What happened on this day, September 20 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1873
Ferenc Szisz, the first-ever Grand Prix winner, was born in Szeghalom, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Initially an engineer, he moved to France in 1900 and worked as a riding mechanic for Louis Renault before becoming a driver himself. In 1906, Szisz made history by winning the inaugural Grand Prix at Le Mans, driving a Renault AK 90CV.
1969
Belgian driver Jacky Ickx won the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix from pole position in a works Brabham. His teammate Jack Brabham finished second, for a Brabham 1-2 finish, and Jochen Rindt, in a works Lotus, was third.
This race was the final World Championship Grand Prix featuring Climax-powered cars. One of the entrants, Al Pease, in an Eagle-Climax, became the only driver in F1 history to be disqualified for driving too slowly. The other Climax entrant, John Cordts in a Brabham-Climax, retired after just ten laps.
By finishing sixth, Johnny Servoz-Gavin made history as the first (and, as of today, only) driver to score points in a Formula One race driving a four-wheel-drive car.
1969 Canadian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Jacky Ickx | Brabham Ford | 90 | 1:59:25.700 | 9 |
| 2 | 12 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 90 | +46.200s | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Jochen Rindt | Lotus Ford | 90 | +52.000s | 4 |
| 4 | 18 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra Ford | 89 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 4 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren Ford | 87 | +3 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 19 | Johnny Servoz-Gavin | Matra Ford | 84 | +6 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 25 | Pete Lovely | Lotus Ford | 81 | +9 laps | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Bill Brack | BRM | 80 | +10 laps | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 42 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jo Siffert | Lotus Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | John Miles | Lotus Ford | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Pedro Rodriguez | Ferrari | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jackie Stewart | Matra Ford | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| DQ | 69 | Al Pease | Eagle Climax | 22 | DSQ | 0 |
| NC | 14 | John Surtees | BRM | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Piers Courage | Brabham Ford | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | John Cordts | Brabham Climax | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 2 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Silvio Moser | Brabham Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
1970
Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx, who started from second on the grid, won the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix. His teammate Clay Regazzoni finished second in a Ferrari 1-2, while Chris Amon, driving for March, secured third.
The race also saw the debut of Tyrrell Racing as a constructor, with Jackie Stewart taking pole position in the team’s first appearance. Tim Schenken finished 11 laps down, which was the best result ever achieved by a De Tomaso-built car.
1970 Canadian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 90 | 2:21:18.400 | 9 |
| 2 | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | 90 | +14.800s | 6 |
| 3 | 20 | Chris Amon | March Ford | 90 | +57.900s | 4 |
| 4 | 14 | Pedro Rodriguez | BRM | 89 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 4 | John Surtees | Surtees Ford | 89 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | Peter Gethin | McLaren Ford | 88 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 24 | Henri Pescarolo | Matra | 87 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 23 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra | 85 | OK | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Francois Cevert | March Ford | 85 | +5 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 16 | George Eaton | BRM | 85 | +5 laps | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Tim Schenken | De Tomaso Ford | 79 | +11 laps | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Graham Hill | Lotus Ford | 77 | +13 laps | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Andrea de Adamich | McLaren Alfa Romeo | 69 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | 65 | +25 laps | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Denny Hulme | McLaren Ford | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Jack Brabham | Brabham Ford | 57 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Jackie Oliver | BRM | 52 | +38 laps | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Rolf Stommelen | Brabham Ford | 23 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Jo Siffert | March Ford | 22 | DNF | 0 |
1975
Juan Pablo Montoya was born in Colombia on this day, September 19, 1975. Known for his speed and aggressive driving, Montoya joined Williams in 2001 after winning the Indianapolis 500. He was considered a potential challenger to Michael Schumacher, with his best year coming in 2003 when he narrowly missed out on the title after receiving a drive-through penalty at Indianapolis.
Juan Pablo Montoya
F1 Debut 2001 Australian Grand Prix
Current/Last Team McLaren
Montoya switched to McLaren in 2005, winning three races, but left F1 in 2006, disillusioned with the sport. He moved on to NASCAR racing in the United States.
1987
McLaren driver Alain Prost secured his 28th career win at the 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix, surpassing Jackie Stewart’s record of 27 victories. Prost’s relentless pursuit of leader Gerhard Berger paid off two laps from the end when Berger spun his Ferrari. “I wasn’t altogether surprised when he spun because we were both running very hard,” Prost noted.
The race, however, had to be restarted after a multi-car pile-up at the first corner stopped the initial attempt, after only two laps. Off track, Nigel Mansell made headlines, expressing frustration with the Honda engine in his Williams and claiming his car was “five miles-per-hour slower than the others.” He retired after 13 laps with engine trouble, severely denting his championship hopes. His teammate Nelson Piquet finished in third.
1987 Portuguese Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 70 | 1:37:03.906 | 9 |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 70 | +20.493s | 6 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams Honda | 70 | +63.295s | 4 |
| 4 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton Ford | 69 | DNF | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren TAG | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows Megatron | 68 | +2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Honda | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus Honda | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March Ford | 67 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell Ford | 67 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi Motori Moderni | 66 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell Ford | 66 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows Megatron | 66 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton Ford | 64 | +6 laps | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham BMW | 54 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 35 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Franco Forini | Osella Alfa Romeo | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola Ford | 31 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier Megatron | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella Alfa Romeo | 27 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier Megatron | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi Motori Moderni | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 13 | DNF | 0 |
1989
American driver Richie Ginther passed away from a heart attack on this day, September 19, 1989, while on holiday in France at the age of 59.
Richie Ginther
F1 Debut 1960 Monaco Grand Prix
Current/Last Team Eagle
Ginther made his F1 debut at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing sixth in a Ferrari, which led to a full-time drive with the team in 1961. Ginther’s career highlight was his only F1 win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix for Honda. After a dangerous incident at the Indianapolis 500 in 1967, he retired on the spot. In total, Ginther made 52 F1 starts, secured 14 podiums, and drove for Ferrari, Scarab, BRM, Honda, Cooper, and Eagle.
2015
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel won the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix from pole position, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo finishing second and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen taking third. Mercedes struggled at Singapore, with Lewis Hamilton suffering his first-season retirement and Nico Rosberg managing only fourth, narrowing the championship gap between the two drivers to 41 points.
This was the only Grand Prix of the 2015 season where Mercedes failed to secure pole position, with their drivers qualifying in fifth and sixth.
2015 Singapore Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 61 | 2:01:22.118 | 25 |
| 2 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Renault | 61 | +1.478s | 18 |
| 3 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 61 | +17.154s | 15 |
| 4 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 61 | +24.720s | 12 |
| 5 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 61 | +34.204s | 10 |
| 6 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull Racing Renault | 61 | +35.508s | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 61 | +50.836s | 6 |
| 8 | 33 | Max Verstappen | STR Renault | 61 | +51.450s | 4 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | STR Renault | 61 | +52.860s | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 61 | +90.045s | 1 |
| 11 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 61 | +97.507s | 0 |
| 12 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus Mercedes | 61 | +97.718s | 0 |
| 13 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Mercedes | 59 | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 53 | Alexander Rossi | Marussia Ferrari | 59 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 28 | Will Stevens | Marussia Ferrari | 59 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 33 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 12 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 20 September
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 20 September 1921 | Horace Gould (d. 1968) |
| 20 September 1975 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
F1 Driver Deaths 20 September
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 20 September 1952 | Bill Schindler (b. 1909) |
| 20 September 1989 | Richie Ginther (b. 1930) |
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