What happened on this day, July 27 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1954
Former Formula One driver Philippe Alliot was born on this day in Voves, France. Throughout his career, he raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse, and McLaren. Alliot was known for his frequent accidents, drawing heavy criticism from team members, fellow drivers, and sports commentators like James Hunt, who dubbed him “one of the worst Grand Prix drivers ever.” In the early 1990s, Alliot moved to sports car racing and found considerable success with the Peugeot team, managed by Jean Todt.
1986
At the 1986 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, Alain Prost was closely tailing the Williams of Nigel Mansell when his McLaren ran out of fuel on the final lap. Prost exited his car and attempted to push it over the finish line, earning applause from the crowd. Despite not making it across the line, he secured a point for sixth place, as the next driver was more than a lap behind.
The 45-lap race was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet, who drove a Williams-Honda. Fellow Brazilian Ayrton Senna secured second place in a Lotus-Renault, while Briton Nigel Mansell finished third. With Prost taking a single point this allowed Mansell to extend his lead in the ’86 Drivers’ Championship to seven points.
In the lead-up to the race, Keke Rosberg declared his intention to retire from Formula One at the end of the season. Lotus revealed plans to switch to Honda engines for 1987, due to Renault’s departure from the sport, with Japanese driver Satoru Nakajima set to replace Johnny Dumfries. At the same time, Ligier brought in Philippe Alliot to stand in for the injured Jacques Laffite.
1986 German Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams Honda | 44 | 1:22:08.263 | 9 |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Renault | 44 | +15.437s | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 44 | +44.580s | 4 |
| 4 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier Renault | 44 | +75.176s | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren TAG | 43 | DNF | 2 |
| 6 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 43 | DNF | 1 |
| 7 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham BMW | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola Ford | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola Ford | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton BMW | 42 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| 12 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella Alfa Romeo | 40 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows BMW | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 38 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell Renault | 34 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi Motori Moderni | 20 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi Motori Moderni | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus Renault | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier Renault | 11 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell Renault | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 6 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton BMW | DNF | 0 |
1997
Gerhard Berger won the 1997 German Grand Prix, marking his last win and podium finish in Formula One and the 27th and final victory for the Benetton team. The win was especially poignant as Berger’s first Grand Prix victory in 1986 was also Benetton’s first.
After missing the previous three races due to a sinus problem, Berger secured pole position and dominated the race, leading from start to finish aside from pit stops. Local hero Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari, with Finn Mika Hakkinen taking third in a McLaren-Mercedes.
Jacques Villeneuve failed to finish in his Williams-Renault, allowing Schumacher to extend his lead over the Canadian in the Drivers’ Championship to 10 points.
1997 German Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton Renault | 45 | 1:20:59.046 | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 45 | +17.527s | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 45 | +24.770s | 4 |
| 4 | 14 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Mugen Honda | 45 | +27.165s | 3 |
| 5 | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan Peugeot | 45 | +29.995s | 2 |
| 6 | 7 | Jean Alesi | Benetton Renault | 45 | +34.717s | 1 |
| 7 | 15 | Shinji Nakano | Prost Mugen Honda | 45 | +79.722s | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | Damon Hill | Arrows Yamaha | 44 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 17 | Norberto Fontana | Sauber Petronas | 44 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Jos Verstappen | Tyrrell Ford | 44 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 12 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Peugeot | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Renault | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell Ford | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart Ford | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Ukyo Katayama | Minardi Hart | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Petronas | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows Yamaha | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Renault | 1 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1 | DNF | 0 |
2014
The changing weather conditions defined the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, creating a thrilling and unpredictable race that featured safety cars and strategic gambles. Daniel Ricciardo racing for Red Bull secured his second career win after starting fourth, executing a late-race charge to overtake both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the closing laps. Alonso finished second for Ferrari, delivering one of his strongest performances of the season, while Hamilton, who started from the pit lane due to a car fire in qualifying, recovered impressively to claim third place for Mercedes.
