What Happened On This Day October 4 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, October 4 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1964

BRM driver Graham Hill secured his second of three successive wins in the 1964 US Grand Prix on this day in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 at Watkins Glen. Jim Clark led for almost half the distance before his Lotus gearbox gave out—he took over the car of teammate Mike Spence to complete the race, but that rendered him ineligible for points. From then on, Hill led, eventually finishing half-a-minute ahead of John Surtees in second for Ferrari. The Brabham of Jo Siffert came home in third.

1968

President de Gaulle risked the ire of the French racing community with the announcement that plans to build a new national F1 car had been shelved as part of measures to stabilise the economy. The plan had only been unveiled a few months earlier.

1970

Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1970 US Grand Prix with Lotus, which ensured Jochen Rindt, who had been killed at Monza the previous month, could not be overtaken in the 1970 Drivers’ Championship, making Rindt the sport’s one and only posthumous champion. Jackie Stewart had led for 83 of the 108 laps before he retired with an oil leak.

Mexican driver Pedro Rodriguez secured second place in his BRM, having led earlier in the race before a late pit stop for fuel. Meanwhile, Fittipaldi’s Swedish teammate, Reine Wisell, made an impressive F1 debut by finishing third—his first and only podium finish in his career.

1992

Former 1967 F1 World Champion Denny Hulme died on this day at the age of 53 from a massive heart attack while taking part in the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. He was heard to complain to his pit that he had blurred vision, which was put down to heavy rain. He suffered the heart attack while driving at 180 mph, and his BMW hit a wall. Although he managed to bring the car under control and stop, he was sadly declared dead by the time marshals reached him.

His F1 career ended at the 1974 United States Grand Prix, having seen him drive for the Brabham and McLaren teams and secured 8 career wins, 33 podiums, 1 pole position and 9 fastest laps.

2009

Sebastian Vettel took a dominant victory in the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, keeping his title hopes alive after leaders Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button finished well down the order in seventh and eighth for Brawn GP. Vettel never looked under threat, maintaining a comfortable gap between his Red Bull and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli, who fended off McLaren’s third-place Lewis Hamilton for second.

With two races remaining in the 2009 season, Vettel’s win maintained his slim hopes of winning the Drivers Championship. Ultimately, Button would win that year with Brawn GP, the Constructors’.

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