57 Fun Facts About Formula 1

The first Formula One World Championship race was held on 13 May 1950 at which circuit?

Silverstone was built on the site of RAF Silverstone, a wartime bomber station.

Who won the first Formula One Drivers' World Championship in 1950, driving for Alfa Romeo?

Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina took the 1950 title with 30 points to Alfa Romeo teammate Fangio's 27; Fangio went on to win five championships.

Which of these constructors never gave Fangio a world title?

Vanwall never gave Fangio a title: his five came with Alfa Romeo (1951), Mercedes-Benz (1954-55), Ferrari (1956) and Maserati (1957), plus Maserati sharing 1954.

In February 1958, Fangio was kidnapped from a Havana hotel by gunmen loyal to which Cuban revolutionary?

Members of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement seized Fangio at the Hotel Lincoln on 23 February 1958, the eve of the Cuban Grand Prix; he was freed after about 29 hours.

Which two drivers had each won seven F1 World Drivers' Championships by the end of 2025?

Schumacher's came in 1994-95 and 2000-04; Hamilton's in 2008 and 2014-20.

Michael Schumacher's record five consecutive titles came with which team?

His first two titles, in 1994 and 1995, were with Benetton.

In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury while doing what?

Schumacher hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste at Méribel on 29 December 2013; he was kept in a medically induced coma for months, and his brother Ralf also raced in F1.

Whom did Lewis Hamilton pass for fifth at the last corners of the 2008 Brazilian GP to clinch his first title?

Hamilton passed Timo Glock's Toyota, struggling on dry tyres in the rain, at the final corners; Felipe Massa had crossed the line thinking he was champion, and the title swung by one point.

Lewis Hamilton took his first Formula One win at which 2007 Grand Prix?

Hamilton won the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal from pole in only his sixth start, for McLaren; he won again a week later in the United States.

How old was Max Verstappen when he became F1's youngest ever starter at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix?

He was 17 years and 166 days old; a year later he became the youngest race winner at 18.

Verstappen won four consecutive world titles from 2021 to 2024 with which team?

Verstappen won all four titles with Red Bull Racing, having joined the senior team from Toro Rosso in May 2016; his father Jos also raced in F1, and Max races under the Dutch flag.

Who was the race director at the centre of the dispute over the 2021 Abu Dhabi safety-car restart?

Michael Masi let only the five lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen unlap themselves before a final-lap restart, a first; the FIA removed him as race director in February 2022.

Which driver won the 2025 World Drivers' Championship?

Lando Norris clinched the 2025 title at the Abu Dhabi finale, narrowly ahead of Verstappen and teammate Piastri; it was McLaren's first drivers' title since Hamilton in 2008.

How old was Sebastian Vettel when he became the youngest world champion in 2010?

He was 23 years and 134 days; Fangio, the oldest champion, was 46 when he won in 1957.

Vettel took his first Grand Prix win at a wet Monza in 2008 for which team?

Vettel won from pole for Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team, aged 21 years and 73 days, then the youngest winner ever; Verstappen later beat the record by more than two years.

Which driver is the only Formula One world champion to have been crowned posthumously?

Jochen Rindt was killed in practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but his Lotus points lead proved unassailable and he was crowned champion posthumously.

Niki Lauda returned to racing just six weeks after his fiery 1976 crash at which circuit?

Lauda's Ferrari crashed and burned at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on 1 August 1976; he missed only two races, finished fourth at Monza on his return, and the season was dramatised in Rush.

Which four-time champion was nicknamed 'The Professor' for his calculating approach to racing?

Alain Prost won titles in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993; his 51 wins stood as the record for 14 years until Schumacher passed it in 2001.

At which Imola corner did Senna's Williams leave the track on 1 May 1994?

Senna's Williams left the track at the flat-out Tamburello curve on lap seven; Roland Ratzenberger had died in qualifying the day before, and no F1 driver died in a race accident again until Jules Bianchi.

Which driver holds the record of six wins at the Grand Prix run through the streets of Monte Carlo?

