F1
Glorious Legacy
Formula 1 has become the most rarefied and technologically advanced corner of motorsports. But back in the early decades, the cars were muscular and the racing was raw.
These days, a successful Formula 1 team is constructed like a space program. The cars are modeled in 3D on powerful computers, the drivers are monitored and pampered and fine-tuned like multimillion-dollar thoroughbreds, and every tiny detail is studied and perfected to yield maximal performance. Though the pure thrills of racing are still present—perhaps even heightened due to the high speeds and extraordinary finesse—F1 is clearly the pinnacle of innovation in the world of motorsports.
But the origins of the discipline are rooted in romance, engineering entrepreneurism and swashbuckling racing—elements that were considerably rougher around the edges than the modern rendition of Formula 1. This romance is still embedded in the DNA of the sport.
Formula 1 as we know it was born out of the ashes of World War II. The word “formula” refers to a set of standards and rules—related to the size and output of the engine, the size of the tires and tons more—that every car must meet. The first Formula 1 race was held in 1946, and four years later, a season-long championship series was inaugurated.
Much of F1's early history was shaped by World War II and its aftermath.
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Even in those early days, many of the races took place at venues that remain household names today—Silverstone in Great Britain, Monaco, Monza near Milan. From the start, the races were a mix of street courses and purpose-built circuits, many of the latter constructed at decommissioned military bases sitting dormant after the war.
Though Formula 1 was born and raised in Europe, the U.S. was a part of the scene in the early days, too. The Indianapolis 500 was one of seven stops in the first FIA World Championship of Drivers. Other Formula 1 races were held in the 1950s and early ’60s in Riverside, California; Sebring, Florida; and Watkins Glen, New York. And American drivers were a part of the early days, too. Harry Schell raced in 1950 to become the first U.S. driver in F1. In the early 1960s, Phil Hill won a championship. And in the late ’70s, the iconic Mario Andretti repeated the feat.
The photos in this feature capture the soul of Formula 1 racing, qualities that inform the past, present and future of the sport: the fastest and nimblest race cars on the planet, the most technical courses, venues with international glamour, drivers with extraordinary skill—and outsized personalities.
The cars shown here would be no match for the Formula 1 cars of 2022; technology has pushed the sport into outer space. But the spirit of the cars and drivers and the legions of fans has remained at full-throttle since the start. The magic that brought Formula 1 to prominence is still very much alive. This magic, it seems, is part of the formula for the discipline’s success.
The Monaco Grand Prix.
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The Monaco Grand Prix was included in the new Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 1950. From 1955 to the present the race has been an iconic fixture on the F1 calendar.
Stirling Moss, driving for Vanwall, won the British Grand Prix in 1957.
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It was the start of an era of British dominance that would last 15 years. In the end, Moss would go down in history as the greatest driver never to win a world championship.
The 1950 British Grand Prix was held to great fanfare.
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The 1950 British Grand Prix was held to great fanfare, with the British royal family in attendance. Fangio, shown here, ultimately finished second in the season standings and won five F1 world titles on four different teams.
Harry Schell at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix.
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The Cooper T86.
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At the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix, Harry Schell—the first American driver to race Formula 1—rips a practice lap in his V12 Maserati 250F T2. Schell never won a race but twice finished on the podium. [LEFT]
At the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix, Harry Schell—the first American driver to race Formula 1—rips a practice lap in his V12 Maserati 250F T2. Schell never won a race but twice finished on the podium. [RIGHT]
Mario Andretti and Lotus.
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Andretti (right) and his Swedish teammate, Ronnie Peterson, in 1978.
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Driving for the Lotus team, American racing legend Mario Andretti had a dominant year in 1978, winning six races en route to a world championship. [LEFT]
Andretti (right) and his Swedish teammate, Ronnie Peterson, spray onlookers with champagne from the podium after the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix on May 21, 1978. Racing for Lotus, Andretti won and Peterson finished second. They repeated that same 1-2 sweep two weeks later at the Spanish Grand Prix, but that September, Peterson died in a crash at the Italian Grand Prix. [RIGHT]
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