What Happened On This Day September 30 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, September 30 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1941

Reine Wisell, born this day, was a Swedish driver known for his smooth driving style, a stark contrast to his more aggressive contemporary, Ronnie Peterson. Wisell got his break in Formula 1 with Lotus for the final two races of 1970, immediately making headlines with a third-place finish at his debut in Watkins Glen. This secured him a contract for 1971, but despite winning the non-championship Pau Grand Prix, Lotus struggled throughout the season, and his F1 career slowly faded after a series of forgettable performances.

1946

Jochen Mass, born on this day in Cologne, won once in 102 Formula 1 starts between 1973 and 1982. He made his F1 debut with Surtees and later moved to McLaren in 1975, where he played the role of an excellent No. 2 to Emerson Fittipaldi, winning the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. However, his prominence declined when James Hunt joined McLaren in 1976, as he could not match Hunt’s pace. After stints with ATS and Arrows and a year off in 1981, Mass returned for an uncompetitive season with March in 1982. He then focused on sports cars, winning Le Mans in 1989. Mass later mentored young talents, including Michael Schumacher, before retiring in 1991.

1951

Eric van de Poele, born this day in Verviers, Belgium, entered 29 Grand Prix but started only five, mostly due to being associated with underfunded teams and outdated cars. He made a promising debut with a ninth-place finish for Modena at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix but only managed to qualify for one of the next 22 races. His final appearances came with three outings for Fondmetal before the team’s financial struggles led to its collapse.

1979

Alan Jones secured his fourth win in five races at the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, driving for Williams. He faced a tough challenge from Gilles Villeneuve in a Ferrari but outbraked him at the hairpin on lap 44 and never looked back. Jones later explained his strategy was to let Villeneuve set the pace and attack when his car felt right. Only ten of the 24 starters finished the race, which also saw the unexpected debut of Argentine Ricardo Zunino after Niki Lauda abruptly retired on the Friday. Jones’s teammate Clay Regazzoni finished in third place, and as of 2024, Regazzoni’s podium remains the last for a Swiss driver in F1.

1979 Canadian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	27	Alan  Jones	Williams Ford	72	1:52:06.892	9
2	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	72	+1.080s	6
3	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams Ford	72	+73.656s	4
4	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	71	+1 lap	3
5	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell Ford	71	+1 lap	2
6	7	John Watson	McLaren Ford	70	+2 laps	1
7	5	Ricardo Zunino	Brabham Ford	68	+4 laps	0
8	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi Ford	67	+5 laps	0
9	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow Ford	67	+5 laps	0
10	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus Ford	66	DNF	0
NC	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham Ford	61	DNF	0
NC	36	Vittorio Brambilla	Alfa Romeo	52	DNF	0
NC	25	Jacky Ickx	Ligier Ford	47	DNF	0
NC	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell Ford	33	DNF	0
NC	33	Derek Daly	Tyrrell Ford	28	DNF	0
NC	31	Hector Rebaque	Rebaque Ford	26	DNF	0
NC	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow Ford	24	DNF	0
NC	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	24	DNF	0
NC	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus Ford	23	DNF	0
NC	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows Ford	20	DNF	0
NC	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren Ford	19	DNF	0
NC	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	14	DNF	0
NC	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS Ford	14	DNF	0
NC	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier Ford	10	DNF	0

1990

Ayrton Senna suffered his first of three consecutive retirements in the 1990 season, allowing Alain Prost to win the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, with Nigel Mansell making it a Ferrari 1-2 finish. Senna’s McLaren was forced to retire when debris from a backmarker punctured its radiator. He had started on pole, the 50th of his career. Prost’s victory reduced Senna’s championship lead to nine points with two races to go. The weekend was marred by a serious accident involving the Lotus of Martin Donnelly, who suffered life-threatening injuries in a practice crash that ended his career. Alessandro Nannini in a Benetton finished in third.

This race would also be the last Formula 1 race and podium for Alessandro Nannini, who severed his right arm in a helicopter crash the following week. However, he later returned to racing in touring cars. Additionally, it marked the final race for the struggling EuroBrun and Life teams, which both exited the sport after the weekend.

Formula One History Recommends

• 

  Which F1 Team Has the Most 1-2 Finishes in Formula 1 History?

1990 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	1	Alain Prost	Ferrari	73	1:48:01.461	9
2	2	Nigel Mansell	Ferrari	73	+22.064s	6
3	19	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton Ford	73	+34.874s	4
4	5	Thierry Boutsen	Williams Renault	73	+43.296s	3
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Renault	73	+57.530s	2
6	30	Aguri Suzuki	Lola Lamborghini	73	+63.728s	1
7	25	Nicola Larini	Ligier Ford	72	+1 lap	0
8	15	Mauricio Gugelmin	Leyton House Judd	72	+1 lap	0
9	18	Yannick Dalmas	AGS Ford	72	+1 lap	0
10	9	Michele Alboreto	Arrows Ford	71	+2 laps	0
NC	11	Derek Warwick	Lotus Lamborghini	63	DNF	0
NC	16	Ivan Capelli	Leyton House Judd	59	DNF	0
NC	28	Gerhard Berger	McLaren Honda	56	DNF	0
NC	27	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Honda	53	DNF	0
NC	20	Nelson Piquet	Benetton Ford	47	DNF	0
NC	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Dallara Ford	47	DNF	0
NC	14	Olivier Grouillard	Osella Ford	45	DNF	0
NC	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi Ford	41	DNF	0
NC	26	Philippe Alliot	Ligier Ford	22	DNF	0
NC	29	Eric Bernard	Lola Lamborghini	20	DNF	0
NC	3	Satoru Nakajima	Tyrrell Ford	13	DNF	0
NC	17	Gabriele Tarquini	AGS Ford	5	DNF	0
NC	8	Stefano Modena	Brabham Judd	5	DNF	0

2001

McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen claimed his final F1 victory at the 2001 United States Grand Prix in front of a 170,000-strong crowd. Despite being demoted from second to fourth on the grid for a pit-lane violation, a slick pit-stop strategy allowed him to take the win after early domination by the Ferraris. Hakkinen described it as a special win, saying, “This was one grand prix I wanted in my record book.” The race, held three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, was emotional, with Michael Schumacher racing with a Stars and Stripes emblem on his helmet as he contemplated retiring from F1. He would finish in second ahead of Hakkinen’s teammate David Coulthard.

