- March 27 down the years
John Watson's remarkable victory
What happened on March 27 in Formula One history?
1983
One of the most remarkable drives of modern times saw John Watson storm to victory after starting the Long Beach Grand Prix in 22nd place on the grid. Nobody has come from further back to win a race. His McLaren team-mate, Niki Lauda, started in 23rd and took second place despite suffering from leg cramps in the closing stages. The pair had struggled in qualifying as the team struggled to find a tyre and chassis combination, but shortly before the start Watson chose the same compound as he had used in Detriot the season before when he won after qualifying in 17th. "After a dismal practice Michelin were as perplexed as we were," Watson said. "So I decided to take a gamble and try the tyre compound … and it worked."
1971
Popular Scottish racing driver David Coulthard was born in Twynholm. For much of his career Coulthard carried the hopes of British fans, but despite driving cars with championship-winning potential, he never took the ultimate prize. As a driver he was very highly respected in the paddock and after retiring he was made a pundit on the BBC's F1 coverage and then elevated to co-commentator. He won 13 grands prix.
1994
An easy win for Michael Schumacher in the opening race of the season, and no happy ending for local boy Ayrton Senna who span off 15 laps from the end as he vainly chased his rival. Schumacher finished a lap ahead of Damon Hill, but had to survive a technical appeal which lasted well into the night. No so lucky was Eddie Irvine who was suspended from the next race after being blamed for a spectacular and potentially serious four-car pile-up.
1965
Swiss driver Gregor Foitek was born in Zurich. He competed in F1 from 1989 to 1990 and while he entered 22 races, he failed to qualify for 15 of them.
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