What happened on this day, May 16 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1909
On May 16, 1909, Luigi Villoresi, a pre-and post-war driver, was born in Milan. Although he never secured an F1 race win, Villoresi achieved significant success in non-championship Grand Prix races, winning six of them. Notably, he won in the Targa Florio twice, in 1939 and 1940, and claimed victory in the Mille Miglia in 1951. During his Formula 1 career, he largely drove for Ferrari, earning eight podium finishes and scoring a total of 49 points. Villoresi was a close friend and mentor to two-time champion Alberto Ascari, recognising his talent early on. After Ascari’s death in 1955, Villoresi briefly retired from racing but returned in 1956 to drive for Maserati. He permanently retired from Formula 1 in 1957 and then pursued rallying, winning the Acropolis Rally in Greece in 1958.
1976
On May 16, 1976, Ferrari took home a one-two finish at the 1976 Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder. Niki Lauda led the race from pole position, with teammate Clay Regazzoni following in second. The main contender to challenge the Ferraris was James Hunt in the McLaren, but his effort was cut short by a transmission failure. Meanwhile, Emerson Fittipaldi‘s choice to race his own car that season came under scrutiny when the two-time champion (1972 and 1974) failed to qualify for the race. Third was taken by French driver Jacques Laffite driving for Ligier.
1976 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 70 | 1:42:53.230 | 9 |
| 2 | 2 | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | 70 | +3.460s | 6 |
| 3 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 70 | +35.380s | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | Jody Scheckter | Tyrrell Ford | 70 | +91.080s | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Alan Jones | Surtees Ford | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 12 | Jochen Mass | McLaren Ford | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 28 | John Watson | Penske Ford | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 37 | Larry Perkins | Boro Ford | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Shadow Ford | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 16 | Tom Pryce | Shadow Ford | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 21 | Michel Leclere | Wolf-Williams | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 32 | Loris Kessel | Brabham Ford | 63 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Brett Lunger | Surtees Ford | 62 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Carlos Pace | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Chris Amon | Ensign Ford | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | James Hunt | McLaren Ford | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 34 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | March Ford | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Harald Ertl | Hesketh Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Patrick Neve | Brabham Ford | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 35 | Arturo Merzario | March Ford | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Gunnar Nilsson | Lotus Ford | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Vittorio Brambilla | March Ford | 6 | DNF | 0 |
1999
Michael Schumacher secured a Ferrari one-two finish at the 1999 Monaco Grand Prix on May 16, after pole-sitter Mika Hakkinen‘s challenge in the McLaren faded. Schumacher had a brilliant start off the grid, leading into the first corner and maintaining his lead throughout the race. Hakkinen, initially racing Schumacher for first, soon found himself defending second place from Eddie Irvine in the sister Ferrari. A mistake at Saint Devote sent him up an escape road, causing him to lose the position to Irvine who came home in second to Hakkinen’s eventual third. Schumacher’s win, his 16th with Ferrari, cemented his status as the most successful driver in the team’s history, breaking the record of Niki Lauda.
1999 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 78 | 1:49:31.812 | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 78 | +30.476s | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 78 | +37.483s | 4 |
| 4 | 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Jordan Mugen Honda | 78 | +54.009s | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton Playlife | 77 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton Playlife | 77 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 19 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Peugeot | 77 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 5 | Alessandro Zanardi | Williams Supertec | 76 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 71 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams Supertec | 54 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Jean Alesi | Sauber Petronas | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Pedro Diniz | Sauber Petronas | 49 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Olivier Panis | Prost Peugeot | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Mika Salo | BAR Supertec | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Toranosuke Takagi | Arrows | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Supertec | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Johnny Herbert | Stewart Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Pedro de la Rosa | Arrows | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Marc Gene | Minardi Ford | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Luca Badoer | Minardi Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Damon Hill | Jordan Mugen Honda | 3 | DNF | 0 |
2008
On May 16, 2008, amid revelations about his private life, FIA president Max Mosley declared that his departure could jeopardise the governing body’s control over Formula 1. Mosley stressed his vital role in negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone and F1’s commercial rights holders regarding the sport’s future. He stated, “It would be irresponsible, even a breach of duty, to walk away from (them).” He eventually stood down at the end of his term in 2009 and was replaced by his preferred successor, Jean Todt.
2010
The 2010 Monaco Grand Prix was won by Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber, who secured a commanding victory on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. From pole position, Webber maintained his lead throughout the race, ahead of his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who finished closely behind in second place, ensuring a one-two finish for Red Bull. The Renault of Robert Kubica completed the podium.
The race saw multiple safety cars after various incidents, including a notable crash involving Rubens Barrichello, caused by a loose manhole cover.
In the closing stages, Mercedes‘ Michael Schumacher overtook Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on the final corner after the safety car had returned to the pits. The move was deemed illegal under the regulations, leading to Schumacher receiving a 20-second penalty post-race, which relegated him from sixth to 12th place in the final standings. The penalty sparked talks about the clarity of the rules regarding overtaking after safety car periods, prompting the FIA to review and amend the regulations to prevent similar controversies in the future.
2010 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Webber | RBR Renault | 78 | 1:50:13.355 | 25 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR Renault | 78 | +0.448s | 18 |
| 3 | 11 | Robert Kubica | Renault | 78 | +1.675s | 15 |
| 4 | 7 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 78 | +2.666s | 12 |
| 5 | 2 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 78 | +4.363s | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 78 | +6.341s | 8 |
| 7 | 4 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 78 | +6.651s | 6 |
| 8 | 14 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 78 | +6.970s | 4 |
| 9 | 15 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Force India Mercedes | 78 | +7.305s | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Sebastien Buemi | STR Ferrari | 78 | +8.199s | 1 |
| 11 | 17 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR Ferrari | 78 | +9.135s | 0 |
| 12 | 3 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 78 | +25.712s | 0 |
| 13 | 12 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 73 | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Karun Chandhok | HRT Cosworth | 70 | DNF | 0 |
| 15 | 18 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus Cosworth | 70 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus Cosworth | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Bruno Senna | HRT Cosworth | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams Cosworth | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Lucas di Grassi | Virgin Cosworth | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Timo Glock | Virgin Cosworth | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | Sauber Ferrari | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Williams Cosworth | 0 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 16 May
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 16 May 1909 | Luigi Villoresi (d. 1997) |
F1 Driver Deaths 16 May
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 16 May 1995 | Red Amick (b. 1929) |
Seen in:
