What happened on this day, September 21 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1920
Ken McAlpine was born on this day in Chobham, Surrey, into a wealthy building family. He discovered a passion for racing cars in his late twenties. He used his family fortune to compete in seven Grand Prix between 1952 and 1955, racing exclusively with the Connaught team, where he became a significant financial backer and enjoyed several successes as a team owner, including Tony Brooks’ notable Formula 1 victory at the 1955 Syracuse Grand Prix. However, the team was disbanded in 1957, and the cars were sold off after McAlpine stopped receiving tax concessions. His first and last Formula One races were both held on British circuits.
1947
In the chaotic post-war period, resuming racing was challenging, with pre-war cars and spare parts in use. The first French Grand Prix after the war took place in Lyons and was won by Monaco-born Louis Chiron driving a Talbot-Lago. On the same day, in Argentina, Oscar Alfredo Galvez won the Mar del Plata Grand Prix at El Torreon. Gálvez would later finish fifth in his one World Championship race at the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix.
1986
At the 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix, Williams driver Nigel Mansell achieved what The Guardian described as “possibly the most important win of his career,” setting him up for a potential championship victory in the penultimate race in Mexico. While he ultimately fell short, Mansell’s “flawless performance” built momentum for the finale. Ayrton Senna, who had started from pole for Lotus, was on course for second place until he ran out of fuel on the last lap due to a malfunctioning computer that incorrectly indicated he had enough fuel. This enabled the McLaren of Alain Prost to take second and Mansell’s teammate, Nelson Piquet, third.
With Mansell’s win and Piquet’s third, it was enough to clinch Williams’s 1986 Constructors’ Championship—their third title.
1986 Portuguese Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams Honda | 70 | 1:37:21.900 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren TAG | 70 | +18.772s | 6 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams Honda | 70 | +49.274s | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus Renault | 69 | DNF | 3 |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier Renault | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton BMW | 68 | DNF | 0 |
| 9 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus Renault | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows BMW | 67 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows BMW | 67 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 67 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella Alfa Romeo | 63 | +7 laps | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham BMW | 62 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola Ford | 62 | +8 laps | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi Motori Moderni | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton BMW | 44 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi Motori Moderni | 43 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren TAG | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham BMW | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier Renault | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell Renault | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell Renault | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola Ford | 10 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella Alfa Romeo | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 31 | Ivan Capelli | AGS Motori Moderni | 6 | DNF | 0 |
1997
Jacques Villeneuve claimed his tenth career victory at the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix, starting from pole for Williams. However, the standout of the weekend was Jarno Trulli, who, in just his 14th grand prix, qualified third for the struggling Prost team. Trulli took the lead on the first lap and built a significant advantage before heartbreak struck on lap 59 when his engine blew, forcing his retirement. Michael Schumacher also drew attention, receiving a ten-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, which relegated him to sixth place. David Coulthard claimed second for McLaren, while Villeneuve’s teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, finished in third.
1997 Austrian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Renault | 71 | 1:27:35.999 | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | +2.909s | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Renault | 71 | +3.962s | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Peugeot | 71 | +12.127s | 3 |
| 5 | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan Peugeot | 71 | +31.859s | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 71 | +33.410s | 1 |
| 7 | 1 | Damon Hill | Arrows Yamaha | 71 | +37.207s | 0 |
| 8 | 16 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Petronas | 71 | +49.057s | 0 |
| 9 | 17 | Gianni Morbidelli | Sauber Petronas | 71 | +66.455s | 0 |
| 10 | 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton Renault | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | 20 | Ukyo Katayama | Minardi Hart | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 18 | Jos Verstappen | Tyrrell Ford | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 13 | 2 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows Yamaha | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart Ford | 64 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jarno Trulli | Prost Mugen Honda | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart Ford | 58 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Shinji Nakano | Prost Mugen Honda | 57 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell Ford | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Jean Alesi | Benetton Renault | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 1 | DNF | 0 |
2014
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed victory at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix from pole position, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finishing second and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo taking third. This marked Hamilton’s seventh win of the season and the 29th of his career. The victory also propelled Hamilton back to the top of the World Drivers’ Championship standings with 241 points, putting him three points ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, who retired after 14 laps.
