What Happened On This Day November 3 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, November 3 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1968

Lotus driver Graham Hill claimed his second World Championship with a decisive victory at the 1968 Mexican Grand Prix, narrowly defeating rival Jackie Stewart. Heading into the weekend, Hill held a slim three-point lead over Stewart, and the two drivers went wheel-to-wheel for the first third of the race. Stewart briefly took the lead on the third lap, only to fall back to seventh with engine troubles by the seventh lap. “I had a lovely time,” Hill remarked after his win. “The car went beautifully. I am very pleased to have won.” Denny Hulme had a fortunate escape after his McLaren’s suspension failed, sending him crashing into a wall. Joining Hill on the podium were Hulme’s teamate, Bruce McLaren and the Lotus of Jackie Oliver. The Lotus team’s result was enough to clinch the 1968 Constructors’ Championship title.

1968 Mexican Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	10	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	65	1:56:43.950	9
2	2	Bruce McLaren	McLaren Ford	65	+79.320s	6
3	11	Jackie Oliver	Lotus Ford	65	+100.650s	4
4	8	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	65	+101.090s	3
5	17	Jo Bonnier	Honda	64	+1 lap	2
6	16	Jo Siffert	Lotus Ford	64	+1 lap	1
7	15	Jackie Stewart	Matra Ford	64	+1 lap	0
8	18	Vic  Elford	Cooper BRM	63	+2 laps	0
9	9	Henri Pescarolo	Matra	62	+3 laps	0
10	3	Jack Brabham	Brabham Repco	59	DNF	0
NC	23	Johnny  Servoz-Gavin	Matra Ford	57	DNF	0
NC	14	Dan Gurney	McLaren Ford	28	DNF	0
NC	22	Piers  Courage	BRM	25	DNF	0
NC	19	Lucien Bianchi	Cooper BRM	21	DNF	0
NC	5	John Surtees	Honda	17	DNF	0
NC	6	Chris Amon	Ferrari	16	DNF	0
NC	12	Moises Solana	Lotus Ford	14	DNF	0
NC	21	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	10	DNF	0
NC	1	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	10	DNF	0
NC	7	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	3	DNF	0
NC	4	Jochen Rindt	Brabham Repco	2	DNF	0

1985

Keke Rosberg closed his Williams career with a memorable victory in the inaugural 1985 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. Under scorching 30°C heat and in front of a crowd of 110,000, Rosberg managed to overcome a collision with the Lotus of Ayrton Senna midway through the race. Senna rammed into the rear of Rosberg’s car, damaging his front wing. Although Senna returned to the track after repairs and briefly retook the lead, his race ended with an engine failure. Rosberg remained diplomatic about the incident, but teammate Nigel Mansell was blunt, calling Senna “a total idiot.” Niki Lauda, making his final F1 appearance, also had an eventful race, crashing his McLaren into a wall and later quipping, “Now it’s time to grow up and start some sensible work.”

Late-race drama unfolded when Ligier teammates Jacques Laffite and Philippe Streiff collided on the penultimate lap while chasing Rosberg. Misinterpreting his pit signals, Streiff believed he was under attack from another car and attempted to overtake Laffite, only to collide with him. Laffite still managed to finish in second, while Streiff limped across the line in third place.

Despite Lauda’s crash, McLaren won the 1985 Constructors’ Championship title.

1985 Australian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams Honda	82	2:00:40.473	9
2	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Renault	82	+46.130s	6
3	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier Renault	82	+88.536s	4
4	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell Renault	81	+1 lap	3
5	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	81	+1 lap	2
6	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows BMW	81	+1 lap	1
7	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella Alfa Romeo	78	+4 laps	0
8	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Motori Moderni	78	+4 laps	0
NC	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus Renault	62	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	61	DNF	0
NC	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren TAG	57	DNF	0
NC	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	57	DNF	0
NC	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell Renault	49	+33 laps	0
NC	8	Marc Surer	Brabham BMW	42	DNF	0
NC	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	42	DNF	0
NC	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman Hart	40	DNF	0
NC	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows BMW	37	DNF	0
NC	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman Hart	28	DNF	0
NC	2	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	26	DNF	0
NC	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	20	DNF	0
NC	33	Alan  Jones	Lola Hart	20	DNF	0
NC	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham BMW	14	DNF	0
NC	23	Eddie  Cheever	Alfa Romeo	5	DNF	0
NC	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Honda	1	DNF	0

