Formula One

:F1 redirects here. For other uses of the abbreviation, see F1 (disambiguation).

History

The Formula One series has its roots in the European Grand Prix motor racing (q.v. for pre-1947 history) of the 1920s and 1930s. A number of Grand Prix racing organisations laid out rules for a World Championship before World War II, but due to the suspension of racing during the war, the World Drivers Championship was not formalised until 1947, and was first run in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958. Non-championship Formula One races were held for many years, but due to the rising cost of competition, the last of these occurred in the early 1980s.

Related Topics:
Grand Prix motor racing - World War II

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The sport's title, Formula One, indicates that it is intended to be the most advanced and most competitive of the many racing formulae.

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Early years

The inaugural Formula One World Championship was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950, barely defeating his Argentine teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. However, Fangio won the title in 1951 and four more in the next six years, his streak interrupted by two-time champion Alberto Ascari of Ferrari. Though Britain's Stirling Moss was able to compete regularly, he was never able to win the World Championship. Fangio is remembered for dominating Formula One's first decade and has long been considered the "grand master" of Formula One.

Related Topics:
Italian - Giuseppe Farina - Alfa Romeo - Argentine - Juan Manuel Fangio - Alberto Ascari - Ferrari - Britain's - Stirling Moss

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The first major technological development, Cooper's introduction of mid-engined cars, which evolved from the company's successful Formula 3 designs, occurred in the 1950s. Jack Brabham, champion in 1959 and 1960, soon proved the new design's superiority. By 1961, all competitors had switched to rear-engined cars.

Related Topics:
Cooper's - Formula 3 - Jack Brabham

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The first British World Champion was Mike Hawthorn, who drove a Ferrari to the title in 1958. However, when Colin Chapman entered F1 as a chassis designer and later founder of Lotus, British racing green came to dominate the field for the next decade. Between Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, and Denny Hulme, British teams and Commonwealth drivers won twelve world championships between 1962 and 1973.

Related Topics:
British - Mike Hawthorn - Colin Chapman - Lotus - British racing green - Jim Clark - Jackie Stewart - Jack Brabham - Graham Hill - Denny Hulme - Commonwealth

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In 1962, Lotus introduced a car with aluminium sheet chassis called a monocoque in place of the traditional tubular chassis; this proved to be the next major technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engined cars. In 1968, Lotus painted an Imperial Tobacco livery on their cars, thus introducing sponsorship to the sport.

Related Topics:
Monocoque - Imperial Tobacco - Sponsorship

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Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance in car design from the appearance of aerofoils in the late 1960s. In the late 1970s Lotus introduced ground effect aerodynamics that provided enormous downforce and greatly increased cornering speeds (though the concept had previously been tested by Jim Hall's Chaparral IndyCar team in the 1960s).

Related Topics:
Downforce - Aerofoil - Ground effect - Jim Hall - Chaparral - IndyCar

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The formation of the Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile in 1979 set off the FISA-FOCA War, during which FISA and its president Jean Marie Balestre clashed repeatedly with the Formula One Constructors Association over television profits and technical regulations.

Related Topics:
Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile - FISA-FOCA War - Jean Marie Balestre - Formula One Constructors Association

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Rise in popularity

1981 saw the signing of the first Concorde Agreement, a contract which bound the teams to compete until its expiration and assured them a share of the profits from the sale of television rights, bringing an end to the FISA-FOCA War and contributing to Bernie Ecclestone's eventual complete financial control of the sport, after much negotiation.

Related Topics:
Concorde Agreement - FISA-FOCA War - Bernie Ecclestone

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The FIA imposed a ban on ground effect aerodynamics in 1983. By then, however, turbocharged engines, which Renault had pioneered in 1977, were producing over 700 bhp (600 kW) and were essential to be competitive. In later years, notably 1987, the Formula One turbo cars produced in excess of 1,000 bhp in racing trim (and perhaps as much as 1,250 bhp in qualifying trim). These cars were and still are the most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 and boost pressures in 1988 before banning turbocharged engines in 1989.

Related Topics:
FIA - Ground effect - 1983 - Turbocharged - Renault - Bhp - KW - Open-wheel - Boost

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In the early 1990s, teams started introducing electronic driver aids such as power steering, traction control, and semi-automatic gearboxes. Some were borrowed from contemporary road cars. Some, like active suspension, were primarily developed for the track and later made their way to the showroom. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining the outcome of races more than driver skill, banned many such aids in 1994. However, many observers felt that the ban on driver aids was a ban in name only as the FIA did not have the technology or the methods to eliminate these features from competition.

