scotland, aged 73, on 13 April 2002.

1951

Geoff Lees was born on this day, 1 May 1951. A Warwickshire native, he struggled with uncompetitive Formula One cars despite self-financing his way into the sport. He competed in 12 Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, debuting on 16 July 1978. He failed to score any championship points.

Geoff Lees

F1 Debut 1978 British Grand Prix

Current/Last Team Team Lotus

During his F1 career, Lees found himself in less competitive cars and, after limited success, relocated to Japan in the early 1980s. There, he had a fruitful career in the Japanese Formula Two series, clinching the 1983 championship and securing eight wins. He also competed for various Japanese teams in sports car racing championships, securing three titles in the Fuji Grand Champion Series in 1986, 1988, and 1989, and winning the C-class title in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in 1992. Lees earned great respect in the Japanese racing community. He also raced multiple times at Le Mans, with his highest finish being sixth place in 1990.

1955

On May 1, 1955, F1 driver Mike Nazaruk, who raced exclusively in the Indianapolis 500, which was a part of the F1 calendar in the earlier seasons, died in a Sprint Car race accident at the Langhorne Speedway after his car crashed through a fence and rolled multiple times.

Mike Nazaruk

F1 Debut 1951 Indianapolis 500

Current/Last Team Privateer

Advised against racing due to illness, Nazaruk insisted on competing for financial reasons. His daughter poignantly reflected on the perils of racing, recalling her grandfather’s similar fate.

1972

Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1972 Spanish Grand Prix in a Lotus, propelling him to the top of the 1972 drivers’ championship alongside Denny Hulme, who retired during the race due to gearbox issues. Jacky Ickx finished second for the Ferrari team, and his teammate Clay Regazzoni came in third.

1972 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus Ford	90	2:03:41.230	9
2	4	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	90	+18.920s	6
3	6	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	89	+1 lap	4
4	26	Andrea de Adamich	Surtees Ford	89	+1 lap	3
5	20	Peter Revson	McLaren Ford	89	+1 lap	2
6	29	Carlos Pace	March Ford	89	+1 lap	1
7	22	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham Ford	88	+2 laps	0
8	12	Tim  Schenken	Surtees Ford	88	+2 laps	0
9	21	Dave  Walker	Lotus Ford	87	DNF	0
10	18	Graham Hill	Brabham Ford	86	+4 laps	0
11	14	Henri Pescarolo	March Ford	86	+4 laps	0
NC	1	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell Ford	69	DNF	0
NC	9	Chris Amon	Matra	66	DNF	0
NC	3	Francois Cevert	Tyrrell Ford	65	DNF	0
NC	8	Peter Gethin	BRM	65	DNF	0
NC	11	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	48	DNF	0
NC	25	Howden  Ganley	BRM	38	DNF	0
NC	10	Reine  Wisell	BRM	24	DNF	0
NC	7	Mario Andretti	Ferrari	23	DNF	0
NC	15	Mike Hailwood	Surtees Ford	20	DNF	0
NC	2	Ronnie Peterson	March Ford	16	DNF	0
NC	16	Rolf Stommelen	Eifelland Ford	15	DNF	0
NC	19	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	9	DNF	0
NC	24	Niki Lauda	March Ford	7	DNF	0
NC	28	Alex  Soler-Roig	BRM	6	DNF	0

1983

The 1983 San Marino Grand Prix on May 1 saw challenging conditions with over half of the starting grid unable to finish due to a deteriorating track. Patrick Tambay emerged victorious for Ferrari amid frequent pit stops and a faltering field. Riccardo Patrese lost an early advantage by missing his pit stop but managed to challenge Tambay until a critical spin-off. Alain Prost came home in second for Renault, followed by Rene Arnoux in the sister Ferrari in third.

