Chequered Past
Chequered Past is a Formula 1 history podcast that dives deep into iconic races, legendary drivers, and forgotten moments from motorsport’s rich and dramatic past. Each episode revisits Grand Prix events that took place on the same date in history, uncovering fascinating stories, on-track controversies, and the evolution of F1 through the decades. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to the sport, Chequered Past offers compelling insights and nostalgia-fuelled storytelling from the world’s fastest sport.
Chequered Past
6th May 1984: The Race That Senna Had to Sit Out
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The sixth of May has hosted exactly one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in the sport’s history — Imola, 1984. It was the day Alain Prost led from the first corner and never looked back, the day Nelson Piquet set the race’s fastest lap and then blew his BMW engine, and the day Ayrton Senna wasn't on the grid after having to walk back from the furthest point on the circuit after his Toleman failed and left him with one timed lap to his name — slower than an Osella. His only DNQ in 161 starts.
We tell that story in full, track the Tyrrell ballast scandal that would later rewrite the race results, and take two short detours: to Naples in 1956, where a Gordini ambushed a collapsed Ferrari the day after Vanwall humiliating the Scuderia at Silverstone; and to Tokyo in 2008, where Aguri Suzuki announced his team was done.
Music by #Mubert Music Rendering