What happened on this day, April 2 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1926
Jack Brabham was born on this day in Sydney, and at the time of his death in 2014, he was the last surviving Formula One World Champion from the 1950s.
Jack Brabham
F1 Debut 1955 British Grand Prix
Current/Last Team Brabham
A three-time F1 World Champion, his career was distinguished by not just his driving but his mechanical know-how, too. Making his Formula One debut in 1955 and driving for Cooper, Brabham won the drivers’ title in 1959 and 1960, winning five consecutive victories in the latter year.
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From 1962, he competed for his own Brabham team and claimed his third title at 40 in 1966. In his final racing year of 1970, Brabham continued to show formidable talent, winning at Kyalami and narrowly missing more wins. He remains the only driver to win a World Championship in a car bearing his own name. His win at the 1970 South African Grand Prix came just shy of his 44th birthday, making him the fifth-oldest F1 driver to win and proving that excellence could endure even as the sport entered a new technological era.
1928
Gino Munaron, born in Turin, was a well known European racing driver, known for competing in the Mille Miglia seven times during the 1950s. He participated in four championship Grand Prix in 1960, driving an older privateer Maserati and later a non-works Cooper. He scored no championship points.
1940
Mike Hailwood, born on this day in Great Milton in 1940, became one of the most celebrated motorbike racers ever, securing nine world championships across the 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc classes between 1961 and 1967. He also triumphed 12 times at the legendary Isle of Man TT.
Mike Hailwood
F1 Debut 1963 British Grand Prix
Current/Last Team McLaren
Hailwood briefly raced in Formula One during the mid-1960s before earning a spot with Surtees in 1971, finishing fourth at Monza in his first race in six years. The following year, he won the Formula Two European title and achieved a podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours. His heroics continued in 1973 when he saved Clay Regazzoni from a fiery crash at the 1973 South African Grand Prix, earning him the George Medal.
Hailwood returned to motorbike racing in the late 1970s before tragically dying in a road accident in 1981.
1963
Born in Monza, Fabrizio Barbazza first made his mark by winning the American Racing Series and earning the title of CART’s Rookie of the Year. He debuted in Formula One in 1991 with AGS but faced challenges, failing to qualify in 12 races. He returned in 1993 with Minardi, showing initial promise with two sixth-place finishes, but his season declined thereafter. In 1995, he was critically injured in an accident at Road Atlanta, leading to a long recovery and retirement from racing.
1978
Carlos Reutemann won the 1978 USA Grand Prix West at Long Beach after taking the lead from his Ferrari teammate Gilles Villeneuve, who crashed mid-race.
Reutemann finished 11 seconds ahead of Mario Andretti in the Lotus, who tied him in the championship standings. Ferrari had dominated the weekend, leading in practice, qualifying, and throughout the race. Patrick Depailler finished in third for Tyrrell.
1978 USA Grand Prix West Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 80 | 1:52:01.301 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 80 | +11.061s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 80 | +28.951s | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 80 | +45.603s | 3 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 80 | +82.884s | 2 |
| 6 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow Ford | 79 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS Ford | 75 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren Ford | 74 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf Ford | 59 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees Ford | 50 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario Ford | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jochen Mass | ATS Ford | 11 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | John Watson | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren Ford | 5 | DNF | 0 |
2006
At the 2006 Australian Grand Prix held at Albert Park, Fernando Alonso took first place for Renault, followed by Kimi Räikkönen in a McLaren and the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher.
Pole sitter Jenson Button retired from the race when his Honda engine blew on the final lap. He eventually stopped roughly ten metres from the finish line, losing a points scoring position (5th place) in the process.
The race was delayed due to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, deviating from its traditional slot as the season opener. The legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker returned to the commentary box for a special one-off with Australia’s Network Ten.
2006 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 57 | 1:34:27.870 | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +1.829s | 8 |
| 3 | 7 | Ralf Schumacher | Toyota | 57 | +24.824s | 6 |
| 4 | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber BMW | 57 | +31.032s | 5 |
| 5 | 2 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | 57 | +38.421s | 4 |
| 6 | 17 | Jacques Villeneuve | Sauber BMW | 57 | +49.554s | 3 |
| 7 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 57 | +51.904s | 2 |
| 8 | 14 | David Coulthard | RBR Ferrari | 57 | +53.983s | 1 |
| 9 | 21 | Scott Speed | STR Cosworth | 57 | +78.817s | 0 |
| 10 | 12 | Jenson Button | Honda | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| 11 | 19 | Christijan Albers | MF1 Toyota | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 22 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri Honda | 55 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | Yuji Ide | Super Aguri Honda | 54 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | McLaren Mercedes | 46 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Tiago Monteiro | MF1 Toyota | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | STR Cosworth | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Mark Webber | Williams Cosworth | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Christian Klien | RBR Ferrari | 4 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Nico Rosberg | Williams Cosworth | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2023
The 2023 Australian Grand Prix was a record-breaking event, crowned by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen‘s win, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). That made it three world champions on the podium.
The race attracted a staggering 444,631 spectators over the weekend, setting a new attendance record for the Melbourne circuit and any sporting event in the city’s history. This beat the previous record of 440,000 set at the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix also saw a high number of interruptions, featuring three red flags, the most in its history.
2023 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 58 | 2:32:38.371 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 58 | +0.179s | 18 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +0.769s | 15 |
| 4 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +3.082s | 12 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 58 | +3.320s | 11 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +3.701s | 8 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 58 | +4.939s | 6 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +5.382s | 4 |
| 9 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 58 | +5.713s | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 58 | +6.052s | 1 |
| 11 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 58 | +6.513s | 0 |
| 12 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 58 | +6.594s | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 56 | DNF | 0 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2Carlos Sainz received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
F1 Driver Birthdays 2 April
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 2 April 1926 | Jack Brabham (d. 2014) |
| 2 April 1928 | Gino Munaron (d. 2009) |
| 2 April 1940 | Mike Hailwood (d. 1981) |
| 2 April 1963 | Fabrizio Barbazza |
| Birhday | F1 Mention |
|---|---|
| 2 April 1963 | Mike Gascoyne British Formula One designer and engineer for teams such as McLaren, Sauber, Tyrrell, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and Spyker. |
F1 Driver Deaths 2 April
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 2 April | None |
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