What happened on this day, May 18 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1914
On May 18, 1914, Baron Toulo de Graffenried was born. He became a leading driver post-World War II, winning the 1949 British Grand Prix in a Maserati. Competing in the World Championship from 1950, he struggled against newer cars but finished second at the non-championship 1951 Geneva Grand Prix. Driving a Maserati in 1952 and 1953, he achieved his best result of fourth in the 1953 Belgian Grand Prix and also won the non-championship 1953 Syracuse Grand Prix.
1933
On May 18, 1933, Otto Merz tragically lost his life during a practice session for the AVUS race in Berlin. Driving a Mercedes SSK on a wet track, he lost control, crashed into a cement milestone, and somersaulted multiple times, ending up upside down. Merz was thrown clear but succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital. Formerly a mechanic turned chauffeur, Merz was part of the motorcade when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914. He later transitioned into racing, winning the 1924 German Grand Prix.
1952
Piero Taruffi claimed his only Formula One victory at the season-opening 1952 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten on May 18. After his Ferrari teammate Nino Farina‘s car broke down, Farina took over Andre Simon’s car and regained second place, only for its engine to fail as well. Stirling Moss put in a strong performance in his second F1 race but had to withdraw his HWM early. Second place went to local driver Rudi Fischer in a Ferrari and Jean Behra third for Gordini on his F1 debut.
1952 Swiss Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | 62 | 3:01:46.100 | 9 |
| 2 | 42 | Rudi Fischer | Ferrari | 62 | +157.200s | 6 |
| 3 | 6 | Jean Behra | Gordini | 61 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 22 | Ken Wharton | Frazer Nash | 60 | +2 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 26 | Alan Brown | Cooper Bristol | 59 | +3 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 38 | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati Plate | 58 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 7 | 44 | Peter Hirt | Ferrari | 56 | +6 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 24 | Eric Brandon | Cooper Bristol | 55 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Prince Bira | Gordini | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Andre Simon | Ferrari | SHC | 0 | |
| NC | 32 | Nino Farina | Ferrari | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 40 | Harry Schell | Maserati Plate | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 46 | Stirling Moss | HWM Alta | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Lance Macklin | HWM Alta | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Robert Manzon | Gordini | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Nino Farina | Ferrari | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Peter Collins | HWM Alta | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | George Abecassis | HWM Alta | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Toni Ulmen | Veritas | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Hans Von Stuck | AFM Kuchen | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 50 | Max de Terra | Simca-Gordini | 1 | DNF | 0 |
1958
Maurice Trintignant took his second and final F1 win in a race of attrition at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix on May 18. Roy Salvadori led initially but pitted with a bent suspension arm after a mistake. Tony Brooks led for 22 laps before conceding to Jean Behra due to spark plug issues. Brake trouble ended Behra’s race, giving the lead to Mike Hawthorn. Stirling Moss then took the lead but retired with engine failure. Hawthorn also retired, handing the lead to Trintignant’s Cooper, who won by 20 seconds over Luigi Musso and Peter Collins‘ Ferraris.
1958 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Maurice Trintignant | Cooper Climax | 100 | 2:52:27.900 | 8 |
| 2 | 34 | Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 100 | +20.200s | 6 |
| 3 | 36 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 100 | +38.800s | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | Jack Brabham | Cooper Climax | 97 | +3 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 8 | Harry Schell | BRM | 91 | +9 laps | 2 |
| NC | 40 | Wolfgang von Trips | Ferrari | 91 | DNF | 0 |
| 6 | 24 | Cliff Allison | Lotus Climax | 87 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 58 | Jo Bonnier | Maserati | 71 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Graham Hill | Lotus Climax | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper Climax | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 38 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 47 | DNF | 1 |
| NC | 28 | Stirling Moss | Vanwall | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Jean Behra | BRM | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 46 | Giorgio Scarlatti | Maserati | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Tony Brooks | Vanwall | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Stuart Lewis-Evans | Vanwall | 12 | DNF | 0 |
1967
On May 18, 1967, Heinz-Harald Frentzen was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany. His most successful F1 season came in 1999 with Jordan, finishing third in the championship and securing two race victories. His final F1 race was in 2003 for Sauber, after which he raced in DTM, Speed Car, and at Le Mans.
