What Happened On This Day May 13 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, May 13 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1950

On this day, 13 May 1950, the world witnessed the debut of the FIA Formula One World Championship with its first race held at Silverstone, the 1950 British Grand Prix. Officially titled the Grand Prix d’Europe and recognised as the season’s fifth race, it was dominated by the Alfa Romeo cars. Nino Farina clinched the win, followed by his teammate Luigi Fagioli in second place, after Juan Manuel Fangio retired due to an engine issue, and Reg Parnell, also of Alfa Romeo finished third. Not only did Farina win the first official F1 Grand Prix he would also go on to win the first Formula 1 World Championship at the end of the 1950 season. Among those who attended the race were King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and a crowd of more than 120,000 people.

Full Race Report

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  1950 British Grand Prix: The First World Championship Formula One Race

1950 British Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	2	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	70	2:13:23.600	9
2	3	Luigi Fagioli	Alfa Romeo	70	+2.600s	6
3	4	Reg  Parnell	Alfa Romeo	70	+52.000s	4
4	14	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	Talbot-Lago	68	+2 laps	3
5	15	Louis  Rosier	Talbot-Lago	68	+2 laps	2
6	12	Bob  Gerard	ERA	67	+3 laps	0
7	11	Cuth  Harrison	ERA	67	+3 laps	0
8	16	Philippe  Etancelin	Talbot-Lago	65	+5 laps	0
9	6	David  Hampshire	Maserati	64	+6 laps	0
10	10	Joe Fry	Maserati		SHC	0
10	10	Brian Shawe-Taylor	Maserati	64	+6 laps	0
11	18	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	64	+6 laps	0
NC	1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	62	DNF	0
NC	23	Joe Kelly	Alta	57	+13 laps	0
NC	21	Prince Bira	Maserati	49	DNF	0
NC	5	David  Murray	Maserati	44	DNF	0
NC	24	Geoff Crossley	Alta	43	DNF	0
NC	20	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	36	DNF	0
NC	19	Louis  Chiron	Maserati	24	DNF	0
NC	17	Eugene  Martin	Talbot-Lago	8	DNF	0
NC	9	Peter  Walker	ERA		SHC	0
NC	9	Tony Rolt	ERA	5	DNF	0
NC	8	Leslie  Johnson	ERA	2	DNF	0

1956

Stirling Moss won in dominant fashion, from start to finish, at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix on May 13, capitalising on a rare off day for Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss pulled ahead in his Maserati 250F, while Fangio recovered from a poor start by overtaking Eugenio Castellotti during the opening lap. However, on the second lap, Fangio misjudged the first corner, causing Harry Schell and Luigi Musso to swerve to avoid him, leading to their retirement. Fangio, unscathed, continued the race and started narrowing the gap, passing Jean Behra and Ferrari teammate Peter Collins along the way. In a rare lapse, Fangio collided with the barrier at the harbour chicane’s exit and, visibly upset, handed over his car to teammate Castellotti, who had earlier retired due to clutch issues. Fangio lingered in the pits until Ferrari unexpectedly called Collins in mid-race. When Collins stopped, he was abruptly told to exit the car, and Fangio took over the D50 for another attempt at catching Moss. Reenergized, Fangio overtook Behra and closed a 45-second gap to Moss in just 30 laps eventually taking second in a shared drive with Collins. Meanwhile, Moss faced his own challenges; contact with a backmarker caused his bonnet to come loose and flap open at high speeds. Despite the difficulties, Moss held on to finish six seconds ahead of Fangio, securing the second win of his career. Jean Behra finished third for Maserati.

