What happened on this day, August 15 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1971
Swiss driver Jo Siffert won the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring, securing his second F1 victory. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second for the Lotus team, while Brabham driver Tim Schenken secured third place. This race also marked the debut of future world champion Niki Lauda. Tragically, it would be Siffert’s last win, as he was killed later that year in a non-championship race at Brands Hatch.
With three races left to go, Jackie Stewart also won the 1971 Drivers’ Championship at this race while driving for the Tyrrell team, despite his race ending with a violent accident when his left rear driveshaft broke, and the wheel was torn off.
1971 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Jo Siffert | BRM | 54 | 1:30:23.910 | 9 |
| 2 | 2 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus Ford | 54 | +4.120s | 6 |
| 3 | 8 | Tim Schenken | Brabham Ford | 54 | +19.770s | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | Reine Wisell | Lotus Ford | 54 | +31.870s | 3 |
| 5 | 7 | Graham Hill | Brabham Ford | 54 | +48.430s | 2 |
| 6 | 25 | Henri Pescarolo | March Ford | 54 | +84.510s | 1 |
| 7 | 24 | Rolf Stommelen | Surtees Ford | 54 | +97.420s | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 10 | Jackie Oliver | McLaren Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 23 | Peter Gethin | BRM | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 16 | Helmut Marko | BRM | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 19 | Nanni Galli | March Alfa Romeo | 51 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Mike Beuttler | March Ford | 47 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Francois Cevert | Tyrrell Ford | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell Ford | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Niki Lauda | March Ford | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | John Surtees | Surtees Ford | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Howden Ganley | BRM | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 4 | DNF | 0 |
1976
English driver John Watson secured his maiden grand prix victory by winning the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. This marked the first and only win for the Penske team. Legend has it that Watson was forced to shave off his beard after the victory, having promised Roger Penske he would do so if the team won a race.
Jacques Laffite finished second in a Ligier-Matra, with Gunnar Nilsson third in a Lotus-Ford. 1976 Drivers’ Championship challenger James Hunt finished fourth in his McLaren-Ford, having started from pole position.
1976 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | John Watson | Penske Ford | 54 | 1:30:07.860 | 9 |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 54 | +10.790s | 6 |
| 3 | 6 | Gunnar Nilsson | Lotus Ford | 54 | +11.980s | 4 |
| 4 | 11 | James Hunt | McLaren Ford | 54 | +12.440s | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 54 | +21.490s | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | 54 | +34.340s | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | Jochen Mass | McLaren Ford | 54 | +59.450s | 0 |
| 8 | 24 | Harald Ertl | Hesketh Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 38 | Henri Pescarolo | Surtees Ford | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Brett Lunger | Surtees Ford | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| 11 | 39 | Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi | Tyrrell Ford | 51 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 33 | Lella Lombardi | Brabham Ford | 50 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Hans Binder | Ensign Ford | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Loris Kessel | Brabham Ford | 44 | +10 laps | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Vittorio Brambilla | March Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Shadow Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Carlos Pace | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Alan Jones | Surtees Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 34 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | March Ford | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Arturo Merzario | Wolf-Williams | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Tom Pryce | Shadow Ford | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jody Scheckter | Tyrrell Ford | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Alfa Romeo | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1982
The 1982 Austrian Grand Prix, held on August 15 at the Österreichring, delivered one of Formula One’s most thrilling finishes. Elio de Angelis secured his maiden Grand Prix victory for Lotus, narrowly defeating Keke Rosberg in the Williams-Ford by just 0.050 seconds—less than half a car length. This win was Lotus’s first since 1978 and would be the last under founder Colin Chapman’s leadership before his death later that year. Jacques Laffite completed the podium in third place, a lap behind the leaders.
The race saw several retirements among the turbocharged cars. Pole-sitter Nelson Piquet and teammate Riccardo Patrese, both driving Brabhams, led early but retired due to mechanical failures. Renault’s Alain Prost inherited the lead but suffered a fuel injection failure five laps from the finish. This set up a dramatic duel between de Angelis and Rosberg, with de Angelis defending his lead to the checkered flag. Rosberg’s second-place finish advanced him to second in the 1982 Drivers’ Championship standings, trailing Didier Pironi.
