What Happened On This Day August 11 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 11 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1939

Jean Bugatti, a renowned designer and engineer, died at 30 while testing a car. He swerved to avoid a drunken cyclist and hit a tree. Despite his young age, Bugatti had already made a significant impact on the automotive industry through his family’s company. He designed landmark vehicles in his early 20s and later developed a series of leading racing cars, along with revolutionary suspension systems.

1953

Tazio Nuvolari, the ultimate pre-war driver who dominated every major race, was hailed by Ferdinand Porsche as “the greatest driver of the past, present, and future.” Known for his determination and speed, Nuvolari once had his Maserati modified to accommodate a leg in plaster, allowing him to race just a month after breaking it in a crash. He passed away on this day, 11 August 1953, at age 60 from a stroke. In a poignant tribute, Alberto Ascari, Luigi Villoresi, and Juan Manuel Fangio pushed his coffin on a car chassis during the mile-long funeral procession, with all of Italy mourning his loss.

1984

Lucas Di Grassi was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian driver secured his first F1 seat with Virgin Racing in 2010, following a successful stint in GP2, where he finished second in 2007 and third in both 2008 and 2009.

1991

Ayrton Senna won the 1991 Hungarian Grand Prix driving for McLaren from pole position, leading the Williams duo of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese. The race also marked a milestone for the Jordan team, which secured its first-ever fastest lap, driven by Bertrand Gachot.

Senna now led the world championship by 12 points to Mansell, second in the standings, before the grid moved to Belgium for the next race. Senna also dedicated the win to the late Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda, who had passed away just days before the Grand Prix weekend.

1991 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	77	1:49:12.796	10
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Renault	77	+4.599s	6
3	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	77	+15.594s	4
4	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	77	+21.856s	3
5	28	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	77	+31.389s	2
6	16	Ivan Capelli	Leyton House Ilmor	76	+1 lap	1
7	33	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Ford	76	+1 lap	0
8	19	Roberto Moreno	Benetton Ford	76	+1 lap	0
9	32	Bertrand Gachot	Jordan Ford	76	+1 lap	0
10	26	Erik Comas	Ligier Lamborghini	75	+2 laps	0
11	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Ilmor	75	+2 laps	0
12	4	Stefano Modena	Tyrrell Honda	75	+2 laps	0
13	24	Gianni Morbidelli	Minardi Ferrari	75	+2 laps	0
14	11	Mika Hakkinen	Lotus Judd	74	+3 laps	0
15	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Honda	74	+3 laps	0
16	34	Nicola Larini	Lambo Lamborghini	74	+3 laps	0
17	25	Thierry Boutsen	Ligier Lamborghini	71	DNF	0
NC	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ferrari	65	DNF	0
NC	8	Mark Blundell	Brabham Yamaha	62	DNF	0
NC	7	Martin Brundle	Brabham Yamaha	59	DNF	0
NC	22	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Dallara Judd	49	DNF	0
NC	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	38	DNF	0
NC	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Ford	38	DNF	0
NC	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Ford	38	DNF	0
NC	21	Emanuele Pirro	Dallara Judd	37	DNF	0
NC	27	Alain Prost	Ferrari	28	DNF	0

1996

Jacques Villeneuve clinched his third win in his debut Formula One season with Williams at the 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix. Leading his teammate Damon Hill for a Williams 1-2 finish, their points haul secured the team’s eighth Constructors’ title, equalling the record held by Ferrari at the time. It was also the teams’ fourth Constructors’ Championship in five years. Frenchman Jean Alesi came home in third for Benetton.

This victory also ensured that only Hill and Villeneuve remained in contention for the drivers’ title, which would be decided at the final race at the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix. Hill ultimately triumphed after Villeneuve retired due to a lost wheel.

1996 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	6	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Renault	77	1:46:21.134	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams Renault	77	+0.771s	6
3	3	Jean Alesi	Benetton Renault	77	+84.212s	4
4	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	76	+1 lap	3
5	9	Olivier Panis	Ligier Mugen Honda	76	+1 lap	2
6	11	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan Peugeot	75	+2 laps	1
7	18	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell Yamaha	74	+3 laps	0
8	16	Ricardo Rosset	Footwork Hart	74	+3 laps	0
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	70	DNF	0
10	21	Giovanni Lavaggi	Minardi Ford	69	DNF	0
NC	4	Gerhard Berger	Benetton Renault	64	DNF	0
NC	15	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Ford	50	DNF	0
NC	14	Johnny Herbert	Sauber Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	2	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	31	DNF	0
NC	20	Pedro Lamy	Minardi Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	8	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	23	DNF	0
NC	17	Jos Verstappen	Footwork Hart	10	DNF	0
NC	12	Martin Brundle	Jordan Peugeot	5	DNF	0
NC	10	Pedro Diniz	Ligier Mugen Honda	1	DNF	0
NC	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell Yamaha	0	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 11 August

Birthday	F1 Driver
11 August 1916	Johnny Claes (d. 1956)
11 August 1923	Gordon Reid (d. 1952)
11 August 1984	Lucas di Grassi

F1 Driver Deaths 11 August

Death	F1 Driver
11 August 1984	Marcel Balsa (b. 1909)
11 August 2020	Don Edmunds (b. 1930)

F1 Champion 11 August

Date	Team/Driver
11 August 1996	Williams

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Lee is our staff writer specialising in anything technical within Formula 1 from aerodynamics to engines. Lee writes most of our F1 guides for beginners and experienced fans as well as our F1 on this day posts having followed the sport since 1991, researching and understanding how teams build the ultimate machines. Like everyone else on the team he listens to podcasts about F1 and enjoys reading biographies of former drivers.