Related Topics:
Power steering - Traction control - Gearbox - Suspension

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The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement in 1992 and a third in 1997, which is due to expire on the last day of 2007.

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On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Honda and McLaren dominated much of the 1980s, whilst Renault-powered Williams drivers won several world championships in the mid 1990s, with a McLaren comeback in the late 1990s. The rivalry between racing legends Senna and Prost became F1's central focus in 1988, and continued until Prost retired at the end of 1993. Tragically, Ayrton Senna died in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix having taken over Prost's lead drive at Williams that year. The FIA vowed to improve the sport's safety standards; since that weekend, no driver has died on the track during a race.

Related Topics:
McLaren - Williams - Honda - Renault - Senna - Prost - 1988 - 1994 San Marino Grand Prix - FIA

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Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly known as Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the "Big Four", have won every World Championship from 1984 to the present day. Due to the technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One rose dramatically. This increased financial burden, combined with four teams' dominance (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive, but to stay in business. Financial troubles forced several teams to withdraw. Since 1990, 28 teams have pulled out of Formula One. This has prompted former Jordan owner Eddie Jordan to say that the days of competitive privateers are over.{{ref|EJ_privateers}}

Related Topics:
Renault - Benetton - Ferrari - DaimlerChrysler - Jordan - Eddie Jordan

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Modern F1

The early 2000s have been dominated by Michael Schumacher and a resurgent Ferrari. The opening of the 21st century saw several records in Formula One being shattered. In 2001, Schumacher set the new record for most Grands Prix ever won; the earlier record holder was Alain Prost, with 51 wins to his name. In 2002, Schumacher also set a new record by claiming the championship earlier in the season than any previous driver by winning the French Grand Prix in July that year.{{ref|Schumacher_record}} In 2003, Schumacher claimed his sixth championship title, beating out the earlier record-holder, Juan Manuel Fangio with five championships. Schumacher and Ferrari haven't been the only record breakers in this period though. In 2003 Fernando Alonso became the youngest ever pole sitter by qualifying first at Malaysia. Later that year he became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix when he took the chequered flag at Hungary.

Related Topics:
Michael Schumacher - Alain Prost - July - Juan Manuel Fangio - Fernando Alonso - Malaysia - Hungary

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Despite Ferrari's dominance, Kimi Räikkönen had a theoretical chance of claiming the championship in 2003 right until the end of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix. Juan Pablo Montoya also came close in 2003. Ferrari's championship streak finally came to an end on September 25, 2005 when Fernando Alonso clinched the 2005 championship with a third place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix to become the youngest ever champion. Michael Schumacher had been world champion for more than 1,800 days.

Related Topics:
Kimi Räikkönen - Japanese Grand Prix - Juan Pablo Montoya - Fernando Alonso

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In the rulebook, several driver aids returned due in part to developments that allowed teams to evade the FIA "restrictions". Meanwhile, several changes to the rules were made in a bid to improve the on-track action and cut spiralling costs. Most notably, the qualifying format has changed several times since 2003. Another new regulation made drivers start each race with the same level of fuel they had during qualifying, introducing a new tactical element to each team's strategy. Other new restrictions included one making it mandatory for each engine to last two races; a driver that had to have his engine replaced would be penalised by starting at a lower position in the starting grid of the race. Drivers are also no longer allowed to change tyres during the race, unless the tyres are deemed to be dangerously worn.

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The first few years of the 21st century in F1 also saw some controversial scandals. At the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari who was leading the race, was ordered to allow Schumacher to overtake him. The ensuing scandal saw Ferrari slapped with a fine by the FIA, who also banned any further use of team orders in the new rules and regulations. {{ref|team_orders}} In 2005, the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis saw only three out of ten teams race in a bizarre mishap when it turned out that the Michelin tyres for the other seven teams could not be safely used on the surface of the track, causing them to pull out. {{ref|tyre_scandal}}

Related Topics:
Austrian Grand Prix - Rubens Barrichello - United States Grand Prix - Indianapolis - Michelin

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During the early 2000s, Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration created a number of trademarks, an official logo, and an official website for the sport in an attempt to give it a corporate identity. Ecclestone experimented with a digital television package, known colloquially as Bernievision, by which a fan could purchase an entire F1 season, but after poor viewing figures in 2002 the program was discontinued.

Related Topics:
Formula One Administration - Bernievision

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