What happened on this day, September 3 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1875
Ferdinand Porsche was born on this day, 3 September 1875, in Maffersdorf (then in Austria-Hungary, now in the Czech Republic). The brilliant engineer and founder of the Porsche car company also designed the iconic VW Beetle and Germany’s Tiger tanks during World War II, earning him accolades from the Nazi party and later internment by the French as a war criminal. Despite significant obstacles, he rebuilt his company after the war and continued working until he suffered a stroke and died in 1951.
Porsche would eventually enter F1 in the late 1950s, a two-seater Porsche 718 RSK was adapted for Formula 2 by moving to a single-seat variation, eventually leading to the development of a proper single-seater version. These 1500 cc cars achieved some success and were promoted to Formula One in 1961, where the design struggled to compete. However, while driving for Porsche in Formula One during the early 1960s, Dan Gurney achieved the team’s first and only F1 win as a constructor at the 1962 French Grand Prix, driving a Porsche 804. The team’s final entry was at the 1962 United States Grand Prix, with private teams continuing to use the older Porsche 718 in F1 until 1964.
1950
Giuseppe Farina won the 1950 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, finishing three points ahead of his main rival, Juan Manuel Fangio to secure the first-ever F1 World Drivers’ Championship. This race marked Alfa Romeo‘s first significant challenge in a world championship event, with the Ferrari of Alberto Ascari battling alongside Fangio and Farina. However, Ascari retired after 21 laps due to an overheating engine, while Fangio went out shortly after with a gearbox problem. Farina led to the finish from Ascari, who was now in teammate Dorino Serafini’s Ferrari, with Luigi Fagioli finishing third in his Alfa Romeo 158.
2004
Michael Schumacher suffered a major accident during testing at Monza when the left-rear tyre of his Ferrari blew out at the end of the start/finish straight. He crashed into the barriers with both the front and rear of the car but fortunately emerged unscathed.
2017
Lewis Hamilton won the 2017 Italian Grand Prix after starting the race from pole position, marking the sixty-ninth of his career. This achievement broke Michael Schumacher’s record for the most pole positions in Formula 1 history. Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas came home in second, and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in third. Post-race, Hamilton led the championship, holding a 3-point advantage over Vettel.
2023
Max Verstappen won the 2023 Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing, securing his tenth consecutive victory and breaking the previous record of nine consecutive wins set by former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel in 2013. This win also extended Red Bull Racing’s record for consecutive race victories as a constructor to 15. The podium was completed by Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez in second place and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who started from pole position and finished third, marking Sainz’s second podium at the Monza Circuit.
F1 Driver Birthdays 3 September
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 3 September 1984 | Luigi Plate |
| 3 September 1909 | Joe Giba |
| 3 September 1945 | Thomas Monarch |
F1 Driver Deaths 3 September
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 3 September | n/a |
F1 Champion 3 September
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 3 September 1950 | Giuseppe Farina |
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