What Happened On This Day August 31 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, August 31 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1980

Brazilian and Brabham driver Nelson Piquet secured victory at the 1980 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. This marked Piquet’s second F1 Grand Prix win, following his first earlier in the year at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West. With this win, Piquet solidified his position as a significant title contender in Alan Jones‘ pursuit of the World Championship title. Piquet crossed the finish line twelve seconds ahead of French driver Rene Arnoux, who was behind the wheel of a Renault RE20. Just under half a second later, another French driver, Jacques Laffite, claimed third place in a Ligier JS11/15.

The circuit had been altered for the second time in as many years, with the back straight chicane tightened significantly.

1980 Dutch Grand Prix Race Results

2003

The 2003 Belgian Grand Prix was scheduled to run on this day, 31 August 2003, but was removed from the calendar due to a dispute over tobacco advertising. At the time, the cancellation threatened the future of the race at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, potentially removing it from the sport permanently. There were rumours that Belgium’s return to the championship in 2004 was uncertain, especially with new circuits in Bahrain and Shanghai already scheduled to host races that year. The decision to cancel the race followed the Belgian government’s announcement of a planned tobacco advertising ban set to take effect on 1 August 2003. F1 had already committed to implementing its own advertising ban, but it wouldn’t take effect until the 2007 season to safeguard teams that still depended on tobacco sponsorship while alternative funding was secured, the decision was made to drop the Belgian Grand Prix from the calendar.

F1 Driver Birthdays 31 August

F1 Driver Deaths 31 August