What Happened On This Day November 18 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 18 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1876

Victor Hémery, born in Brest, France on this day, became a pioneering figure in early motor racing across the Atlantic. His peak came in 1905, when he triumphed at the Circuit des Ardennes in Bastogne, Belgium, driving a Darracq, and went on to win the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup in Long Island, New York in October. He capped the year by setting a new land speed record of 109.65 mph (176.46 km/h) on New Year’s Eve in Arles. Hémery broke another speed record three years later and continued his success with a victory at the 1911 French Grand Prix. He passed away in Le Mans in 1950 at age 73, and a year after his death, he was retrospectively awarded the 1905 USA Drivers’ Championship.

1916

The American Grand Prize, the last significant race before the United States entered World War One and paused competition, was won by co-drivers Howard Wilcox and Gil Anderson. The pair took home $7,500 for their victory.

1996

Rear Admiral Roger Lane-Nott resigned from his role as Formula One’s race director and safety delegate after just one season, citing a desire to pursue other interests. His departure followed tensions with other FIA officials over the management of the sport. FIA president Max Mosley acknowledged Lane-Nott’s contributions in implementing new systems and approaches, crediting him for injecting fresh perspectives into F1.

2000

Williams technical director Patrick Head revealed that Jenson Button, who would become the rookie of the year, almost missed his Formula One debut. Head initially leaned towards selecting Bruno Junqueira as the team’s second driver due to his technical insight and familiarity with the team. However, Button’s test performance at Jerez prompted a reevaluation. A subsequent test in Barcelona, where Button used a left-foot braking setup for the first time, showcased his adaptability and speed, ultimately securing him the spot.

2002

1980 World Champion Alan Jones married Amanda Butler-Davis, the mother of his twin 20-month-old children, Jack and Zara, in an intimate ceremony on Daydream Island beach. The 56-year-old exchanged vows in a private tropical setting.

2004

Red Bull Racing announced that Formula 3000 champion Vitantonio Liuzzi would participate in their testing session at Barcelona from November 24-26. Team principal Tony Purnell expressed enthusiasm, stating, “I’ve known him since his early karting days and believe he holds great potential for the future.” Liuzzi joined Red Bull for the 2005 season.

2005

Formula One’s longest-serving journalist, Gerard “Jabby” Crombac, passed away in Paris. Known simply as “Jabby,” he had covered Formula One since before the World Championship’s inception in 1950. His unparalleled experience and deep knowledge earned him the affectionate title of “Legend” among friends and colleagues in his later years.

2012

The 2012 United States Grand Prix marked the debut race at the Circuit of the Americas in Travis County, and was the first US Grand Prix since 2007. Sebastian Vettel began the race from pole for Red Bull, but it was Lewis Hamilton who claimed victory, marking his final win with McLaren before his switch to Mercedes. Red Bull’s Vettel finished second, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso taking third. The result was enough to help secure Red Bull Racing’s third consecutive Constructors’ Championship. The race also saw Bruno Senna score his final Formula One point.

Though this was the first Formula One race at the Circuit of the Americas, it wasn’t Texas’s first experience hosting F1; the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix took place in July amid sweltering summer temperatures.

2012 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	56	1:35:55.269	25
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	56	+0.675s	18
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	56	+39.229s	15
4	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+46.013s	12
5	3	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	56	+56.432s	10
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus Renault	56	+64.425s	8
7	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	56	+70.313s	6
8	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	56	+73.792s	4
9	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Renault	56	+74.525s	2
10	19	Bruno Senna	Williams Renault	56	+75.133s	1
11	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber Ferrari	56	+84.341s	0
12	16	Daniel Ricciardo	STR Ferrari	56	+84.871s	0
13	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	56	+85.510s	0
14	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber Ferrari	55	+1 lap	0
15	11	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	55	+1 lap	0
16	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	55	+1 lap	0
17	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham Renault	55	+1 lap	0
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham Renault	55	+1 lap	0
19	24	Timo Glock	Marussia Cosworth	55	+1 lap	0
20	25	Charles Pic	Marussia Cosworth	54	+2 laps	0
21	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT Cosworth	54	+2 laps	0
22	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT Cosworth	54	+2 laps	0
NC	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	16	DNF	0
NC	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Ferrari	14	DNF	0

2023

The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, held around the iconic Las Vegas Strip on a brand-new street circuit, was the 1,100th Formula One World Championship Grand Prix since the series began in 1950 and served as the penultimate race of the 2023 season. It marked Formula One’s return to Las Vegas since the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix but was the inaugural running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This race was the third and final US event of the 2023 season, following the Miami and United States Grands Prix, and marked the first season since 1982 to feature three American races. Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for Ferrari, with teammate Carlos Sainz initially qualifying second but starting from twelfth due to a grid penalty. This allowed Max Verstappen to start from second and ultimately take victory in a thrilling race filled with multiple lead changes. Leclerc finished second, with Sergio Perez in third, securing his second place in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship and giving Red Bull Racing their first-ever 1–2 finish in the Drivers’ standings.

2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	50	1:29:08.289	25
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	50	+2.070s	18
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	50	+2.241s	15
4	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	50	+18.665s	12
5	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	50	+20.067s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	50	+20.834s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	50	+21.755s	6
8	63	George Russell¹	Mercedes	50	+23.091s	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	50	+25.964s	2
10	81	Oscar Piastri²	McLaren Mercedes	50	+29.496s	2
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	50	+34.270s	0
12	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	50	+43.398s	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	50	+44.825s	0
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	AlphaTauri Honda RBPT	50	+48.525s	0
15	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo Ferrari	50	+50.162s	0
16	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams Mercedes	50	+50.882s	0
17	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo Ferrari	50	+85.350s	0
18	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri Honda RBPT	46	DNF	0
19	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	45	DNF	0
NC	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	2	DNF	0

¹Russell received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
²Piastri scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 47 – 1:35.490

F1 Driver Birthdays 18 November

Birthday	F1 Driver
18 November 1912	Ted Duncan
18 November 1932	Nasif Estefano

F1 Driver Deaths 18 November

Death	F1 Driver
18 November	None

F1 Champion 18 November

Date	Team/Driver
18 November 2012	Red Bull Racing

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Lee is our staff writer specialising in anything technical within Formula 1 from aerodynamics to engines. Lee writes most of our F1 guides for beginners and experienced fans having followed the sports since 1991, researching and understanding how teams build the ultimate machines. Like everyone else on the team he listens to podcasts about F1 and enjoys reading biographies of former drivers.