What happened on this day, August 17 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1952
Ferrari dominated the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, securing a 1-2-3 finish with Alberto Ascari leading Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi. Cooper driver Mike Hawthorn, who qualified third, moved up to second in the early stages but eventually finished fourth. Ascari overtook Juan Manuel Fangio‘s record, at the time, for the most race wins, scoring his seventh at this race.
Full Race Report
1952 Dutch Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 90 | 2:53:28.500 | 9 |
| 2 | 4 | Nino Farina | Ferrari | 90 | +40.100s | 6 |
| 3 | 6 | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | 90 | +94.400s | 4 |
| 4 | 32 | Mike Hawthorn | Cooper Bristol | 88 | +2 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 10 | Robert Manzon | Gordini | 87 | +3 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 12 | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | 87 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 7 | 28 | Duncan Hamilton | HWM Alta | 85 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 26 | Lance Macklin | HWM Alta | 84 | +6 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Chico Landi | Maserati | SHC | 0 | |
| 9 | 16 | Jan Flinterman | Maserati | 83 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 34 | Ken Wharton | Frazer Nash | 76 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 36 | Stirling Moss | ERA Bristol | 73 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Dries van der Lof | HWM Alta | 70 | DNC | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Ken Downing | Connaught Lea Francis | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Charles de Tornaco | Ferrari | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Paul Frere | Simca-Gordini | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jean Behra | Gordini | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Jan Flinterman | Maserati | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Gino Bianco | Maserati | 4 | DNF | 0 |
1952
Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula One World Champion, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although he won his last title with Williams in 1987, he is best remembered for his championships with Brabham in 1981 and 1983. Interestingly, Piquet is a pseudonym he adopted his mother’s maiden name to hide his racing activities from his family; his birth name is Nelson Soutomaior. He also manages his sons, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Pedro Piquet, who are also professional racing drivers.
1975
Italian driver Vittorio Brambilla achieved his first Grand Prix victory at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, defeating British drivers James Hunt in a Hesketh and Tom Pryce in a Shadow, who earned his first podium finish.
Starting from eighth on the grid, Brambilla drove his March through the field and overtook Hunt on lap 19 to take the lead. As conditions worsened, the race organisers were petitioned to stop the race.
When the checkered flag was shown, an elated Brambilla lost control of his car and crashed. He managed to rejoin and completed his victory lap with the front end of his car significantly damaged.
1975 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Vittorio Brambilla | March Ford | 29 | 57:56.690 | 4.5 |
| 2 | 24 | James Hunt | Hesketh Ford | 29 | +27.030s | 3 |
| 3 | 16 | Tom Pryce | Shadow Ford | 29 | +34.850s | 2 |
| 4 | 2 | Jochen Mass | McLaren Ford | 29 | +72.660s | 1.5 |
| 5 | 5 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 29 | +83.330s | 1 |
| 6 | 12 | Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 29 | +90.280s | 0.5 |
| 7 | 11 | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | 29 | +99.070s | 0 |
| 8 | 3 | Jody Scheckter | Tyrrell Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | McLaren Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | John Watson | Surtees Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 31 | Chris Amon | Ensign Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 25 | Brett Lunger | Hesketh Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 7 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Tony Brise | Hill Ford | 28 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | Rolf Stommelen | Hill Ford | 27 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 29 | Lella Lombardi | March Ford | 26 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Roelof Wunderink | Ensign Ford | 25 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 32 | Harald Ertl | Hesketh Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Jacques Laffite | Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Carlos Pace | Brabham Ford | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Jo Vonlanthen | Frank Williams Racing Cars/Williams | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | March Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Shadow Matra | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Bob Evans | BRM | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Mario Andretti | Parnelli Ford | 1 | DNF | 0 |
1980
Jean-Pierre Jabouille secured victory at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix for Renault, with the Williams duo of Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann finishing second and third. Jones initially led the race but was soon overtaken by the Renaults. A clutch problem caused Rene Arnoux to fall back, and Jabouille narrowly held off Jones, who was struggling with fading tyres.
1980 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 54 | 1:26:15.730 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 54 | +0.820s | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 54 | +19.360s | 4 |
| 4 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Ford | 54 | +42.020s | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 54 | +62.810s | 2 |
| 6 | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Ford | 54 | +74.970s | 1 |
| 7 | 8 | Alain Prost | McLaren Ford | 54 | +93.410s | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 6 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 9 | Marc Surer | ATS Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 1 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 50 | Rupert Keegan | Williams Ford | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 21 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi Ford | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 43 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 31 | Eddie Cheever | Osella Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell Ford | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Mario Andretti | Lotus Ford | 6 | DNF | 0 |
1986
McLaren driver Alain Prost won the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring, just a week after Formula One’s inaugural visit to Hungary.
The Benetton-BMWs of Teo Fabi and Gerhard Berger initially led the race but retired due to mechanical issues. Following the retirements of Williams drivers Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, Prost led the Ferraris of Michele Alboreto (P2) and Stefan Johansson (P3) to the finish line.
1986 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 52 | 1:21:22.531 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 51 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 50 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 4 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola Ford | 50 | +2 laps | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola Ford | 50 | +2 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows BMW | 49 | +3 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton BMW | 49 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren TAG | 47 | DNF | 0 |
| 10 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier Renault | 47 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 46 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams Honda | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton BMW | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier Renault | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi Motori Moderni | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi Motori Moderni | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Renault | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell Renault | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell Renault | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus Renault | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella Alfa Romeo | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 2 | DNF | 0 |
2000
Jenson Button‘s career made headlines when it was announced that Frank Williams would loan him to the Benetton team for two seasons, making room for Colombian IndyCar star Juan Pablo Montoya. Button expressed his gratitude, saying, “I will always be eternally grateful to Frank Williams and Patrick Head for giving me my great opportunity in Formula One. I have some unfinished business at Williams.”
2020
Mario de Araujo Cabral was born in Cedofeita, Portugal. He raced sporadically in F1 during the late 1950s and early 1960s, finishing just one race. He was the first Portuguese driver to start an F1 race, with his best result, a tenth place at his home race, the 1959 Portugal Grand Prix, driving a non-works Cooper T51 for Scuderia Centro Sud.
In 2009, at the age of 75, Cabral came out as bisexual, becoming one of the few gay F1 drivers; sadly, he passed away 11 years later at the age of 86.
Formula One History Recommends
F1 Driver Birthdays 17 August
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 17 August 1913 | Oscar Galvez (d. 1989) |
| 17 August 1952 | Nelson Piquet |
F1 Driver Deaths 17 August
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 17 August 1966 | Ken Miles (b. 1918) |
| 17 August 2020 | Mario de Araujo Cabral (d. 2020) |
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