Ayrton Senna won Monaco six times, in 1987 and then five years running from 1989 to 1993; Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher each won it five times.

Along with Monaco, which two races make up motorsport's Triple Crown?

The Triple Crown is Monaco, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500; Graham Hill, who completed it with Le Mans in 1972, is the only driver to have won all three.

The Grand Prix through the streets of Monte Carlo is the only one exempt from which FIA rule?

Monaco is exempt from the 305 km minimum race distance: its 78 laps cover only about 260 km, because the slow street circuit would otherwise exceed the two-hour limit.

Which circuit, home of the Italian Grand Prix, is nicknamed 'the Temple of Speed'?

Monza, built in 1922 in the royal park north of Milan, is the fastest circuit on the calendar, with lap averages above 260 km/h, and has hosted the Italian Grand Prix every year but one.

The Raidillon de l'Eau Rouge is the most famous corner sequence at which circuit?

Spa, in the Belgian Ardennes, is 7.004 km long and was first used for Grand Prix racing in 1925.

The Circuit of the Americas, opened in 2012, is in which US city?

The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, hosted its first United States Grand Prix in November 2012, won by Lewis Hamilton for McLaren.

Under the points system used since 2010, how many points does a race winner receive?

A race winner scores 25 points under the system introduced in 2010, with 18 for second and 15 for third; points run down to tenth place.

To be classified and score points, a driver must complete at least what percentage of the race distance?

A driver must cover at least 90% of the winner's distance to be classified, which is why a late retirement can still score and a lapped car in tenth usually gets a point.

DRS let a driver open a rear-wing flap when within how much time of the car ahead at a detection point?

DRS could be used when a car was within one second of the car ahead at a detection point; used from 2011 to 2025, it was replaced by active aerodynamics under the 2026 rules.

Who was the first driver to use DRS in a Formula One race, in 2011?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the last, in 2025, before the system was scrapped.

Which company has been Formula One's sole tyre supplier since 2011?

Pirelli has been the sole supplier since 2011, taking over from Bridgestone; its dry compounds are colour-coded red (soft), yellow (medium) and white (hard).

What colour sidewall marks a full wet-weather tyre?

Full wets carry a blue sidewall and can disperse tens of litres of water a second at speed; green marks the intermediate, and slicks are red, yellow or white.

The halo cockpit-protection device, mandatory since 2018, is made from which metal?

The halo is a titanium hoop weighing about 7 kg that can bear several tonnes; it is credited with saving Romain Grosjean when his car split a barrier at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Which car maker has supplied the official Formula One safety car since 1996?

Mercedes-AMG has supplied the official safety car since 1996, sharing the role with Aston Martin from 2021; since 2000 the main driver has been German ex-racer Bernd Mayländer.

The virtual safety car was first used at which 2015 Grand Prix, held on a street circuit?

The virtual safety car made its debut at the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix; it was introduced after Jules Bianchi's crash under double yellow flags at Suzuka the previous October.

Since 2014, Formula One engines have been turbocharged hybrid units of what capacity?

They replaced the 2.4-litre V8s used from 2006, which in turn replaced 3.0-litre V10s making close to 1,000 hp.

In the early 2020s, roughly how much did a Formula One steering wheel cost?

A Formula One steering wheel cost roughly $50,000: it weighs about 1.3 kg and carries dozens of buttons, rotary dials, paddles and a display.

A modified BAR Honda set an official 397 km/h F1 speed record in 2006 where?

Bonneville, Utah: Honda's Bonneville 400 project ran on the salt flats in July 2006, with Alan van der Merwe driving, for an FIA-ratified 397.36 km/h; an unofficial 413 km/h came at Mojave in 2005.

Which team won nine Constructors' Championships between 1980 and 1997?

Williams won nine constructors' titles, all between 1980 and 1997, the last in Jacques Villeneuve's championship year; the team was founded by Frank Williams and Patrick Head in 1977.

Which Italian WWI ace's fighter plane originally bore the Maranello team's prancing horse?

Baracca's parents, friends of Enzo Ferrari, suggested he adopt the symbol.

