What happened on this day, September 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1973
Emerson Fittipaldi entered the 1973 Italian Grand Prix needing a win and hoping for Jackie Stewart to score no points to keep his 1973 Drivers’ Championship hopes alive. However, Fittipaldi finished second behind his Lotus teammate Ronnie Peterson, while Stewart cruised to fourth place with Tyrrell, securing his third and final F1 Drivers’ Championship.
Stewart’s Tyrrell teammate, Francois Cevert, finished in fifth place, earning what would be the final points of his Formula One career. The race also marked Jacky Ickx‘s final drive for Ferrari. The Belgian driver rejoined the team for their home race after leaving following the 1973 British Grand Prix. Ickx qualified 14th and finished eighth, a lap behind Peterson.
1979
A larger-than-usual grid lined up for the 1979 Italian Grand Prix, with Alfa Romeo making a return. The front row featured the powerful Renault turbos of Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Rene Arnoux, but both were sluggish at the start, allowing Jody Scheckter to take the lead. Gilles Villeneuve moved into third behind Arnoux. Although Arnoux briefly regained the lead, a misfire dropped him back, enabling Scheckter and Villeneuve to secure a Ferrari 1-2 finish. Swiss Clay Regazzoni took third in a Williams.
With the win, Scheckter won the 1979 Drivers’ Championship, while Ferrari won the 1979 Constructors’ Championship. This race also turned out to be Scheckter’s final career win and podium finish; he retired after the 1980 season. As of 2024, this remains the last Grand Prix won by a driver from the African continent. The race was also Scuderia Ferrari’s 300th start in a World Championship event as a team.
1984
The 1984 Italian Grand Prix at Monza marked the first all-turbo race in Formula One history following Tyrrell’s expulsion from the 1984 Championship for running underweight cars. During the race, McLaren driver Niki Lauda capitalised on the retirements of his teammate, Alain Prost, and the Brabham of Nelson Piquet to secure victory, finishing ahead of Michele Alboreto;s Ferrari and Riccardo Patrese in an Alfa Romeo.
1990
Ayrton Senna claimed a dominant pole-to-flag victory with McLaren at the 1990 Italian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of title rivals Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger. However, the early standout of the race was Jean Alesi. Starting from fifth, Alesi in a Tyrrell passed the Ferrari’s of Nigel Mansell and Prost before the race was halted due to Derek Warwick‘s Lotus flipping on the start-finish straight. At the restart, Alesi once again overtook Mansell and Prost, but after a spin, the race settled into a processional finish. Despite his final position, Alesi’s brief moments of brilliance in his underpowered Tyrrell caught everyone’s attention.
2007
Fernando Alonso led a McLaren 1-2 finish at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. This result significantly reduced Hamilton’s championship lead to just three points, while the Ferrari of third-placed Kimi Raikkonen remained a distant contender, 18 points behind with 40 still up for grabs. The final races of the season would prove to be full of unexpected twists.
This victory marked McLaren’s eighth win at Monza, while Alonso became the first Spanish driver to win the Italian Grand Prix. It would be his last win for McLaren. It was also McLaren’s final 1-2 finish until the Chinese Grand Prix in 2010.
2012
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position at the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, with his teammate Jenson Button joining him on the front row. This result marked McLaren’s 62nd front-row lock-out, breaking the previous record set by Williams. Hamilton went on to win the race by four seconds ahead of Sergio Perez in the Sauber, with Fernando Alonso finishing in third place for Ferrari. This would be McLaren’s final victory at Monza until 2021.
F1 Driver Birthdays 9 September
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 September | n/a |
F1 Driver Deaths 9 September
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 September | n/a |
F1 Champion 9 September
| Date | Driver/Team |
|---|---|
| 9 September 1973 | Jackie Stewart |
| 9 September 1979 | Jody Scheckter |
| 9 September 1979 | Ferrari |
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