Chequered Past

In today’s episode of Chequered Past, we explore the qualifying sessions that shaped championship showdowns and defined the destiny of entire seasons. We begin under the Abu Dhabi lights in 2014, where Nico Rosberg delivered one of his finest laps just as Lewis Hamilton held all the cards in the title fight. The final grid of the hybrid era’s first season set the tone for a tense and historic deci...

On this episode of Chequered Past , we revisit 21 November — a date that delivers drama under the floodlights, French flair from Formula One’s past, the fearless spirit of a road-racing legend, and the precision of a street-circuit master. We begin with the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix , a night in Losail that intensified the Hamilton–Verstappen title fight. With Pierre Gasly unexpectedly on the front ro...

On this day in motorsport history, the championships were already settled — but the drama was far from over. In today’s episode, we revisit the 1960 United States Grand Prix at Riverside , a race held as the sun set on the 2.5-litre era. With Ferrari absent and the titles wrapped up, you might expect a procession — yet instead, Stirling Moss delivered a masterclass, Lotus scored a dominant 1–2, Ji...

In the modern era, Formula 1 has faced a new wave of cancellations — not from the tragedies or economic crises of the past, but from politics, track failures, natural disasters, and a rapidly changing world. In Part 2 of The Ones That Weren’t, we explore the Grands Prix that never happened from 1985 onwards. We revisit Spa 1985, where fresh tarmac tore itself apart; Indonesia 1996, a race that fad...

On this day’s episode of Chequered Past , we explore three moments that shaped Formula 1’s relationship with the United States — from its fragile past to its spectacular present. We begin in 2012 at the Circuit of the Americas , where F1 returned to the US after a five-year absence. The race marked a crucial reset for the sport following the controversies surrounding Indianapolis and the breakdown...

On this day in racing history, we revisit one of the most chaotic and uplifting Grands Prix of the hybrid era: the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. Interlagos delivered mayhem, heartbreak and redemption in equal measure, culminating in the youngest podium in Formula 1 history — Max Verstappen victorious, Pierre Gasly reborn, and Carlos Sainz celebrating his first trip to the rostrum. We also look back a...

In today’s episode, we celebrate the birth of one of motorsport’s greatest icons, Tazio Nuvolari , whose ferocity, fearlessness, and mythical achievements shaped the very idea of a racing legend. We then leap forward to the modern era to explore the rise — and eventual fall — of Christian Horner , charting his journey from young team boss to architect of Red Bull’s Formula 1 empire. We also mark t...

On this episode of Chequered Past , we explore three very different chapters of racing history — each defined by mastery, resilience, and turning points. We begin in 2020 at Istanbul Park , where freezing temperatures, a newly resurfaced circuit and relentless rain turned the Turkish Grand Prix into a treacherous skating rink. While champions and contenders slid helplessly, Lewis Hamilton rose abo...

On this day in Formula 1 history, the lights of Yas Marina illuminated a changing of the guard.  The 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix delivered a tense and tactical title decider — one that crowned Sebastian Vettel as the youngest World Champion in history, after Ferrari’s fateful strategy call left Fernando Alonso trapped behind Vitaly Petrov. We also celebrate the birthday of Brett Lunger — Vietnam vet...

November 13th — a date that has seen Formula 1 at its most dramatic and divisive. In this episode of Chequered Past , we revisit the 1994 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, where Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill’s infamous collision decided one of the most controversial championships in F1 history. It was a day that crowned a new World Champion, secured Williams the Constructors’ title, and left...

On this day in 1995, Damon Hill delivered one of Formula One’s most emphatic victories — winning the Australian Grand Prix by two full laps as Adelaide waved farewell to the World Championship. It was redemption for Hill, closure for the city, and the perfect punctuation mark to an era of raw, unpredictable racing. We’ll also celebrate the birthday of Mohammed Ben Sulayem — the rally legend turned...

From São Paulo to Paris, November 11th has always challenged the balance between passion and control. In today’s episode, we revisit the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix — the day Lewis Hamilton sealed another title for Mercedes as Max Verstappen’s fury boiled over after a clash with Esteban Ocon. We celebrate the birthday of Vittorio Brambilla, the exuberant “Monza Gorilla” who won his only Grand Prix w...

No engines, no chequered flag — but no shortage of stories.  On 10 November, a day with no Formula 1 race in history, Chequered Past explores the Grands Prix that never were: the events silenced by tragedy, economics, protest and ambition. From the dark shadow of 1955 and the bans that followed the Le Mans disaster, to the oil-shortened 1957 season after the Suez Crisis, we trace the moments when...

