What happened on this day, March 27 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1965
Swiss driver Gregor Foitek was born on this day in Zurich. He competed in F1 from 1989 to 1990, and while he entered 22 races, he failed to qualify for 15 of them with EuroBrun, Rial, Brabham, and Onyx. He scored no championship points.
He is probably best remembered for winning the 1986 Swiss Formula 3 Championship and progressing to Formula 3000, where, during the 1988 race at Brands Hatch, he was widely criticised for creating a crash that stopped the race. The subsequent restart resulted in another severe accident on the first lap, where Johnny Herbert suffered significant leg injuries.
Gregor Foitek
F1 Debut 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
Current/Last Team Onyx Grand Prix
1971
David Coulthard, a retired 13-time F1 race-winner, was born on this day in 1971. He remains a familiar face around the paddock and on television even after his retirement in 2008. He began his racing career in karting at 11, progressing through local championships before moving into Formula Ford in 1989, where he won the inaugural McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award.
David Coulthard
F1 Debut 1994 Spanish Grand Prix
Current/Last Team Red Bull Racing
Coulthard’s big break came in 1993 when he was asked to be a test driver for the world-champion F1 team Williams. After the tragic death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, Coulthard was paired with future world champion Damon Hill to complete the team’s F1 season. Despite occasional replacement by Nigel Mansell and rumours of a move to McLaren for the 1995 season, Coulthard was handed the seat full-time in 1995, finishing third in the championship that season.
He went on to have major success with McLaren and later Red Bull Racing. Coulthard’s time with Red Bull included notable moments such as finishing fourth twice in his first season, achieving a third-place finish in Monaco in 2006, during which he donned a Superman cape on the podium, and finishing on the podium again in Canada in 2008.
1983
John Watson took a stunning victory at the 1983 United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach, his fifth and final F1 win, starting 22nd on the grid and surging to first place, setting a record for the furthest starting position to win a race. His teammate, Niki Lauda, began in 23rd and finished second, even while battling leg cramps near the race’s end.
The McLaren team faced challenges in qualifying, struggling with tyre and chassis settings. Watson, recalling a previous victory in Detroit where he started 17th, opted for the same tyre compound at the last minute. “After a dismal practice, Michelin was as perplexed as we were,” Watson said. “So I decided to take a gamble and try the tyre compound … and it worked.” Frenchman Rene Arnoux was third in a Ferrari.
This was the final running of the Long Beach race as an F1 event before the organisers switched to the CART IndyCar series.
1983 United States Grand Prix West Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 75 | 1:53:34.889 | 9 |
| 2 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren Ford | 75 | +27.993s | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 75 | +73.638s | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams Ford | 74 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows Ford | 74 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 34 | Johnny Cecotto | Theodore Ford | 74 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier Ford | 73 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell Ford | 73 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell Ford | 73 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 72 | DNF | 0 |
| 11 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 72 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus Ford | 72 | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Alan Jones | Arrows Ford | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham BMW | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus Renault | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 33 | Roberto Guerrero | Theodore Ford | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier Ford | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman Hart | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Eliseo Salazar | RAM Ford | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman Hart | 11 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS BMW | 3 | DNF | 0 |
1994
It was an easy win for Benetton driver Michael Schumacher in the opening race of the season, but no happy ending for local hero Ayrton Senna, who spun off in his Williams 15 laps from the end as he chased down his rival. Schumacher finished a lap ahead of Senna’s teammate, Damon Hill, but had to survive a technical appeal which lasted well into the night. Not so lucky was Eddie Irvine, who was suspended from the next race after being blamed for a spectacular and potentially serious four-car pile-up. Frenchman Jean Alesi was third in a Ferrari.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Olivier Panis, Jos Verstappen, Olivier Beretta and Roland Ratzenberger all made their F1 debuts. There were also two new teams: Simtek and Pacific Racing.
1994 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
2008
Jean-Marie Balestre died on this day in 2008. He was the President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) between 1985 and 1993. With an authoritarian approach, he left an undeniable mark on Formula 1 and the racing world. As president of FISA and FIA, he helped shape the sport we know today, navigating political battles, introducing new regulations, and overseeing fierce rivalries. Whether loved or criticised, his impact remains unquestionable.
2011
At the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, racing for Red Bull, secured the win from pole. Lewis Hamilton claimed second place driving for McLaren, while Renault’s Vitaly Petrov took third, achieving both his first and only career podium and the first for a Russian national.
The race saw Pirelli’s return as the only tyre supplier for Formula One, taking over from Bridgestone, which had filled the role from 1997 to 2010. This was Pirelli’s first time back in Formula One since 1991.
Jenson Button also became the first Formula 1 driver to press the DRS (Drag Reduction System) button in a race, a revolutionary addition to the sport introduced in 2011. The DRS system was designed to aid in overtaking by reducing aerodynamic drag, thereby increasing the trailing car’s speed relative to the car ahead when activated.
Button was also featured in its first broadcast, which showed a successful overtake of the system during the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso became the first driver to use it in a successful overtake during the same race, but the move was not aired.
Formule One History Recommends
2011 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
2022
At the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen emerged victorious, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who not only came in second but also earned the fastest lap, gaining an additional point.
Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, secured third place while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who started from pole position, ended the race in fourth.
2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-RBPT | 50 | 1hr 24m 19.293s | 25 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 50 | +0.549s | 19 FL |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 50 | +8.097s | 15 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-RBPT | 50 | +10.800s | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 50 | +32.732s | 10 |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 50 | +56.017s | 8 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 50 | +56.124s | 6 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-RBPT | 50 | +1m 02.946s | 4 |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 50 | +1m 04.308s | 2 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 50 | +1m 13.948s | 1 |
| 11 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 50 | +1m 22.215s | |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 50 | +1m 31.742s | |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 49 | +1 lap | |
| 14 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 47 | DNF | |
| R | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 36 | DNF | |
| R | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 35 | DNF | |
| R | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 35 | DNF | |
| R | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 14 | DNF |
2026
The world said goodbye to Piero Fusaro on this day. Born in 1938, Fusaro played a pivotal role at Ferrari, taking over the reins following Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1988. His tenure as President of the company ended in 1991. He was 88. During his career, he served not only as the president of Ferrari but also as a director of companies such as FIAT, Alfa Romeo, and SEAT.
F1 Driver Birthdays 27 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 March 1945 | Nestor Garcia-Veiga |
| 27 March 1965 | Gregor Foitek |
| 27 March 1971 | David Coulthard |
F1 Driver Deaths 27 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 27 March | None |
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