Since its inception in 1950, F1 Championship has witnessed a plethora of accidents. Here is the list of fatal accidents in Formula 1 races.
While racing cars with neck-braking speed, even a small mistake can be fatal. Since the inauguration of F1 races, there have been a number of fatal accidents which have taken the lives of many a talented driver. Till date 24 drivers have died during a World Championship Grand Prix race weekend, eight during Indianapolis 500 World Championship events, nine during tests and four during a non-championship Formula 1 event. Death of world-renowned driver Ayrton Senna in 1994 was the last death in Formula One races. A slew of measures have been introduced since then to check mishappenings.
| Race Driver |
Date of Fate |
Car |
Race |
Circuit |
Process |
| Chet Miller |
15 May 1953 |
Kurtis Kraft |
1953 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Practice |
| Charles de Tornaco |
18 Sep 1953 |
Ferrari |
Test |
Modena Autodrome |
Test |
| Onofre Marimón |
31 Jul 1954 |
Maserati |
1954 German Grand Prix |
Nürburgring |
Practice |
| Manny Ayulo |
16 May 1955 |
Kuzma |
1955 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Practice |
| Alberto Ascari |
May 26, 1955 |
Ferrari |
Test |
Monza |
Test |
| Bill Vukovich |
30 May 1955 |
Kurtis Kraft |
1955 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Race |
| Eugenio Castellotti |
14 Mar 1957 |
Ferrari |
Test |
Modena Autodrome |
Test |
| Keith Andrews |
15 May 1957 |
Kurtis Kraft |
1957 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Practice |
| Pat O'Connor |
30 May 1958 |
Kurtis Kraft |
1958 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Race |
| Luigi Musso |
06 Jul 1958 |
Ferrari |
1958 French Grand Prix |
Reims-Gueux |
Race |
| Peter Collins |
03 Aug 1958 |
Ferrari |
1958 German Grand Prix |
Nürburgring |
Race |
| Stuart Lewis-Evans |
19 Sep 1958 |
Vanwall |
1958 Moroccan Grand Prix |
Ain-Diab Circuit |
Race |
| Jerry Unser |
17 May 1959 |
Kurtis Kraft |
1959 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Pre-race test |
| Bob Cortner |
19 May 1959 |
Cornis |
1959 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Pre-race test |
| Harry Schell |
13 May 1960 |
Cooper |
International Trophy |
Silverstone |
Qualifying |
| Chris Bristow |
19 Jun 1960 |
Cooper |
1960 Belgian Grand Prix |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
Race |
| Alan Stacey |
19 Jun 1960 |
Lotus |
1960 Belgian Grand Prix |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
Race |
| Giulio Cabianca |
15 Jun 1961 |
Cooper |
Test |
Modena Autodrome |
Test |
| Wolfgang von Trips |
10 Sep 1961 |
Ferrari |
1961 Italian Grand Prix |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
Race |
| Ricardo Rodríguez |
01 Nov 1962 |
Lotus |
1962 Mexican Grand Prix |
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez |
Practice |
| Gary Hocking |
21 Dec 1962 |
Lotus |
1962 South African Grand Prix |
Westmead Circuit |
Pre-race Test |
| Carel Godin de Beaufort |
02 Aug 1964 |
Porsche |
1964 German Grand Prix |
Nürburgring |
Practice |
| John Taylor |
07 Aug 1966 |
Brabham |
1966 German Grand Prix |
Nürburgring |
Race |
| Lorenzo Bandini |
07 May 1967 |
Ferrari |
1967 Monaco Grand Prix |
Circuit de Monaco |
Race |
| Bob Anderson |
14 Aug 1967 |
Brabham |
Test |
Silverstone |
Test |
| Joseph Schelesser |
07 Jul 1968 |
Honda |
1968 French Grand Prix |
Rouen-Les-Essarts |
Race |
| Gerhard Mitter |
02 Aug 1969 |
BMW |
1969 German Grand Prix |
Nürburgring |
Practice |
| Piers Courage |
07 Jun 1970 |
De Tomaso |
1970 Dutch Grand Prix |
Circuit Zandvoort |
Race |
| Jochen Rindt |
05 Sep 1970 |
Lotus |
1970 Italian Grand Prix |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
Qualifying |
| Jo Siffert |
24 Oct 1971 |
BRM |
1971 World Championship Victory Race |
Brands Hatch |
Race |
| Roger Williamson |
29 Jul 1973 |
March |
1973 Dutch Grand Prix |
Circuit Zandvoort |
Race |
| François Cevert |
06 Oct 1973 |
Tyrrell |
1973 United States Grand Prix |
Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course |
Qualifying |
| Peter Revson |
30 Mar 1974 |
Shadow |
1974 South African Grand Prix |
East London |
Pre-race Test |
| Helmut Koinigg |
06 Oct 1974 |
Surtees |
1974 United States Grand Prix |
Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course |
Race |
| Mark Donohue |
19 Aug 1975 |
Penske |
1975 Austrian Grand Prix |
Österreichring |
Practice |
| Tom Pryce |
05 Mar 1977 |
Shadow |
1977 South African Grand Prix |
Kyalami |
Race |
| Brian McGuire |
29 Aug 1977 |
Williams |
1977 Shellsport Championship Round 11 |
Brands Hatch |
Practice |
| Ronnie Peterson |
11 Sep 1978 |
Lotus |
1978 Italian Grand Prix |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
Race |
| Patrick Depailler |
01 Aug 1980 |
Alfa Romeo |
Test |
Hockenheimring |
Test |
| Gilles Villeneuve |
08 May 1982 |
Ferrari |
1982 Belgian Grand Prix |
Zolder |
Qualifying |
| Riccardo Paletti |
13 Jun 1982 |
Osella |
1982 Canadian Grand Prix |
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
Race |
| Elio de Angelis |
15 May 1986 |
Brabham |
Test |
Circuit Paul Ricard |
Test |
| Roland Ratzenberger |
30 Apr 1994 |
Simtek |
1994 San Marino Grand Prix |
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
Qualifying |
| Ayrton Senna |
01 May 1994 |
Williams |
1994 San Marino Grand Prix |
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
Race |
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