Friday,
31st of October – Mika Häkkinen clinches the 1999 World title in Suzuka by winning the Japanese Grand Prix. It had been one of the most polemic finales in F1 history as the Ferraris of Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher, disqualified at the previous Malaysia GP for using illegal deflectors, had been reinstated in the Sepang results by FIA´s court. For Mika it meant he had to win the Japanese GP to beat championship leader Eddie Irvine to the title. And that´s exactly what the Finn did at Suzuka, despite constant pressure from Michael Schumacher.
Thursday,
30th of October - In 1988 McLaren-newcomer Ayrton Senna won the title down to the wire, winning the final race in Suzuka against team-mate Alain Prost to become the third Brazilian after Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet to take the crown.
Wednesday,
29th of October – No better excuse to show off a picture of a March 711 of 1971 that doesn’t feature Ronnie Peterson, than the jubilee of its driver. Today is the 75th birthday of Spaniard Alex Soler-Roig, who admittedly only drove the car for five Grands Prix before stopping his funds being transferred into Max Mosley for getting second class treatment. It’s also the birthday of Tiff Needell and the anniversary of Louis Rosier’s death.
Tuesday,
28th of October – three drivers were within striking distance of the World title coming to the final round of the 1951 season, the Gran Premio de España in Pedralbes: Fangio (27 points), Ascari (25) and Gonzalez (21). Ascari was the quickest in qualifying but a poor tyre choice, against the advice of Pirelli, left the Ferraris struggling. Fangio won the race in style and with it the championship. It was to be the first of five world titles he would secure over the coming seven years. Second step on the podium went to his countryman Gonzalez with team-mate Farina back in third.
Monday,
27th of October – Team Lotus driver Jim Clark wins the first ever Mexican Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 1963 Formula 1 season, and secures tyre supplier Dunlop their 50th Fastest Lap and 50th GP Win. The race also marked Graham Hill´s 50th Formula 1 GP, the Brit finished 4th behind team-mate locking both BRM drivers on 29 points in the fight for runner-up spot behind already crowned champion Jimmy Clark.
Sunday,
26th of October - Timo Scheider wins the final round of the 2008 DTM season at Hockenheim, yet again an Audi driver grabs the title in the German touring car championship. Paul di Resta never had a chance, the Brit finished 2nd without ever getting a chance to threaten Timo´s lead. Mercedes drivers can´t seem to get out of loser´s corner. Unless, of course, Lewis Hamilton finally makes it stick next Weekend..
Saturday,
25th of October - Winning the German and Italian Grands Prix, scoring three 2nd places and a 3rd place finish John Surtees came to Mexico for the title decider of the 1964 season. Driving a works Ferrari 158, sporting a one-off white and blue livery of North-American Ferrari importer NART, the former motorbike World championship was third behind team-mate Lorenzo Bandini, when the Italian let the Brit past to win the title with one point over Graham Hill.
Friday,
24th of October - At the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix Richie Ginther scores his debut win in the World championship and also Honda´s first win as Formula 1 constructor and engine builder.
Thursday,
23rd of October - James Hunt s 10th Grand Prix win at Japan s Fuji circuit is overshadowed by a heavy accident after Ronnie Peterson is collected by a young and over-eager Jacques Villeneuve. The Ferrari cartwheels through the gravel trap injuring several spectators. Two persons died at the scene.
Wednesday,
22nd of October - Alessandro Nannini´s one and only Formula 1 win at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka came in the wake of Ayrton Senna being disqualified after clashing with Alain Prost and rejoining the race, according to the stewards of the meeting, in a way allegedly giving him an advantage. However, the incident and the much publicised and discussed decision gave Alain Prost his third title. Years after Ayrton Senna s death, Max Mosley admited that his predecessor as FIA president, Jean-Marie Balestre, orchestrated the whole process in an unfair manner towards the Brazilian.
Tuesday,
21st of October – Benetton s first ever 1-2 finish with Nelson Piquet winning the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka ahead of fellow team-mate and countryman Roberto Moreno is over-shadowed by a first corner clash between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The Brazilian took the reigning champion out on purpose as a pay-back for a similar incident the year before and secures his 2nd title with the bitter taste of a revenge foul. A broken wheel fixing on Nigel Mansell s Ferrari secured McLaren-Honda s 3rd constructor title in a row.
Monday,
20th of October – 30 YEARS AGO: Gunnar Nilsson loses his battle against cancer. Five weeks after the blow of Ronnie Peterson´s fatal accident at Monza, Sweden mourns over the loss of another of the country´s finest race drivers. I chose this rare shot, taken at the 1977 Japanese GP at Fuji, with the Swede´s Lotus 78 wearing a unique Imperial Tobacco livery, instead of the usual black and gold JPS paint scheme, as an homage to Gunnar Nilsson.
