What Happened On This Day July 28 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, July 28 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1935

At the 1935 German Grand Prix held at the Nurburgring, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi leadership anticipated a dominant performance from the German-made Mercedes and Auto Union cars, driven by German drivers, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 300,000 fans. Hitler emphasised the importance of a German victory, but Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari defied expectations by securing a dramatic victory on the final lap with his less powerful Alfa Romeo, much to Hitler’s dismay. Motorsport magazine described the scene: “At first, there was deathly silence, and then the innate sportsmanship of the Germans triumphed over their astonishment. Nuvolari was given a wonderful reception.” So certain were the Nazi officials of a German win that they hadn’t prepared the Italian national anthem. Fortunately, Nuvolari had his own record of the anthem, which he always carried for luck.

1991

Nigel Mansell won the 1991 German Grand Prix, finishing ahead of his Williams teammate Riccardo Patrese and the Ferrari of Jean Alesi, narrowing the gap in the 1991 Drivers’ Championship led by Ayrton Senna. Pole-sitter Mansell made an excellent start and maintained his lead throughout the race, leaving his competitors to fight for second place.

Senna, the leader of the Drivers’ Championship, failed to score in his McLaren-Honda after running out of fuel for the second consecutive race.

Pre-race, Senna had spent a night in a Mannheim hospital after a crash during pre-race testing a week earlier. Senna experienced a tyre failure, causing his car to launch into the air and flip several times. According to witnesses, the McLaren soared 15 feet into the air and was destroyed in the crash. Senna regained consciousness and was taken to the hospital with neck and chest bruises.

1991 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Renault	45	1:19:29.661	10
2	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	45	+13.779s	6
3	28	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	45	+17.618s	4
4	2	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	45	+32.651s	3
5	33	Andrea de Cesaris	Jordan Ford	45	+77.537s	2
6	32	Bertrand Gachot	Jordan Ford	45	+100.605s	1
7	1	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	44	DNF	0
8	19	Roberto Moreno	Benetton Ford	44	+1 lap	0
9	25	Thierry Boutsen	Ligier Lamborghini	44	+1 lap	0
10	21	Emanuele Pirro	Dallara Judd	44	+1 lap	0
11	7	Martin Brundle	Brabham Yamaha	43	+2 laps	0
12	8	Mark Blundell	Brabham Yamaha	43	+2 laps	0
13	4	Stefano Modena	Tyrrell Honda	41	+4 laps	0
NC	27	Alain Prost	Ferrari	37	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	Leyton House Ilmor	36	DNF	0
NC	22	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Dallara Judd	35	DNF	0
NC	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Honda	26	DNF	0
NC	26	Erik Comas	Ligier Lamborghini	22	DNF	0
NC	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Ilmor	21	DNF	0
NC	11	Mika Hakkinen	Lotus Judd	19	DNF	0
NC	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Ford	15	DNF	0
NC	24	Gianni Morbidelli	Minardi Ferrari	14	DNF	0
NC	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ferrari	11	DNF	0
NC	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Ford	9	DNF	0

1996

Damon Hill secured his 20th Grand Prix victory with Williams, matching the career tally of Michael Schumacher, by winning the 1996 German Grand Prix. Although this was Hill’s seventh win of the season, it was not an easy feat. A poor start put him behind the Benetton cars of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. However, a better strategy allowed Hill to overtake Alesi. When it seemed he would have to settle for second place, Berger’s engine failed three laps from the finish, handing Hill the victory.

Berger’s French teammate, Alesi, finished second, while Canadian Jacques Villeneuve took third in the other Williams-Renault.

With this victory, Hill extended his lead over Villeneuve in the 1996 Drivers’ Championship to 21 points, with five races remaining. Hill went on to win the Championship.

