| mula One series has its roots in the European | | | | The FIA imposed a ban on ground effect |
| Grand Prix motor racing of the 1920s and 1930s. | | | | aerodynamics in 1983. By then, however, |
| However, the true history of Formula One began | | | | turbocharged engines, which Renault had |
| in 1946 with the Fédération Internationale de | | | | pioneered in 1977, were producing over 700 bhp |
| l'Automobile's (FIA's) standardisation of rules. A | | | | (520 kW) and were essential to be competitive. In |
| World Drivers' Championship followed in 1950. The | | | | later years, notably 1986, the Formula One turbo |
| sport's history necessarily parallels the history of | | | | cars produced in excess of 1,100 bhp (820 kW) in |
| its technical regulations; see Formula One | | | | racing trim (and as much as 1,400 bhp / 1050 kW |
| regulations for a summary of the technical rule | | | | in qualifying trim). These cars were the most |
| changes. Although the world championship has | | | | powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever. To |
| always been the main focus of the category, | | | | reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the |
| non-championship Formula One races were held | | | | FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 and boost |
| for many years. Due to the rising cost of | | | | pressures in 1988 before banning turbocharged |
| competition, the last of these occurred in 1983. | | | | engines completely in 1989. |
| National championships existed in South Africa and | | | | In the early 1990s, teams started introducing |
| the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. After World War | | | | electronic driver aids such as active suspension, |
| II, a new formula was initiated originally called | | | | semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control. |
| Formula A but soon to be known as Formula 1 | | | | Some were borrowed from contemporary road |
| for cars of 1.5 litres supercharged and 4.5 | | | | cars.[citation needed] Some, like active suspension, |
| litres unsupercharged. The minimum race distance | | | | were primarily developed for the track and later |
| was reduced from 311 miles to 186 miles, allowing | | | | made their way to the showroom. The FIA, due |
| the Monaco Grand Prix to be re-introduced after | | | | to complaints that technology was determining |
| a two-year break in 1950. The FIA announced | | | | the outcome of races more than driver skill, |
| plans for a World Championship at a meeting held | | | | banned many such aids for 1994. However, many |
| that year. On 10 April 1950, Juan Manuel Fangio, in | | | | observers felt that the ban on driver aids was a |
| a Maserati, won the Pau Grand Prix, the first | | | | ban in name only as the FIA did not have the |
| contest to be labeled an "International Formula | | | | technology or the methods to eliminate these |
| One" race. A month later, Silverstone hosted the | | | | features from competition. |
| British Grand Prix, the first sanctioned | | | | The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement |
| championship race for Formula One Grand Prix | | | | in 1992 and a third in 1997, which is due to expire |
| cars, and the F1 World Championship was born. | | | | on the last day of 2007. |
| The sport's title, Formula One, indicates that it is | | | | On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams |
| intended to be the most advanced and most | | | | dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Powered by |
| competitive of the many racing formulae. | | | | Porsche, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz, McLaren |
| Formative years (1950—1980) | | | | won 16 championships (seven constructors', nine |
| The first Formula One World Championship was | | | | drivers') in that period, while Williams used engines |
| won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo | | | | from Ford, Honda, and Renault to also win 16 |
| in 1950, barely defeating his Argentine teammate | | | | titles (nine constructors', seven drivers'). The |
| Juan Manuel Fangio. However, Fangio won the title | | | | rivalry between racing legends Ayrton Senna and |
| in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 & 1957, his streak | | | | Alain Prost became F1's central focus in 1988, and |
| interrupted by two-time champion Alberto Ascari | | | | continued until Prost retired at the end of 1993. |
| of Ferrari. Although Britain's Stirling Moss was able | | | | Tragically, Senna died at the 1994 San Marino |
| to compete regularly, he was never able to win | | | | Grand Prix after crashing into a wall on the exit of |
| the World Championship, and is now widely | | | | the notorious curve Tamburello, having taken |
| considered to be the greatest driver never to | | | | over Prost's lead drive at Williams that year. The |
| have won the title. Fangio, however, is | | | | FIA worked to improve the sport's safety |
| remembered for dominating Formula One's first | | | | standards since that weekend, during which |
| decade and has long been considered the "grand | | | | Roland Ratzenberger also lost his life in an accident |
| master" of Formula One. | | | | during Saturday qualifying. No driver has died on |
| The first major technological development, | | | | the track at the wheel of a Formula One car |
| Cooper's re-introduction of mid-engined cars | | | | since, though two track marshals have lost their |
| (following Ferdinand Porsche's pioneering Auto | | | | lives, one at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix, and the |
