September 1 produced Ferrari victories at Spa and Monza, Michael Schumacher at his dominant best and one of Charles Leclerc’s most emotional Formula 1 triumphs.September 1 marks the 1994 birth of Carlos Sainz, who is 32 years old today adding another familiar Formula 1 name to a date filled with Ferrari history, Spa memories and landmark victories.
The date also carries tragedy. On September 1, 1985, Stefan Bellof was killed during the 1000km of Spa World Sportscar Championship race.
Bellof crashed while attempting to pass Jacky Ickx at Eau Rouge in his Porsche 956. The hugely talented German had made his Formula 1 debut with Tyrrell in 1984 and starred in the rain-soaked Monaco Grand Prix, charging towards Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna before the race was stopped.
The 2002 Belgian Grand Prix belonged completely to Michael Schumacher. Already crowned World Champion, the Ferrari driver dominated at Spa to take his tenth victory of the season, breaking the previous record for wins in a single campaign.
Schumacher finished 1.977 seconds ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello, with Juan Pablo Montoya third for Williams-BMW. It was Schumacher’s seventh victory at Spa and another demonstration of Ferrari’s overwhelming superiority during the 2002 season.
Force India begins to take shape
On September 1, 2007, Vijay Mallya announced plans to buy the struggling Spyker Formula 1 operation alongside businessman Michiel Mol. Their €80m bid eventually created Force India, which made its Formula 1 debut at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
The team would remain on the grid for more than a decade before its assets were acquired by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll during the 2018 season.
The 2019 Belgian Grand Prix delivered Charles Leclerc’s maiden Formula 1 victory. The Ferrari driver won from pole, resisting a late charge from Lewis Hamilton to finish just 0.981 seconds ahead. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium for Mercedes. But celebrations were subdued.
Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert had been killed in an accident at Spa the previous day. Leclerc, a close friend and former karting rival of Hubert, dedicated his breakthrough victory to the Frenchman.
It also made Leclerc the first Monegasque driver to win a Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix.
Five years later, Leclerc delivered another emotional Ferrari triumph on September 1, 2024. McLaren locked out the front row for the Italian Grand Prix, but Ferrari committed Leclerc to a bold one-stop strategy at Monza. It worked. Leclerc managed his tyres to the finish and beat Oscar Piastri by 2.664 seconds, with Lando Norris third.
(SOURCE: formulaonehistory.com)