1956 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	28	Stirling Moss	Maserati	100	3:00:32.900	8
2	26	Peter Collins	Ferrari		SHC	3
2	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	100	+6.100s	4
3	30	Jean Behra	Maserati	99	+1 lap	4
4	20	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari		SHC	0
4	20	Eugenio Castellotti	Ferrari	94	+6 laps	1.5
5	6	Hermano da Silva Ramos	Gordini	93	+7 laps	2
NC	2	Robert  Manzon	Gordini	90	DNF	0
6	4	Elie Bayol	Gordini		SHC	0
6	4	Andre Pilette	Gordini	88	+12 laps	0
7	32	Cesare Perdisa	Maserati	86	+14 laps	0
8	18	Horace  Gould	Maserati	85	+15 laps	0
NC	8	Louis  Rosier	Maserati	72	DNF	0
NC	22	Eugenio Castellotti	Ferrari	14	DNF	0
NC	14	Maurice  Trintignant	Vanwall	13	DNF	0
NC	16	Harry Schell	Vanwall	2	DNF	0
NC	24	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	2	DNF	0

1979

On May 13, Jody Scheckter claimed victory at the 1979 Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder, the first win in his championship-winning season. Initially, Alan Jones in the Williams led the race but was forced to retire due to electrical issues. The battle for the lead then unfolded between Jacques Lafitte in the Ligier and Scheckter in his Ferrari, with Scheckter ultimately prevailing. Didier Pironi finished third for Tyrrell.

Scheckter continued his successful season by winning two more races and securing the 1979 Drivers’ Championship by three points over his teammate, Gilles Villeneuve.

1979 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	70	1:39:59.530	9
2	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Ford	70	+15.360s	6
3	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell Ford	70	+35.170s	4
4	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus Ford	70	+46.490s	3
5	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	70	+64.310s	2
6	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	70	+65.850s	1
7	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	69	DNF	0
8	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS Ford	69	+1 lap	0
9	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	68	+2 laps	0
10	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow Ford	68	+2 laps	0
11	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell Ford	67	+3 laps	0
NC	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier Ford	46	DNF	0
NC	20	James Hunt	Wolf Ford	40	DNF	0
NC	27	Alan  Jones	Williams Ford	39	DNF	0
NC	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Alfa Romeo	23	DNF	0
NC	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham Alfa Romeo	23	DNF	0
NC	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	22	DNF	0
NC	35	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	21	DNF	0
NC	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows Ford	17	DNF	0
NC	31	Hector Rebaque	Lotus Ford	13	DNF	0
NC	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	13	DNF	0
NC	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams Ford	1	DNF	0

1990

Nigel Mansell earned the affection of the Tifosi and the nickname ‘Il Leone’ after a spirited drive for Ferrari at the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix on May 13. Starting from fifth on the grid, Mansell fought his way up to second place behind Gerhard Berger‘s McLaren. In a daring attempt to overtake Berger on the run up to Villeneuve, Mansell tried to go around the outside, but Berger closed the door, sending his Ferrari into a dramatic 360-degree spin. With a swift correction, he managed to regain control and resumed his chase. The crowd was ecstatic until mechanical issues ultimately forced Mansell to retire. The race was eventually won by Riccardo Patrese in a Williams with Berger second and Alessandro Nannini third in a Benetton-Ford.

1990 San Marino Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	61	1:30:55.478	9
2	28	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	61	+5.117s	6
3	19	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton Ford	61	+6.240s	4
4	1	Alain Prost	Ferrari	61	+6.843s	3
5	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	61	+53.112s	2
6	4	Jean Alesi	Tyrrell Ford	60	+1 lap	1
7	11	Derek Warwick	Lotus Lamborghini	60	+1 lap	0
8	12	Martin Donnelly	Lotus Lamborghini	60	+1 lap	0
9	26	Philippe Alliot	Ligier Ford	60	+1 lap	0
10	25	Nicola Larini	Ligier Ford	59	+2 laps	0
11	24	Paolo Barilla	Minardi Ford	59	+2 laps	0
12	36	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Onyx Ford	59	+2 laps	0
13	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Lamborghini	56	DNF	0
NC	14	Olivier Grouillard	Osella Ford	52	DNF	0
NC	2	Nigel Mansell	Ferrari	38	DNF	0
NC	35	Gregor Foitek	Onyx Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	8	Stefano Modena	Brabham Judd	31	DNF	0
NC	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Dallara Ford	29	DNF	0
NC	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Judd	24	DNF	0
NC	5	Thierry Boutsen	Williams Renault	17	DNF	0
NC	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Lamborghini	17	DNF	0
NC	27	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	3	DNF	0
NC	21	Emanuele Pirro	Dallara Ford	2	DNF	0