1983 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	60	1:37:52.460	9
2	15	Alain Prost	Renault	60	+48.781s	6
3	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	59	+1 lap	4
4	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams Ford	59	+1 lap	3
5	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	59	+1 lap	2
6	29	Marc Surer	Arrows Ford	59	+1 lap	1
7	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams Ford	59	+1 lap	0
8	30	Chico Serra	Arrows Ford	58	+2 laps	0
9	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier Ford	58	+2 laps	0
10	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	57	DNF	0
11	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS BMW	57	+3 laps	0
12	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus Ford	56	DNF	0
NC	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham BMW	54	DNF	0
NC	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	45	DNF	0
NC	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Renault	43	DNF	0
NC	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham BMW	41	DNF	0
NC	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier Ford	39	DNF	0
NC	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell Ford	37	DNF	0
NC	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman Hart	27	DNF	0
NC	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella Ford	20	DNF	0
NC	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman Hart	20	DNF	0
NC	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren Ford	11	DNF	0
NC	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore Ford	11	DNF	0
NC	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell Ford	10	DNF	0
NC	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore Ford	3	DNF	0
NC	16	Eddie  Cheever	Renault	1	DNF	0

1988

Six years prior to his untimely death, Ayrton Senna clinched a dominant win on May 1 at the 1988 San Marino Grand Prix, leading from start to finish. Despite starting issues, his teammate Alain Prost secured second place, with both McLarens outclassing the field by one lap.

The win wasn’t without issue. Senna managed a brake problem that caused smoke to enter his cockpit. Nelson Piquet, who finished third, commented on the unlikelihood of challenging the McLarens: “We have a saying in Brazil,” he shrugged. “Hope is the last thing that dies.”

1988 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	60	1:32:41.264	9
2	11	Alain Prost	McLaren Honda	60	+2.334s	6
3	1	Nelson Piquet	Lotus Honda	59	+1 lap	4
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton Ford	59	+1 lap	3
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	59	+1 lap	2
6	19	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton Ford	59	+1 lap	1
7	18	Eddie  Cheever	Arrows Megatron	59	+1 lap	0
8	2	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus Honda	59	+1 lap	0
9	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows Megatron	58	+2 laps	0
10	14	Philippe Streiff	AGS Ford	58	+2 laps	0
11	24	Luis Perez-Sala	Minardi Ford	58	+2 laps	0
12	29	Yannick Dalmas	Lola Ford	58	+2 laps	0
13	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Judd	58	+2 laps	0
14	3	Jonathan  Palmer	Tyrrell Ford	58	+2 laps	0
15	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	March Judd	58	+2 laps	0
16	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi Ford	57	+3 laps	0
17	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola Ford	57	+3 laps	0
18	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	54	DNF	0
NC	33	Stefano Modena	Euro Brun Ford	52	+8 laps	0
NC	4	Julian Bailey	Tyrrell Ford	48	DNF	0
NC	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Judd	42	DNF	0
NC	31	Gabriele Tarquini	Coloni Ford	40	DNF	0
NC	36	Alex Caffi	Dallara Ford	18	DNF	0
NC	9	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Zakspeed	16	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	March Judd	2	DNF	0

1994

One of the darkest weekends in F1 history culminated in the death of Ayrton Senna on this day, May 1, at the 1994 Imola Grand Prix. A weekend that would profoundly impact Formula 1, sparking significant safety reforms. On the morning of his final race, Senna convened a meeting with fellow drivers to push for enhanced track safety, following the fatal crash of Roland Ratzenberger the previous day. Senna, who had earlier predicted a dangerous season under the new regulations, was deeply shaken by Ratzenberger’s death.

Despite advice from the great Professor Sid Watkins to withdraw, Senna felt compelled to race, saying, “Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit; I have to go on.”

They were the last words Senna spoke to Watkins.

Tragically, on the seventh lap, he collided with the concrete wall at the flat-out left-hander Tamburello corner at over 160 mph and died almost instantly.