| Unions of the 1930s), which evolved from the | | | | other at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. |
| company's successful Formula 3 designs, occurred | | | | Since the deaths of Senna & Ratzenberger, the |
| in the 1950s. Jack Brabham, champion in 1959 and | | | | FIA has used safety as a reason to impose rule |
| 1960, soon proved the new design's superiority. | | | | changes which otherwise, under the Concorde |
| By 1961, all competitors had switched to | | | | Agreement, would have had to be agreed upon |
| mid-engined cars. | | | | by all the teams - most notably the changes |
| The first British World Champion was Mike | | | | introduced for 1998. This so called 'narrow track' |
| Hawthorn, who drove a Ferrari to the title in 1958. | | | | era resulted in cars with smaller rear tyres, a |
| However, when Colin Chapman entered F1 as a | | | | narrower track overall and the introduction of |
| chassis designer and later founder of Team Lotus, | | | | 'grooved' tyres to reduce mechanical grip. There |
| British racing green came to dominate the field for | | | | would be four grooves, on the front and rear, |
| the next decade. Between Jim Clark, Jackie | | | | that ran through the entire circumference of the |
| Stewart, John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, | | | | tyre. The objective was to reduce cornering |
| and Denny Hulme, British teams and | | | | speeds and to produce racing similar to rain |
| Commonwealth drivers won twelve world | | | | conditions by enforcing a smaller contact patch |
| championships between 1962 and 1973. | | | | between tyre and track. This was to promote |
| In 1962, Lotus introduced a car with an aluminium | | | | driver skill and provide a better spectacle. |
| sheet monocoque chassis instead of the traditional | | | | Results have been mixed as the lack of |
| spaceframe design. This proved to be the | | | | mechanical grip has resulted in the more ingenious |
| greatest technological breakthrough since the | | | | designers clawing back the deficit with |
| introduction of mid-engined cars. In 1968, Lotus | | | | aerodynamic grip - pushing more force onto the |
| painted Imperial Tobacco livery on their cars, thus | | | | tyres through wings, aerodynamic devices etc - |
| introducing sponsorship to the sport. | | | | which in turn has resulted in less overtaking as |
| Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance | | | | these devices tend to make the wake behind the |
| in car design from the appearance of aerofoils in | | | | car 'dirty' preventing other cars from following |
| the late 1960s. In the late 1970s Lotus introduced | | | | closely, due to their dependence on 'clean' air to |
| ground effect aerodynamics that provided | | | | make the car stick to the track. The grooved |
| enormous downforce and greatly increased | | | | tyres also had the unfortunate side effect of |
| cornering speeds (though the concept had | | | | initially being of a harder compound, to be able to |
| previously been used on Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J in | | | | hold the groove tread blocks, which resulted in |
| 1970). So great were the aerodynamic forces | | | | spectacular accidents in times of aerodynamic grip |
| pressing the cars to the track, some cars did | | | | failure e.g. rear wing failures, as the harder |
| without springs in their suspension and substituted | | | | compound could not grip the track as well. |
| solid blocks of aluminium to minimize the change in | | | | The more innovative teams have found ways to |
| ride height due to the drastic change in downforce | | | | maximise this dramatic change. McLaren, in a car |
| from low speed to high speed, depending entirely | | | | designed by Adrian Newey, used a 'fiddle' brake |
| on the tyres for any small amount of cushioning | | | | on their 1998 car which allowed the driver to |
| of the car and driver from any irregularities in the | | | | apply the brake to one or the other of the rear |
| road surface. | | | | two wheels to provide them with a better 'toe' |
| The formation of the Fédération | | | | into a corner. This was eventually banned as a |
| Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) in 1979 | | | | driver aid. |
| set off the FISA-FOCA war, during which FISA | | | | Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly |
| and its president Jean Marie Balestre clashed | | | | Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the "Big Four", have |
| repeatedly with the Formula One Constructors | | | | won every World Championship from 1984 to the |
| Association over television profits and technical | | | | present day. Due to the technological advances of |
| regulations. | | | | the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One |
| Rise in popularity (1981—2000) | | | | rose dramatically. This increased financial burden, |
| 1981 saw the signing of the first Concorde | | | | combined with four teams' dominance (largely |
| Agreement, a contract which bound the teams to | | | | funded by big car manufacturers such as |
| compete until its expiration and assured them a | | | | Mercedes-Benz (DaimlerChrysler)), caused the |
| share of the profits from the sale of television | | | | poorer independent teams to struggle not only to |
| rights, bringing an end to the FISA-FOCA War and | | | | remain competitive, but to stay in business. |
| contributing to Bernie Ecclestone's eventual | | | | Financial troubles forced several teams to |
| complete financial control of the sport, after much | | | | withdraw. Since 1990, 28 teams have pulled out |
| negotiation. | | | | of Formula One. |