What Happened On This Day February 4 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, February 4 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1979

Jacques Laffite clinched his second consecutive victory at the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix, driving for Ligier. The team’s dominance, with Patrick Depailler finishing second, waned as the season progressed into the European races, and Ferrari emerged as the dominant force. Ligier managed only one more victory by Depailler in Spain. The race also saw defending champion Mario Andretti retire early due to a fire and subsequent engine failure, while Carlos Reutemann faced controversies regarding a potential push-start, although his third-place finish was ultimately upheld despite objections and a protest by the Fittipaldi team and Ferrari.

1979 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Ford	40	1:40:09.640	9
2	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier Ford	40	+5.280s	6
3	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus Ford	40	+44.140s	4
4	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell Ford	40	+85.880s	3
5	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	39	+1 lap	2
6	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	39	+1 lap	1
7	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows Ford	39	+1 lap	0
8	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	39	+1 lap	0
9	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	39	+1 lap	0
10	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	39	+1 lap	0
11	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	39	+1 lap	0
12	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow Ford	39	+1 lap	0
13	22	Derek Daly	Ensign Ford	39	+1 lap	0
14	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow Ford	39	+1 lap	0
15	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams Ford	38	+2 laps	0
NC	27	Alan Jones	Williams Ford	33	DNF	0
NC	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS Ford	31	DNF	0
NC	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	28	DNF	0
NC	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren Ford	7	DNF	0
NC	20	James Hunt	Wolf Ford	7	DNF	0
NC	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Alfa Romeo	5	DNF	0
NC	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham Alfa Romeo	5	DNF	0
NC	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	2	DNF	0
NC	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell Ford	0	DNF	0

1979

Giorgio Pantano, born in Padova, Italy, moved up from three successful seasons in F3000 to Formula One in 2004 with Jordan.

Giorgio Pantano

F1 Debut 2004 Australian Grand Prix

Current/Last Team Jordan Grand Prix

After 15 rounds of the season, Timo Glock replaced him due to financial difficulties. Pantano competed in GP2 in 2005 and won the championship in 2008, though he never secured another F1 seat.

He later joined the football-related Superleague Formula, racing for AC Milan. The series was an open-wheel single-seater formula, which started in 2008 at Donington Park. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs.

2004

Felipe Massa experienced a severe crash while testing for Sauber at the Circuit de Catalunya, losing control at over 180 mph due to a suspension failure. He was hospitalised but released the same day without major injuries.

2007

During a special promotional event for Credit Suisse in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Nick Heidfeld drove his BMW Sauber across a frozen lake. The car was equipped with spiked tyres, and to prevent freezing, its engine required regular warming with oil and water every thirty minutes. Reflecting on the drive, Heidfeld remarked, “That was quite a unique experience.”

2008

Michael Schumacher founded the karting team KSM in the German national championship, with friends Peter Kaiser and Thomas Muchov. The team initially included Carlos Sainz.

Schumacher shared his lifelong passion for karting, saying, “I grew up with them. I owe everything to karting, and I never gave it up.”

F1 Driver Birthdays 4 February

Birthday	F1 Driver
4 February 1927	Van Johnson
4 February 1928	Oscar Cabalen
4 February 1979	Giorgio Pantano

F1 Driver Deaths 4 February

Death	F1 Driver
4 February 1999	Vittorio Marzotto (b. 1922)
4 February 2001	Ernie McCoy (b. 1921)
4 February 2015	John Barber