What happened on this day, November 27 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1957
Kenny Acheson, born in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, entered ten Formula 1 races between 1983 and 1985. Despite an underpowered RAM March, he managed to qualify for three races, finishing 12th at the 1983 South African Grand Prix. Following a brief stint in CART, Acheson shifted to Japan, winning the Japanese Sportscar Championship in 1987. He returned to Europe in 1988, driving for Sauber–Mercedes in the Sportscar World Championship. With Mauro Baldi, he finished second at Le Mans and secured wins at Brands Hatch and Spa. Surprisingly, Sauber did not renew his contract, leading him to join Nissan with limited success. Acheson later drove for Jaguar and Toyota before returning to Japan to compete in GT racing. In 1996, a severe crash at the Daytona 24 Hours prompted him to retire from racing.
1975
The FIA unveiled a 17-race schedule for the 1976 season, setting a record for the most Grand Prix in a single year. Two new events were added: a second US Grand Prix early in the season and the first Japanese Grand Prix, which would close the season.
1977
Ken Tyrrell announced that rookie Didier Pironi would serve as the No. 2 driver at Tyrrell behind Patrick Depailler. While not groundbreaking, it was notable as Tyrrell’s first official designation of a No. 1 and No. 2 driver in a decade. Even during Jackie Stewart’s championship-winning years, the team had never publicly assigned him the role of No. 1 driver.
2011
The 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, the final round of the 2011 season, saw Red Bull driver Mark Webber claim his only win of the season. Webber’s teammate, Sebastian Vettel, secured second place, marking Red Bull’s third 1–2 finish that year, while Jenson Button finished in third for McLaren, completing the podium.
This race held particular significance, marking the end of an era for several drivers. It was the 326th and final Grand Prix for Rubens Barrichello, an 11-time Grand Prix winner and, at that point, the most experienced driver in Formula One history. Jarno Trulli also made his final appearance, ending his career with 256 races. It was also the last race for less experienced dirvers Vitantonio Liuzzi, Sebastien Buemi, and Jaime Alguersuari, as well as Renault’s final Formula One race appearance until their return at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.
2011 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing Renault | 1:13.664 | 1:12.446 | 1:11.918 | 17 |
| 2 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing Renault | 1:13.467 | 1:12.658 | 1:12.099 | 16 |
| 3 | 4 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 1:13.281 | 1:12.820 | 1:12.283 | 18 |
| 4 | 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 1:13.361 | 1:12.811 | 1:12.480 | 22 |
| 5 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:13.969 | 1:12.870 | 1:12.591 | 22 |
| 6 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:14.083 | 1:12.569 | 1:13.050 | 21 |
| 7 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:14.269 | 1:13.291 | 1:13.068 | 18 |
| 8 | 14 | Adrian Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 1:13.480 | 1:13.261 | 1:13.298 | 23 |
| 9 | 9 | Bruno Senna | Renault | 1:14.453 | 1:13.300 | 1:13.761 | 20 |
| 10 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:13.694 | 1:13.571 | DNF | 18 |
| 11 | 15 | Paul di Resta | Force India Mercedes | 1:13.733 | 1:13.584 | 17 | |
| 12 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams Cosworth | 1:14.117 | 1:13.801 | 17 | |
| 13 | 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR Ferrari | 1:14.225 | 1:13.804 | 18 | |
| 14 | 18 | Sebastien Buemi | STR Ferrari | 1:14.500 | 1:13.919 | 22 | |
| 15 | 10 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1:13.859 | 1:14.053 | 16 | |
| 16 | 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | 1:14.571 | 1:14.129 | 18 | |
| 17 | 17 | Sergio Perez | Sauber Ferrari | 1:14.430 | 1:14.182 | 21 | |
| 18 | 12 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams Cosworth | 1:14.625 | 11 | ||
| 19 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus Renault | 1:15.068 | 11 | ||
| 20 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus Renault | 1:15.358 | 14 | ||
| 21 | 23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT Cosworth | 1:16.631 | 8 | ||
| 22 | 22 | Daniel Ricciardo | HRT Cosworth | 1:16.890 | 9 | ||
| 23 | 25 | Jerome d’Ambrosio | Virgin Cosworth | 1:17.019 | 10 | ||
| 24 | 24 | Timo Glock | Virgin Cosworth | 1:17.060 | 10 |
2016
The 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the season finale, was decisive in determining the 2016 Drivers’ Championship. Nico Rosberg, who had won the race the previous year, entered with a twelve-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. To secure his first and only World Drivers’ Championship title, Rosberg needed to finish on the podium, while Hamilton needed to win and hope for Rosberg to place lower.
Hamilton started from pole position and led the race from the start, with Rosberg cautiously following. On lap 41 Lewis Hamilton began deliberately slowing his pace to allow the chasing pack to catch up, aiming to create pressure on his teammate, Nico Rosberg, who was close behind. Despite repeated instructions from Mercedes’ pit wall to increase his pace, Hamilton continued to control the race, taking advantage of the track layout that made overtaking difficult. By lap 50, Hamilton’s tactic allowed Sebastian Vettel to attack him on the last lap and for Max Verstappen to close within a second of Rosberg. Red Bull Racing even encouraged Verstappen to keep up with Vettel, hoping to capitalise on any mistakes. If Rosberg had been overtaken by both Vettel and Verstappen, Hamilton would have clinched the World Championship, denying Rosberg his first title. While Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff did not condone Hamilton’s actions, he acknowledged the competitive mentality behind them, with some supporting Hamilton under the “drivers are free to race” principle.
Hamilton ultimately claimed victory, but Rosberg’s second-place finish secured him the championship. Sebastian Vettel completed the podium in third for Ferrari.
This race became particularly memorable, as it marked the end of several Formula One careers. Just a week after securing his title, Rosberg announced his retirement, making Abu Dhabi his final Grand Prix. It was also the last race for the Manor team, which ended operations before the 2017 season, reducing the grid to 20 drivers.
2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 55 | 1:38:04.013 | 25 |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 55 | +0.439s | 18 |
| 3 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 55 | +0.843s | 15 |
| 4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 55 | +1.685s | 12 |
| 5 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 55 | +5.315s | 10 |
| 6 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 55 | +18.816s | 8 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 55 | +50.114s | 6 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 55 | +58.776s | 4 |
| 9 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 55 | +59.436s | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 55 | +59.896s | 1 |
| 11 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 55 | +76.777s | 0 |
| 12 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas Ferrari | 55 | +95.113s | 0 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | MRT Mercedes | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | MRT Mercedes | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 5 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 27 November
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 November 1957 | Kenny Acheson |
F1 Driver Deaths 27 November
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 November 1995 | Giancarlo Baghetti |
F1 Champion 27 November
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 November 2016 | Nico Rosberg |
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