What Happened On This Day September 17 In F1 History?

From the birth of Stirling Moss in 1929 to Damon Hill in 1960 to a DRS masterclass by Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

Lee Parker

By Lee Parker
Updated on May 31, 2025

Sir Stirling Moss Goodwood
Sir Stirling Moss was born 17 September 1929 and passed away 12 April 2020 // Image: Goodwood

What happened on this day, September 17 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1929

Few drivers achieved the fame of Sir Stirling Moss, born on this day. While competing, none managed to maintain their profile so well that they remain a familiar name outside the world of motorsport almost 50 years after their last race. For just over a decade, Moss was one of the leading drivers in various formats, a brilliant driver aware of his worth and profile. Somehow, he never won a world title, which almost added to his standing. His racing career ended in a horrendous crash in a minor race at Goodwood in 1962. But as one door closed, another opened, and he remained a high-profile figure into his 80s.

His career saw him take 16 wins, 24 podiums, 16 poles and 19 fastest laps racing for Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Vanwall, Rob Walker, Cooper, Lotus, HWM.

Beyond F1, Moss was well known for his love of design and the latest gadgets. In 2009, the Stirling Moss brand was created, leading to various licensing opportunities. While qualifying for the 2011 Le Mans Legends race, Moss retired from competitive racing.

1960

Damon Hill was born to race, and before he was out of short trousers, his father, Graham Hill, had won his two F1 World titles. He didn’t take up racing cars until the relatively late age of 23, initially dabbling with bikes. He broke into Formula One in 1992 and, the following season, switched to Williams. From 1993, he finished third, second, and second in the Drivers’ Championship before winning the title in 1996. Alongside Nico Rosberg, he stands as one of the only individuals to follow in his father’s footsteps by securing a Formula 1 World Championship. His success was slightly marred by the fact he immediately left Williams to join an uncompetitive Arrows team, then moving for two moderate seasons to Jordan before retiring. He has remained close to the sport and has been president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club where he was instrumental in securing a 17-year contract for Silverstone to continue hosting Formula 1 races, as well as overseeing the development of the circuit’s modernisation. As of 2024, he remains a part of the Sky Sports F1 broadcasting team.

2001

Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher was forced to back down on threats not to compete in the 2001 US Grand Prix at the end of the month after Bernie Ecclestone warned him he could be stripped of his almost-certain title if he did. Schumacher was one of several drivers raising concerns about safety in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He received backing from Jaguar boss and former champion Niki Lauda. “Personally I don’t think we should go, but it’s not my decision,” Lauda said. “We have a contractual commitment to Indianapolis, and the race could only be cancelled if the organisers there wanted it.”

2004

As Jaguar prepared to unveil massive job cuts at its Birmingham plant, it pre-empted the announcement by revealing it was scrapping its Formula One team, which had been struggling ever since it emerged from the Stewart outfit in 1999. It also withdrew its support for its Cosworth engine division, which had provided subsidised engines for Jordan and Minardi. Ford, Jaguar’s owners, said it “could not justify the spending.”

2006

The 2006 Belgian Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 17 September but was cancelled after the large-scale renovation of the Spa track could not be completed before the September race. The Belgian Grand Prix returned in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen took the pole position and won his third consecutive race.

2017

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix after seizing the lead on the first lap, following a major collision involving the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, and teammate Kimi Raikkonen. At the start, Raikkonen had a much better getaway than his teammate Vettel and Red Bull’s Verstappen. Verstappen found himself squeezed between Vettel and Raikkonen with no room to manoeuvre. Raikkonen’s car made contact with Verstappen’s tyres, causing him to lose control and collide with the left side pod of Vettel’s car, significantly damaging both Ferraris. Raikkonen’s car then slid into turn 1, hitting Verstappen again, which led to a collision with Fernando Alonso—the chain of events forced both Raikkonen and Verstappen to retire from the race immediately.

Daniel Ricciardo claimed second place for Red Bull, with Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas finishing third. The result extended Hamilton’s lead in the 2017 Drivers’ Championship to 28 points and boosted Mercedes’ advantage in the Constructors’ standings to 102 points.

2017 Singapore Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
144Lewis HamiltonMercedes582:03:23.54425
23Daniel RicciardoRed Bull Racing TAG Heuer58+4.507s18
377Valtteri BottasMercedes58+8.800s15
455Carlos SainzToro Rosso58+22.822s12
511Sergio PerezForce India Mercedes58+25.359s10
630Jolyon PalmerRenault58+27.259s8
72Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren Honda58+30.388s6
818Lance StrollWilliams Mercedes58+41.696s4
98Romain GrosjeanHaas Ferrari58+43.282s2
1031Esteban OconForce India Mercedes58+44.795s1
1119Felipe MassaWilliams Mercedes58+46.536s0
1294Pascal WehrleinSauber Ferrari56+2 laps0
NC20Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari50DNF0
NC27Nico HulkenbergRenault48DNF0
NC9Marcus EricssonSauber Ferrari35DNF0
NC26Daniil KvyatToro Rosso10DNF0
NC14Fernando AlonsoMcLaren Honda8DNF0
NC5Sebastian VettelFerrari0DNF0
NC33Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing TAG Heuer0DNF0
NC7Kimi RäikkönenFerrari0DNF0

2023

The 2023 Singapore Grand Prix started with 19 drivers after Lance Stroll‘s crash at the end of Q1. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz claimed his second Formula One victory, having secured pole position and leading the race from start to finish. He crossed the line ahead of the McLaren of Lando Norris, who he strategically kept in DRS range to keep the two faster Mercedes cars at bay. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton finished third after teammate George Russell, who was in contention for a podium spot, crashed out on the final lap at turn 10. This Grand Prix was the only race of the 2023 season not won by a Red Bull Racing driver, ending Max Verstappen’s record streak of ten consecutive wins and Red Bull’s record streak of fifteen consecutive victories. AlphaTauri driver Liam Lawson earned his first Formula One points by finishing ninth after replacing the injured Daniel Ricciardo.

2023 Singapore Grand Prix Race Results

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
155Carlos SainzFerrari621:46:37.41825
24Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes62+0.812s18
344Lewis HamiltonMercedes62+1.269s16
416Charles LeclercFerrari62+21.177s12
51Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT62+21.441s10
610Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault62+38.441s8
781Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes62+41.479s6
811Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT62+59.534s4
940Liam LawsonAlphaTauri Honda RBPT62+65.918s2
1020Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari62+72.116s1
1123Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes62+73.417s0
1224Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo Ferrari62+83.649s0
1327Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari62+86.201s0
142Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes62+86.889s0
1514Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes62+87.603s0
1663George RussellMercedes61DNF0
NC77Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo Ferrari51DNF0
NC31Esteban OconAlpine Renault42DNF0
NC22Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri Honda RBPT0DNF0
Note – Hamilton scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Perez received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.

F1 Driver Birthdays 17 September

BirthdayF1 Driver
17 September 1929Stirling Moss (d. 2020)
17 September 1960Damon Hill
17 September 1996Esteban Ocon

F1 Driver Deaths 17 September

DeathF1 Driver
17 SeptemberNone

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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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