What Happened On This Day September 11 In F1 History?

From Ferrari winning the 1977 Constructors' Championship to the death of F1 driver Ronnie Peterson in 1978.

Lee Parker

By Lee Parker
Updated on May 30, 2025

Ronnie Peterson Died 11 September 1978
F1 driver Ronnie Peterson died 11 September 1978 // Image: Uncredited

What happened on this day, September 11 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1955

Juan Manuel Fangio led Piero Taruffi in a Mercedes 1-2 finish at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, capping off his championship-winning season. Eugenio Castellotti with Ferrari came third.

This race marked the final appearance of the victorious Mercedes-Benz team as a constructor in Formula 1 until their return in 2010 following the takeover of Brawn GP. It was also the last Grand Prix for drivers Karl Kling, Roberto Mieres, and 1950 champion Nino Farina, the first-ever F1 World Champion.

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1955 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
118Juan Manuel FangioMercedes-Benz502:25:04.4008
214Piero  TaruffiMercedes-Benz50+0.700s6
34Eugenio CastellottiFerrari50+46.200s4
436Jean BehraMaserati50+237.500s3
534Carlos MenditeguyMaserati49+1 lap2
612Umberto  MaglioliFerrari49+1 lap0
728Roberto MieresMaserati48+2 laps0
88Maurice  TrintignantFerrari47+3 laps0
940John  FitchMaserati46+4 laps0
106Mike HawthornFerrari38DNF0
1120Karl KlingMercedes-Benz32DNF0
1230Luigi MussoMaserati31DNF0
1338Horace  GouldMaserati31DNF0
1416Stirling MossMercedes-Benz27DNF1
1526Jacques  PolletGordini26DNF0
1622Hermano da Silva RamosGordini23DNF0
1732Peter CollinsMaserati22DNF0
1842Harry SchellVanwall7DNF0
1924Jean  LucasGordini7DNF0
2044Ken  WhartonVanwall0DNF0

1977

Despite being Ferrari’s home race, James Hunt secured pole position for McLaren at the 1977 Italian Grand Prix. However, there was cause for some celebration by the Tifosi when Carlos Reutemann delighted the local fans by starting second, ahead of Wolf driver Jody Scheckter. Come the chequered flag, Mario Andretti delivered a commanding performance in his Lotus to win the race, with Niki Lauda finishing second with Ferrari. Alan Jones took third place for Shadow, marking his second podium in three races. Lauda’s second-place finish was enough to clinch the 1977 Constructors’ Championship for Ferrari with three races still remaining.

1977 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
15Mario AndrettiLotus Ford521:27:50.3009
211Niki LaudaFerrari52+16.960s6
317Alan  JonesShadow Ford52+23.630s4
42Jochen MassMcLaren Ford52+28.480s3
522Clay RegazzoniEnsign Ford52+31.110s2
63Ronnie PetersonTyrrell Ford52+79.220s1
727Patrick Neve50+2 laps0
826Jacques LaffiteLigier Matra50+2 laps0
924Rupert KeeganHesketh Ford48+4 laps0
NC10Ian ScheckterMarch Ford41DNF0
NC12Carlos ReutemannFerrari39DNF0
NC14Bruno GiacomelliMcLaren Ford38DNF0
NC16Riccardo PatreseShadow Ford38DNF0
NC8Hans-Joachim StuckBrabham Alfa Romeo31DNF0
NC1James HuntMcLaren Ford26DNF0
NC4Patrick DepaillerTyrrell Ford24DNF0
NC20Jody ScheckterWolf Ford23DNF0
NC15Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault23DNF0
NC34Jean-Pierre JarierPenske Ford19DNF0
NC23Patrick TambayEnsign Ford8DNF0
NC19Vittorio BrambillaSurtees Ford5DNF0
NC30Brett LungerMcLaren Ford4DNF0
NC6Gunnar NilssonLotus Ford4DNF0
NC7John WatsonBrabham Alfa Romeo3DNF0

1978

The Formula 1 community was left devastated in 1978 when beloved Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson passed away , on this day, due to complications following a horrific accident at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. At the start of the race, a multi-car collision occurred when Riccardo Patrese‘s car collided with James Hunt’s, triggering a chain reaction that sent Peterson’s Lotus crashing into the barriers, splitting the car in half and igniting it in flames. James Hunt heroically ran back to pull Peterson from the burning wreckage. Though conscious on the track with broken legs, Peterson had to wait 20 minutes for medical assistance, as priority was initially given to Vittorio Brambilla, who had been struck on the head by a flying wheel. Peterson’s injuries were not immediately deemed life-threatening, but a surgery complication caused a bone marrow embolism, leading to his death the following day. It is widely believed that with quicker medical intervention, Peterson might have survived.

