What happened on this day, November 26 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1908
Louis Wagner, driving a Fiat, won the first American Grand Prize on a road course in Savannah, Georgia, finishing just under a minute ahead of Victor Hemery in a Benz. Wagner averaged a speed of 65.111 mph, while Ralph DePalma set the lap record at 69.80 mph.
1953
Desire Wilson, born in Johannesburg on this day, is the only woman to win an F1 race of any kind, achieving victory at Brands Hatch in the short-lived British Aurora F1 series in 1980, and is one of only five female F1 drivers to compete in Formula One.
The daughter of a South African motorbike champion, she attempted to qualify for the 1980 British Grand Prix but did not make the grid, calling it “the most disappointing weekend of my life” due to a substandard car she described as “a con.” A year later, she raced a Tyrrell in the South African Grand Prix, moving up to ninth place from the back of the grid before spinning out. Although initially a championship race, it was later downgraded due to political issues between FISA and FOCA insisting on a date change which was not acceptable to the race organisers. It ran as a Formula Libre race rather than as a round of the Formula One World Championship.
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1958
The FIA approved flame-resistant clothing for drivers, a move considered overdue given the frequency of injuries and fatalities in the sport. Avon Tires led these developments, though the early flameproof garments only retained their protective properties if kept dry; in wet conditions or after washing, they required re-treatment to remain effective.
2002
Niki Lauda was asked to step down as Jaguar’s team principal by Richard Parry-Jones, Ford’s head of the Formula One program. Lauda, the fourth Jaguar boss in just over two years, admitted the decision was unexpected. “But you have to understand, Britons have their unique way of solving problems. They saw away at the legs of the chair,” he remarked.
2008
Bernie Ecclestone proposed a new points system for Formula 1, suggesting that gold, silver, and bronze medals should be awarded to the top three finishers. “It’s going to happen,” he announced at a London press conference. “All the teams are happy. The idea is to encourage overtaking. The lack of overtaking isn’t due to circuits or cars; it’s because drivers don’t need to overtake.” However, the teams rejected the idea, with Eddie Jordan remarking that Ecclestone was “tinkering with something he no longer understood.” If the medal system had been in place in 2007, Lewis Hamilton would have won the championship instead of Kimi Raikkonen.
2017
At the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas led from pole position to secure a commanding victory, with teammate Lewis Hamilton close behind in second and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completing the podium in third. Bottas, however, would face a long wait before his next win, which came at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, a full season later.
This race was the final appearance of Felipe Massa in Formula 1. The 11-time Grand Prix winner and 2008 championship runner-up concluded his career with a tenth-place finish, securing the last points-paying position.
In a historic addition to the race weekend, the first Formula 1 eSports event took place, where British competitor Brendon Leigh emerged as the inaugural champion.
2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 55 | 1:34:14.062 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 55 | +3.899s | 18 |
| 3 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 55 | +19.330s | 15 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 55 | +45.386s | 12 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 55 | +46.269s | 10 |
| 6 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 55 | +85.713s | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 55 | +92.062s | 6 |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India Mercedes | 55 | +98.911s | 4 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 54 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 54 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren Honda | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 28 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams Mercedes | 54 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Renault | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 20 | DNF | 0 |
2023
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and finished ahead of Ferrari drive Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes of George Russell. Russell’s third-place finish ensured Mercedes secured second place in the 2023 Constructors’ Championship, edging out Ferrari. Verstappen’s victory also set remarkable milestones, making him the first driver to surpass 1,000 laps led in a single season and the only driver to complete every racing lap throughout the 2023 season.
This race saw several farewells within Formula 1. Franz Tost, the long-serving AlphaTauri team principal, concluded his tenure, passing leadership to Laurent Mekies, and it was the final race under the AlphaTauri name, with the team rebranding as RB for the 2024 season. Alfa Romeo also exited F1, ending their partnership with Sauber as the team began their transiton to the Audi works team for 2026. It was also Haas team principal Guenther Steiner final race, with Ayao Komatsu set to take over the role.
2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 58 | 1:27:02.624 | 26 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 58 | +17.993s | 18 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 58 | +20.328s | 15 |
| 4 | 11 | Sergio Perez2 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 58 | +21.453s | 12 |
| 5 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +24.284s | 10 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 58 | +31.487s | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +39.512s | 6 |
| 8 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 58 | +43.088s | 4 |
| 9 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 58 | +44.424s | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 58 | +55.632s | 1 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 58 | +56.229s | 0 |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 58 | +66.373s | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 58 | +70.360s | 0 |
| 14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 58 | +73.184s | 0 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 58 | +83.696s | 0 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 58 | +87.791s | 0 |
| 17 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 58 | +89.422s | 0 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 57 | DNF | 0 |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 20 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
2Sergio Perez received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
2025
On 26 November 2025, Aston Martin announced a major leadership reshuffle ahead of the 2026 regulation changes, confirming Adrian Newey would become Team Principal as part of an expanded remit that places him in charge of trackside performance and the technical programme. Newey joined the team earlier in the year and had already been working on future car concepts, marking his first move into the top operational role of an F1 outfit.
Current boss Andy Cowell would step into the newly-created post of Chief Strategy Officer, focusing on maximising collaboration and performance between the team and key partners Honda, Aramco and Valvoline as the outfit transitions into a full works entry. The team saying this change played to the strengths of both leaders, and with the car currently struggling in eighth place in 2025, Aston Martin hoped this new structure set the stage for a step forward in the next era.
F1 Driver Birthdays 26 November
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 26 November 1953 | Desire Wilson |
F1 Driver Deaths 26 November
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 26 November 1981 | Ernesto Prinoth |
| 26 November 2019 | Ken Kavanagh |
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