Formula One History :bot:

2011 – Vettel dominates and McLaren’s 700th Championship race

#OnThisDay 16 October, the 2011 Korean Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel dominate the race, taking his 10th win of the season. Vettel secured victory with a commanding performance, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole but couldn’t match Vettel’s race pace. Hamilton finished second, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber completed the podium in third place after battling with Hamilton during the race.

Webber and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel multiple times, but Hamilton managed to fend off Webber to secure second. The race also featured a first-lap collision involving Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher, which forced both drivers to retire early.

A Red Bull win from Vettel in Korea secured their second consecutive Constructors’ Championship. It was also the McLaren team’s 700th Grand Prix.

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1994 – Schumacher returns to Jerez from his race ban

#OnThisDay 16 October, Benetton driver Michael Schumacher returned from a two-race ban for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone and promptly won the 1994 European Grand Prix, halting Damon Hill’s run of three consecutive victories, and his own run on the Championship title. Hill finished second, while his Williams team-mate Nigel Mansell — making his own return for this race — spun out after struggling near the back of the field. Mika Häkkinen completed the podium in third for McLaren.

In the second Sauber, Andrea de Cesaris made his 208th and final Grand Prix start.

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1918 – Tony Rolt's birthday

Tony Rolt, born #OnThisDay, took part in the first world championship race at Silverstone in 1950, and, at the time of his death in 2008, he was the last survivor of that day. He was a successful driver before World War II (during which he was awarded the MC and spent time as a POW in Colditz), but he only raced in three F1 championship races in total. He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans but quit racing after the 1955 Le Mans tragedy.

By the early 1960s, Rolt and engineering firm FF Developments committed to building a four-wheel-drive (4WD) racing car to showcase the advantages of this technology. Rolt played a key role in both the design and testing of the resulting Ferguson P99.

The P99, entered under the Rob Walker Racing banner, made history as the only 4WD car to win a Formula One race—albeit a non-championship event—when Stirling Moss drove it to victory at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup.

(Image 1, right)

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2005: Renault secure the title

#OnThisDay 16 October, Fernando Alonso rounded off his championship-winning season by taking the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, ensuring Renault also won the 2005 Constructors’ Championship. Starting from pole, he built a 20-second lead before two safety-car periods brought the field closer, but he still eased home by four seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen driving for McLaren. “All season has been a dream come true, but for Renault even more because it is only four years since they came into Formula One, and now we are champions,” Alonso said. “It was not an easy job to do.” Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher ended the year on an unusual note, colliding with the Minardi of Christijan Albers on the installation lap, forcing both cars to be abandoned, and the drivers started from the pit lane using their spare cars. “The weird ending pretty much sums up our season,” Schumacher said. Ralf Schumacher, driving for Toyota at the time, claimed third place.

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Ferrari hero Charles Leclerc was born #OnThisDay 16 October 1997, and what a journey it’s been in Formula 1. Leclerc has firmly established himself as one of the grid’s elite. Known for his breathtaking qualifying laps, he’s brought relentless speed to Saturdays in cars that may not have got to P1 without him behind the wheel.

Joining Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc quickly became the face of Scuderia’s new era. His first wins in Spa and Monza made him an instant fan favourite, and his emotional 2024 Monaco victory, finally conquering his home streets, was the stuff of dreams. Yet, his time in red hasn’t been without heartbreak: reliability issues, strategic blunders, and flashes of “what could’ve been” have often stood between him and a title challenge. Still, his commitment to Ferrari remains unwavering.

As Leclerc celebrates another lap around the sun, here’s to more poles, more podiums, and that long-awaited championship fight. Happy Birthday, Charles!

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