What Happened On This Day October 30 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, October 30 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1906

Nino Farina, born on this day in Turin, made history by winning the first FIA World Championship in 1950. Known for his aggressive driving style and volatile temperament, Farina often gave up if he couldn’t secure a win, even if running in second or third. A dominant pre-war racer, he won the Italian title from 1937 to 1939 but struggled with team dynamics post-war until rejoining Alfa Romeo in 1950. That year, he won three of the season’s six races and claimed the 1950 Drivers’ Championship. Yet, he couldn’t keep pace with Juan Manuel Fangio in the following seasons, compounded by a series of accidents. Despite a 1955 comeback, ongoing pain led him to retire, though he briefly returned for the 1956 Indianapolis 500, where he crashed again. Tragically, Farina died in a car accident in 1959 on his way to watch the 1959 French Grand Prix.

1917

Maurice Trintignant, born in Vaucluse, France, enjoyed a long racing career, competing in Formula One from 1950 to 1964 with ten different teams and achieving two wins in 84 starts. Known for his expertise on street circuits, he secured victories at Monaco with Ferrari in 1955 and again in a Cooper for Rob Walker Racing three years later. He also won three non-championship races in the 1950s and triumphed at Le Mans in 1954. In 1962, substituting for Stirling Moss, Trintignant still showed his skill by outperforming Jim Clark at the non-championship Pau race. He retired in 1964, later became a winemaker near Vergeze, and eventually served as mayor. Trintignant passed away in 2005 at the age of 87.

1952

Indianapolis Speedway president and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Oscar Shaw—victorious in 1937, 1939, and 1940—died tragically in a plane crash. Shaw was the first to win back-to-back Indy 500s and was instrumental in the race’s inclusion in the early FIA World Championship. He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991.

1983

Carsten Tilke, born on 30 October, 1983, is a German race track designer and the son of renowned circuit designer Hermann Tilke. Like his father, Carsten has created F1 circuits, with two major circuits to his name as of 2024. In 2021, he designed the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, an ambitious street circuit by the Red Sea, known for its high-speed layout and challenging corners. Following this, in 2023, he was instrumental in the creation of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in the United States, a unique track that weaves through the iconic Las Vegas Strip, combining the thrill of racing with the city’s famous neon lights and landmarks.

1988

Alain Prost, one of Formula 1’s legendary drivers, faced a pivotal moment of his time in F1 when Ayrton Senna clinched his first of three world titles in four years by winning the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix despite nearly stalling at the start. Prost finished second for a McLaren 1-2 finish, with Benetton driver Thierry Boutsen finishing third.

The drama unfolded behind the McLaren duo with the Williams of Nigel Mansell colliding first with the Arrows of Derek Warwick and then with the Lotus of Nelson Piquet, while Andrea de Cesaris angrily confronted rookie Aguri Suzuki, frustrated by his interference in a battle with another car. After the race, fourth-place finisher Gerhard Berger shared that he was contemplating a move to Monaco to avoid being drafted into Austrian national service.

Full Race Report

• 

  1988 Japanese Grand Prix: Senna’s First Drivers’ World Championship

• 

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

1988 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	51	1:33:26.173	9
2	11	Alain Prost	McLaren Honda	51	+13.363s	6
3	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton Ford	51	+36.109s	4
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	51	+86.714s	3
5	19	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton Ford	51	+90.603s	2
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Judd	51	+97.615s	1
7	2	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus Honda	50	+1 lap	0
8	14	Philippe Streiff	AGS Ford	50	+1 lap	0
9	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola Ford	50	+1 lap	0
10	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	March Judd	50	+1 lap	0
11	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	50	+1 lap	0
12	3	Jonathan  Palmer	Tyrrell Ford	50	+1 lap	0
13	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ford	49	+2 laps	0
14	4	Julian Bailey	Tyrrell Ford	49	+2 laps	0
15	24	Luis Perez-Sala	Minardi Ford	49	+2 laps	0
16	29	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Ford	48	+3 laps	0
17	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier Judd	48	+3 laps	0
NC	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Rial Ford	36	DNF	0
NC	18	Eddie  Cheever	Arrows Megatron	35	DNF	0
NC	21	Nicola Larini	Osella	34	DNF	0
NC	1	Nelson Piquet	Lotus Honda	34	DNF	0
NC	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Judd	24	DNF	0
NC	36	Alex Caffi	Dallara Ford	22	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	March Judd	19	DNF	0
NC	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows Megatron	16	DNF	0
NC	10	Bernd Schneider	Zakspeed	14	DNF	0

1999

On this day, an FIA ruling in Japan ahead of the upcoming 1999 Japanese Grand Prix overturned a decision that had disqualified both Ferraris in Malaysia, positioning Eddie Irvine as the favourite to win the world title. However, the controversy surrounding the ruling meant few sympathised with Irvine, especially after he spun off during qualifying, calling his Ferrari unstable. He could only manage fifth on the grid using a reserve car, which proved insufficient. Mika Hakkinen won the race and claimed the championship, leaving Irvine despondent, missing out by two points.

