What happened on this day, May 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1937
The German teams, Mercedes and Auto Union dominated the 1937 Tripoli Grand Prix on May 9, capturing all eight top positions. Herman Lang secured his inaugural victory in a Mercedes, but post-race tensions flared dramatically. Luigi Fagioli, after a prolonged on-track battle, passed Mercedes’ Rudolf Caracciola and, in a fit of rage, threw a hammer at Caracciola in the Mercedes garage before being restrained.
1949
Count Carlo Felice Trossi, an Italian aristocrat who had been a prominent driver and designer for Alfa Romeo and Mercedes before the war, passed away from a brain tumour. Trossi, who became president of the Ferrari racing team in 1931, achieved notable successes, including second place at the 1932 Mille Miglia and winning the 1933 European Hillclimb Championship. He later won the 1947 Italian Grand Prix and the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix before his death on May 9, 1949.
1982
The 1982 Belgium Grand Prix on May 9, was marred by the tragic death of Gilles Villeneuve just 24 hours earlier, leading to Ferrari’s withdrawal. John Watson triumphed in his McLaren Ford, overcoming Keke Rosberg, who led most of the race in his Williams-Ford. Rosberg, struggling with worn soft tyres and failing rear brakes, was overtaken by Watson on the penultimate lap after making an error on a corner.
1993
On May 9, Alain Prost won the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya by 16.8 seconds, in what was a largely uneventful race apart from his rivalry with Williams teammate Damon Hill. The duel ended when Hill’s engine failed two-thirds into the race. Hill remarked on the intense battle: “That was a proper race and we were not playing about”. Ayrton Senna, who finished second, struggled with visibility issues due to his visor being coated with oil from other cars’ engine failures.
2004
On May 9, in his 200th Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher clinched victory at the 2004 Spanish Grand Prix, matching Nigel Mansell’s record from 1992 of winning the season’s first five races. The confidence in Schumacher’s success was so high that some bookmakers began paying out bets for his anticipated fifth consecutive championship title, which he eventually secured. Remarkably, Schumacher achieved this win while racing with a cracked exhaust in his Ferrari. Meanwhile, Jenson Button managed an eighth-place finish despite eye issues caused by a small carbon fragment lodged in his eye.
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