Defining 60 Years of the Formula One World Championship

Welcome to 60 Years of the Formula One World Championship

Defining 60 Years of the Formula One World Championship

Statistical Comparison: Formula 1 in 1950 to 2010
60 Years of Innovation in Formula One
60 Years of Formula One Engines
60 Years of Car Manufacturers in Formula One
60 Years of Monaco Madness
F1 Photos: 1983 (ROC) | 1983 | 1984 | 1988 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1996

In 2010 Formula One celebrates the 60th anniversary of the World Championship. It's a significant occasion for the sport but it's interesting to note what that milestone actually represents. These days the terms "Formula One" and "World Championship" are synonymous with each other, but that wasn't necessarily the case 60 years ago.

Origins of Formula One

The first Grand Prix held for Formula One cars took place towards the end of 1946, although the first race to actually be called a Formula One Grand Prix took place in 1947. The 'formula' was created to accommodate different types of Grand Prix cars that had been racing before the war. A number of Formula One races were held from 1946 to 1949, but none of them were worth any points for any championship. There was no standard set of sporting regulations that covered each event, only the 'formula' that determined what type of cars could take part. All of the Formula One races existed independently of each other.

At the time, Formula One was known as Formula A, but most competitors referred to the category as F1 and it was officially renamed when the World Championship was inaugurated in 1950.

Origins of the World Championship

In 1950 the FIA organised the first ever World Championship for Drivers. They awarded points for the results of the six biggest European Grand Prix races plus the Indianapolis 500. The driver with the most points was crowned World Drivers Champion. The series wasn't called the Formula One World Championship (as it is today) because it was open to more than just Formula One cars.

Indianapolis in the World Championship

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the first World Championship for Drivers so that it could be considered a genuine global competition, not just a European series. The Indy 500 was also the single biggest motor race in the world at the time so it made sense to include it to increase the championship's prestige. You could even argue that it made the series a more representative drivers championship since it included both oval and road racing disciplines.

Indianapolis remained on the calendar until 1960 at which point the United States Grand Prix was becoming an established event in it's own right. No Formula One drivers or teams regularly took part in the Indy 500 throughout the fifties, and bizarrely it was sometimes held on the same weekend as the Monaco Grand Prix making it impossible to participate in every championship event.

The inclusion of Indianapolis during the first ten years of the World Championship creates a number of statistical anomalies. For example, Bill Vukovich won two World Championship events and finished 6th in the 1954 World Drivers Championship despite never starting a Grand Prix. It also means there have been 66 American drivers to have contested the FIA World Championship, although few of those have actually taken part in a Formula One race.

Formula 2 in the World Championship

Formula Two races were also included in the World Drivers Championship. In 1952 and 1953 there were only a small number of F1 cars available so World Championship points were awarded for the results of more competitive Formula Two races instead.

During those two years, Alberto Ascari set the record for most consecutive Grand Prix victories. That record still stands today but was set set by Ascari in Formula Two races, not Formula One.

F1 races still took place in 1952 and 1953 but they did not count for the World Championship.

Non-Championship Formula One races

Up until 1983, Formula One teams regularly took part in Formula One races that did not count for the World Championship. One of the most common races was held at Brands Hatch each year and was known as the Race of Champions (not to be confused with it's modern namesake). Other races were regularly held throughout Europe and South America. For example, in 1979 the Formula One season consisted of 18 races but only 15 of those were eligible for points towards the championship. This practice ceased when the cost of competing grew too high, and today every Formula One Grand Prix counts for the World Championship.