What Happened On This Day October 9 In F1 History?

From Jody Scheckter winning the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix to Sebastian Vettel's third place in Japan, enough to secure the 2011 World Championship.

Lee Parker

By Lee Parker
Updated on June 3, 2025

Sebastian Vettel 2011 Japanese Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel secured third place at the2011 Japanese Grand Prix, enough for him to win the 2011 Drivers' Championship // Image: Clive Rose

What happened on this day, October 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1977

At the start of the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, Lotus driver Mario Andretti led from the McLaren of James Hunt, with Jochen Mass in third. Andretti and Hunt pulled away and built such a lead that as they came to lap third-placed Mass, Hunt collided with him, forcing him to retire. Unable to continue, an enraged Hunt angrily waved his fist at Mass and struck a marshal attempting to guide him away. He was later fined $2000 for assaulting the marshal and $750 for returning to the pit lane in an “unsafe manner.” After debuting for Ferrari, Gilles Villeneuve made progress but spun twice, eventually retiring. Andretti’s engine blew in the final laps, causing several cars to spin in the resulting oil, including Patrese, Keegan, Brambilla, and Villeneuve. Andretti’s exit allowed Jody Scheckter, driving for Wolf, to secure victory, with Patrick Depailler, driving for Tyrrell in second and Mass recovering to finish third.

1977 Canadian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
120Jody ScheckterWolf Ford801:40:00.0009
24Patrick DepaillerTyrrell Ford80+6.770s6
32Jochen MassMcLaren Ford80+15.760s4
417Alan  JonesShadow Ford80+46.690s3
523Patrick TambayEnsign Ford80+63.260s2
619Vittorio BrambillaSurtees Ford78DNF1
714Danny OngaisPenske Ford78+2 laps0
89Alex RibeiroMarch Ford78+2 laps0
95Mario AndrettiLotus Ford77DNF0
1016Riccardo PatreseShadow Ford76DNF0
1130Brett LungerMcLaren Ford76DNF0
1221Gilles VilleneuveFerrari76DNF0
NC1James HuntMcLaren Ford61DNF0
NC27Patrick Neve56DNF0
NC3Ronnie PetersonTyrrell Ford34DNF0
NC24Rupert KeeganHesketh Ford32DNF0
NC18Hans BinderSurtees Ford31DNF0
NC28Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi Ford29DNF0
NC10Ian ScheckterMarch Ford29DNF0
NC12Carlos ReutemannFerrari20DNF0
NC8Hans-Joachim StuckBrabham Alfa Romeo19DNF0
NC6Gunnar NilssonLotus Ford17DNF0
NC26Jacques LaffiteLigier Matra12DNF0
NC7John WatsonBrabham Alfa Romeo1DNF0
NC22Clay RegazzoniEnsign Ford0DNF0

2005

McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen delivered one of the greatest comeback victories in F1 history at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, starting from 17th on the grid and taking the lead on the final lap from the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella. Fisichella ultimately had to settle for second place despite leading much of the race. At the same time, his teammate Fernando Alonso came through the field from sixteenth, including an overtake on the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher around the outside of 130R to finish third.

The race also saw Ralf Schumacher’s sixth and final pole position in Formula One and Raikkonen’s last win for the McLaren team.

2005 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
19Kimi RäikkönenMcLaren Mercedes531:29:02.21210
26Giancarlo FisichellaRenault53+1.633s8
35Fernando AlonsoRenault53+17.456s6
47Mark WebberWilliams BMW53+22.274s5
53Jenson ButtonBAR Honda53+29.507s4
614David CoulthardRBR Cosworth53+31.601s3
71Michael SchumacherFerrari53+33.879s2
817Ralf SchumacherToyota53+49.548s1
915Christian KlienRBR Cosworth53+51.925s0
1012Felipe MassaSauber Petronas53+57.509s0
112Rubens BarrichelloFerrari53+60.633s0
1211Jacques VilleneuveSauber Petronas53+83.221s0
1318Tiago MonteiroJordan Toyota52+1 lap0
1420Robert DoornbosMinardi Cosworth51+2 laps0
1519Narain KarthikeyanJordan Toyota51+2 laps0
1621Christijan AlbersMinardi Cosworth49+4 laps0
NC8Antonio PizzoniaWilliams BMW9+1 lap0
NC16Jarno TrulliToyota9DNF0
NC10Juan Pablo MontoyaMcLaren Mercedes0DNF0

2011

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finished in third at the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, which was enough to secure the World Championship, his second title in sucession. Jenson Button, driving for McLaren, took the win with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso finishing second after fighting his way through the field from fith.

