What Happened On This Day October 9 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, October 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1977

At the start of the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, Lotus driver Mario Andretti led from the McLaren of James Hunt, with Jochen Mass in third. Andretti and Hunt pulled away and built such a lead that as they came to lap third-placed Mass, Hunt collided with him, forcing him to retire. Unable to continue, an enraged Hunt angrily waved his fist at Mass and struck a marshal attempting to guide him away. He was later fined $2000 for assaulting the marshal and $750 for returning to the pit lane in an “unsafe manner.” After debuting for Ferrari, Gilles Villeneuve made progress but spun twice, eventually retiring. Andretti’s engine blew in the final laps, causing several cars to spin in the resulting oil, including Patrese, Keegan, Brambilla, and Villeneuve. Andretti’s exit allowed Jody Scheckter, driving for Wolf, to secure victory, with Patrick Depailler, driving for Tyrrell in second and Mass recovering to finish third.

2005

McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen delivered one of the greatest comeback victories in F1 history at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, starting from 17th on the grid and taking the lead on the final lap from the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella. Fisichella ultimately had to settle for second place despite leading much of the race. At the same time, his teammate Fernando Alonso came through the field from sixteenth, including an overtake on the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher around the outside of 130R to finish third.

The race also saw Ralf Schumacher’s sixth and final pole position in Formula One and Raikkonen’s last win for the McLaren team.

2011

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finished in third at the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, which was enough to secure the World Championship, his second title in sucession. Jenson Button, driving for McLaren, took the win with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso finishing second after fighting his way through the field from fith.

2016

In the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg put in a dominant performance at Suzuka, leading the race from start to finish and strengthening his bid for the World Championship. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, had a poor start that saw him drop down the order, though he eventually recovered to finish third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took advantage of Hamilton’s misfortune and held onto second place, showcasing his emerging talent. This race was pivotal in Rosberg’s successful campaign to win his first and only World Championship.

Before the race, Mercedes led Red Bull by 194 points in the 2016 Constructors’ Championship. With a first and third-place finish earning them forty points, Mercedes secured their third consecutive title.

2022

The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was a chaotic race, marked by heavy rain and a red flag on lap 2 that delayed proceedings for more than two hours. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to keep his composure and took the win, which ultimately secured his second consecutive World Championship. The race resumed under challenging conditions, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc initially finishing second but received a penalty for cutting the final chicane while defending against Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, dropping Leclerc to third.

Although only 28 of the 53 laps were completed, full points were awarded due to a loophole in the rules, which stipulated reduced points only for races ending under red flag conditions. Since this race ended under green, full points were given. For 2023, the regulations were updated so that shortened race points apply to any race not reaching 75% distance, regardless of if a race finishes under red or green flag conditions.

F1 Driver Birthdays 9 October

F1 Driver Deaths 9 October

F1 Champion 9 October