What happened on this day, May 10 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1936
At the 1936 Tripoli Grand Prix, Achille Varzi was ensured a win through team orders, influenced by political aims to strengthen ties between fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Hans Von Stuck, who had dominated the race, was instructed to let Varzi pass, a move later acknowledged during a victory celebration where the real victor, Stuck, was toasted by Italian Marshall Balbo.
1959
The 1959 Monaco Grand Prix marked the 17th running of the event. Jack Brabham, driving for the factory Cooper team, secured his maiden Formula One win. This victory celebrated several firsts; Brabham became the first Australian driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix, paving the way for his future as a three-time world champion and it was Cooper’s first works-team victory in Formula One, having previously won races through the privateer Rob Walker Racing Team.
Brabham crossed the finish line 20 seconds ahead of Tony Brooks, who took second place for Ferrari. A lap down in third was Maurice Trintignant, the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix winner, driving a Cooper T51 for Rob Walker Racing.
This race also saw the last appearance of a Monégasque driver in their home Grand Prix until Olivier Beretta in 1994, following the retirement of Louis Chiron the previous year.
1959 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jack Brabham | Cooper Climax | 100 | 2:55:51.300 | 9 |
| 2 | 50 | Tony Brooks | Ferrari | 100 | +20.400s | 6 |
| 3 | 32 | Maurice Trintignant | Cooper Climax | 98 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 4 | 48 | Phil Hill | Ferrari | 97 | +3 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 22 | Bruce McLaren | Cooper Climax | 96 | +4 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 38 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper Maserati | 83 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Stirling Moss | Cooper Climax | 81 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Ron Flockhart | BRM | 64 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Harry Schell | BRM | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Jo Bonnier | BRM | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 46 | Jean Behra | Ferrari | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 40 | Graham Hill | Lotus Climax | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Masten Gregory | Cooper Climax | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 44 | Bruce Halford | Lotus Climax | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 52 | Cliff Allison | Ferrari | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Wolfgang von Trips | Porsche | 1 | DNF | 0 |
1964
Graham Hill clinched his second Monaco Grand Prix victory on May 10, 1964, leading the entire field by an extra lap in his BRM. Despite the flattering final result, Hill had faced stiff competition from Dan Gurney and Jim Clark, both of whom had encountered mechanical failures late in the race, leading to their retirements.
Richie Ginther finished second for BRM, while Peter Arundell scored his first podium finish with Lotus in third place, and Mike Hailwood his first point driving for Reg Parnell Racing.
1964 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Graham Hill | BRM | 100 | 2:41:19.500 | 9 |
| 2 | 7 | Richie Ginther | BRM | 99 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 3 | 11 | Peter Arundell | Lotus Climax | 97 | +3 laps | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | Jim Clark | Lotus Climax | 96 | DNF | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Jo Bonnier | Cooper Climax | 96 | +4 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 18 | Mike Hailwood | Lotus BRM | 96 | +4 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | Bob Anderson | Brabham Climax | 86 | DNF | 0 |
| 8 | 24 | Jo Siffert | Lotus BRM | 78 | +22 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | Phil Hill | Cooper Climax | 70 | DNF | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Lorenzo Bandini | Ferrari | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Dan Gurney | Brabham Climax | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Maurice Trintignant | BRM | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Climax | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Bruce McLaren | Cooper Climax | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | John Surtees | Ferrari | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Trevor Taylor | BRP BRM | 7 | DNF | 0 |
1967
Tragically, Lorenzo Bandini succumbed to severe burns on May 10, 1967, three days after his fiery crash at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. His Ferrari struck a lamp post, igniting the fuel tank while he was unconscious inside the overturned vehicle. Despite immediate rescue efforts, Bandini, who had a notable career including a victory at the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix and wins at Le Mans and the Targa Florio, died following complications from his injuries.
1970
In an exhilarating finish to the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix on May 10, Lotus driver Jochen Rindt seized the win at the final turn. Leading for 67 laps, Jack Brabham (Brabham) was poised to win until he crashed into hay bales, handing Rindt the win who would pass him just 400 yards from the finish line. Earlier in the race, Jackie Stewart relinquished the lead due to engine trouble, and Chris Amon retired with suspension issues after competing closely with Brabham.
This was Bruce McLaren’s final Formula One race – as he was tragically killed five days before the next race in Belgium – it was also future star Ronnie Peterson‘s first. Henri Pescarolo finished third for Matra.