The race began on a damp track, prompting all drivers to start on intermediate tyres. Early incidents, including a crash by Marcus Ericsson, led to safety car deployments that disrupted race strategies. Hamilton’s race was further complicated by a first-lap spin and minor car damage, yet he managed to climb through the field. Hamilton also defied team orders on lap 47 to let teammate Nico Rosberg pass, arguing that Rosberg was not close enough to earn a swap. Rosberg, who had started from pole, finished fourth after a late charge on fresher tyres. The result narrowed Rosberg’s lead over Hamilton in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship to 11 points, while Ricciardo’s win solidified his third-place standing in the title race.
This race would be Alonso’s last podium finish until the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.
2014 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Renault | 70 | 1:53:05.058 | 25 |
| 2 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 70 | +5.225s | 18 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 70 | +5.857s | 15 |
| 4 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 70 | +6.361s | 12 |
| 5 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 70 | +29.841s | 10 |
| 6 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 70 | +31.491s | 8 |
| 7 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing Renault | 70 | +40.964s | 6 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 70 | +41.344s | 4 |
| 9 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR Renault | 70 | +58.527s | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +67.280s | 1 |
| 11 | 99 | Adrian Sutil | Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +68.169s | 0 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +78.465s | 0 |
| 13 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus Renault | 70 | +84.024s | 0 |
| 14 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | STR Renault | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 17 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 4 | Max Chilton | Marussia Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber Ferrari | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham Renault | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 22 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 14 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Renault | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Caterham Renault | 7 | DNF | 0 |
2025
Oscar Piastri strengthened his grip on the 2025 F1 World Championship with a composed and calculated win at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, overcoming teammate and title rival Lando Norris in a strategic showdown for a McLaren 1-2 finish. After an 80-minute delay caused by heavy rain, the race officially began on Lap 5. Piastri wasted no time, launching out of Eau Rouge and overtaking Norris along the Kemmel Straight in a move that would define the Grand Prix. Once ahead, he built a narrow lead and executed a critical tyre strategy, switching to mediums on Lap 12 while Norris waited a lap and opted for hards, ultimately rejoining nine seconds behind.
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Despite being on the more fragile tyre compound, Piastri controlled the pace and stayed calm under pressure, as Norris steadily closed in during the closing laps. The gap was down to just over three seconds when Norris made a small but costly error into La Source, ensuring Piastri crossed the line 3.415s clear. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished a distant third, 20 seconds back but managing to hold off Sprint winner Max Verstappen, who pushed hard in the final stint but came up 1.5s short of the podium.
Further back, George Russell secured fifth for Mercedes with minimal pressure, while Alex Albon took sixth for Williams after an early battle with Russell. Lewis Hamilton delivered one of the drives of the day, climbing from a pit lane start to seventh, thanks to aggressive tyre calls at the crossover point. Lawson, Bortoleto, and Gasly completed the points, while all 20 drivers made the chequered flag in a rare caution-free Spa Grand Prix. The result left Piastri 16 points ahead of Norris.
Full Race Results
2025 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Race was held on 27 July 2025, at 3:00 pm local time.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | TIME / RETIRED | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 44 | 01:25:23 | 25 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 44 | +3.415s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 44 | +20.185s | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 44 | +21.731s | 12 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 44 | +34.863s | 10 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 44 | +39.926s | 8 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 44 | +40.679s | 6 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 44 | +52.033s | 4 |
| 9 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 44 | +56.434s | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 44 | +72.714s | 1 |
| 11 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 44 | +73.145s | 0 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 44 | +73.628s | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 44 | +75.395s | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 44 | +79.831s | 0 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 44 | +86.063s | 0 |
| 16 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 44 | +86.721s | 0 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 44 | +87.924s | 0 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 44 | +92.024s | 0 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 44 | +95.250s | 0 |
| 20 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 27 July
| Births | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 July 1901 | Joaquin Palacio (d. 1989) |
| 27 July 1918 | Bud Clemons (d. 2001) |
| 27 July 1927 | Jay Abney (d. 1991) |
| 27 July 1933 | Chris Lawrence (d. 2011) |
| 27 July 1943 | Max Jean |
| 27 July 1954 | Philippe Alliot |
| 27 July 1968 | Ricardo Rosset |
| Births | F1 Mentions |
|---|---|
| 27 July 1943 | John Button (d. 2014) English rallycross driver and the father of 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button. |
F1 Driver Deaths 27 July
| Deaths | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 July 1969 | Moises Solana (b. 1935) |
| 27 July 2002 | David Clarke (b. 1929) |
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