What happened on this day, October 7 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1912
Peter Walker, who was born on this day in Leeds, took part in four Grand Prix between 1951 and 1955, finishing seventh at the 1951 British Grand Prix despite being burnt by a broken exhaust in the cockpit. In that year, he won the Le Mans 24 Hour with Peter Whitehead but retired after a crash on the same circuit in 1956.
1962
Lotus driver Jim Clark and BRM driver Graham Hill completed a British 1-2 at the 1962 US Grand Prix, which left Clark needing to win the season’s final race in South Africa to tie with Hill on points and take the title on most wins. As it happened, Hill won the finale and clinched the first of his two world championships. Clark led for all but seven laps and broke the unofficial circuit record several times. Post-race, Stirling Moss, still recovering from his massive crash in April, was stopped for speeding by New York police and fined $10. Cooper driver Bruce McLaren finished in third.
1973
Lotus driver Ronnie Peterson fought off the March of James Hunt to win the 1973 US Grand Prix by half a second, with the gap between the pair never more than two-and-a-half seconds from the start. Peterson said he had been going flat out throughout. “I just couldn’t shake Hunt,” he told reporters. “Any further effort for greater speed would have been appreciated, but the car just couldn’t go any faster.” The race was overshadowed by the death of Francois Cevert a day earlier, with the World Champion Jackie Stewart and his Tyrrell team withdrawing as a mark of respect, bringing down the curtain on Stewart’s marvellous F1 career. Carlos Reutemann placed third in a Brabham-Ford.
With the Tyrrell team’s withdrawal, they handed the Constructors’ title to Lotus.
1979
Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve won the season’s final race, the 1979 US Grand Prix, in the wet at Watkins Glen. Although he finished 48 seconds ahead of Rene Arnoux’s Renault, Villeneuve said he had been nursing his car home for 25 laps. “I had falling oil pressure and did not want to damage the engine,” he said. There was drama for Carlos Reutemann, who crashed early on while in third when his fire extinguisher sensing unit came loose and interfered with his pedals. Didier Pironi finished in third for Tyyrell.
The win, Villeneuve’s third of the season, enabled him to secure second place in the 1979 Drivers’ Championship behind team-mate Jody Scheckter.
This race marked the end of an era for several key drivers and teams in Formula One. It was the final Grand Prix for Jacky Ickx, the championship runner-up in 1969 and 1970, as well as Alex Ribeiro, Arturo Merzario, and former Brabham driver Hans-Joachim Stuck. It was also the last appearance for the Wolf team. Gilles Villeneuve’s victory was notable as the final win for a car powered by a flat-12 engine, while the three points earned by Elio de Angelis were the last ever scored by the Shadow team.
1984
Alain Prost‘s win with McLaren at the 1984 European Grand Prix set up a season finale between him and Niki Lauda, who came fourth after a mixed day. Prost also had his share of drama as he spun off during the warm-up and drove to victory in the same slightly damaged car. Michele Alboreto came second for Ferrari as Nelson Piquet ran out of fuel and spluttered over the finishing line in his Brabham-BMW. The engine on Nigel Mansell’s Lotus-Renault blew up and he spun off with the rear of his car on fire.
2007
On this day, at the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was expected to put the Drivers’ title almost out of reach in his debut season … but it wasn’t to be. He started on pole on intermediate tyres, but as the track dried, McLaren elected to keep him out and stick to the original pit strategy, allowing the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen to take the lead. As Hamilton headed into the pits with his tyres completely worn, he failed to negotiate a sharp left-hand turn and his car slid into the gravel, ending his race. “You cannot go through life without making mistakes,” he shrugged. “The tyres were finished, it was like driving on ice.” Raikkonen went on to win the race and set up the finale in Brazil where he clinched the championship. Hamilton’s teammate Fernando Alonso finished the race second, and Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari finished third.
2012
The 2012 Japanese Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel dominate from start to finish, taking victory for Red Bull Racing and closing the gap in the championship standings. The race began with chaos as Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari retired on the first lap after contact with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen, significantly impacting his title hopes. Romain Grosjean collided with Mark Webber, adding to the opening lap drama. Felipe Massa capitalised on the incidents to secure second place, marking a return to the podium for Ferrari. At the same time, Kamui Kobayashi delighted his home crowd by finishing third for Sauber, his first and only career podium finish.
2018
Lewis Hamilton dominated the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix leading from from pole to take victory for Mercedes, extending his championship lead. Valtteri Bottas secured a comfortable second place, making it a Mercedes 1-2 finish. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull completed the podium in third after surviving a series of on-track clashes, including incidents with both Ferrari drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. Vettel, attempting an aggressive recovery after starting eighth, collided with Verstappen during a risky overtake, which pushed him further down the order and ultimately saw him finish in sixth, hurting his championship hopes.
2023
With Sergio Perez crashing out of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race and ending any mathematical contention for the title behind, it left Max Verstappen to clinch his third consecutive World Championship title by finishing second. Oscar Piastri had an impressive showing, finishing first for McLaren, while his teammate Lando Norris claimed the third spot.
F1 Driver Birthdays 7 October
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 7 October 1912 | Peter Walker |
| 7 October 1916 | Buzz Barton |
| 7 October 1930 | Bernard Collomb |
| 7 October 1965 | Marco Apicella |
| 7 October 1966 | Vincenzo Sospiri |
F1 Driver Deaths 7 October
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 7 October 2004 | Tony Lanfranchi |
F1 Champion 7 October
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 7 October 2023 | Max Verstappen |
| 7 October 1973 | Team Lotus |
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