What happened on this day, October 11 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1911
Milan-born Nello Pagani’s racing career lasted from 1928 to 1955. He was best known for motorbike racing, where he was the 125cc World Champion in 1949. In cars, he was good enough to win the Pau Grand Prix in 1947 and 1948. His only F1 championship race was the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten, where he came seventh, scoring no championship points. He drove for the Scuderia Achille Varzi team in a Maserati 4CLT.
1928
A Spaniard born in London, Alfonso de Portago, the Marquis of Portago, had one of the longest names of any racer – Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton – and was a remarkable all-round sportsman. He rode as an amateur twice in the Grand National and represented Spain in the four-man bobsleigh at the 1956 Winter Olympics. He entered five F1 races, finishing second at the 1956 British Grand Prix, a year after breaking his leg in a crash during the same race. “I like the feeling of fear,” he once said. “After a while, a man becomes an addict and has to have it.” He was killed in a crash during the 1957 Mille Miglia, which also cost ten spectators their lives.
1977
Plans were unveiled for two US Automobile Club series races to be staged at Brands Hatch and Silverstone on successive weekends in September and October 1978. “The deal allows British fans their only sight of these spectacularly powerful cars,” noted the Times.
1993
On the day he was announced as Ayrton Senna‘s new team-mate at Williams for 1994, Damon Hill admitted he “had mixed emotions about driving alongside somebody who is as forceful and motivated as Ayrton …but I am not easily demoralised or crushed”. Senna usually only signed one-year deals but agreed to a two-year contract with Frank Williams, reportedly worth £13 million a year.
2007
So poor were relations between Fernando Alonso and his McLaren team – largely because of Alonso’s jealousy at rookie Lewis Hamilton – that he managed to persuade the FIA to send an independent steward to Sao Paolo for the final race of the season to ensure Hamilton was not getting preferential treatment. Carlos Garcia, the head of the Spanish motorsport federation, said: “The FIA will have a steward making sure that nothing wrong happens to Fernando, especially in qualifying, which is where there have been more complaints or strange situations in the last few Grands Prix.”
2007
The single-seater A1GP series signed a deal for Ferrari to provide it with engines and design consultancy services for six years. “I always said that A1GP is going to provide its competitors with the best equipment in motor racing,” said series chairman Tony Teixeira. “There’s no bigger name in the sport than Ferrari. I’m tired of people saying ‘This will never last’ … we’re here to stay.” A1GP’s last race was at Brands Hatch in May 2009, after which time the venture went into liquidation.
2015
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2015 Russian Grand Prix, held in Sochi, extending his championship lead. Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes teammate, started on pole but was forced to retire early due to a throttle issue. This allowed Hamilton to take control of the race. Sebastian Vettel, driving for Ferrari, finished second after a solid drive, while Sergio Perez of Force India secured third place, benefiting from a late-race collision between Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Valtteri Bottas (Williams). The incident helped Perez to secure his first podium of the season.
Hamilton’s win was enough for Mercedes to clinch their second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, repeating their achievement at the same event in the 2014 season.
2020
A one-off race due to a heavily affected calendar because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, held at the Nurburgring, was won by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who equalled Michael Schumacher‘s record of 91 Formula 1 wins. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished second, pushing Hamilton for much of the race but unable to challenge for the win. Daniel Ricciardo, driving for Renault, claimed third place, marking Renault’s first podium since 2011.
In the post-race interviews, Mick Schumacher presented Hamilton with his father’s race-worn Mercedes helmet from 2012, a gesture from the Schumacher family to honour Hamilton for equaling Michael Schumacher’s record number of wins.
F1 Driver Birthdays 11 October
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 11 October 1911 | Nello Pagani |
| 11 October 1928 | Alfonso de Portago |
F1 Driver Deaths 11 October
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 11 October 1993 | Joe Barzda |
F1 Champion 11 October
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 11 October 2015 | Mercedes |
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