September 3 produced Formula 1’s first World Champion, a record-breaking Max Verstappen victory and a landmark Lewis Hamilton performance at Monza.
The biggest historical moment came at the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, the final round of Formula 1’s inaugural World Championship.
Giuseppe Farina arrived at Monza fighting Alfa Romeo teammate Juan Manuel Fangio for the title. Fangio retired with gearbox trouble, while Alberto Ascari’s Ferrari also hit problems.
Farina kept going and won the race, becoming the first Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion. He had also won the championship’s first-ever Grand Prix at Silverstone earlier that season.
On September 3, 2017, Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes. He had secured his 69th Formula 1 pole position a day earlier, moving beyond Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record. He converted it into victory, leading teammate Valtteri Bottas home in a Mercedes one-two.
Vettel finished third for Ferrari, leaving Hamilton three points clear in the Drivers’ Championship.
Record breaker Verstappen
Six years later, Verstappen produced another record-breaking Monza performance. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz started the 2023 Italian Grand Prix from pole and resisted Verstappen through the opening phase.
Once the Red Bull driver found his opportunity, he took the lead and controlled the race. Verstappen’s victory was his tenth in succession, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s previous Formula 1 record of nine straight wins from 2013.
Sergio Perez finished second to complete a Red Bull one-two, while Sainz held off teammate Charles Leclerc for third. The result also extended Red Bull’s record run to 15 consecutive Constructors’ victories.
September 3 also brought a scare for Schumacher in 2004. During testing at Monza, the left-rear tyre on his Ferrari failed at the end of the start-finish straight. Schumacher hit the barriers hard and badly damaged both ends of the car, but emerged unhurt.
The date also marks the 1875 birth of Ferdinand Porsche. Dan Gurney later delivered Porsche’s only Formula 1 World Championship victory as a constructor at the 1962 French Grand Prix.
(SOURCE: Formula 1 History)