Formula One: The early years and the statistic
Friday, April 25th, 2008
The modern era of Formula One Grand Prix racing began in 1950, but the roots of F1 are far earlier, including such pre-World War II legends as Italian Tazio Nuvolari and the great German teams, Auto Union and Mercedes Benz.Winner at Silverstone in 1950 and the first F1 champion, Giuseppe (”Nino”) Farina drove an Alfa Romeo 158, capturing the Belgium, Swiss and Italian races as well, along with non-championship wins at Bari and Donnington. Farina, who topped Juan Manuel Fangio by three points in the 1950 season, is best remembered for his style of driving; the relaxed, inclined position and outstretched arms that was to influence a whole generation of drivers. Leaving for Ferrari in 1951, for the next two seasons Farina fought a personal battle with Alberto Ascari, a battle he was bound to lose, for Ascari was by far the better driver; more controlled, faster and more precise. Ascari won the F1 championship in 1952-53 in the Ferrari 500. But it is Fangio, from Argentina, who epitomizes the first decade of Formula One, winning five World Championships for five different manufacturers and four consecutively from 1954-57. The most tragic fact was when Mercedes withdrew from motor racing after the horrific, multi-car accident (which Fangio barely escaped) at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours that left 85 people dead. Sine 1950 the statistic say that after 58 Grand Prix, a total of 29 drivers have won the Drivers Championship: Michael Schumacher (7), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Alain Prost (4), Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Nicki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna (3), Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso (2), Giuseppe Farina, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Jochen Rindt, James Hunt, Mario Andretti, Jody Schekter, Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Kimi Raikkonen (1) and a total of 14 teams have won the Teams Championship: Ferrari (18), Williams (9), McLaren (8), Lotus (7), Alfa Romeo, Maseratti, Cooper, Brabham and Renault (2), Vanwall, BRM, Matra, Tyrell and Benetton (1).