1996 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams Renault	45	1:21:43.417	10
2	3	Jean Alesi	Benetton Renault	45	+11.452s	6
3	6	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Renault	45	+33.926s	4
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	45	+41.517s	3
5	8	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	45	+42.196s	2
6	11	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan Peugeot	45	+102.099s	1
7	9	Olivier Panis	Ligier Mugen Honda	45	+103.912s	0
8	15	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber Ford	44	+1 lap	0
9	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell Yamaha	44	+1 lap	0
10	12	Martin Brundle	Jordan Peugeot	44	+1 lap	0
11	16	Ricardo Rosset	Footwork Hart	44	+1 lap	0
12	20	Pedro Lamy	Minardi Ford	43	+2 laps	0
13	4	Gerhard Berger	Benetton Renault	42	DNF	0
NC	2	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	34	DNF	0
NC	14	Johnny Herbert	Sauber Ford	25	DNF	0
NC	10	Pedro Diniz	Ligier Mugen Honda	19	DNF	0
NC	18	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell Yamaha	19	DNF	0
NC	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	13	DNF	0
NC	17	Jos Verstappen	Footwork Hart	0	DNF	0

2002

Michael Schumacher matched his own, and Nigel Mansell’s record of nine Grand Prix wins in a season by winning the 2002 German Grand Prix. Despite the victory, Schumacher faced significant competition from his brother Ralf Schumacher, who, using superior Michelin tyres, began to close the gap. Ralf reduced the lead to six seconds after the first pit stop, but a late car issue dropped him to third place behind his Williams teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya.

This was the first Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring since the track was redesigned, removing the forest sections and shortening its length.

Both Arrows cars retired from the race with mechanical problems, and it would prove to be the last race the team would compete in. Financial difficulties resulted in the team missing the remainder of the season, before going into liquidation at the end of the year. Enrique Bernoldi would not race in a Formula One Grand Prix again.

2002 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	67	1:27:52.078	10
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	67	+10.503s	6
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	67	+14.466s	4
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	67	+23.195s	3
5	3	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	66	+1 lap	2
6	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	66	+1 lap	1
7	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber Petronas	66	+1 lap	0
8	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan Honda	66	+1 lap	0
9	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	66	+1 lap	0
NC	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan Honda	59	DNF	0
NC	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren Mercedes	59	DNF	0
NC	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	57	DNF	0
NC	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Cosworth	48	DNF	0
NC	12	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	39	DNF	0
NC	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	36	DNF	0
NC	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	27	DNF	0
NC	15	Jenson Button	Renault	24	DNF	0
NC	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	23	DNF	0
NC	23	Mark Webber	Minardi Asiatech	23	DNF	0
NC	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows Cosworth	18	DNF	0
NC	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	0	DNF	0

2013

Lewis Hamilton secured his first win with Mercedes at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, after securing pole in qualifying the previous day. Hamilton maintained a strong pace throughout the race, effectively managing his tyres and executing several overtakes, including a crucial pass on Jenson Button following his first pit stop. Despite challenges from other drivers and the hot track conditions, Hamilton’s performance led him to his fourth career win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, tying Michael Schumacher’s record at the time. Kimi Räikkönen finished second for Lotus, holding off the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, who completed the podium in third place. This race was the last non-Vettel victory of the 2013 season, with Vettel winning the remaining nine races.

During the race, Romain Grosjean received a drive-through penalty for leaving the track during an overtake on Felipe Massa and was later handed a 20-second post-race penalty for a collision with Jenson Button, though this did not affect his sixth-place finish. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was fined €15,000 for improper use of the DRS system, having activated it on three occasions when not within the required one-second gap to the car ahead. Mechanical failures impacted several drivers, including Nico Rosberg, who retired with an engine failure, and Valtteri Bottas, who suffered a hydraulic failure. Following the race, Sebastian Vettel led the 2013 Drivers’ Championship with 172 points, ahead of Räikkönen with 134 and Alonso with 133, while Red Bull extended their lead in the 2013 Constructors’ Championship.

