What Happened On This Day October 16 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, October 16 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1918

Tony Rolt, born on this day in Borden, Hampshire, took part in the first world championship race at Silverstone in 1950, and, at the time of his death in 2008, he was the last survivor of that day. He was a successful driver before World War II (during which he was awarded the MC and spent time as a POW in Colditz), but he only raced in three F1 championship races in total. He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans but quit racing after the 1955 Le Mans tragedy, moving into engineering.

By the early 1960s, Rolt and engineering firm FF Developments committed to building a four-wheel-drive (4WD) racing car to showcase the advantages of this technology. Rolt played a key role in both the design and testing of the resulting Ferguson P99.

The P99, entered under the Rob Walker Racing banner, made history as the only 4WD car to win a Formula One race—albeit a non-championship event—when Stirling Moss drove it to victory at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup.

1994

Benetton driver Michael Schumacher returned from a two-race ban for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone to take the win at the 1994 European Grand Prix at Jerez, and in doing so stopped Damon Hill‘s title bid who finished in second, which had been buoyed by three successive wins, in its tracks. Hill’s Williams team-mate, Nigel Mansell, also returned for this race, but his day ended when he spun off while languishing nearer the back of the field than the front. Mika Hakkinen completed the podium in third for McLaren.

In the second Sauber, Andrea de Cesaris made his 208th and final Grand Prix start.

2005

Fernando Alonso rounded off his championship-winning season by taking the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, ensuring Renault also won the 2005 Constructors’ Championship. Starting from pole, he built a 20-second lead before two safety-car periods brought the field closer, but he still eased home by four seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen driving for McLaren. “All season has been a dream come true, but for Renault even more because it is only four years since they came into Formula One, and now we are champions,” Alonso said. “It was not an easy job to do.” Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher ended the year on an unusual note, colliding with the Minardi of Christijan Albers on the installation lap, forcing both cars to be abandoned, and the drivers started from the pit lane using their spare cars. “The weird ending pretty much sums up our season,” Schumacher said. Ralf Schumacher, driving for Toyota at the time, claimed third place.

2011

The 2011 Korean Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing dominate the race, taking his 10th win of the season. Vettel secured victory with a commanding performance, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole but couldn’t match Vettel’s race pace. Hamilton finished second, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber completed the podium in third place after battling with Hamilton during the race. Webber and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel multiple times, but Hamilton managed to fend off Webber to secure second. The race also featured a first-lap collision involving Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher, which forced both drivers to retire early. Red Bull’s victory in Korea secured their second consecutive Constructors’ Championship. It was also the McLaren team’s 700th Grand Prix.

F1 Driver Birthdays 16 October

F1 Driver Deaths 16 October

F1 Champion 16 October