2014 Singapore Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 60 | 2:00:04.795 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing Renault | 60 | +13.534s | 18 |
| 3 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Renault | 60 | +14.273s | 15 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 60 | +15.389s | 12 |
| 5 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 60 | +42.161s | 10 |
| 6 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR Renault | 60 | +56.801s | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 60 | +59.038s | 6 |
| 8 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 60 | +60.641s | 4 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 60 | +61.661s | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren Mercedes | 60 | +62.230s | 1 |
| 11 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 60 | +65.065s | 0 |
| 12 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus Renault | 60 | +66.915s | 0 |
| 13 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Renault | 60 | +68.029s | 0 |
| 14 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | STR Renault | 60 | +72.008s | 0 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Caterham Renault | 60 | +94.188s | 0 |
| 16 | 17 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia Ferrari | 60 | +94.543s | 0 |
| 17 | 4 | Max Chilton | Marussia Ferrari | 59 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 99 | Adrian Sutil | Sauber Ferrari | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber Ferrari | 17 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 13 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham Renault | DNS | 0 |
2025
Max Verstappen controlled the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from lights to flag, claiming victory with a dominant 1:33:26.408 run over 51 laps. The Red Bull driver never relinquished the lead, crossing the line 14.609 seconds clear of George Russell, with Carlos Sainz completing the podium in third for Williams after a strong recovery from his near-miss in qualifying on pole. Rookie Kimi Antonelli finished a close fourth, just two seconds shy of a podium, while Liam Lawson delivered a career-best fifth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in a team-best sixth.
McLaren endured a difficult afternoon. Lando Norris finished seventh, unable to progress from his grid slot and failing to pass Tsunoda in a late duel, while Oscar Piastri and his race ended almost as soon as it began. The championship leader jumped the start, triggered anti-stall, and then crashed out at Turn 5 on the opening lap, cutting his advantage in the standings to 25 points. Ferrari salvaged eighth and ninth with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while Isack Hadjar secured the final point in tenth for Racing Bulls.
Further down the order, Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th for Kick Sauber, ahead of Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon, though Albon was penalised 10 seconds for a collision with Franco Colapinto. Esteban Ocon recovered to 14th from the back after a rear wing infringement disqualified his qualifying result, while Fernando Alonso also dropped down the order after a jump-start penalty. Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, and Colapinto rounded out the finishers. Piastri’s lone retirement tightened the 2025 F1 World Championship narrative, as Verstappen and Norris both closed the gap heading into the final flyaways.
Full Race Report
2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Results
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | TIME / RETIRED | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 51 | 01:33:26 | 25 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 51 | +14.609s | 18 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 51 | +19.199s | 15 |
| 4 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 51 | +21.760s | 12 |
| 5 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 51 | +33.290s | 10 |
| 6 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 51 | +33.808s | 8 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 51 | +34.227s | 6 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 51 | +36.310s | 4 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 51 | +36.774s | 2 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 51 | +38.982s | 1 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 51 | +67.606s | 0 |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 51 | +68.262s | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 51 | +72.870s | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 51 | +77.580s | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 51 | +78.707s | 0 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 51 | +80.237s | 0 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 51 | +96.392s | 0 |
| 18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 50 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 50 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 0 | DNF | 0 |
F1 Driver Birthdays 21 September
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1920 | Ken McAlpine |
F1 Driver Deaths 21 September
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1952 | Frank Lueptow (b. 1905) |
| 21 September 1958 | Peter Whitehead (b. 1914) |
| 21 September 2012 | Mike Sparken (b. 1930) |
| Death | F1 Mention |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1992 | Paul Metternich (b. 1917) President of the FIA between 1975 and 1985. |
F1 Champion 21 September
| Date | Team/Driver |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1986 | Williams |
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