1991

The 1991 Australian Grand Prix once held the record for being the shortest Formula One World Championship race until the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, lasting just 14 laps before torrential rain and frustrated drivers forced officials to suspend and ultimately abandon the race. The decision to start in such extreme conditions was heavily criticised, with many accusing organisers of prioritising profit over driver safety. Visibility was limited to mere yards, creating treacherous conditions from the outset. Nigel Mansell, who was running in second for Williams behind the McLaren of Ayrton Senna, admitted he was struggling to keep up, relying only on the glow of Senna’s brake lights. Mansell eventually lost control, aquaplaning on a deep puddle and crashing into a concrete wall. Shortly afterwards, the race was red-flagged, and Mansell was ultimately awarded second place.

Senna, who had already secured the World Championship, his third and final, condemned the organisers’ decision to proceed with the race, stating, “The event should never have been allowed to start. I only elected to take part out of loyalty to my team and our interest in the Constructors’ Championship. It was understood that I would stop if I felt the conditions were impossible. But it was not a race—just a dangerous procession.” Mansell echoed Senna’s sentiment, adding, “It’s a wonder nobody was killed.”

Gerhard Berger finished third for McLaren, enough to secure the team the 1991 Constructors’ Championship title.

Formula One History Recommends

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1991 Australian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	14	24:34.899	5
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Renault	14	+1.259s	3
3	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	14	+5.120s	2
4	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	14	+30.103s	1.5
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	14	+50.537s	1
6	27	Gianni Morbidelli	Ferrari	14	+51.069s	0.5
7	21	Emanuele Pirro	Dallara Judd	14	+52.361s	0
8	33	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Ford	14	+60.431s	0
9	32	Alessandro Zanardi	Jordan Ford	14	+75.567s	0
10	4	Stefano Modena	Tyrrell Honda	14	+80.370s	0
11	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus Judd	14	+82.073s	0
12	22	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Dallara Judd	14	+98.519s	0
13	9	Michele Alboreto	Footwork Porsche	14	+99.303s	0
14	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Ilmor	13	DNF	0
15	10	Alex Caffi	Footwork Porsche	13	+1 lap	0
16	24	Roberto Moreno	Minardi Ferrari	13	+1 lap	0
17	8	Mark Blundell	Brabham Yamaha	13	+1 lap	0
18	26	Erik Comas	Ligier Lamborghini	13	+1 lap	0
19	11	Mika Hakkinen	Lotus Judd	13	+1 lap	0
20	16	Karl Wendlinger	Leyton House Ilmor	12	+2 laps	0
NC	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ferrari	8	DNF	0
NC	19	Michael Schumacher	Benetton Ford	5	DNF	0
NC	28	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	5	DNF	0
NC	34	Nicola Larini	Lambo Lamborghini	5	DNF	0
NC	25	Thierry Boutsen	Ligier Lamborghini	5	DNF	0
NC	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Honda	4	DNF	0

2013

Sebastian Vettel claimed victory for Red Bull at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, finishing 30.8 seconds ahead of teammate Mark Webber, who took second place. Nico Rosberg, driving for Mercedes, completed the podium in third. Vettel’s win marked his seventh consecutive victory, tying the record for the most consecutive wins in an F1 season held by Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher. The race also marked Red Bull’s 100th podium finish. In celebration of Red Bull’s milestone, Vettel and Webber performed celebratory doughnuts during the cool-down lap. Vettel had performed similar doughnuts after the previous race in India, this time he did so without incurring any penalties from the stewards.

Both Force India drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta scored their final F1 World Championship points at this race.

