What Happened On This Day November 12 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 12 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1995

Williams driver Damon Hill secured his 14th Grand Prix win at the final 1995 Australian Grand Prix held in Adelaide. While the victory had no impact on the championship—already clinched by his Benetton rival Michael Schumacher—the scale of Hill’s triumph was remarkable. Hill finished a full two laps ahead of the Ligier of Olivier Panis in second place, marking only the second time in F1 history that such a margin had been achieved. The first instance was Jackie Stewart’s win in the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix, where he also lapped most of the field. Hill’s dominance was helped by the retirements of his Williams teammate David Coulthard and a collision between Schumacher and the Ferrari of Jean Alesi. Reflecting on the race, Hill shared a light-hearted anecdote: “A surfer I met before the race taught me the phrase ‘too easy, mate,’ and it really fit. I was saying it to myself in the car. It was odd; I was all set for a tough battle, but in a country known for flies, they all just dropped away like flies!”

1995 Australian Grand Prix Race Results

2001

Rubens Barrichello, Tony Kanaan, and Mario Haberfeld joined forces to claim victory in the Granja Viana kart race in São Paulo. The endurance race lasted over six hours and drew over 100 entrants, including F1 drivers Enrique Bernoldi and Ricardo Zonta.

2007

Honda Racing announced that Ross Brawn would take on the role of Team Principal, overseeing the design, manufacturing, engineering, and racing of Honda’s Formula One cars. On the same day, Ferrari revealed that Stefano Domenicali would step in as director of Gestione Sportiva, a role temporarily filled by Jean Todt, effective January 1, 2008.

2017

At the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas claimed pole position, followed closely by Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. However, World Champion Lewis Hamilton‘s qualifying ended abruptly with a crash, relegating him to start from the pit lane. Vettel took advantage at the first corner, swiftly overtaking Bottas and setting the pace for most of the race. Vettel ultimately secured victory, with Bottas finishing second and Raikkonen third. Despite his setback, Hamilton surged through the field to finish fourth, coming within a second of a podium spot.

2017 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

F1 Driver Birthdays 12 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.

F1 Driver Deaths 12 November