Sunday,
19th of October 1958 – 50 YEARS AGO: Fighting for the title Stirling Moss scores his 10th Grand Prix 1958 Maroccan Grand Prix at the Ain-Diab street circuit. There was nothing else the Vanwall driver could have done to grab his chance. But 2nd place was good enough for Mike Hawthorn to decide the fight over the crown in his favour by just one single point and to become the first ever British Formula 1 World Champion.
Saturday,
18th of October - Finishing runner-up to Nigel Mansell at the 1987 Mexican Grand Prix, Nelson Piquet establishes a kinda not so desirable record: The Brazilian became the first driver to score 7 second place finishes in one season. Clearly overshadowed by Mansell, however, Piquet went on to win the title that year as he was a much more consistant points scorer throughout the season.
Friday,
17th of October - It is with sadness that I learned of Dieter Stappert’s passing. The former head of motor sport at BMW and successful team manager in the Motorbike World Championship since the 1980s had been in a coma since a heart attack at Munich airport on the 18th of June, ahead of the Donington GP. Four days after his 66th birthday he has now left us.
The Austrian’s finest moment came 25 years ago as BMW’s head of motor sport, the job he’d taken over back in 1980, when Nelson Piquet became Formula 1′s first ever turbo-powered World Champion at the wheel of a Brabham-BMW. Dieter had just restructured BMW’s Touring Car program and when Nelson Piquet introduced me 1985 at the Nürburgring I was desperate for a driver’s contract to keep my career going. Unfortunately it came to nothing as Dieter left BMW shortly after we met.
From 1986 to 1996 he was responsible for German tobacco brand HB’s entire motor sport program and, at the same time, managed the sponsor’s own 250cc motorbike team. From 1997 Stappert ran the team all by himself and was at the helm of the Yamaha Indonesia Team. I would like to express my sincere condolences; my heart goes out to Dieter’s family and friends.
Thursday,
16th of October - The scoop of the day at the 1994 European Grand Prix at Jerez was that McLaren was dropping Peugeot to enter what would turn out to be a long-term and successful partnership with Mercedes-Benz. Well, after years of blown engines, anyway. I arrived at the Jerez paddock with nothing but a hint and right away went into investigation mode together with my collaegue Tony Dodgins. We found out the details and the story was published on the following tuesday in Autosport. However, it wasn’t our idea to call the association of Philip Morris, McLaren and Mercedes a dream team. That’d come from Maranello two years later.
Wednesday,
15th of October 1983 – 25 YEARS AGO: In a finale equally tight as the 2008 F1 World Championship promises to be, Nelson Piquet secured his second World title in Kyalami against the Renault of Prost and Arnoux by coming home second to his team-mate Ricardo Patrese, winner of the South African Grand Prix. It was the first World championship title for engine supplier BMW in as little as 630 days since the German manufacturer’s 4-cylinder turbo engine debut in a Grand Prix.
Tuesday,
14th of October – 99 years ago to the day Bernd Rosemeyer, one of the most prominent drivers of the 1930s and Rudolf Caracciola’s rival on the Grands Prix scene was born in the German town of Lingen. Earlier this year, on 27th of January, the 70th year of the German driver’s passing was remembered. He’d been competing for the world speed record on the occasion with Caracciola on the Autobahn between the German cities of Frankfurt and Darmstadt. Trying to beat the Mercedes driver’s new record of 432 km/h (268 mph), Rosemeyer’s Auto Union Streamliner veered of the road, probably due to a gust of wind, on his third and final attempt. Rosemeyer was thrown out of the cockpit at high speed and killed instantly.
Monday,
26th October 2008 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETER SAUBER!
Today is Peter Sauber’s 65th birthday. The former team principal still travels to several Grands Prix and remains active within the team’s board of directors. I’d like to express best wishes and that continues to treat him well, with good health and more time to spend with his beloved wife Christiane.
Sunday,
12th of October 1986 – Gerhard Berger wins his first ever Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit near Mexico City. It was also the Benetton team’s first victory. Interesting detail: 10 years on the Austrian driver would return from his stint with Ferrari and secure Benetton’s last victory by winning the 1997 German GP at Hockenheim, before the outfit from Enstone would be sold to Renault in 2001.
Saturday,
4th of October 1970 - Emerson Fittipaldi wins his first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, the first of a total 14, and that takes precious championship points away from Jacky Ickx, helping to secure the 1970 title posthumous for his late team-mate Jochen Rindt.
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