What Happened On This Day September 2 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, September 2 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1956

Stirling Moss won the 1956 Italian Grand Prix, but Juan Manuel Fangio secured enough points to win the season’s Drivers’ Championship. Heading into the race, Fangio held an eight-point advantage over his Ferrari teammate Peter Collins and Maserati driver Jean Behra.

During the race, Fangio was forced to retire due to a broken steering arm, and Behra also had to withdraw. Luigi Musso, another Ferrari driver, was asked to hand his car over to Fangio to help secure the Argentine’s third consecutive title, but he refused. However, Peter Collins, who had a chance to win his first world championship, sportingly offered his car to Fangio during a routine pit stop. Fangio went on to finish in second place, behind Stirling Moss, allowing him and Collins to share the points for second place and securing Fangio’s fourth title.

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	36	Stirling Moss	Maserati	50	2:23:41.3	6	9¹
2	26	Peter Collins Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	50	+5.7 secs	7	3 3
3	4	Ron Flockhart	Connaught-Alta	49	+1 Lap	23	4
4	38	Paco Godia	Maserati	49	+1 Lap	17	3
5	6	Jack Fairman	Connaught-Alta	47	+3 Laps	15	2

¹Includes 1 point for fastest lap

1966

F1 driver Olivier Panis was born on this day, 2 September 1966, in Lyon, France. Panis honed his driving skills in karting, progressing through several junior series before moving up to French Formula 3. By 1990, he secured 4th place in the championship and achieved runner-up status the following year. By 1994, he had secured a seat with the Ligier team in F1. Panis’s only win came in 1996 at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he navigated his way to victory in treacherous wet conditions. It marked Ligier’s first win in 15 years—their last—and was the first French victory in a French car at Monaco in 66 years. Panis ended his career in 2004, having driven for Ligier, Prost, BAR, and Toyota, having secured five podiums and 76 career points.

2001

Ferrari driver and 2001 Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher won the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix after starting from third position. David Coulthard finished second for McLaren, while Giancarlo Fisichella secured third place for Benetton, marking the team’s final podium finish in F1.

The race wasn’t smooth sailing when an accident involving the Jaguar of Eddie Irvine and Luciano Burti for Prost on lap five resulted in the race up to that point being declared null and void and recommenced with a revised distance of 36 laps. Schumacher led every lap of the restarted race to claim his eighth victory of the season. With this win, his 52nd career victory, Schumacher surpassed four-time world champion Alain Prost‘s all-time wins total, a record he held until Lewis Hamilton broke it at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix.

2012

Jenson Button won the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, starting from pole position for the first time since the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished in second place for Red Bull Racing, with Kimi Raikkonen taking third for the Lotus F1 team. The race included a five-car collision at La Source, which resulted in Raikkonen’s teammate Romain Grosjean receiving a race ban.

This race also marked Michael Schumacher’s 300th F1 Grand Prix.

2018

Lewis Hamilton won the 2018 Italian Grand Prix with Mercedes after a fierce battle with Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari, overtaking him with nine laps to go. Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel collided on the opening lap, causing Vettel’s Ferrari to spin off the track. Despite Vettel’s protests, the stewards ruled it a racing incident. Vettel eventually fought back to finish in fourth place, just behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in third.

F1 Driver Birthdays 2 September

Birthday	F1 Driver
2 September 1919	Lance Macklin
2 September 1958	Olivier Grouillard
2 September 1966	Olivier Panis
2 September 1990	Marcus Ericsson

F1 Driver Deaths 2 September

Death	F1 Driver
2 September 1969	Willy Mairesse

F1 Champion 2 September

Date	Team/Driver
2 September 1956	Juan Manuel Fangio

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Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.