What Happened On This Day October 6 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, October 6 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1919

Andre Pilette, born in Paris on this day but of Belgian nationality, had a 14-race Formula One career that spanned the same number of seasons. By the time of his last outing in 1964, at the 1964 British Grand Prix, the 45-year-old Pilette caused Jim Clark to crash.

1944

Born on this day in Sao Paulo, Carlos Pace made his mark in Britain in Formula Three and Formula Two, which led to a drive with Frank Williams‘ Formula One team in 1972. Pace performed well against team leader Henri Pescarolo but left Williams at the end of the year to join Surtees. Despite excellent performances, poor reliability hampered his progress, and he quit in mid-1974. He was soon snapped up by Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team, and in 1975 he took a fine victory in the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix. Second place in the 1977 Argentinian Grand Prix boded well, but tragically, he was killed in a light aircraft accident later that year.

1952

Manfred Winkelhock, born on this day in Germany, was backed by BMW as he rose racing’s ladder. He spent most of his Formula One career with ATS and RAM, rarely enjoying the chance to shine. His reflexes and bravery were well showcased at the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix, where he qualified fifth. Winkelhock also achieved some success in sports car racing with Porsche. However, he was killed in an accident at Mosport Park in 1985.

1963

Graham Hill took victory for BRM in the 1963 United States Grand Prix, capitalising on the retirement of long-time leader and Ferrari driver John Surtees. Lotus driver Jim Clark, already confirmed as the 1963 Drivers’ Championship winner, came third after being left on the grid for a lap at the start due to battery problems. Hill’s average speed of 109.91 mph was a record for Watkins Glen. Hill’s teammate Richie Ginther finished second for a BRM 1-2 finish.

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1963 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Graham Hill	BRM	110	2:19:22.100	9
2	2	Richie Ginther	BRM	110	+34.300s	6
3	8	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	109	+1 lap	4
4	5	Jack Brabham	Brabham Climax	108	+2 laps	3
5	24	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	106	+4 laps	2
6	12	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	99	+11 laps	1
7	21	Peter Broeker	Stebro Ford	88	+22 laps	0
8	11	Jo Bonnier	Cooper Climax	85	+25 laps	0
9	23	John Surtees	Ferrari	82	DNF	0
10	16	Jim  Hall	Lotus BRM	76	DNF	0
11	3	Bruce McLaren	Cooper Climax	74	DNF	0
NC	14	Jo Siffert	Lotus BRM	56	DNF	0
NC	18	Rodger Ward	Lotus BRM	44	DNF	0
NC	4	Tony Maggs	Cooper Climax	44	DNF	0
NC	6	Dan Gurney	Brabham Climax	42	DNF	0
NC	10	Pedro Rodriguez	Lotus Climax	36	DNF	0
NC	9	Trevor  Taylor	Lotus Climax	24	DNF	0
NC	17	Masten Gregory	Lola Climax	14	DNF	0
NC	22	Hap  Sharp	Lotus BRM	6	DNF	0
NC	25	Phil Hill	ATS	4	DNF	0
NC	26	Giancarlo Baghetti	ATS	0	DNF	0

1968

Five years after Graham Hill’s victory at the same race, Jackie Stewart won the 1968 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in a Matra, moving within three points of Hill, who came second in a Lotus-Ford, with one race remaining. In the end, Hill won the final race to secure his second title. Stewart recalled, “For the first time in my F1 career, I sensed I was able to dictate the pace of the race. When I went slower, the entire field went slower; when I went faster, the entire field went faster.” John Surtees finished in third for Honda.

This was the debut race of the future world champion Mario Andretti and his first Formula One pole position.

1968 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	15	Jackie Stewart	Matra Ford	108	1:59:20.290	9
2	10	Graham Hill	Lotus Ford	108	+24.680s	6
3	5	John Surtees	Honda	107	+1 lap	4
4	14	Dan Gurney	McLaren Ford	107	+1 lap	3
5	16	Jo Siffert	Lotus Ford	105	+3 laps	2
6	2	Bruce McLaren	McLaren Ford	103	+5 laps	1
NC	22	Piers  Courage	BRM	93	DNF	0
NC	1	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	92	DNF	0
NC	19	Lucien Bianchi	Cooper BRM	88	DNF	0
NC	3	Jack Brabham	Brabham Repco	77	DNF	0
NC	4	Jochen Rindt	Brabham Repco	73	DNF	0
NC	18	Vic  Elford	Cooper BRM	71	DNF	0
NC	8	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	66	DNF	0
NC	17	Jo Bonnier	Mclaren BRM	62	DNF	0
NC	6	Chris Amon	Ferrari	59	DNF	0
NC	21	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	44	DNF	0
NC	9	Bobby  Unser	BRM	35	DNF	0
NC	12	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	7	Derek Bell	Ferrari	14	DNF	0