1983

Brabham driver Nelson Piquet won the 1983 Italian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Rene Arnoux in a Ferrari and Eddie Cheever for Renault after Riccardo Patrese’s bid for victory was cut short by a blown engine. This victory narrowed the gap in the 1983 Drivers’ Championship standings, with Piquet just three points behind Arnoux, who was in second place, and five points behind leader Alain Prost, who retired with a turbo failure.

The race featured an unusual incident in the pit lane involving Niki Lauda’s McLaren. After completing a pit stop, Lauda’s car stalled in front of the Brabham garage. As the Brabham team was preparing for Nelson Piquet’s pit stop, they were unexpectedly joined by team owner and FOCA chief executive Bernie Ecclestone in pushing Lauda’s car to restart it and clear the space for Piquet. Unfortunately, Lauda retired from the race shortly afterwards due to an electrical failure.

Another incident occurred at the end of the race when the Tifosi flooded onto the track to celebrate Rene Arnoux’s second-place finish while the cars were still running. Nigel Mansell, who was running seventh in his Lotus, slowed down to avoid hitting any spectators but was overtaken by Bruno Giacomelli’s Toleman. Frustrated, Mansell then drove the wrong way into the pit lane.

1983 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
15Nelson PiquetBrabham BMW521:23:10.8809
228Rene ArnouxFerrari52+10.212s6
316Eddie  CheeverRenault52+18.612s4
427Patrick TambayFerrari52+29.023s3
511Elio de AngelisLotus Renault52+53.680s2
635Derek WarwickToleman Hart52+73.348s1
736Bruno GiacomelliToleman Hart52+93.922s0
812Nigel MansellLotus Renault52+96.035s0
925Jean-Pierre JarierLigier Ford51+1 lap0
1029Marc SurerArrows Ford51+1 lap0
111Keke RosbergWilliams Ford51+1 lap0
1234Johnny CecottoTheodore Ford50+2 laps0
1333Roberto GuerreroTheodore Ford50+2 laps0
NC31Corrado FabiOsella Alfa Romeo45DNF0
NC4Danny SullivanTyrrell Ford44DNF0
NC30Thierry BoutsenArrows Ford41DNF0
NC9Manfred WinkelhockATS BMW35DNF0
NC3Michele AlboretoTyrrell Ford28DNF0
NC15Alain ProstRenault26DNF0
NC8Niki LaudaMcLaren TAG24DNF0
NC7John WatsonMcLaren TAG13DNF0
NC32Piercarlo GhinzaniOsella Alfa Romeo10DNF0
NC23Mauro BaldiAlfa Romeo4DNF0
NC40Stefan JohanssonSpirit Honda4DNF0
NC6Riccardo PatreseBrabham BMW2DNF0
NC22Andrea de CesarisAlfa Romeo2DNF0

1988

Gerhard Berger led a timely Ferrari 1-2 finish at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix after the death of team founder Enzo Ferrari on 14 August 1988, with teammate Michele Alboreto following him. It marked the only race of the season that McLaren did not win. Ayrton Senna started on pole for McLaren with his teammate alongside him, while the Ferrari duo lined up just behind. The McLarens maintained their lead until Alain Prost retired unexpectedly with an engine failure on lap 35, leaving Senna poised for victory. However, in the closing laps, Senna collided with Jean-Louis Schlesser in a Williams while attempting to lap him, ending his race and giving Ferrari a rare victory.

