What Happened On This Day November 23 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 23 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1919

Andre Boillot, driving a 2.5-litre Peugeot, clinched victory in Europe’s first major post-war race, the Targa Florio. The race was a brutal 268-mile course through snow and fog on the winding roads of Sicily. Boillot’s finish was one of the most memorable in racing history. As he approached the final corner, he lost control and spun into the grandstand, stopping just 30 yards from the finish line. Spectators rushed to his aid, pushing his damaged car out of the wreckage. Bloodied and dazed, he managed to reverse his Peugeot across the line. Fearing disqualification, Ernest Ballot, owner of the car in second place, urged Boillot to return to the point of the accident and cross the finish line again going forward. Boillot complied, securing a clear victory before collapsing from exhaustion. The race was also notable for the presence of a young Enzo Ferrari, racing a Lancia, and for Antonio Ascari’s dramatic crash off the course and into a ravine.

1969

Olivier Beretta, born in Monte Carlo, was introduced to the F1 world as a protege of Nelson Piquet. He raced in ten grands prix for Larrousse in 1994, though his tenure was cut short when his sponsorship funds ran out. Beretta continued to test with Williams in 2003 and 2004 but was not offered another drive. Instead, he found greater success in sports car racing.

2005

Guildford native Katherine Legge was among several drivers to test with Minardi in Italy, earning praise from team boss Paul Stoddart despite a mishap where she drove into a brick wall on her first outing. “Katherine proved she’s definitely got what it takes to be an F1 driver,” Stoddart commented. Legge called the experience “fantastic,” expressing her eagerness to return to an F1 car someday. Though the test didn’t lead to an F1 career, she continued her racing journey, later competing in the A1 Grand Prix series.

2009

Nico Rosberg’s unveiling as a Mercedes driver was, as the Daily Mail put it, “like Hamlet without the prince.” Though Mercedes denied it, speculation about Michael Schumacher’s possible return overshadowed Rosberg’s moment. A vague comment from team boss Norbert Haug fueled the rumours: “When would you ever say anything categorically in Formula One? I have nothing to add.” This speculation was an unwelcome distraction for Rosberg, who expressed surprise at not being paired with Jenson Button, whose move to McLaren had left an opening that seemed tailor-made for Schumacher.

2014

The 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was notable for several unprecedented events and final farewells in Formula 1. For the first time, double points were awarded at this race, a controversial change to the points system that was poorly received by fans and teams alike. This one-off system was quickly abandoned, with Formula 1 reverting to the traditional 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1 points structure starting with the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.

The race was the decisive battle for the 2014 World Drivers’ Championship between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton won both the race and his second world title, crossing the finish line 2.5 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa, while Valtteri Bottas finished third, marking Williams‘ first double podium since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. Rosberg, who struggled with ERS issues, ultimately finished in 14th, eliminating his chance for the championship.

This Grand Prix also marked the final appearances for drivers Jean-Eric Vergne, Adrian Sutil, and Kamui Kobayashi and the last race for the Caterham team, which would collapse before the 2015 season. In an additional twist, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel, both starting from the pit lane due to qualifying disqualifications for front wing irregularities, managed to fight back to finish fourth and eighth, respectively.

Mercedes capped off the season by setting two new records: a total of 701 points, and a 296-point lead over second-placed Red Bull, underscoring their dominance in the 2014 season.

2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	1:39:02.619	50
2	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	55	+2.576s	36
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	55	+28.880s	30
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	+37.237s	24
5	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	55	+60.334s	20
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	55	+62.148s	16
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	55	+71.060s	12
8	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	+72.045s	8
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	55	+85.813s	4
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	55	+87.820s	2
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren Mercedes	55	+90.376s	0
12	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Renault	55	+91.947s	0
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	54	+1 lap	0
14	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	54	+1 lap	0
15	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
16	99	Adrian Sutil	Sauber Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
17	46	Will Stevens	Caterham Renault	54	+1 lap	0
NC	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham Renault	42	DNF	0
NC	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus Renault	26	DNF	0
NC	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR Renault	14	DNF	0

2024

The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024) will be the twenty-second race of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on the weekend of November 21 to November 23, 2024.

F1 Driver Birthdays 23 November

Birthday	F1 Mentions
23 November 1954	Ross Brawn Served as Managing Director, Motor Sport for Formula One Group, Ferrari Technical Director and Team Principal for Honda F1, Brawn GP and Mercedes GP

Birthday	F1 Driver
23 November 1903	Juan Jover
23 November 1969	Olivier Beretta

F1 Driver Deaths 23 November

Death	F1 Driver
23 November 2011	Jim Rathmann

F1 Champion 1 November

Date	Team/Driver
23 November 2014	Lewis Hamilton