1973

Jackie Stewart‘s Tyrrell team-mate and close friend Francois Cevert was killed during practice for the 1973 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen when his car hit a barrier and careered across the track into another one, which uprooted and almost cut him in two. “I arrived and stared in disbelief,” Stewart wrote in his autobiography. “There was my team-mate, my protégé, my friend, my younger brother. He was dead.” Stewart and the Tyrrell team withdrew from the race, which would have been Stewart’s last anyway. When he told his wife, Helen, she broke down in tears and said, “Now we can grow old together.” The supremely talented Cevert, 29, had won his only Grand Prix on the same circuit two years earlier and was widely regarded as a future world champion.

1973 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	59	1:41:15.799	9
2	27	James Hunt	March Ford	59	+0.668s	6
3	10	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	59	+22.930s	4
4	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	59	+50.226s	3
5	8	Peter  Revson	McLaren Ford	59	+80.367s	2
6	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus Ford	59	+107.945s	1
7	26	Jacky Ickx	Iso Marlboro Ford	58	+1 lap	0
8	19	Clay Regazzoni	BRM	58	+1 lap	0
9	20	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	58	+1 lap	0
10	15	Mike  Beuttler	March Ford	58	+1 lap	0
11	18	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March Ford	57	DNF	0
12	25	Howden  Ganley	Iso Marlboro Ford	57	+2 laps	0
13	12	Graham Hill	Shadow Ford	57	+2 laps	0
14	16	George  Follmer	Shadow Ford	57	+2 laps	0
15	17	Jackie Oliver	Shadow Ford	55	+4 laps	0
16	4	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	55	+4 laps	0
NC	11	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham Ford	52	+7 laps	0
NC	0	Jody Scheckter	McLaren Ford	39	DNF	0
NC	30	Jochen Mass	Surtees Ford	35	DNF	0
NC	21	Niki Lauda	BRM	35	DNF	0
NC	23	Mike Hailwood	Surtees Ford	34	DNF	0
NC	24	Carlos Pace	Surtees Ford	32	DNF	0
NC	9	John Watson	Brabham Ford	7	DNF	0
DQ	31	Brian  Redman	Shadow Ford	5	DSQ	0
NC	28	Rikky von Opel	Ensign Ford	0	DNF	0
DNS	5	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell Ford	0	DNS	0

1974

McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi secured his second Drivers’ title on the 45th of the 59-lap 1974 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen when his remaining challenger, Jody Scheckter, retired his Tyrrell with an overheating engine. It was also a day of sadness as what appeared to be a minor crash caused Surtees driver Helmuth Koinigg’s death. Long-standing issues with the barriers were to blame, as Koinigg hit them at relatively slow speed but was decapitated when his car slid under them.

It was also the last Grand Prix for former champion and McLaren driver Denny Hulme, who announced his retirement after the race. Brabham teammates Carlos Reutemann and Carlos Pace finished in first and second, respectively, for a Brabham 1-2, while the Hesketh of James Hunt completed the podium in third. It was also Carlos Pace’ birthday.

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1974 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham Ford	59	1:40:21.439	9
2	8	Carlos Pace	Brabham Ford	59	+10.735s	6
3	24	James Hunt	Hesketh Ford	59	+70.384s	4
4	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren Ford	59	+77.753s	3
5	28	John Watson	Brabham Ford	59	+85.804s	2
6	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell Ford	59	+87.506s	1
7	33	Jochen Mass	McLaren Ford	59	+90.012s	0
8	26	Graham Hill	Lola Ford	58	+1 lap	0
9	15	Chris Amon	BRM	57	+2 laps	0
10	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow Ford	57	+2 laps	0
11	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	55	+4 laps	0
12	27	Rolf Stommelen	Lola Ford	54	+5 laps	0
NC	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus Ford	52	DNF	0
NC	22	Mike Wilds	Ensign Ford	50	+9 laps	0
NC	16	Tom Pryce	Shadow Ford	47	+12 laps	0
NC	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell Ford	44	DNF	0
NC	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso Marlboro Ford	43	DNF	0
NC	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	38	DNF	0
NC	21	Jacques Laffite	Iso Marlboro Ford	31	DNF	0
NC	66	Mark Donohue	Penske Ford	27	DNF	0
NC	18	Jose  Dolhem	Surtees Ford	25	DNF	0
NC	10	Vittorio Brambilla	March Ford	21	DNF	0
NC	19	Helmuth  Koinigg	Surtees Ford	9	DNF	0
NC	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus Ford	7	DNF	0
DQ	31	Tim  Schenken	Lotus Ford	6	DSQ	0
NC	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren Ford	4	DNF	0
DQ	55	Mario Andretti	Parnelli Ford	4	DSQ	0

