What Happened On This Day November 29 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 29 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1975

Double world champion Graham Hill tragically died when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed in dense fog at Elstree Aerodrome, Hertfordshire. Five members of his Embassy Hill racing team, including promising young driver Tony Brise, also perished in the crash. The fog was so thick that, under current regulations, they would have been required to divert; however, these rules did not apply to amateur pilots at the time. The six men were returning from Marseilles, where they had been testing a car for the upcoming season. The Piper Aztec aircraft, purchased by Hill with his 1966 Indianapolis 500 prize money, crashed into a nearby golf course, bursting into flames as it struck trees. Adding to the Hill family’s tragedy, it later surfaced that the plane was not adequately insured, leading relatives of the victims to successfully sue Hill’s estate for compensation.

2001

Internal tensions at Williams surfaced publicly when team principal Patrick Head openly criticised Ralf Schumacher’s approach to testing, noting the driver’s lack of patience with data analysis and his reluctance to discuss issues with engineers. In contrast, Head praised teammate Juan Pablo Montoya for his dedication to understanding the car’s performance. Schumacher had previously commented on the close relationship between Montoya and team founder Frank Williams, stating, “Frank loves Juan.” Schumacher went on to finish fourth in both the 2001 and 2002 Drivers’ Championships, remaining with Williams until 2004.

2002

Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo publicly criticised the management of Formula One, calling for the teams to take a greater role in the sport’s operations, rather than leaving it solely under Bernie Ecclestone’s control. “There should be one Formula One owner, but that owner should have a strong management representing all teams,” di Montezemolo argued. He expressed dissatisfaction with the teams’ share of television revenue, which he stated was only 47%. Di Montezemolo clarified he didn’t want Ferrari or Mercedes to run Formula One directly but wanted a management structure that included all teams, ideally with Ecclestone involved, if he remained capable. The ownership structure later evolved, but Ecclestone retained a firm grip on Formula One.

2009

Four months after a near-fatal accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa made his return to the track, participating in a karting event in Brazil. He raced alongside Michael Schumacher, who attracted significant media attention amid growing rumours of a possible comeback.

2011

Kimi Raikkonen announced his return Formula One at the beginning of 2012 F1 season with Renault. The team, which became Lotus F1, announced that the 2007 world champion would join them for the season. Raikkonen, who had last raced in Formula 1 with Ferrari in 2009, signed a two-year deal. Raikkonen said: “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity.

“My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.

“It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”

2015

The 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held under the night lights of Yas Marina Circuit, served as the climactic final race of the season. Defending race winner Lewis Hamilton had already claimed his third Drivers’ Championship at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, while Mercedes had secured the 2015 Constructors’ Championship in Russia. Starting from his sixth consecutive pole position, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg clinched the win ahead of Hamilton. Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium in third for Ferrari.

This race was Mercedes’ twelfth one-two finish of the season, a remarkable achievement in a record-breaking year. The team set a new benchmark with the highest-ever points total for a constructor at 703, along with the most front-row lockouts and one-two finishes in a single season

The race marked the final Formula One appearance for drivers Will Stevens, Roberto Merhi, and Pastor Maldonado, adding a touch of farewell to an already historic event.

2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	1:38:30.175	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	+8.271s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	55	+19.430s	15
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	55	+43.735s	12
5	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	55	+63.952s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	+65.010s	8
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	55	+93.618s	6
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	55	+97.751s	4
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Mercedes	55	+98.201s	2
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	+102.371s	1
11	55	Carlos Sainz	STR Renault	55	+103.525s	0
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Honda	54	+1 lap	0
13	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	54	+1 lap	0
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
16	33	Max Verstappen	STR Renault	54	+1 lap	0
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda	53	+2 laps	0
18	28	Will Stevens	Marussia Ferrari	53	+2 laps	0
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Marussia Ferrari	52	+3 laps	0
NC	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus Mercedes	0	DNF	0

2020

The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, initially scheduled for March but rescheduled to 29 November due to COVID-19, was the first of two consecutive races at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the second, the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, using a different layout the following weekend. The race, held behind closed doors with an exception for local health workers and their families, became unforgettable due to a harrowing accident involving Romain Grosjean. His Haas car split in two, wedging itself in the barrier, and caught fire, suspending the race for eighty minutes. Grosjean escaped with second-degree burns on his hands, but the incident led him to miss the season’s final races, making Bahrain as his last Formula One appearance before moving to the IndyCar Series in 2021.

Driving for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton claimed victory from pole position, finishing ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon. This win was Mercedes’ final victory of the 2020 season, as the remaining races at Sakhir and Abu Dhabi were won by Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, respectively.

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  2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

2020 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	2:59:47.515	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda	57	+1.254s	19
3	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing Honda	57	+8.005s	15
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Renault	57	+11.337s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren Renault	57	+11.787s	10
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri Honda	57	+11.942s	8
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	57	+19.368s	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	+19.680s	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	57	+22.803s	2
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	56	+1 lap	1
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri Honda	56	+1 lap	0
12	63	George Russell	Williams Mercedes	56	+1 lap	0
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Mercedes	56	+1 lap	0
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	56	+1 lap	0
18	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	53	DNF	0
NC	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	2	DNF	0
NC	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	0	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 29 November

Birthday	F1 Driver
29 November 1915	Helmut Niedermayr
29 November 1923	Chuck Daigh

F1 Driver Deaths 29 November

Death	F1 Driver
29 November 1963	Lee Wallard
29 November 1975	Graham Hill
29 November 1975	Tony Brise
29 November 2013	Ken Gregory