The final result meant Schumacher broke the all-time record for most points scored in a season at the time, which he shared with Nigel Mansell. It was also the legendary Murray Walker’s final full-time F1 race he commentated on. He was awarded an original brick from “The Brickyard” by track president Tony George.

2001 United States Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren Mercedes	73	1:32:42.840	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	73	+11.046s	6
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren Mercedes	73	+12.043s	4
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan Honda	73	+57.423s	3
5	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	73	+72.434s	2
6	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber Petronas	73	+72.996s	1
7	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan Honda	72	+1 lap	0
8	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault	72	+1 lap	0
9	8	Jenson Button	Benetton Renault	72	+1 lap	0
10	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost Acer	72	+1 lap	0
11	9	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	72	+1 lap	0
12	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	72	+1 lap	0
13	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows Asiatech	72	+1 lap	0
14	23	Tomas Enge	Prost Acer	72	+1 lap	0
15	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	71	DNF	0
NC	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	45	DNF	0
NC	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows Asiatech	44	DNF	0
NC	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams BMW	38	DNF	0
NC	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi European	38	DNF	0
NC	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams BMW	36	DNF	0
NC	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi European	36	DNF	0
NC	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber Petronas	2	DNF	0

2007

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton demonstrated his wet-weather prowess with a stunning victory at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, where he’d also taken pole and the fastest lap of the race, while his teammate Fernando Alonso spun off after 42 laps. Hamilton later revealed that the team told him to slow down in the final laps, but he was already driving as cautiously as he could. Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo was not pleased, accusing McLaren of benefiting from Ferrari’s technology due to the Spygate scandal. However, Hamilton’s campaign faltered in the final races, allowing Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to win the last two Grands Prix and claim the 2007 Drivers’ Championship. The Renault of Heikki Kovalainen claimed second, the teams’ only podium of the season, while Raikkonen took third.

2007 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	67	2:00:34.579	10
2	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	67	+8.377s	8
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	67	+9.478s	6
4	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Renault	67	+20.297s	5
5	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	67	+38.864s	4
6	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	67	+49.042s	3
7	10	Robert Kubica	Sauber BMW	67	+49.285s	2
8	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker Ferrari	67	+60.129s	1
9	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR Ferrari	67	+80.622s	0
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	67	+88.342s	0
11	7	Jenson Button	Honda	66	DNF	0
12	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker Ferrari	66	+1 lap	0
13	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	66	+1 lap	0
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber BMW	65	DNF	0
15	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri Honda	65	DNF	0
NC	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	55	DNF	0
NC	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri Honda	54	DNF	0
NC	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams Toyota	49	DNF	0
NC	19	Sebastian Vettel	STR Ferrari	46	DNF	0
NC	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Renault	45	DNF	0
NC	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Mercedes	41	DNF	0

2018

The 2018 Russian Grand Prix was won by Lewis Hamilton, followed by his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in second for a Mercedes 1-2 finish, and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in third. The key talking point of the race was Mercedes’ use of team orders, instructing Bottas, who had started from pole position and led much of the race, to allow Hamilton to pass and secure the win, boosting his chances in the 2018 Drivers’ Championship. Bottas complied, helping Hamilton extend his lead over Vettel. The move was controversial but strategic, as it played a crucial role in Hamilton’s quest for the season’s title. It sparked discussion regarding the future of team orders, with some calling for an outright ban on the practice.

Formula One History Recommends

• 

  Which F1 Team Has the Most 1-2 Finishes in Formula 1 History?

2018 Russian Grand Prix Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	1:27:25.181	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	53	+2.545s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	+7.487s	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	+16.543s	12
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	53	+31.016s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer	53	+80.451s	8
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber Ferrari	53	+98.390s	6
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	52	+1 lap	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India Mercedes	52	+1 lap	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India Mercedes	52	+1 lap	1
11	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	52	+1 lap	0
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Renault	52	+1 lap	0
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams Mercedes	52	+1 lap	0
16	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren Renault	51	+2 laps	0
17	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	51	+2 laps	0
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams Mercedes	51	+2 laps	0
NC	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	4	DNF	0
NC	28	Brendon Hartley	Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda	4	DNF	0

F1 Driver Birthdays 30 September

Birthday	F1 Driver
30 September 1919	Cecil Green (d. 1951)
30 September 1919	Roberto Bonomi (d. 1992)
30 September 1937	Gary Hocking (d. 1962)
30 September 1941	Reine Wisell (d. 2022)
30 September 1946	Jochen Mass
30 September 1961	Eric van de Poele
30 September 1997	Max Verstappen

F1 Driver Deaths 30 September

Death	F1 Driver
30 September 1979	Ewald Boisitz (b. 1945)
30 September 2019	Ben Pon (b. 1936)