What happened on this day, September 12 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1965
Lotus driver Jim Clark celebrated his 50th Grand Prix start by taking pole position for the 1965 Italian Grand Prix, but it was his fellow Scot, Jackie Stewart, who stole the honours on race day. Clark took the lead in his Lotus at the start, with the BRMs Stewart and Graham Hill in close pursuit. But after battling with the BRMs for 63 laps, a fuel pump failure meant there was to be no happy ending. Stewart was left to lead home Hill, with Dan Gurney finishing third in his Brabham-Climax.
1976
Just five weeks after a priest was summoned to his bedside to read him the last rites following his horrific accident at the Nurburgring, a heroic Niki Lauda was back in his cockpit to race in the 1976 Italian Grand Prix despite horrific burns. The plan had been to wait another month, but James Hunt‘s success meant Lauda needed to get back to protect his championship lead. Even Ferrari was caught out by his bravery and had to run an extra car for Carlos Reutemann, who they had hired to drive in Lauda’s seat. However, Enzo Ferrari insisted Lauda’s well-being was the “sole responsibility of Niki and his doctors.” Incredibly, Lauda finished fourth and Reutemann ninth as Ronnie Peterson won the race for March from Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari and the Ligier of Jacques Laffite.
1982
Ferrari had already signed Rene Arnoux to race for them the following year, and Mario Andretti stepped in with Didier Pironi out of action. Arnoux proved his future employers had made a wise decision by leading home the Ferraris of Patrick Tambay and Andretti to win the 1982 Italian Grand Prix for Renault. John Watson‘s fourth-place finish for McLaren allowed him to close the gap to nine points in the championship battle with Williams driver Keke Rosberg.
1993
Williams driver Damon Hill got away with a first-corner collision with Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger to win the 1993 Italian Grand Prix from the Ferrari of Jean Alesi and the McLaren of Michael Andretti. Hill was down to ninth at the end of the first lap but steadily carved his way through the field to close on teammate Alain Prost. With only four laps remaining, Prost’s blown engine handed Hill his third consecutive victory.
The race ended with a dramatic crash between the two Minardi’s, with Christian Fittipaldi flipping through the finish line. It did a near-perfect backflip and crash-landed, but quite incredibly, it kept moving on three wheels and passed the finish line.
As of the 2024 season, Andretti’s podium finish remains the last for an American driver in F1.
1999
With Michael Schumacher out of the championship picture after breaking his leg at Silverstone, Finn and McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen was expecting a clear run to his second successive Drivers’ title, but Eddie Irvine and Ferrari had other ideas. Hakkinen took pole at the 1999 Italian Grand Prix and led the race, but an uncharacteristic error saw him crash into retirement on lap 30. Although the Jordan of Heinz-Harald Frentzen went on to win the race, Irvine’s sixth-place finish drew him level on points with three rounds remaining. “A raging Hakkinen flung away his steering wheel, brushed aside marshals as he stomped the ground in exasperation, threw down a glove to release more frustration, and ultimately slumped on to his haunches to weep in his hands,” noted the Independent.
Ralf Schumacher in the Williams took second, while Mika Salo, standing in for injured Michael Schumacher, took third for Ferrari. Despite his setback, Hakkinen won the championship that season.
2004
Rubens Barrichello led home Michael Schumacher for a Ferrari 1-2 at Monza for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix, to the delight of a delirious Tifosi. On a circuit that was still wet but drying quickly, some teams opted for slicks and others for wets. Barrichello carved out an early advantage on the latter before his tyres began to grain badly, causing the Brazilian to drop back before changing to slicks. However, the gap he had built was enough, with the Ferraris finishing ahead of the BAR duo of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato.
Elsewhere during the race, Gianmaria Bruni’s car caught fire during a routine pit stop in the Minardi pit garage when fuel spilled from the hose onto the hot bodywork. The fire was quickly extinguished without any serious injuries. However, Bruni inhaled some of the extinguishing agent and experienced breathing difficulties, leading the team to retire the car.
2010
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso secured victory from pole position at the 2010 Italian Grand Prix, marking Ferrari’s first win on home soil since 2006 and their last until 2019. Alonso crossed the finish line to the delight of the Tifosi, with Jenson Button less than three seconds behind in a McLaren. Felipe Massa finished third, completing a fantastic double home podium for Ferrari.
2021
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, who capitalised on a strong front-row start and an incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to take the lead. Ricciardo was joined by his teammate Lando Norris in second, with Mercedes‘ Valtteri Bottas finishing third. This victory marked Ricciardo’s first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and remains his latest win to date. It also marked McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory since Jenson Button’s 2012 win in Brazil and their last until Lando Norris’ triumph at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Additionally, it was McLaren’s first 1-2 finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix and their first win at Monza since the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, as well as their first double podium since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. As of 2024, this race marks the final Grand Prix appearance for Robert Kubica and the last win for an Australian driver until Oscar Piastri‘s victory at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
F1 Driver Birthdays 12 September
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 12 September 1910 | Billy DeVore |
| 12 September 1916 | Tony Bettenhausen |
| 12 September 1944 | Eddie Keizan |
| 12 September 1948 | Jean-Louis Schlesser |
F1 Driver Deaths 12 September
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 12 September 2004 | Jack Turner |
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