1988 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
128Gerhard BergerFerrari511:17:39.7449
227Michele AlboretoFerrari51+0.502s6
318Eddie  CheeverArrows Megatron51+35.532s4
417Derek WarwickArrows Megatron51+36.114s3
516Ivan CapelliMarch Judd51+52.522s2
620Thierry BoutsenBenetton Ford51+59.878s1
76Riccardo PatreseWilliams Judd51+74.743s0
815Mauricio GugelminMarch Judd51+92.566s0
919Alessandro NanniniBenetton Ford50+1 lap0
1012Ayrton SennaMcLaren Honda49DNF0
115Jean Louis SchlesserWilliams Judd49+2 laps0
124Julian BaileyTyrrell Ford49+2 laps0
1325Rene ArnouxLigier Judd49+2 laps0
NC11Alain ProstMcLaren Honda34DNF0
NC30Philippe AlliotLola Ford33DNF0
NC14Philippe StreiffAGS Ford31DNF0
NC10Bernd SchneiderZakspeed28DNF0
NC22Andrea de CesarisRial Ford27DNF0
NC9Piercarlo GhinzaniZakspeed25DNF0
NC36Alex CaffiDallara Ford24DNF0
NC29Yannick DalmasLola Ford17DNF0
NC23Pierluigi MartiniMinardi Ford15DNF0
NC2Satoru NakajimaLotus Honda14DNF0
NC24Luis Perez-SalaMinardi Ford12DNF0
NC1Nelson PiquetLotus Honda11DNF0
NC21Nicola LariniOsella2DNF0

1994

The 1994 Italian Grand Prix was the last race for the original Lotus team before the iconic name returned to the grid at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert gave the team a memorable final send-off by qualifying an impressive fourth, but a first-corner collision with Eddie Irvine in a Jordan dashed his hopes of a points finish in the race. His race ended on lap 14 when his alternator failed. Damon Hill emerged victorious for Williams, followed by the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger and the McLaren of Mika Hakkinen. Sadly, Lotus went into receivership the next day.

1994 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
10Damon HillWilliams Renault531:18:02.75410
228Gerhard BergerFerrari53+4.930s6
37Mika HakkinenMcLaren Peugeot53+25.640s4
414Rubens BarrichelloJordan Hart53+50.634s3
58Martin BrundleMcLaren Peugeot53+85.575s2
62David CoulthardWilliams Renault52DNF1
725Eric BernardLigier Renault52+1 lap0
820Erik ComasLarrousse Ford52+1 lap0
95Jyrki JarvilehtoBenetton Ford52+1 lap0
1026Olivier PanisLigier Renault51+2 laps0
NC31David BrabhamSimtek Ford46DNF0
NC3Ukyo KatayamaTyrrell Yamaha45DNF0
NC9Christian FittipaldiFootwork Ford43DNF0
NC15Eddie IrvineJordan Hart41DNF0
NC4Mark BlundellTyrrell Yamaha39DNF0
NC23Pierluigi MartiniMinardi Ford30DNF0
NC24Michele AlboretoMinardi Ford28DNF0
NC30Heinz-Harald FrentzenSauber Mercedes22DNF0
NC29Andrea de CesarisSauber Mercedes20DNF0
NC32Jean-Marc GounonSimtek Ford20DNF0
NC19Yannick DalmasLarrousse Ford18DNF0
NC27Jean AlesiFerrari14DNF0
NC12Johnny HerbertLotus Mugen Honda13DNF0
NC6Jos VerstappenBenetton Ford0DNF0
NC10Gianni MorbidelliFootwork Ford0DNF0
NC11Alessandro ZanardiLotus Mugen Honda0DNF0

2005

McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen dominated the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix, winning ahead of the Renault of Fernando Alonso and the BAR of Jenson Button, keeping his slim championship hopes alive. Raikkonen’s lead could have been greater if his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya hadn’t collided with him while running in second place just four laps from the finish. Despite Raikkonen’s win, Alonso maintained a 25-point lead in the drivers’ championship with only four races left in the season.

2005 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
19Kimi RäikkönenMcLaren Mercedes441:30:01.29510
25Fernando AlonsoRenault44+28.394s8
33Jenson ButtonBAR Honda44+32.077s6
47Mark WebberWilliams BMW44+69.167s5
52Rubens BarrichelloFerrari44+78.136s4
611Jacques VilleneuveSauber Petronas44+87.435s3
717Ralf SchumacherToyota44+87.574s2
818Tiago MonteiroJordan Toyota43+1 lap1
915Christian KlienRBR Cosworth43+1 lap0
1012Felipe MassaSauber Petronas43+1 lap0
1119Narain KarthikeyanJordan Toyota43+1 lap0
1221Christijan AlbersMinardi Cosworth42+2 laps0
1320Robert DoornbosMinardi Cosworth41+3 laps0
1410Juan Pablo MontoyaMcLaren Mercedes40DNF0
158Antonio PizzoniaWilliams BMW39DNF0
NC16Jarno TrulliToyota34DNF0
NC14David CoulthardRBR Cosworth18DNF0
NC1Michael SchumacherFerrari13DNF0
NC4Takuma SatoBAR Honda13DNF0
NC6Giancarlo FisichellaRenault10DNF0