1985

Williams driver Nigel Mansell won the 1985 European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, calling it “the best day of my life.” Alain Prost, who had been hindered in his McLaren at the start, fought back from 14th to finish fourth, securing the two points he needed to win the 1985 Drivers’ Championship, his first title. Ayrton Senna, who started from pole position, finished in second place driving a Lotus-Renault, while Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell’s teammate, secured third place.

John Watson‘s entry marked the last time to date a Formula One driver raced with number 1 without having been World Champion the previous season.

1985 European Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams Honda	75	1:32:58.109	9
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus Renault	75	+21.396s	6
3	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams Honda	75	+58.533s	4
4	2	Alain Prost	McLaren TAG	75	+66.121s	3
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus Renault	74	+1 lap	2
6	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows BMW	73	+2 laps	1
7	1	John Watson	McLaren TAG	73	+2 laps	0
8	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier Renault	73	+2 laps	0
9	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	73	+2 laps	0
10	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows BMW	73	+2 laps	0
11	23	Eddie  Cheever	Alfa Romeo	73	+2 laps	0
12	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	72	+3 laps	0
NC	8	Marc Surer	Brabham BMW	62	DNF	0
NC	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	59	DNF	0
NC	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Renault	58	DNF	0
NC	30	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	55	DNF	0
NC	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell Renault	44	DNF	0
NC	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell Renault	40	DNF	0
NC	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman Hart	33	DNF	0
NC	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM Hart	31	DNF	0
NC	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman Hart	16	DNF	0
NC	33	Alan  Jones	Lola Hart	13	DNF	0
NC	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	13	DNF	0
NC	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham BMW	6	DNF	0
NC	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	4	DNF	0
NC	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Motori Moderni	3	DNF	0

2013

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel dominated the 2013 Korean Grand Prix, leading from start to finish and securing his fourth consecutive victory of the season, further extending his lead in the championship. The race featured several incidents, including a dramatic tyre delamination on the McLaren of Sergio Perez, the safety car’s deployment, and an unusual on-track appearance of a fire marshal’s truck due to an engine fire on Mark Webber‘s car after colliding with the Force India of Adrian Sutil. Kimi Raikkonen made a solid move to finish second, overtaking Romain Grosjean, who ended in third, completing the podium for a double Lotus F1 finish behind Vettel.

2013 Korean Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing Renault	55	1:43:13.701	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus Renault	55	+4.224s	18
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus Renault	55	+4.927s	15
4	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber Ferrari	55	+24.114s	12
5	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	+25.255s	10
6	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	55	+26.189s	8
7	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	+26.698s	6
8	5	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes	55	+32.262s	4
9	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	55	+34.390s	2
10	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren Mercedes	55	+35.155s	1
11	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber Ferrari	55	+35.990s	0
12	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams Renault	55	+47.049s	0
13	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams Renault	55	+50.013s	0
14	20	Charles Pic	Caterham Renault	55	+63.578s	0
15	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham Renault	55	+64.501s	0
16	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia Cosworth	55	+67.970s	0
17	23	Max Chilton	Marussia Cosworth	55	+72.898s	0
18	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR Ferrari	53	DNF	0
19	19	Daniel Ricciardo	STR Ferrari	52	DNF	0
20	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India Mercedes	50	DNF	0
NC	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing Renault	36	DNF	0
NC	14	Paul di Resta	Force India Mercedes	24	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 6 October

Birthday	F1 Driver
6 October 1918	Max de Terra (d. 1982)
6 October 1918	Andre Pilette (d. 1993)
6 October 1941	John Nicholson (d. 2017)
6 October 1944	Carlos Pace (d. 1977)
6 October 1951	Manfred Winkelhock (d. 1985)

F1 Driver Deaths 6 October

Death	F1 Driver
6 October 1973	Francois Cevert (b. 1944)
6 October 1974	Helmuth Koinigg (b. 1948)

F1 Champion 6 October

Date	Team/Driver
6 October 1985	Alain Prost
6 October 1974	Emerson Fittipaldi
6 October 1974	McLaren