Michael Schumacher won the race in a Benetton Ford. In the press conference after the race, Schumacher said that he “couldn’t feel satisfied, couldn’t feel happy” with his win, following the events of the race weekend. Nicola Larini scored the first points of his career when he finished second for Ferrari. Mika Hakkinen finished third for McLaren.

1994 Imola Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton Ford	58	1:28:28.642	10
2	27	Nicola Larini	Ferrari	58	+54.942s	6
3	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Peugeot	58	+70.679s	4
4	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber Mercedes	58	+73.658s	3
5	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell Yamaha	57	+1 lap	2
6	0	Damon Hill	Williams Renault	57	+1 lap	1
7	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Mercedes	57	+1 lap	0
8	8	Martin Brundle	McLaren Peugeot	57	+1 lap	0
9	4	Mark Blundell	Tyrrell Yamaha	56	+2 laps	0
10	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus Mugen Honda	56	+2 laps	0
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier Renault	56	+2 laps	0
12	25	Eric Bernard	Ligier Renault	55	+3 laps	0
13	9	Christian Fittipaldi	Footwork Ford	54	DNF	0
NC	15	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Hart	49	DNF	0
NC	24	Michele Alboreto	Minardi Ford	44	DNF	0
NC	10	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork Ford	40	DNF	0
NC	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ford	37	DNF	0
NC	31	David Brabham	Simtek Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	34	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific Ilmor	23	DNF	0
NC	19	Olivier Beretta	Larrousse Ford	17	DNF	0
NC	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	16	DNF	0
NC	2	Ayrton Senna	Williams Renault	5	DNF	0
NC	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse Ford	5	DNF	0

2016

Nico Rosberg dominated the 2016 Russian Grand Prix, converting pole position into victory ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, with Kimi Raikkonen securing third for Ferrari.

Rosberg’s win extended his streak to seven consecutive Grand Prix victories, while his title rival, Sebastian Vettel, saw his race end on the first lap after being hit by Daniil Kvyat. With a perfect 100 points from the season’s first four races, Rosberg left Russia with a commanding 43-point lead over Hamilton in the championship standings.

2016 Russian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	53	1:32:41.997	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	+25.022s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	+31.998s	15
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	53	+50.217s	12
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	53	+74.427s	10
6	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda	52	+1 lap	8
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	52	+1 lap	6
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	52	+1 lap	4
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	52	+1 lap	2
10	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Honda	52	+1 lap	1
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	52	+1 lap	0
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
13	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	52	+1 lap	0
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
15	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	52	+1 lap	0
16	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
17	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	MRT Mercedes	51	+2 laps	0
NC	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso Ferrari	33	DNF	0
NC	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	0	DNF	0
NC	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	0	DNF	0
NC	88	Rio Haryanto	MRT Mercedes	0	DNF	0
Note – Sainz received a 10-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track. Nasr received a 5-second time penalty for not respecting the race director’s instructions.

2026

Remembering Alex Zanardi on this day, who died May 1, 2026. He was both a professional racing driver and Paralympic handcyclist whose life story is one of the most remarkable in F1 history and sports.

Alex Zanardi

F1 Debut 1991 Spanish Grand Prix

Current/Last Team Williams

A two-time CART Champion (1997, 1998) and a 15-time race winner, Zanardi’s career spanned Formula One, American open-wheel racing, touring cars, and world-class Paralympic competition. His ability to reinvent himself after a life-altering crash in 2001 made him both a motorsport legend and an icon of strength.

F1 Driver Birthdays 1 May

Birthday	F1 Driver
1 May 1928	Desmond Titterington (d. 2002)
1 May 1951	Geoff Lees

F1 Driver Deaths 1 May

Death	F1 Driver
1 May 1955	Mike Nazaruk (b. 1921)
1 May 1994	Ayrton Senna (b. 1960)
1 May 1999	Brian Shawe-Taylor (b. 1915)
1 May 2015	Geoff Duke (b. 1923)
1 May 2023	Giancarlo Gagliardi (b. 1943)
1 May 2026	Alex Zanardi (b. 1966)