1969
Graham Hill secured his fifth and final Monte Carlo win at the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix, driving his Lotus to victory after Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon retired. Nicknamed “Mr. Monaco,” Hill won five of the seven races held at the principality between 1963 and 1969, a record only matched by Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. The 1969 win was Hill’s last in Formula 1, as his career was disrupted by a severe accident during that year’s 1969 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.
Piers Courage finished second in a Brabham-Ford entered by Frank Williams, with Jo Siffert third in a Lotus-Ford entered by Rob Walker Racing. This was also the final Formula One race for Cooper as a constructor and Maserati as an engine supplier.
1969 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 80 | 1:56:59.400 | 9 |
| 2 | 16 | Piers Courage | Brabham Ford | 80 | +17.300s | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | Jo Siffert | Lotus Ford | 80 | +34.600s | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Richard Attwood | Lotus Ford | 80 | +52.900s | 3 |
| 5 | 4 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 3 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 78 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | Vic Elford | Cooper Maserati | 74 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Jacky Ickx | Brabham Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Jackie Stewart | Matra Ford | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra Ford | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Chris Amon | Ferrari | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Silvio Moser | Brabham Ford | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | John Surtees | BRM | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1980
Carlos Reutemann won a chaotic 1980 Monaco Grand Prix for Williams after a huge pile-up at the start took out five cars. Didier Pironi led until a gearbox issue caused him to crash at Casino Square on lap 55. Reutemann then took the lead, finishing over a minute ahead of Ligier driver Jacques Laffite. Third was Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet driving a Brabham BT49.
Reutemann’s win was the Argentine’s tenth F1 victory and his first since the 1978 United States Grand Prix. He also became the fifth winner in six races of the 1980 season.
1980 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 76 | 1:55:34.365 | 9 |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Ford | 76 | +73.629s | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 76 | +77.726s | 4 |
| 4 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows Ford | 75 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 75 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 74 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 11 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 73 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 73 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Ford | 68 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS Ford | 64 | +12 laps | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier Ford | 54 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Alain Prost | McLaren Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2003
On May 18, Michael Schumacher overcame two aborted starts, a rain shower, and a pit lane fire to win the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix. Issues with Christiano da Matta’s launch-control system led to two aborted starts. Once underway, Schumacher initially led but faced a brief rain shower. During his pit stop, his fuel hose caught fire, but he calmly waited until given the all-clear and rejoined in third. Passing Kimi Raikkonen‘s McLaren and taking the lead after the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya failed, Schumacher held on to win the race.
Räikkönen finished second driving for McLaren, with Rubens Barrichello third in the other Ferrari. It was the last Austrian Grand Prix to be held until it returned to the renamed Red Bull Ring in 2014.
2003 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 69 | 1:24:04.888 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 69 | +3.362s | 8 |
| 3 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 69 | +3.951s | 6 |
| 4 | 17 | Jenson Button | BAR Honda | 69 | +42.243s | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 69 | +59.740s | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams BMW | 68 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 7 | 14 | Mark Webber | Jaguar Cosworth | 68 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 68 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 9 | 15 | Antonio Pizzonia | Jaguar Cosworth | 68 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | Cristiano da Matta | Toyota | 68 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 12 | Ralph Firman | Jordan Ford | 68 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Honda | 68 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Justin Wilson | Minardi Cosworth | 67 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Ford | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber Petronas | 46 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Olivier Panis | Toyota | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Jos Verstappen | Minardi Cosworth | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber Petronas | DNS | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 18 May
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 18 May 1914 | Emmanuel de Graffenried (d. 2007) |
| 18 May 1928 | Jo Schlesser (d. 1968) |
| 18 May 1931 | Bruce Halford (d. 2001) |
| 18 May 1967 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
F1 Driver Deaths 18 May
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 18 May | None |
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