What Happened On This Day September 19 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, September 19 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1946

Brian Henton, born on this day in Donington, had an F1 career spanning eight years, with 19 starts and almost as many teams. He was a force in F3 and F2, winning British titles but failed to make a significant mark in the top tier. In 1975, he drove for Lotus, though he admitted he didn’t particularly enjoy the experience. He then drove for three teams in 1977, including one he founded. Henton made a return to F1 in 1981 after impressing in F2 again, but in 12 starts for Toleman, he qualified only once and was dropped. In 1982, he drove for Arrows as a stand-in before being signed by Tyrrell, where he finally showed some consistency, finishing seven of the 13 grands prix he entered. His final appearance was at the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in April 1983, where he finished fourth in what was both his best result and the last non-championship F1 race in the modern era.

1964

Italian driver Enrico Bertaggia was born on this day. His contribution to F1 history was minimal. After an unremarkable career, he bought his way into a seat at the struggling Scuderia Coloni Formula One team in 1989, failing to qualify for any of the six grands prix he entered. In fact, he was consistently the slowest on the grid, and in Portugal, he was 13 seconds a lap slower than Ayrton Senna on pole for McLaren. In 1992, Bertaggia joined the dismal Andrea Moda Formula team, which was excluded from the first race of the season and withdrew from the second. Bertaggia walked away but was poised to return later that year, only to find he couldn’t due to the team having already used up its one allowed driver change.

1971

Jackie Stewart cemented his reputation with victory with Tyrrell in the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix, marking his sixth win of a season where he secured the 1971 Drivers’ Championship by August. The race was halted after 64 of the planned 80 laps because track marshals couldn’t see each other through the rain and mist. March driver Ronnie Peterson claimed second, while McLaren driver Mark Donohue came home in third.

This was the first ever Formula One race to be red-flagged.

The day was marred by the death of 37-year-old local driver Wayne Kelly, who was killed in a Formula Ford race earlier in the day, causing a delay to the start of the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, in England, Peter Hawtin tragically died after crashing his Cooper in a race at Oulton Park.

1973

Cristiano da Matta was born on this day and is best known for his brief stint in Formula 1 and his success in other motorsport categories. He made his mark in the early 2000s, particularly in the CART series (now IndyCar), where he won the championship in 2002 driving for Newman/Haas Racing.

Da Matta’s F1 career began in 2003 when he joined the Toyota team. He competed in 28 Grand Prix across the 2003 and 2004 seasons, achieving a best finish of 6th place in several races. Despite his proven talent in other series, he struggled with consistency in F1, and Toyota replaced him mid-season in 2004. After leaving F1, da Matta returned to racing in the United States, including stints in Champ Car. However, his career was interrupted in 2006 when he suffered a severe head injury during a testing accident in Champ Car. He eventually recovered but never returned to the top levels of motorsport.

F1 Driver Birthdays 19 September

F1 Driver Deaths 19 September