2011 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
14Jenson ButtonMcLaren Mercedes531:30:53.42725
25Fernando AlonsoFerrari53+1.160s18
31Sebastian VettelRed Bull Racing Renault53+2.006s15
42Mark WebberRed Bull Racing Renault53+8.071s12
53Lewis HamiltonMcLaren Mercedes53+24.268s10
67Michael SchumacherMercedes53+27.120s8
76Felipe MassaFerrari53+28.240s6
817Sergio PerezSauber Ferrari53+39.377s4
910Vitaly PetrovRenault53+42.607s2
108Nico RosbergMercedes53+44.322s1
1114Adrian SutilForce India Mercedes53+54.447s0
1215Paul di RestaForce India Mercedes53+62.326s0
1316Kamui KobayashiSauber Ferrari53+63.705s0
1412Pastor MaldonadoWilliams Cosworth53+64.194s0
1519Jaime AlguersuariSTR Ferrari53+66.623s0
169Bruno SennaRenault53+72.628s0
1711Rubens BarrichelloWilliams Cosworth53+74.191s0
1820Heikki KovalainenLotus Renault53+87.824s0
1921Jarno TrulliLotus Renault53+96.140s0
2024Timo GlockVirgin Cosworth51+2 laps0
2125Jerome d’AmbrosioVirgin Cosworth51+2 laps0
2222Daniel RicciardoHRT Cosworth51+2 laps0
2323Vitantonio LiuzziHRT Cosworth50+3 laps0
NC18Sebastien BuemiSTR Ferrari11DNF0

2016

In the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg put in a dominant performance at Suzuka, leading the race from start to finish and strengthening his bid for the World Championship. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, had a poor start that saw him drop down the order, though he eventually recovered to finish third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took advantage of Hamilton’s misfortune and held onto second place, showcasing his emerging talent. This race was pivotal in Rosberg’s successful campaign to win his first and only World Championship.

Before the race, Mercedes led Red Bull by 194 points in the 2016 Constructors’ Championship. With a first and third-place finish earning them forty points, Mercedes secured their third consecutive title.

2016 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
16Nico RosbergMercedes531:26:43.33325
233Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing TAG Heuer53+4.978s18
344Lewis HamiltonMercedes53+5.776s15
45Sebastian VettelFerrari53+20.269s12
57Kimi RäikkönenFerrari53+28.370s10
63Daniel RicciardoRed Bull Racing TAG Heuer53+33.941s8
711Sergio PerezForce India Mercedes53+57.495s6
827Nico HulkenbergForce India Mercedes53+59.177s4
919Felipe MassaWilliams Mercedes53+97.763s2
1077Valtteri BottasWilliams Mercedes53+98.323s1
118Romain GrosjeanHaas Ferrari53+99.254s0
1230Jolyon PalmerRenault52+1 lap0
1326Daniil KvyatToro Rosso Ferrari52+1 lap0
1420Kevin MagnussenRenault52+1 lap0
159Marcus EricssonSauber Ferrari52+1 lap0
1614Fernando AlonsoMcLaren Honda52+1 lap0
1755Carlos SainzToro Rosso Ferrari52+1 lap0
1822Jenson ButtonMcLaren Honda52+1 lap0
1912Felipe NasrSauber Ferrari52+1 lap0
2021Esteban GutierrezHaas Ferrari52+1 lap0
2131Esteban OconMRT Mercedes52+1 lap0
2294Pascal WehrleinMRT Mercedes52+1 lap0

2022

The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was a chaotic race, marked by heavy rain and a red flag on lap 2 that delayed proceedings for more than two hours. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to keep his composure and took the win, which ultimately secured his second consecutive World Championship. The race resumed under challenging conditions, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc initially finishing second but received a penalty for cutting the final chicane while defending against Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, dropping Leclerc to third, and promoting Perez to second for a Red Bull Racing 1-2 finish.

Although only 28 of the 53 laps were completed, full points were awarded due to a loophole in the rules, which stipulated reduced points only for races ending under red flag conditions. Since this race ended under green, full points were given. For 2023, the regulations were updated so that shortened race points apply to any race not reaching 75% distance, regardless of if a race finishes under red or green flag conditions.

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2022 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
11Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing RBPT283:01:44.00425
211Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing RBPT28+27.066s18
316Charles LeclercFerrari28+31.763s15
431Esteban OconAlpine Renault28+39.685s12
544Lewis HamiltonMercedes28+40.326s10
65Sebastian VettelAston Martin Aramco Mercedes28+46.358s8
714Fernando AlonsoAlpine Renault28+46.369s6
863George RussellMercedes28+47.661s4
96Nicholas LatifiWilliams Mercedes28+70.143s2
104Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes28+70.782s1
113Daniel RicciardoMcLaren Mercedes28+72.877s0
1218Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes28+73.904s0
1322Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri RBPT28+75.599s0
1420Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari28+86.016s0
1577Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo Ferrari28+86.496s0
1624Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo Ferrari28+87.043s0
1747Mick SchumacherHaas Ferrari28+92.523s0
1810Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri RBPT28+108.091s0
NC55Carlos SainzFerrari0DNF0
NC23Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes0DNF0
Note – Leclerc received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Gasly received a 20-second time penalty for speeding under red flag conditions.

F1 Driver Birthdays 9 October

BirthdayF1 Driver
9 October 1928Pat O’Connor (d. 1958)
9 October 1937David Prophet (d. 1981)
9 October 1961Julian Bailey

F1 Driver Deaths 9 October

DeathF1 Driver
9 OctoberNone

F1 Champion 9 October

DateTeam/Driver
9 October 2011Sebastian Vettel
9 October 2022Max Verstappen
9 October 2016Mercedes

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Lee Parker
Lee Parker

Lee is our staff writer specialising in anything technical within Formula 1 from aerodynamics to engines. Lee writes most of our F1 guides for beginners and experienced fans as well as our F1 on this day posts having followed the sport since 1991, researching and understanding how teams build the ultimate machines. Like everyone else on the team he listens to podcasts about F1 and enjoys reading biographies of former drivers.

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