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	1:38:06.106	25
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	+30.829s	18
3	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	+33.650s	15
4	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	55	+34.802s	12
5	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	55	+67.181s	10
6	14	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	55	+78.174s	8
7	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	+79.267s	6
8	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	55	+82.886s	4
9	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren Mercedes	55	+91.198s	2
10	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	55	+93.257s	1
11	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Renault	55	+95.989s	0
12	5	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	55	+103.767s	0
13	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	55	+104.295s	0
14	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
15	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Renault	54	+1 lap	0
16	19	Daniel Ricciardo	STR Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
17	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
18	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham Renault	54	+1 lap	0
19	20	Charles Pic	Caterham Renault	54	+1 lap	0
20	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Cosworth	53	+2 laps	0
21	23	Max Chilton	Marussia Cosworth	53	+2 laps	0
NC	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus Renault	0	DNF	0

2019

At the 2019 United States Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas claimed victory from pole position in his Mercedes, but it would be teammate Lewis Hamilton‘s day coming home in second. Hamilton’s second-place finish secured him his sixth World Drivers’ Championship, making him the second most accomplished Formula One driver in history, surpassing Juan Manuel Fangio and trailing only Michael Schumacher. The result also marked Hamilton’s 150th career podium finish—Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, completed the podium in third.

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	56	1:33:55.653	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	+4.148s	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda	56	+5.002s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc1	Ferrari	56	+52.239s	13
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing Honda	56	+78.038s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	56	+90.366s	8
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Renault	56	+90.764s	6
8	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren Renault	55	+1 lap	4
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	55	+1 lap	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	55	+1 lap	1
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	55	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat2	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	55	+1 lap	0
13	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point BWT Mercedes	55	+1 lap	0
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari	55	+1 lap	0
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	55	+1 lap	0
16	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	54	DNF	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams Mercedes	54	+2 laps	0
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	52	DNF	0
NC	88	Robert Kubica	Williams Mercedes	31	DNF	0
NC	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	7	DNF	0

2024

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen charged from 17th on the grid to clinch victory at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, bringing him within reach of a fourth world title in one of his most remarkable performances. Lando Norris, having started on pole for McLaren, endured a challenging race, finishing sixth after crucial mistakes, dropping 62 points behind Verstappen with only 86 left to fight for across the final three races. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly rounded out the podium, revitalising Alpine’s season by propelling the team from ninth to sixth in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship. This chaotic, rain-soaked race—featuring a red flag, two safety cars, and numerous incidents—will be remembered not only as Verstappen’s 62nd career win but also as one of the greatest wet-weather victories in Formula 1 history.

Full Race Weekend Report

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  2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

2024 São Paulo Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Max Verstappen1	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	69	2:06:54.430	26
2	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	69	+19.477s	18
3	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	69	+22.532s	15
4	63	George Russell	Mercedes	69	+23.265s	12
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	69	+30.177s	10
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	69	+31.372s	8
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	69	+42.056s	6
8	81	Oscar Piastri2	McLaren Mercedes	69	+44.943s	4
9	30	Liam Lawson	RB Honda RBPT	69	+50.452s	2
10	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	69	+50.753s	1
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	69	+51.531s	0
12	50	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari	69	+57.085s	0
13	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	69	+63.588s	0
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	69	+78.049s	0
15	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber Ferrari	69	+79.649s	0
NC	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	38	DNF	0
NC	43	Franco Colapinto	Williams Mercedes	30	DNF	0
NC	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	0	DNS	0
NC	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	0	DNS	0
DQ	27	Nico Hulkenberg3	Haas Ferrari		DSQ	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 3 November

Birthday	F1 Driver
3 November 1948	Helmuth Koinigg

F1 Driver Deaths 3 November

Death	F1 Driver
3 November	None

F1 Champion 3 November

Date	Team/Driver
3 November 1968	Graham Hill
3 November 2019	Lewis Hamilton
3 November 1968	Team Lotus
3 November 1985	McLaren
3 November 1991	McLaren