What happened on this day, August 19 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1973
Ronnie Peterson triumphed in the 1973 Austrian Grand Prix, with Jackie Stewart and Carlos Pace rounding out the podium. Emerson Fittipaldi’s title hopes dimmed as he needed a strong finish to challenge Stewart. Despite Peterson letting him pass into the lead, Fittipaldi’s Lotus suffered a split fuel pipe with five laps remaining, forcing him to retire. Stewart’s second-place finish left Fittipaldi with a 24-point deficit and only three races to go, a nearly insurmountable challenge.
1973 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus Ford | 54 | 1:28:48.780 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell Ford | 54 | +9.010s | 6 |
| 3 | 24 | Carlos Pace | Surtees Ford | 54 | +46.640s | 4 |
| 4 | 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham Ford | 54 | +47.910s | 3 |
| 5 | 20 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 54 | +81.600s | 2 |
| 6 | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 54 | +98.400s | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 53 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 26 | Gijs van Lennep | Iso Marlboro Ford | 52 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 23 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees Ford | 49 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Howden Ganley | Iso Marlboro Ford | 44 | +10 laps | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | March Ford | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 28 | Rikky von Opel | Ensign Ford | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Graham Hill | Shadow Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | George Follmer | Shadow Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Rolf Stommelen | Brabham Ford | 21 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow Ford | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Francois Cevert | Tyrrell Ford | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | James Hunt | March Ford | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Peter Revson | McLaren Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Mike Beuttler | March Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1975
Midway through the 1975 season, Team Penske switched to the March 751, hoping for a turnaround from using their underperforming Penske PC1. Their driver, Mark Donohue, had just returned from setting a closed-course speed record at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama when he arrived in Austria for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring.
During a practice session, disaster struck. A tyre failure sent his car off at Turn 1 (Vöest Hügel Kurve) and into the catch fencing. A marshal was tragically killed by debris, and although Donohue initially seemed only mildly injured, his condition deteriorated overnight. After complaining of a worsening headache, he was taken to a hospital in Graz, where a cerebral haemorrhage left him in a coma. He died the following day, 19 August 1975, at just 38 years old.
He left behind his second wife and two sons from his first marriage, and was laid to rest in St. Teresa Cemetery, Summit, New Jersey.
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1984
Niki Lauda delighted the home crowd by winning the 1984 Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring. Starting from fourth, Lauda initially dropped to fifth but climbed to third by lap 9. After Alain Prost spun on oil, Lauda moved up to second, then overtook Nelson Piquet on lap 40 when they lapped Michele Alboreto. Alboreto in the Ferrari finished third.
1984 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren TAG | 51 | 1:21:12.851 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham BMW | 51 | +23.525s | 6 |
| 3 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 51 | +48.998s | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham BMW | 51 | +56.312s | 3 |
| 5 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 50 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows BMW | 50 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 50 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 25 | Francois Hesnault | Ligier Renault | 49 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM Hart | 49 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| 11 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM Hart | 48 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 31 | Gerhard Berger | ATS BMW | 48 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman Hart | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus Renault | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Renault | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Huub Rothengatter | Spirit Hart | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier Renault | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams Honda | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams Honda | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Jo Gartner | Osella Alfa Romeo | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 4 | DNF | 0 |
1987
Nico Hulkenberg was born on this day in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany. Dubbed ‘the baby Michael Schumacher,’ Hulkenberg demonstrated his talent early, taking pole position in his first GP2 Asia series race and finishing sixth at the end of the season despite competing in only four races. The following season, he won the GP2 series championship at Monza, the first time the title was secured before the final round. This places him among the elite drivers who, since 2005, clinched the GP2 Series/Formula 2 title in their debut season — joining the ranks of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri.
Hülkenberg began his Formula One journey with Williams in 2010 and has since driven for Sauber, Force India, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin, and Haas.
He moved back to Sauber again for the 2025 season, ahead of the team’s change to the works Audi team for the 2026 F1 World Championship.
2001
Michael Schumacher led his teammate Rubens Barrichello to victory at the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, celebrating a record-breaking weekend for Ferrari. Schumacher’s win secured his fourth drivers’ title, tying him with Alain Prost, and also matched Prost’s record of 51 Grand Prix victories.
The 1-2 finish also ensured Ferrari’s 11th constructors’ title. Meanwhile, Mika Hakkinen set the 25th fastest lap of his career.
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2001 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | 1:27:45.927 | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 71 | +2.191s | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 71 | +2.528s | 4 |
| 4 | 17 | Kimi Räikkönen | Sauber Petronas | 71 | +41.594s | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | Olivier Panis | BAR Honda | 71 | +53.776s | 2 |
| 6 | 14 | Jos Verstappen | Arrows Asiatech | 70 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Eddie Irvine | Jaguar Cosworth | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Honda | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber Petronas | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 22 | Jean Alesi | Prost Acer | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 23 | Luciano Burti | Prost Acer | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Jenson Button | Benetton Renault | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Pedro de la Rosa | Jaguar Cosworth | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Fernando Alonso | Minardi European | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Tarso Marques | Minardi European | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Enrique Bernoldi | Arrows Asiatech | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams BMW | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton Renault | 3 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Jordan Honda | 0 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 19 August
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 August 1916 | Dennis Poore (d. 1987) |
| 19 August 1926 | Johnny Boyd |
| 19 August 1954 | Oscar Larrauri |
| 19 August 1987 | Nico Hülkenberg |
F1 Driver Deaths 19 August
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 August 1962 | Jean Lucienbonnet (b. 1923) |
| 19 August 1975 | Mark Donohue (b. 1937) |
F1 Champion 19 August
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 19 August 2001 | Michael Schumacher |
| 19 August 2001 | Ferrari |
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