2001

David Coulthard won a tightly contested win at the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix on May 13, outpacing the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher (P2) and Rubens Barrichello (P3). The race initially saw Juan Pablo Montoya setting the pace until a near-collision with Schumacher caused both drivers to fall back. This set the stage for a battle for the win involving Barrichello, Coulthard, and a recovering Schumacher. Coulthard managed to overtake Barrichello during the pit stops, while Schumacher committed several uncharacteristic errors, finishing ahead of his teammate but behind Coulthard’s McLaren. The win significantly boosted Coulthard’s standing within his team, putting him 34 points ahead of teammate Mika Hakkinen and just four points behind championship leader Schumacher. Despite the win, Coulthard failed to claim another race that season, while Schumacher went on to secure six more victories and the 2001 F1 Drivers Championship, his second for Ferrari.

2001 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	71	1:27:45.927	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	+2.191s	6
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	71	+2.528s	4
4	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber Petronas	71	+41.594s	3
5	9	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	71	+53.776s	2
6	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows Asiatech	70	+1 lap	1
7	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	70	+1 lap	0
8	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	70	+1 lap	0
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	69	+2 laps	0
10	22	Jean Alesi	Prost Acer	69	+2 laps	0
11	23	Luciano Burti	Prost Acer	69	+2 laps	0
NC	8	Jenson Button	Benetton Renault	60	DNF	0
NC	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	48	DNF	0
NC	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	41	DNF	0
NC	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi European	38	DNF	0
NC	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi European	25	DNF	0
NC	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Asiatech	17	DNF	0
NC	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	10	DNF	0
NC	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault	3	DNF	0
NC	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	1	DNF	0
NC	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan Honda	0	DNF	0

2007

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa claimed victory at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, finishing nearly seven seconds ahead of the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who took second and third, respectively.

With this result, Hamilton made F1 history by leading the 2007 Drivers’ Championship after just four Formula One races—despite not yet securing a race win. At 22 years old, he became the youngest driver ever to top the standings, breaking the record previously held by McLaren founder Bruce McLaren.

2007 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	65	1:31:36.230	10
2	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	65	+6.790s	8
3	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Mercedes	65	+17.456s	6
4	10	Robert Kubica	Sauber BMW	65	+31.615s	5
5	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Renault	65	+58.331s	4
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams Toyota	65	+59.538s	3
7	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	65	+62.128s	2
8	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri Honda	64	+1 lap	1
9	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	64	+1 lap	0
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	64	+1 lap	0
11	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri Honda	64	+1 lap	0
12	7	Jenson Button	Honda	64	+1 lap	0
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker Ferrari	63	+2 laps	0
14	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker Ferrari	63	+2 laps	0
NC	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber BMW	46	DNF	0
NC	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	44	DNF	0
NC	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR Ferrari	19	DNF	0
NC	19	Scott Speed	STR Ferrari	9	DNF	0
NC	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	9	DNF	0
NC	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	8	DNF	0
NC	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Renault	7	DNF	0
NC	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams Toyota	1	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 13 May

Birthday	F1 Driver
13 May 1913	Theo Helfrich (d. 1978)
13 May 1927	Archie Scott-Brown (d. 1958)
13 May 1934	Paddy Driver

F1 Driver Deaths 13 May

Death	F1 Driver
13 May 1960	Harry Schell (b. 1921)
13 May 1994	Duncan Hamilton (b. 1920)
13 May 2012	Les Leston (b. 1920)