31 March in Ferrari history: Charles Leclerc’s first F1 podium
31 March marks a bittersweet milestone in Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari career. He claimed his first Formula 1 podium at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, but third place came after a technical problem ended his opportunity to win.
2019: Charles Leclerc’s breakthrough ends in frustration
Charles Leclerc had started from his first pole position and led much of the race at Bahrain International Circuit. In the closing stages, an engine problem reduced his pace and allowed Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to pass.
A late safety car protected third place, giving Charles Leclerc his first podium finish. The result recorded an important career milestone, although his performance before the problem had put victory within reach.
2002: Michael Schumacher wins a close Brazilian finish
On 31 March 2002, Michael Schumacher won the Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of Ralf Schumacher. The Ferrari crossed the line just 0.588 seconds before the Williams, with David Coulthard third.
Rubens Barrichello retired from his home race, leaving Ferrari with contrasting results for its two drivers. Michael Schumacher’s victory added another success to the season that would bring his fifth world championship.
Explore the wider record through our Michael Schumacher Formula 1 statistics.
Ferrari events on 31 March
March 31 in Ferrari Formula 1 history
Explore Ferrari Grand Prix results, qualifying and Sprint sessions, driver birthdays, remembrance dates and selected milestones connected with this day.
Ferrari Grands Prix held on March 31
Race, qualifying, Sprint and Ferrari driver biographical dates are generated from the locally processed F1DB dataset. Session anniversaries are shown only when an explicit session date is available in the source. Selected non-race Ferrari milestones are curated separately from Ferrari sources. Historical shared-car result rows are preserved without inventing additional Grand Prix starts.
Discover further milestones in the Ferrari history calendar.