2011

The 2011 Indian Grand Prix, the first Formula One race held in South Asia and India, took place at the newly constructed Buddh International Circuit. Designed by Hermann Tilke in collaboration with F1 teams, the circuit was created to be one of the fastest on the calendar, with lap times projected to come in under one minute and twenty seconds. Red Bull Racing‘s Sebastian Vettel dominated the 60-lap race, leading every lap from pole position, setting the fastest lap, and claiming his first Grand Chelem. Jenson Button took second for McLaren, with Fernando Alonso completing the podium in third for Ferrari. Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan also marked his return to the HRT team for the home race, having been replaced by Daniel Ricciardo since Silverstone.

2011 Indian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	60	1:30:35.002	25
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	60	+8.433s	18
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	60	+24.301s	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	60	+25.529s	12
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	60	+65.421s	10
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	60	+66.851s	8
7	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	60	+84.183s	6
8	19	Jaime Alguersuari	STR Ferrari	59	+1 lap	4
9	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	59	+1 lap	2
10	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber Ferrari	59	+1 lap	1
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
12	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
13	15	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	59	+1 lap	0
14	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus Renault	58	+2 laps	0
15	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams Cosworth	58	+2 laps	0
16	25	Jerome d’Ambrosio	Virgin Cosworth	57	+3 laps	0
17	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT Cosworth	57	+3 laps	0
18	23	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT Cosworth	57	+3 laps	0
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Lotus Renault	55	+5 laps	0
NC	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	32	DNF	0
NC	18	Sebastien Buemi	STR Ferrari	24	DNF	0
NC	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Cosworth	12	DNF	0
NC	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Cosworth	2	DNF	0
NC	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber Ferrari	0	DNF	0

2016

The 2016 Mexican Grand Prix saw defending race winner Nico Rosberg enter with a 26-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, with both drivers still in contention for the 2016 Drivers’ Championship. Hamilton won the race, closing the points gap on Rosberg, who finished second for a Mercedes 1-2 finish. The battle for third place added excitement to the race, with both Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel ultimately stripped of their podium positions due to post-race penalties. Verstappen initially crossed the line in third, narrowly ahead of Vettel by 0.99 seconds, with Daniel Ricciardo 3.55 seconds behind them. However, Verstappen was given a five-second penalty for cutting a corner on lap 68 and unfairly retaining his position ahead of Vettel. Though Vettel then took the podium as the third-place finisher, he received a ten-second penalty shortly after the race for moving under braking on lap 69 to block Ricciardo’s pass, officially awarding the final podium spot to Ricciardo.

Formula One History Recommends

• 

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

2016 Mexican Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	1:40:31.402	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	+8.354s	18
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	71	+20.858s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	71	+21.323s	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+27.313s	10
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+49.376s	8
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India Mercedes	71	+58.891s	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Mercedes	71	+65.612s	4
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams Mercedes	71	+76.206s	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	71	+76.798s	1
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren Honda	70	+1 lap	0
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda	70	+1 lap	0
14	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	70	+1 lap	0
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	70	+1 lap	0
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
19	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
21	31	Esteban Ocon	MRT Mercedes	69	+2 laps	0
NC	94	Pascal Wehrlein	MRT Mercedes	0	DNF	0
Note – Sainz received a 5s time penalty for forcing Alonso off track. Kvyat and Verstappen received identical penalties for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage. Vettel received a 10s time penalty for driving dangerously or erratically.

2022

The 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix was won by defending champion Max Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and Sergio Perez taking third on home soil. Heading into the weekend, both the Drivers’ (Max Verstappen) and Constructors’ (Red Bull Racing) Championships had already been secured, with the titles decided earlier at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix and 2022 United States Grand Prix.

2022 Mexico City Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing RBPT	71	1:38:36.729	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+15.186s	18
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing RBPT	71	+18.097s	15
4	63	George Russell	Mercedes	71	+49.431s	13
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	71	+58.123s	10
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	71	+68.774s	8
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren Mercedes	70	+1 lap	6
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	70	+1 lap	4
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	70	+1 lap	2
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo Ferrari	70	+1 lap	1
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri RBPT	70	+1 lap	0
12	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	70	+1 lap	0
13	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	70	+1 lap	0
15	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	70	+1 lap	0
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	70	+1 lap	0
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Mercedes	69	+2 laps	0
19	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine Renault	63	DNF	0
NC	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri RBPT	50	DNF	0
Note – Russell scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Ricciardo received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.

F1 Driver Birthdays 30 October

Birthday	F1 Driver
30 October 1906	Giuseppe Farina (d. 1966)
30 October 1917	Maurice Trintignant (d. 2005)
30 October 1926	Jacques Swaters (d. 2010)

Birthday	F1 Mentions
30 October 1983	Carsten Tilke German designer of F1 race tracks. His father is Hermann Tilke, also an F1 track designer.

F1 Driver Deaths 30 October

Death	F1 Driver
30 October	None

F1 Champion 30 October

Date	Team/Driver
30 October 1999	Ayrton Senna