McLaren was founded in 1963 by a racing driver from which country?

Bruce McLaren, from Auckland, New Zealand, founded the team in 1963; he was killed in June 1970 testing his own Can-Am car at Goodwood.

McLaren's 2024 Constructors' Championship was its first since which year?

McLaren's previous constructors' title came in 1998 with Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard in the Adrian Newey-designed MP4/13; the 2024 crown was sealed at the Abu Dhabi finale.

Red Bull entered Formula One in 2005 after buying which existing team?

Red Bull bought Jaguar Racing from Ford in a deal announced on 15 November 2004; Christian Horner ran the team from 2005 until his dismissal in July 2025.

In which English town is Red Bull Racing based?

Red Bull Racing is based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on the former Stewart and Jaguar factory site; designer Adrian Newey shaped its title-winning cars from 2006 until his 2024 departure.

Fernando Alonso became Spain's first world champion in 2005 with which team?

He was 24, then the youngest champion ever, and beat Schumacher again in 2006; he also holds the record for most race starts.

Which US company took over Formula One in 2016, leading to Bernie Ecclestone's removal?

Liberty Media agreed the $4.4 billion takeover in September 2016 and completed it in January 2017, replacing Ecclestone with Chase Carey; Ecclestone had run the sport for about four decades.

In which year did Netflix's F1 docuseries Drive to Survive premiere?

Drive to Survive premiered on Netflix in March 2019, covering the 2018 season; Ferrari and Mercedes declined to take part in that first season.

Under the 2026 Concorde Agreement, how much must a new F1 team pay up front to enter?

The 2026 Concorde Agreement raised the anti-dilution fee to $450 million, from $200 million, to compensate the existing ten teams for sharing prize money; Cadillac paid it to join in 2026.

How many Grand Prix wins did Fangio take, giving F1's highest career winning percentage?

Fangio won 24 Grands Prix between 1950 and 1958, around 46 per cent of his starts, a career strike rate no later driver has approached.

A standard Grand Prix weekend begins with how many free practice sessions on the Friday?

A standard weekend opens with two one-hour free practice sessions on Friday, FP1 and FP2; a third follows on Saturday morning before knockout qualifying.

In which season was the Constructors' Championship added alongside the drivers' title?

The constructors' title began in 1958 as the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, won by Vanwall; Mike Hawthorn took that year's drivers' title by one point from Stirling Moss.

Which British driver won the 1976 world title by a single point from Niki Lauda?

James Hunt won the 1976 title for McLaren by one point, finishing third in the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji after Lauda withdrew on safety grounds.

Which Japanese manufacturer powered McLaren to four straight constructors' titles from 1988 to 1991?

Honda engines powered McLaren's constructors' titles from 1988 to 1991, starting with the turbo V6 in the MP4/4, which won 15 of the 16 races in 1988.

Which Grand Prix hosted Formula One's first ever night race, in 2008?

The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay was F1's first night race, lit by some 1,500 floodlights; Abu Dhabi followed with a day-night race in 2009 and Bahrain went to night racing in 2014.

Who set the fastest straight-line speed ever recorded in a Grand Prix, 372.6 km/h at Monza in 2005?

Juan Pablo Montoya's McLaren-Mercedes hit 372.6 km/h at the 2005 Italian Grand Prix; Valtteri Bottas went faster in qualifying for the 2016 European Grand Prix, hitting 378 km/h in Baku.

Who was the first woman to enter a Formula One Grand Prix, at Monaco in 1958?

Maria Teresa de Filippis entered five Grands Prix in 1958-59 and started three, beginning at Spa; she and Lella Lombardi are the only women to have started an F1 race.

Lella Lombardi, the only woman to score in an F1 race, finished sixth in which country in 1975?

She entered seventeen races over three seasons and started twelve of them.

How many races did the inaugural 1950 World Championship season comprise?

The 1950 season had seven rounds: six in Europe plus the Indianapolis 500, which was run to different regulations and counted until 1960; the 2024 calendar had 24 races.