Ayrton Senna, as it seems each week, features prominently in the round-up of this week’s major milestones from the Archive. It was at a wet Estoril, 31 years ago, that Senna broke McLaren’s eight-race winning streak with a brilliant display of dominance. The victory was his first in Formula 1, and Alan Henry left full of praise for the then-25 year-old. Four years later at Imola, Senna led a somewhat disgruntled McLaren 1-2. ‘A miracle’ was our headline, not for Senna’s part in proceedings but for Gerhard Berger’s remarkably light injuries from horrifying crash at Tamburello. In other Grands Prix this week, Jackie Stewart beat Ickx at Montjuich Park in a memorable duel in 1971. It was also the first time slicks were used, thanks to what DSJ labelled Firestone’s “pure drag-racing “slick” of solid rubber with no tread whatsoever.” Feedback was universally positive, it seems. The year before, Stewart won a Grand Prix at Jarama “fraught with wrangles and complaints” due to qualifying changes and confusion. Jim Clark dominated at Imola in 1963, claiming prize money every 10 laps and a gold Shell emblem, and Reg Parnell won at Goodwood in 1954 in Alberto Ascari’s absence. Stirling Moss beat Jack Brabham in a thrilling encounter at Aintree by a mere 0.2s, one of many races held at the circuit this week. Formula 1’s only posthumous world champion, Jochen Rindt, was born this week in 1942. A prodigious talent, he was discussed at length by his great friend and rival Jackie Stewart in the April 2005 issue. Stuart Lewis-Evans, Formula 1’s great third driver, and Phil Hill would have both celebrated birthdays this week, Lewis-Evans born exactly three years after Hill in 1930. Leyton House racer Mauricio Gugelmin turned 53, Anthony Davidson 37. Esteban Tuero, who spent a year in Formula 1 with Minardi at the age of 19, turned 38. In sports cars, a controversial 1984 Monza 1000kms was won by Derek Bell and Stefan Bellof, before an exclusion (familiar?) stripped them of victory. It was reinstated, but not in time for going to press. Bell shared the spoils with Hans-Joachim Stuck in the 1986 Monza 360kms, when sprint racing was making its way onto the sports car calendar. Joest Racing claimed the 1979 Dijon 6 Hours, and owner Reinhold Joest also celebrates his 79th birthday this week. Rolf Stommelen was killed in a Camel GT race at Riverside 33 years ago. A four-time Daytona 24 Hours winner and Targa Florio victor, the German was among the most talented and versatile. Paolo Barilla, 1985 Le Mans winner, turned 55. Also this week, Swiss F2 racer Silvio Moser was born 75 years ago, while fellow Swiss Rudolf Fischer – fourth in the 1952 World Championship – was born in 1912. Freddie Dixon, remembered at length by Bill Boddy in 1996, was born 124 years ago. Buy the lead image