2011

Driving for Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 Italian Grand Prix, starting from pole position. Jenson Button secured second place for McLaren, while Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari, completing the podium. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, a special trophy named Coppa del 150° Anniversario dell’Unità d’Italia was awarded to the winner.

2011 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
11Sebastian VettelRed Bull Racing Renault531:20:46.17225
24Jenson ButtonMcLaren Mercedes53+9.590s18
35Fernando AlonsoFerrari53+16.909s15
43Lewis HamiltonMcLaren Mercedes53+17.417s12
57Michael SchumacherMercedes53+32.677s10
66Felipe MassaFerrari53+42.993s8
719Jaime AlguersuariSTR Ferrari52+1 lap6
815Paul di RestaForce India Mercedes52+1 lap4
99Bruno SennaRenault52+1 lap2
1018Sebastien BuemiSTR Ferrari52+1 lap1
1112Pastor MaldonadoWilliams Cosworth52+1 lap0
1211Rubens BarrichelloWilliams Cosworth52+1 lap0
1320Heikki KovalainenLotus Renault51+2 laps0
1421Jarno TrulliLotus Renault51+2 laps0
1524Timo GlockVirgin Cosworth51+2 laps0
NC22Daniel RicciardoHRT Cosworth39+14 laps0
NC17Sergio PerezSauber Ferrari32DNF0
NC16Kamui KobayashiSauber Ferrari21DNF0
NC14Adrian SutilForce India Mercedes9DNF0
NC2Mark WebberRed Bull Racing Renault4DNF0
NC25Jerome d’AmbrosioVirgin Cosworth1DNF0
NC10Vitaly PetrovRenault0DNF0
NC8Nico RosbergMercedes0DNF0
NC23Vitantonio LiuzziHRT Cosworth0DNF0

2022

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. Despite starting from seventh on the grid due to a penalty, Verstappen quickly moved up the order and took the lead, maintaining his position to secure the victory. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari after starting from pole position, while Mercedes driver George Russell completed the podium in third place. The race ended under a safety car due to a late incident involving Daniel Ricciardo‘s McLaren, which caused some controversy and debate among teams and fans, with some suggesting the race should have been red-flagged instead.

The race also featured the debut of Nyck de Vries, who replaced Alexander Albon after he was ruled out with appendicitis before FP3. De Vries scored points with a ninth-place drive for Williams.

2022 Italian Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
11Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing RBPT531:20:27.51125
216Charles LeclercFerrari53+2.446s18
363George RussellMercedes53+3.405s15
455Carlos SainzFerrari53+5.061s12
544Lewis HamiltonMercedes53+5.380s10
611Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing RBPT53+6.091s9
74Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes53+6.207s6
810Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri RBPT53+6.396s4
945Nyck De VriesWilliams Mercedes53+7.122s2
1024Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo Ferrari53+7.910s1
1131Esteban OconAlpine Renault53+8.323s0
1247Mick SchumacherHaas Ferrari53+8.549s0
1377Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo Ferrari52+1 lap0
1422Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri RBPT52+1 lap0
156Nicholas LatifiWilliams Mercedes52+1 lap0
1620Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari52+1 lap0
NC3Daniel RicciardoMcLaren Mercedes45DNF0
NC18Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes39DNF0
NC14Fernando AlonsoAlpine Renault31DNF0
NC5Sebastian VettelAston Martin Aramco Mercedes10DNF0
Note – Perez scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

F1 Driver Birthdays 11 September

BirthdayF1 Driver
11 September 1924Jose Behra (d. 1997)
11 September 1976Tomas Enge
11 September 1980Antonio Pizzonia

F1 Driver Deaths 11 September

DeathF1 Driver
11 September 1978Ronnie Peterson (b. 1944)

F1 Champion 11 September

DateTeam/Driver
11 September 1977Ferrari

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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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