2013 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	70	1:42:29.445	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus Renault	70	+10.938s	18
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	70	+12.459s	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	70	+18.044s	12
5	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	70	+31.411s	10
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	70	+52.295s	8
7	5	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	70	+53.819s	6
8	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	70	+56.447s	4
9	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren Mercedes	69	+1 lap	2
10	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Renault	69	+1 lap	1
11	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber Ferrari	69	+1 lap	0
12	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Ferrari	69	+1 lap	0
13	19	Daniel Ricciardo	STR Ferrari	69	+1 lap	0
14	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham Renault	68	+2 laps	0
15	20	Charles Pic	Caterham Renault	68	+2 laps	0
16	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Cosworth	67	+3 laps	0
17	23	Max Chilton	Marussia Cosworth	67	+3 laps	0
18	14	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	66	DNF	0
19	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	64	DNF	0
NC	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Renault	42	DNF	0
NC	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	28	DNF	0
NC	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	19	DNF	0

2018

Sebastian Vettel had secured pole for Ferrari at the 2018 German Grand Prix and led much of the race. However, light rain in the latter stages created challenging conditions. On lap 52, while leading, Vettel lost control and crashed into the barriers, forcing his retirement and triggering a safety car. This incident allowed Lewis Hamilton, who had started 14th due to a hydraulic failure in qualifying, to grab the lead. Despite a controversial aborted pit entry, for which he received a reprimand, Hamilton maintained his position and won the race, leading a Mercedes 1-2 finish with teammate Valtteri Bottas in second and Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen in third. ​

Hamilton’s victory was one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent F1 history and impacted the championship standings. He overtook Vettel to lead the 2018 Drivers’ Championship with 188 points to Vettel’s 171. In the 2018 Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes regained the top spot with 310 points, ahead of Ferrari’s 302. The race also saw notable performances from Nico Hülkenberg, who finished fifth for Renault, and Romain Grosjean, who secured sixth for Haas. It wasn’t so great for Daniel Ricciardo, who retired due to power loss, and Carlos Sainz who received a 10-second penalty for overtaking under safety car conditions, dropping him from tenth to twelfth. ​

2018 German Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	67	1:32:29.845	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	67	+4.535s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	67	+6.732s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	67	+7.654s	12
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	67	+26.609s	10
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	67	+28.871s	8
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	67	+30.556s	6
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India Mercedes	67	+31.750s	4
9	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	67	+32.362s	2
10	28	Brendon Hartley	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	67	+34.197s	1
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	67	+34.919s	0
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	67	+43.069s	0
13	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren Renault	67	+46.617s	0
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	66	+1 lap	0
15	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber Ferrari	66	+1 lap	0
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Renault	65	DNF	0
NC	18	Lance Stroll	Williams Mercedes	53	DNF	0
NC	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	DNF	0
NC	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams Mercedes	51	DNF	0
NC	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	27	DNF	0
Note – Sainz finished the race in 10th place but received a 10-second time penalty for overtaking under Safety Car conditions

2024

George Russell was disqualified from the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix for having an underweight car, handing victory to his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

Russell had pulled off a bold one-stop strategy, stunning the field and securing a surprise Mercedes 1-2 at Spa. However, about 90 minutes after the race concluded, the FIA announced that his car had come in underweight. The W15 weighed 796.5 kilograms, 1.5 kg below the minimum weight required by the sport’s regulations. Initially, the car met the 798 kg limit, but once the remaining fuel was drained in accordance with the rules, it fell below the minimum weight.

This decision also meant the McLaren of Oscar Piastri was promoted to second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moved up to third, taking the final podium spot.

• 

  2024 Dutch Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

2024 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
DQ	63	George Russell1	Mercedes	44	1:19:57.040	0
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	+0.526s	25
2	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	44	+1.173s	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	44	+8.549s	15
4	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	44	+9.226s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	44	+9.850s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	44	+19.795s	8
7	11	Sergio Perez2	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	44	+43.195s	7
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	44	+49.963s	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	44	+52.552s	2
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB Honda RBPT	44	+54.926s	1
11	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	44	+63.011s	0
12	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	44	+63.651s	0
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	44	+64.365s	0
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	44	+66.631s	0
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	44	+70.638s	0
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	44	+76.737s	0
17	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams Mercedes	44	+86.057s	0
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	44	+88.833s	0
NC	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber Ferrari	5	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 28 July

Births	F1 Driver
28 July 1924	Luigi Musso (d. 1958)
28 July 1927	Heini Walter (d. 2009)
28 July 1935	Massimo Natili (d. 2017)
28 July 1961	Yannick Dalmas

F1 Driver Deaths 28 July

Deaths	F1 Driver
28 July 1998	Consalvo Sanesi (b. 1911)
28 July 2018	Bob Cleberg (b. 1929)