The new Formula 1 season will begin in March, a tradition that has continued for several decades. However, this was not always the case. Between 1953 and 1982, the season kicked off in January on 23 occasions, sometimes even on New Year's Day, January 1st. This schedule also led to qualifying sessions which took place the day before, on December 31.
Furthermore, the two races held on New Year's Day are part of the 75 Grands Prix (including the Indianapolis 500 until 1960, excluding sprints since 2021) whose dates did not fall on a Sunday, but on a weekday: the South African Grand Prix, on January 1, 1965, was held on a Friday, while that of 1968 took place on Monday.
In both cases, Lotus driver Jim Clark took victory, starting from pole position while setting the fastest lap of the race. His victory at the 1968 South African Grand Prix is particularly memorable, as it was his final success in his final Formula 1 appearance, shortly before his tragic accident during a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim, during the interlude between races in the 1968 season.
In this last Grand Prix, he broke the longevity record of the five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangiowho held the “eternal ranking table” with 24 victories until then. In South Africa, Clark took that record to 25 victories, while setting other notable records: most pole positions, races led, laps led and “triples” of pole position, victory and fastest lap .
More F1 races in January with Argentina as host
It wasn't just South Africa that hosted season-opening races for the Formula 1 World Championship in January. Argentina hosted its first race on January 18, 1953.
-However, the Grand Prix was marked by a tragic event: according to sources at the time, up to 400,000 spectators flocked to watch the race. The influx was so great that spectators invaded the track, leading to several accidents, injuries and at least 14 human deaths.
Despite this, Formula 1 continued to return to Argentina, where it took place 13 times in January. In the early days, Argentina and Brazil often served as double dates in January, although sometimes it was individually. The era of January season starts ended in 1982 with the South African Grand Prix, held at Kyalami on 23 January. It was not until the 1980s that March was established as the permanent opening month for Formula 1, regardless of the event location.
Good to know
- Jim Clark is considered one of the most talented drivers in F1 history, having won 25 races before his tragic death.
- The Argentine Grand Prix has often been subject to unforeseen events, such as extreme weather conditions and massive crowds.
- Pole position in Formula 1 is a key performance indicator, often correlated with race success.
- Source image(s) : lat.motorsport.com
- Source : https://lat.motorsport.com/f1/news/carreras-f1-enero/10685723/
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