On this day in 2014, Formula 1’s new hybrid age reached boiling point at Interlagos.  Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went wheel-to-wheel in a race that defined their rivalry — and set up one of the most dramatic championship finales in modern history. As tension simmered within Mercedes, Felipe Massa thrilled his home fans with a chaotic but emotional podium, and Daniel Ricciardo quietly sealed t...

Adelaide, 1992. The season finale that should have been a celebration became a curtain call. Nigel Mansell, already crowned World Champion, started from pole for the last time in his all-conquering Williams FW14B — a car born of Adrian Newey’s genius. But on lap 19, a clash with Ayrton Senna ended both their races and Mansell’s Formula 1 career, at least for the moment. Riccardo Patrese briefly le...

November 7th, 1993 — Adelaide. The final race of the season, and the final victory of Ayrton Senna’s unforgettable Formula 1 career. As he led from start to finish in his McLaren, the moment became more than a win — it was a farewell to an era, and the closing act of his long, complex rivalry with Alain Prost. In today’s episode, we relive that poignant afternoon in South Australia — the symbolism...

On this day in Formula 1 history, skill met storm in one of the most dramatic races the sport has ever seen. The 1994 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka became a duel of nerve and mastery as Damon Hill triumphed over Michael Schumacher in torrential rain, keeping the championship alive by a single point after a rare aggregate-time finish. We also celebrate the birthday of Peter Collins, Ferrari’s Briti...

On this day in 1989, Formula 1 braved one of the wettest and most controversial races in its history. The Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide turned from a celebration into survival — Prost walked away, Senna raged through the spray, and chaos reigned on a circuit that should perhaps never have gone green. Thirty-four years later, the sport still thrived on tension and theatre. In 2023, São Paulo pr...

On this night in 2012, Formula 1 witnessed one of its most remarkable comeback drives under the floodlights of Abu Dhabi. Sebastian Vettel charged from the back of the grid to the podium — but the evening belonged to Kimi Räikkönen. Calm, unflustered, and utterly in control, he delivered Lotus’s first victory in 25 years — and one of F1’s most iconic radio messages: “Leave me alone, I know what I’...

On this day in Formula 1 history, November 3rd has pushed the greatest drivers to their limits. From the searing altitude of Mexico City in 1968 to the flooded streets of Adelaide and the chaos of modern Interlagos, it’s a date that has tested every kind of champion. We revisit Graham Hill’s triumph in Mexico , where he carried Lotus to a World Championship in a season shadowed by loss. Then it’s...

It was one of Formula 1’s most unforgettable finales. On 2 November 2008, the world watched as the championship came down to the very last corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Felipe Massa crossed the line to the roar of his home crowd — but heartbreak awaited as Lewis Hamilton snatched fifth place in the dying seconds to become the sport’s youngest world champion. In this episode of...

On this day in motorsport history, Suzuka once again took centre stage.  In this episode, we relive the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix , where Mika Häkkinen sealed his first World Championship and McLaren claimed the Constructors’ crown — as Tyrrell , one of Formula 1’s founding teams, bowed out after more than three decades in the sport. We also revisit Suzuka’s 1987 return , where Gerhard Berger ended...

Suzuka, 1999 — a title decider drenched in tension and precision. Mika Häkkinen delivered a flawless drive to secure his second consecutive World Championship, as Ferrari’s challenge faded and McLaren’s cool efficiency triumphed once more. But this race wasn’t only about victory — it was a day of farewells. Damon Hill bowed out of Formula 1, Stewart Grand Prix took its final bow before becoming Ja...

On this day in 1988, Ayrton Senna produced one of Formula 1’s most unforgettable drives — fighting back from fourteenth place to win at Suzuka and seal his first World Championship.  In this episode of Chequered Past , we relive the drama of that defining Japanese Grand Prix — from the stalled start to the audacious comeback that crowned a legend. We also celebrate the birthday of French racing pi...

On 29 October 1995 , Michael Schumacher delivered another masterclass at Suzuka, guiding Benetton to their one and only Constructors’ Championship at the penultimate round of the season. It was the perfect statement of dominance — and the beginning of Schumacher’s next great adventure with Ferrari. We also celebrate Tiff Needell’s birthday , revisit Mexico 2017 when Lewis Hamilton clinched his fou...