What Happened On This Day September 29 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, September 29 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1987

John Foulston, who had purchased Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, and Snetterton circuits a year earlier for £5.2 million, tragically lost his life while testing a McLaren IndyCar at Silverstone. Foulston was 40 years old at the time of the accident.

1991

Williams driver Nigel Mansell won the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya despite twisting his ankle in a football game days before the race. In damp conditions, Mansell initially dropped to fourth but quickly regained ground as the track dried and other drivers switched to slick tyres. He passed both McLaren driver’s Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger, to secure victory. “When Ayrton spun, I wasn’t sure which way he’d come back, so I hesitated but picked the right side,” Mansell said. “With Gerhard, it was tougher. We both dove into the corner very deep, lost traction, and got very close.” Alain Prost secured second for Ferrari, while Mansell’s teammate Riccardo Patrese claimed third.

2002

Rubens Barrichello won the 2002 US Grand Prix by just 0.011 seconds over his Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher after a staged finish at Indianapolis went awry. The two drivers had dominated the race and approached the final corner side by side, but Schumacher, who led the race throughout, dropped back just enough for Barrichello to win. While Ferrari denied that Schumacher intentionally handed Barrichello the victory, it was widely believed that Schumacher did so to repay his teammate for moving over at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix earlier in the season. “To win, it was very, very, very good,” Barrichello said. “I got to the last corner, didn’t know what to do, and Michael was kind enough to let us finish equally. I guess I pointed a little bit in front.” Schumacher added, “The end of the race was not planned. We tried to cross the line together but failed by a tiny bit.” McLaren’s David Coulthard finished third.

2019

The 2019 Russian Grand Prix was won by Lewis Hamilton, with Mercedes taking advantage of a virtual safety car to overtake the Ferraris. Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position, finished third for Ferrari, while Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas secured second place, completing a Mercedes one-two. Sebastian Vettel had led much of the race before a mechanical failure forced him to retire his Ferrari, triggering the virtual safety car that shifted the momentum in Mercedes’ favour. Hamilton’s victory marked his and Mercedes’ first win since the summer break, and with Bottas finishing second, it was the team’s first 1–2 finish since the 2019 British Grand Prix.

F1 Driver Birthdays 29 September

F1 Driver Deaths 29 September