February 10: Today in Racing

Formula 1 was in the news for the strangest reasons on the tenth of February over the years. Ron Dennis for example announced Mika Hakkinen and Michael Andretti as his 1993 McLaren driver line-up, leaving three-time F1 champion Ayrton Senna without a drive.

Senna wanted to race for Williams but old rival Alain Prost was already at the team and vetoed the move causing Senna to return to McLaren  for the opening round in South Africa in Hakkinen's place. 

Senna went on to win five races in spite of the McLaren's significant power disadvantage as Prost took the title. Hakkinen replaced the disappointing Andretti later in the season.

Then in 2003, Max Mosley warned that Formula 1 could not rely on manufacturer teams alone and needed to become more accessible to private teams citing fears that BMW, Ford, Honda, Mercedes and Renault had a record of pulling out of the sport and that independent teams like Williams and Jordan should be helped along. Mosley's vision proved quite prophetic as BMW, Ford, Honda and Toyota had all left the sport within six years!

In other news on this relatively quiet day in motorsport history, Teddy Pilette drove his Chevron won the fifth round of the 1974 Tasman Formula 5000 Series in Australia in spite of the race being delayed an hour after drivers protested track conditions at Surfers Paradise.  

Motor racing also said goodbye to larger than life former US marine, sprint and midget racer driver Andy Linden who raced seven grands prix when the Indianapolis 500 was a part of the Formula 1 World Championship. Linden, who finished in the top six in three of those races, passed aged 64 in 1987. (Photo: Paul Velasco)