What Happened On This Day May 16 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, May 16 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1909

On May 16, 1909, Luigi Villoresi, a pre-and post-war driver, was born in Milan. Although he never secured an F1 race win, Villoresi achieved significant success in non-championship Grand Prix races, winning six of them. Notably, he won in the Targa Florio twice, in 1939 and 1940, and claimed victory in the Mille Miglia in 1951.

Luigi Villoresi

F1 Debut 1950 Monaco Grand Prix

Current/Last Team Maserati

During his Formula 1 career, he largely drove for Ferrari, earning eight podium finishes and scoring a total of 49 points. Villoresi was a close friend and mentor to two-time champion Alberto Ascari, recognising his talent early on. After Ascari’s death in 1955, Villoresi briefly retired from racing but returned in 1956 to drive for Maserati. He permanently retired from Formula 1 in 1957 and then pursued rallying, winning the Acropolis Rally in Greece in 1958.

1976

On May 16, 1976, Ferrari took home a 1-2 finish at the 1976 Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder. Niki Lauda led the race from pole position, with teammate Clay Regazzoni following in second.

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  Which F1 Team Has the Most 1-2 Finishes in Formula 1 History?

The main contender to challenge the Ferraris was James Hunt in the McLaren, but his effort was cut short by a transmission failure. Meanwhile, Emerson Fittipaldi‘s choice to race his own car that season came under scrutiny when the two-time champion (1972 and 1974) failed to qualify for the race. Third was taken by French driver Jacques Laffite driving for Ligier.

1976 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	70	1:42:53.230	9
2	2	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	70	+3.460s	6
3	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Matra	70	+35.380s	4
4	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	70	+91.080s	3
5	19	Alan  Jones	Surtees Ford	69	+1 lap	2
6	12	Jochen Mass	McLaren Ford	69	+1 lap	1
7	28	John Watson	Penske Ford	69	+1 lap	0
8	37	Larry Perkins	Boro Ford	69	+1 lap	0
9	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	69	+1 lap	0
10	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	68	+2 laps	0
11	21	Michel Leclere	Wolf-Williams	68	+2 laps	0
12	32	Loris Kessel	Brabham Ford	63	+7 laps	0
NC	18	Brett Lunger	Surtees Ford	62	DNF	0
NC	8	Carlos Pace	Brabham Alfa Romeo	58	DNF	0
NC	22	Chris Amon	Ensign Ford	51	DNF	0
NC	11	James Hunt	McLaren Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	34	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March Ford	33	DNF	0
NC	24	Harald Ertl	Hesketh Ford	31	DNF	0
NC	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	29	DNF	0
NC	5	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	28	DNF	0
NC	33	Patrick Neve	Brabham Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	35	Arturo Merzario	March Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Alfa Romeo	17	DNF	0
NC	10	Ronnie Peterson	March Ford	16	DNF	0
NC	6	Gunnar Nilsson	Lotus Ford	7	DNF	0
NC	9	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	6	DNF	0

1999

Michael Schumacher secured a Ferrari 1-2 finish at the 1999 Monaco Grand Prix on May 16, after pole-sitter Mika Hakkinen‘s challenge in the McLaren faded. Schumacher had a brilliant start off the grid, leading into the first corner and maintaining his lead throughout the race.

• 

  Which F1 Team Has the Most 1-2 Finishes in Formula 1 History?

Hakkinen, initially racing Schumacher for first, soon found himself defending second place from Eddie Irvine in the sister Ferrari. A mistake at Saint Devote sent him up an escape road, causing him to lose the position to Irvine who came home in second to Hakkinen’s eventual third. Schumacher’s win, his 16th with Ferrari, cemented his status as the most successful driver in the team’s history, breaking the record of Niki Lauda.

1999 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	78	1:49:31.812	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	78	+30.476s	6
3	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	78	+37.483s	4
4	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan Mugen Honda	78	+54.009s	3
5	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Playlife	77	+1 lap	2
6	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton Playlife	77	+1 lap	1
7	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost Peugeot	77	+1 lap	0
8	5	Alex Zanardi	Williams Supertec	76	+2 laps	0
9	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart Ford	71	DNF	0
NC	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams Supertec	54	DNF	0
NC	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber Petronas	50	DNF	0
NC	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber Petronas	49	DNF	0
NC	18	Olivier Panis	Prost Peugeot	40	DNF	0
NC	2	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	36	DNF	0
NC	23	Mika Salo	BAR Supertec	36	DNF	0
NC	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	36	DNF	0
NC	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Supertec	32	DNF	0
NC	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	30	DNF	0
NC	21	Marc Gene	Minardi Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi Ford	10	DNF	0
NC	7	Damon Hill	Jordan Mugen Honda	3	DNF	0

2008

On May 16, 2008, amid revelations about his private life, FIA president Max Mosley declared that his departure could jeopardise the governing body’s control over Formula 1. Mosley stressed his vital role in negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone and F1’s commercial rights holders regarding the sport’s future.

He stated, “It would be irresponsible, even a breach of duty, to walk away from (them).”

He eventually stood down at the end of his term in 2009 and was replaced by his preferred successor, Jean Todt.

2010

Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber won the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, securing a commanding victory on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. From pole position, Webber maintained his lead throughout the race, ahead of his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who finished closely behind in second place, ensuring a one-two finish for Red Bull. The Renault of Robert Kubica completed the podium.

The race saw multiple safety cars after various incidents, including a notable crash involving Rubens Barrichello, caused by a loose manhole cover.

In the closing stages, Mercedes‘ Michael Schumacher overtook Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on the final corner after the safety car had returned to the pits. The move was deemed illegal under the regulations, leading to Schumacher receiving a 20-second penalty post-race, which relegated him from sixth to 12th place in the final standings. The penalty sparked talks about the clarity of the rules regarding overtaking after safety car periods, prompting the FIA to review and amend the regulations to prevent similar controversies in the future.

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  2010 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

2010 Monaco Grand Prix Race Results

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	78	1:50:13.355	25
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	78	+0.448	18
3	11	Robert Kubica	Renault	78	+1.675	15
4	7	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	78	+2.666	12
5	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	78	+4.363	10
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	78	+6.341	8
7	4	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	78	+6.651	6
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	78	+6.970	4
9	15	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	78	+7.305	2
10	16	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	78	+8.199	1
11	17	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	78	+9.135	0
12	3	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	78	+25.712	0
13	12	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	73	Brakes	0
14	20	Karun Chandhok	HRT	70	Collision	0
15	18	Jarno Trulli	Lotus Racing	70	Collision	0
Ret	19	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus Racing	58	Steering	0
Ret	21	Bruno Senna	HRT	58	Hydraulics	0
Ret	9	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	30	Accident	0
Ret	23	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	26	Gearbox	0
Ret	25	Lucas di Grassi	Virgin Racing	25	Loose wheel	0
Ret	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	22	Track rod	0
Ret	22	Pedro de la Rosa	Sauber	21	Hydraulics	0
Ret	1	Jenson Button	McLaren	2	Overheating	0
Ret	10	Nico Hülkenberg	Williams	0	Accident	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 16 May

Birthday	F1 Driver
16 May 1909	Luigi Villoresi (d. 1997)

F1 Driver Deaths 16 May

Death	F1 Driver
16 May 1995	Red Amick (b. 1929)