©Sutton
©Sutton
On this day in 1981, the 1981 South African Grand Prix should have been the opening round of the season, but an ongoing FISA-FOCA war resulted in the governing body insisting on a date change which the organisers could not meet.
The race took place any way, but was downgraded by FISA to Formula Libre status and stripped of any points.
Ferrari, Renault, Alfa Romeo, Ligier and Osella - the manufacture/turbo teams all pulled out of the event, leaving Bernie Ecclestone's FOCA outfits to battle it out.
From a field of 19 cars, Williams' Carlos Reutemann led home Nelson Piquet's Brabham and the Lotus of Elio d Angelis.
As the Ferrari factory in Maranello glows in festive crimson, a sense of anticipation hums…
Lando Norris had just done the hardest thing in motorsport – winning the Formula 1…
A veteran of 41 Grands Prix starts, Howden Ganley - seen here above hitting a…
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc may not have ended the season with a silver trophy in hand,…
Max Verstappen’s timing out on the race track is surgical, but when it comes to…
Oliver Bearman knows exactly what awaits a rookie stepping into Formula 1 – and he’s…