2 July in Ferrari history: Giancarlo Baghetti’s debut victory

2 July marks an exceptional debut in Formula 1 history. Giancarlo Baghetti won the 1961 French Grand Prix at Reims on his first World Championship appearance, driving a Ferrari entered by FISA.

1961: Giancarlo Baghetti wins a remarkably close finish

The winning Ferrari completed the 52-lap race just 0.100 seconds ahead of Dan Gurney’s Porsche. Jim Clark finished third for Lotus, more than a minute behind the leading pair.

The achievement was a World Championship debut victory, rather than a win in Giancarlo Baghetti’s first-ever Formula 1 race. He had already competed successfully in non-championship events, an important distinction when describing the milestone.

The entrant also matters: the car was a Ferrari, but the winning entry was run under FISA rather than the factory Scuderia banner. The result remains part of Ferrari’s history as a constructor.

2006: A Ferrari one-two at Indianapolis

On 2 July 2006, Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix ahead of Felipe Massa. That later result gives the date a factory-team one-two alongside its earlier debut story.

Explore the runner-up’s Ferrari career in our Felipe Massa Formula 1 statistics.

Ferrari events recorded on 2 July

Browse more unusual milestones in the Ferrari history calendar.