On a single calendar date — the fourth of May — three remarkable stories from Formula One history converge. 

In 1969, the Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuïc produced one of the sport's most terrifying afternoons: twin wing failures sent Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill into the barriers at nearly 140 miles per hour. Stewart won, but it was the crashes that changed F1 forever. 

In 1980, the same date brought the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder — Didier Pironi's maiden victory, and the first tremors of the FISA–FOCA war. 

And turning 23 in 1969, and 34 in 1980, was John Watson — Belfast-born, five-time Grand Prix winner, and the man who won an F1 race from 22nd on the grid. 

This is Chequered Past

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