1982 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Ford | 53 | 1:25:02.212 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams Ford | 53 | +0.050s | 6 |
| 3 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 52 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 52 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren Ford | 52 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 30 | Mauro Baldi | Arrows Ford | 52 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 20 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi Ford | 51 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Brian Henton | Tyrrell Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham BMW | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Tommy Byrne | Theodore Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Eddie Cheever | Ligier Matra | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus Ford | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS Ford | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman Hart | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 36 | Teo Fabi | Toleman Hart | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Roberto Guerrero | Ensign Ford | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Rupert Keegan | March Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Derek Daly | Williams Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1993
The build-up to the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was filled with rumours that McLaren driver Ayrton Senna was in advanced talks with the Williams team for a drive in 1994. On track, it was business as usual with the Williams of Alain Prost securing pole position, followed by his teammate Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher in the Benetton. However, Prost stalled on the warm-up lap, starting from the back and giving Hill the opportunity to take his maiden Grand Prix victory by over a minute. With Schumacher and Senna retiring, Benetoon driver Riccardo Patrese finished second ahead of Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari. Derek Warwick came in fourth with his Footwork.
1993 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams Renault | 77 | 1:47:39.098 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Benetton Ford | 77 | +71.915s | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 77 | +78.042s | 4 |
| 4 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Footwork Mugen Honda | 76 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 25 | Martin Brundle | Ligier Renault | 76 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber | 76 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 26 | Mark Blundell | Ligier Renault | 76 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 19 | Philippe Alliot | Larrousse Lamborghini | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 15 | Thierry Boutsen | Jordan Hart | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 3 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell Yamaha | 73 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell Yamaha | 72 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams Renault | 70 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi Ford | 59 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Erik Comas | Larrousse Lamborghini | 54 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Alessandro Zanardi | Lotus Ford | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork Mugen Honda | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Michele Alboreto | Lola Ferrari | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus Ford | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Luca Badoer | Lola Ferrari | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton Ford | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi Ford | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Sauber | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren Ford | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Michael Andretti | McLaren Ford | 15 | DNF | 0 |
1999
McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen needed a win at the 1999 Hungarian Grand Prix to close the gap to Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine in the 1999 Drivers’ Championship, and qualified on pole ahead of the Ulsterman. Hakkinen established a clear lead, turning the race into a battle for second as McLaren teammate David Coulthard began to close in on Irvine. In the closing laps, Irvine cracked under pressure and slid wide, eventually coming home in third, allowing Coulthard to pass and secure second, much to the delight of his Hakkinen.
1999 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 77 | 1:46:23.536 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 77 | +9.706s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 77 | +27.228s | 4 |
| 4 | 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Jordan Mugen Honda | 77 | +31.815s | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 77 | +43.808s | 2 |
| 6 | 7 | Damon Hill | Jordan Mugen Honda | 77 | +55.726s | 1 |
| 7 | 10 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton Playlife | 77 | +61.012s | 0 |
| 8 | 19 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Peugeot | 76 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 6 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams Supertec | 76 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Olivier Panis | Prost Peugeot | 76 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | Johnny Herbert | Stewart Ford | 76 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 3 | Mika Salo | Ferrari | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | Ricardo Zonta | BAR Supertec | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Luca Badoer | Minardi Ford | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | Pedro de la Rosa | Arrows | 75 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 11 | Jean Alesi | Sauber Petronas | 74 | DNF | 0 |
| 17 | 21 | Marc Gene | Minardi Ford | 74 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Supertec | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton Playlife | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Toranosuke Takagi | Arrows | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Pedro Diniz | Sauber Petronas | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Alessandro Zanardi | Williams Supertec | 10 | DNF | 0 |
2004
Michael Schumacher won the 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix comfortably, finishing ahead of Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello to take his 82nd career victory. In doing so, Schumacher broke his own record for wins in a season with 12. The win was also his seventh in succession, equalling Alberto Ascari‘s record. Fernando Alonso finished third for Renault.
This victory also secured Ferrari its sixth consecutive Constructors’ title.
2004 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 70 | 1:35:26.131 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 70 | +4.696s | 8 |
| 3 | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 70 | +44.599s | 6 |
| 4 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 70 | +62.613s | 5 |
| 5 | 9 | Jenson Button | BAR Honda | 70 | +67.439s | 4 |
| 6 | 10 | Takuma Sato | BAR Honda | 69 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | Antonio Pizzonia | Williams BMW | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 8 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Sauber Petronas | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 9 | 5 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 14 | Mark Webber | Jaguar Cosworth | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | Olivier Panis | Toyota | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 18 | Nick Heidfeld | Jordan Ford | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 15 | Christian Klien | Jaguar Cosworth | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Gianmaria Bruni | Minardi Cosworth | 66 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | Zsolt Baumgartner | Minardi Cosworth | 65 | +5 laps | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Giorgio Pantano | Jordan Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Ricardo Zonta | Toyota | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Felipe Massa | Sauber Petronas | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 13 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 15 August
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 15 August | n/a |
F1 Driver Deaths 15 August
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 15 August 2006 | Carlo Dusio (b. 1922) |
F1 Champion 15 August
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 15 August 1971 | Jackie Stewart |
| 15 August 2004 | Ferrari |
Seen in:
