The weather changed constantly at the European Grand Prix, making Aryton Senna's 38th career win all the more impressive. Damon Hill came second and admitted the conditions "were like a nightmare … the worst you will ever want to race in." His team-mate Alain Prost was third even though he had no fewer than seven tyre changes. Senna, who started in fourth on the grid but was leading by the end of the first lap, also had five pit-stops, one of which he aborted as his mechanics were caught on the hop.
1999
Mika Hakkinen's 10th Formula One victory came at the Brazilian Grand Prix where he beat Michael Schumacher's Ferrari by 4.9 seconds. Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Jordan was third even though it stopped on its final lap with a loss of fuel pressure. At one stage Hakkinen lost his gears - "I suddenly couldn't get a high gear and I thought the game was over, but suddenly the gears came back" - and that allowed Rubens Barrichello to take the lead to the delight of the 120,000 crowd, but disappointment soon followed as his engine failed.
1926
Pete Lovely, born on this day in Montana, was best known for entering private Lotus cars in world championship events, sometimes under the banner "Pete Lovely Volkswagen" as he was a VW dealer. In 11 grands prix his best result was seventh in the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix. His racing career spanned 50 years.
1920
Al Keller, born on this day in New York State, raced through the 1950s in the NASCAR and Champ Car series, and in 1954 became the first driver to win a race in a foreign-built car, a Jaguar. From 1954 to 1961 he made 32 starts in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, including the Indianapolis 500 where he managed a best of 5th in 1961. Later that year he was killed in a crash at the Arizona State Fairgrounds track.
