What Happened On This Day December 20 In F1 History?

From the birth of F1 driver Karl Wendlinger in 1968 to the secret IndyCar test for Ayrton Senna in 1992 with the Penske team.

Mark Phelan

By Mark Phelan
Updated on November 22, 2024

Senna Tests IndyCar
Ayrton Senna secretly tested a Penske IndyCar in Phoenix, Arizona in 1992 // Image: Sutton

What happened on this day, December 20 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1968

Austrian racer Karl Wendlinger was born in Kufstein. He competed in 42 Formula 1 Grand Prix races between 1991 and 1995 for teams including Leyton House, March, and Sauber. While his results were inconsistent, he achieved a career-best finish of fourth place three times: at the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix, the 1993 Italian Grand Prix, and the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. After leaving F1, Wendlinger found greater success in sports car and GT racing.

1974

Cy Marshall, born in 1902 and who died on this day in 1974, was an American racing driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 from 1928 to 1950. His final attempt at the race came in 1950 when he failed to qualify for the event, the first year that the race became a part of the inaugural Formula One World Championship.

1992

Ayrton Senna secretly tested a Penske IndyCar in Phoenix, Arizona. Frustrated by the dominance of Williams in Formula 1, Senna briefly considered stepping away from the sport. Encouraged by his friend and fellow Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi, he took part in the test, managing to beat Fittipaldi’s lap time by half a second. Nigel Beresford, Penske’s head of engineering, recalled the moment: “He came back into the pits and said, ‘Thank you very much, I’ve learned what I need to know.’ Then he got out of the car, and that was it.” Ultimately, Senna chose to remain in F1 and never drove an IndyCar again.

F1 Driver Birthdays 20 December

BirthdayF1 Driver
20 December 1968Karl Wendlinger

F1 Driver Deaths 20 December

DeathF1 Driver
20 December 1974Cy Marshall

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Mark Phelan
Mark Phelan

Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.

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