1970 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jochen Rindt | Lotus Ford | 80 | 1:54:36.600 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 80 | +23.100s | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | Henri Pescarolo | Matra | 80 | +51.400s | 4 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 80 | +88.300s | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 17 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 78 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 23 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 19 | Jo Siffert | March Ford | 76 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Chris Amon | March Ford | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Piers Courage | De Tomaso Ford | 58 | +22 laps | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Jackie Stewart | March Ford | 57 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren Ford | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | John Surtees | McLaren Ford | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 11 | DNF | 0 |
1998
The 1998 Spanish Grand Prix saw the McLaren of Mika Hakkinen dominate the 65-lap race, securing victory after starting from pole position. His teammate, David Coulthard, completed a one-two finish for McLaren, while Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher claimed the final podium spot in third despite receiving a 10-second stop-go penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. Former driver and pundit Martin Brundle praised Häkkinen’s performance, commenting that he was “in a class of his own.”
1998 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 65 | 1:33:37.621 | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 65 | +9.439s | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 65 | +47.094s | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton Playlife | 65 | +62.538s | 3 |
| 5 | 18 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 64 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Mecachrome | 64 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 15 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Petronas | 64 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Mecachrome | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 12 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Peugeot | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 14 | Jean Alesi | Sauber Petronas | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 10 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan Mugen Honda | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 19 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart Ford | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 21 | Toranosuke Takagi | Tyrrell Ford | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Shinji Nakano | Minardi Ford | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Esteban Tuero | Minardi Ford | 63 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 11 | Olivier Panis | Prost Peugeot | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Damon Hill | Jordan Mugen Honda | 46 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton Playlife | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Mika Salo | Arrows | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows | 20 | DNF | 0 |
2008
Lewis Hamilton voiced regret over participating in a Vodafone publicity stunt for McLaren in which he was depicted as Apollo in a reenactment of the Battle of Troy. The Times newspaper criticised Hamilton for undermining his image, and after viewing the footage, Hamilton remarked on the stunt’s inappropriateness, noting its negative impact on his “cool” persona. “I thought ‘that really was not cool’,” Hamilton said. “I just turned up and got on with what I’ve been told to do. Now I’ve seen the footage and it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. At the end of the day I have a cool image, and things like that don’t help.”
2009
The 2009 Spanish Grand Prix saw a one-two finish for Brawn GP, with Jenson Button securing his fourth victory of the season, followed by his teammate Rubens Barrichello, who finished 13 seconds behind. Mark Webber claimed third place, while his Red Bull teammate, Sebastian Vettel, finished fourth.
Lower down the field, Nick Heidfeld finished seventh, but in doing so, he broke Michael Schumacher’s record of 24 consecutive race finishes, a streak that has since been surpassed serval times over by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
2009 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Jenson Button | Brawn Mercedes | 66 | 1:37:19.202 | 10 |
| 2 | 23 | Rubens Barrichello | Brawn Mercedes | 66 | +13.056s | 8 |
| 3 | 14 | Mark Webber | RBR Renault | 66 | +13.924s | 6 |
| 4 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR Renault | 66 | +18.941s | 5 |
| 5 | 7 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 66 | +43.166s | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 66 | +50.827s | 3 |
| 7 | 6 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 66 | +52.312s | 2 |
| 8 | 16 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Toyota | 66 | +65.211s | 1 |
| 9 | 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 10 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 5 | Robert Kubica | Sauber BMW | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 8 | Nelson Piquet | Renault | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 17 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams Toyota | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India Mercedes | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Sebastien Buemi | STR Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2015
The 2015 Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the season saw Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg secured his first victory of the season, his maiden win in Spain, and the ninth of his career. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished second after a poor start, with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel completing the podium in third.
Rosberg’s win continued the trend of nine different drivers claiming victory at the Spanish Grand Prix over as many years.
2015 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 66 | 1:41:12.555 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 66 | +17.551s | 18 |
| 3 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 66 | +45.342s | 15 |
| 4 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 66 | +59.217s | 12 |
| 5 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 66 | +60.002s | 10 |
| 6 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 66 | +81.314s | 8 |
| 7 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Renault | 65 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 8 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Mercedes | 65 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | STR Renault | 65 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull Racing Renault | 65 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 33 | Max Verstappen | STR Renault | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 28 | Will Stevens | Marussia Ferrari | 63 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 18 | 98 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia Ferrari | 62 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus Mercedes | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 26 | DNF | 0 |
2020
The 2020 Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled for 10 May as the sixth round of the 2020 Formula One Season. However, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, it was held from 14 to 16 August 2020. A week after the previous round, the 2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton would eventually win the race on its new date, followed by Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas.
F1 Driver Birthdays 10 May
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 10 May 1914 | John James (d. 2002) |
| 10 May 1977 | Nick Heidfeld |
F1 Driver Deaths 10 May
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 10 May 1963 | Franco Comotti (b. 1906) |
| 10 May 1967 | Lorenzo Bandini (b. 1935) |
| 10 May 1985 | Toni Branca (b. 1916) |
| 10 May 1998 | Cesare Perdisa (b. 1932) |
| 10 May 2012 | Carroll Shelby (b. 1923) |
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