The History Of Formula One: F1's 70th Birthday

Formula One is widely recognized as the most exciting sport, where a split second matters. The sport has more than 100 million fans worldwide. This dramatic, dangerous and thrilling sport has a long and glorious history. So here is a history of this awesome sport. 

1. Giuseppe Farina Winning The First Ever F1 Race
2. Mercedes' sleek F1 cars, which challenged Ferrari
(Image thanks to google)

The sport can only have one world champion, and drivers have died trying. Silverstone, Great Britain, held the first ever F1 race in 1950. It caught so much attention that even the British royal family attended the races. Giuseppe Farina was the first ever, to win a Formula One race. The competition was high, with many drivers competing to win the championship such as Alberto Ascari and Sir Stirling Moss. The drivers weren't safe at all, they wore thin helmets and goggles which only covered the top of the head, plus there were no seatbelts! 13 drivers were killed in F1 cars in the first decade. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Mercedes dominated the first few years. The cars evolved over these couple years from pre-war cars to faster, better post war cars before the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) limited the engines to 2.5 litres.

Mercedes innovated their cars to be faster with their sleek, smooth, bodies.
Mercedes then left all Motorsports after the big crash at Le Mans 1955, which killed 83 spectators, the driver, and injured about 180 more people. The cars became faster and slicker - Lotus were the innovators when they introduced  aerodynamics that provided  great downforce and largely increased cornering speeds.  Safety still was not very good, Sir Jackie Stewart pushed the FIA to improve safety features after the death of his friend and team mate  during practice of the 1973 US Grand Prix.  Legends came and left the sport. James Hunt dominated on track, and had a extreme rivalry with Niki Lauda. Both would become world champions. Niki Lauda had a horrific crash at the Hockenheimring

 Niki Lauda's horrific crash at the Nurburgring 1976
(Image thanks to google)

in 1976. Everybody thought he would die, but surprisingly he survived and managed to secure 2 more world championships even with his injuries. The 80s and 90s saw even more epic rivalries, Ayrton Senna VS Alain Prost being one of the most legendary rivalries the sport has ever seen. However, Ayrton Senna's career was cut short in a controversial crash at the San Marino Grand Prix, In 1994. Senna died! The F1 community was heartbroken. After Senna it was Michael Schumacher, who is the most succesful driver in F1 history, (As of now) with 7 world championships. Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen had a epic rivalry, both of them competing for the title. Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton then entered the sport. Both setting crazy records and winning championships. And that's where we are today. Formula One is truly the most exciting sport in history. From the '50s, when cars were just fragile, pieces of steel, to the 21st century, where they are complicated pieces of technology. The sport will keep growing.   

Thanks Google for the images!!!