What Happened On This Day November 11 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 11 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1937

Nicknamed “the Monza Gorilla,” Vittorio Brambilla was born in Monza, Italy. He began racing on motorcycles, then karts, before joining his brother Tino Brambilla in Formula Three in 1968, eventually moving up to Formula Two. In 1974, he took Beta Tools to Formula One with March, securing his first point that same year. His second season showed potential, highlighted by a pole position in Sweden, but was marred by frequent retirements until his memorable victory at the rain-soaked 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Celebrating mid-race, he famously crashed off the circuit moments after crossing the finish line. He died at Lesmo, near Milan, of a heart attack at the age of 63 while gardening at his home.

1980

The prospect of a breakaway series was quelled when six leading constructors, including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Renault, announced their commitment to the official championship for 1981. A dispute between FOCA and FISA had divided manufacturers and sponsors, nearly leading to a split. However, the teams confirmed their participation just four days before the FIA deadline.

1996

Michael Schumacher extended his contract with Ferrari, committing to the team until the end of the 1999 World Championship in a deal reportedly worth over $25 million per year. Beyond his salary, Schumacher was expected to earn significantly more through his Schumacher Collection merchandise and sponsorship deals.

1997

The FIA World Motorsport Council convened to decide Michael Schumacher’s punishment for his attempt to force title rival Jacques Villeneuve off the track during the season’s final race in Jerez. Speculation about a hefty fine or even a multi-race ban for the following season circulated, but the FIA ultimately opted to exclude Schumacher from the championship standings and require his participation in a road safety campaign. Even German tabloid Das Bild called the decision “crazy.”

2008

Two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen announced a new chapter in his career, stepping into driver management to support and develop emerging talent. Partnering with longtime friend and manager Didier Coton at Aces Management Group, Hakkinen shared his excitement, saying, “I understand what it takes to reach the top and how essential a close, trusted team is for an athlete. I’m eager to share the lessons I learned in winning two world titles with ambitious, talented young drivers.”

2018

The 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix marked a historic moment as the first race in Interlagos without a Brazilian driver, following Felipe Massa‘s retirement at the end of the 2017 season. Starting from pole, Lewis Hamilton claimed victory, securing the race win and helping Mercedes clinch their fifth consecutive Constructors’ Championship, with teammate Valtteri Bottas finishing in fifth place. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen crossed the line in third, marking his 103rd and final career podium, as well as his last for Ferrari.

Although Hamilton had already secured the Drivers’ Championship going into the season’s penultimate race, the Constructors’ title was still in contention between Ferrari and Mercedes. With Hamilton’s win, Mercedes ultimately sealed the championship.

Drama unfolded when Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who had been leading and building a gap to Hamilton, collided with the Force India of Esteban Ocon on lap 44. This incident cost Verstappen the win and fueled tensions post-race, leading to a confrontation in the FIA garage where Verstappen pushed Ocon several times in frustration. The altercation led to Verstappen receiving a penalty of two days of community service for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

2018 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	1:27:09.066	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	71	+1.469s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+4.764s	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	71	+5.193s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	71	+22.943s	10
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+26.997s	8
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber Ferrari	71	+44.199s	6
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	71	+51.230s	4
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	71	+52.857s	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	70	+1 lap	1
11	28	Brendon Hartley	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	70	+1 lap	0
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	70	+1 lap	0
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	70	+1 lap	0
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India Mercedes	70	+1 lap	0
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne¹	McLaren Renault	70	+1 lap	0
16	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams Mercedes	69	+2 laps	0
17	14	Fernando Alonso¹	McLaren Renault	69	+2 laps	0
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams Mercedes	69	+2 laps	0
NC	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	32	DNF	0
NC	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	20	DNF	0

¹Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne each received a 5-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.

F1 Driver Birthdays 11 November

Find a complete list here of the birthdays of current and past F1 Drivers’ birthdays, death’s and when a Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship was won.

Birthday	F1 Driver
11 November 1909	Piero Scotti
11 November 1926	Maria Teresa de Filippis
11 November 1937	Vittorio Brambilla
11 November 1998	Callum Ilott

F1 Driver Deaths 11 November

Death	F1 Driver
11 November 1951	Mack Hellings
11 November 2020	Gunther Seiffert

F1 Champion 11 November

Date	Team/Driver
11 November 2018	Mercedes

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Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.