Grand Prix Milestones

The World Championship is born

On 13th May 1950 was held the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The first event counting towards the inaugural drivers World championship.

Rear-mounted engines

Early post-war racing cars were fitted with engines at the front. But after rear-engined cars enjoyed succees in junior categories, they found their way into Formula 1. Jack Brabham was the first driver to win the title with a rear-engined car in 1959. The car was Cooper-Climax.

Female racing drivers

Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first of five female Formula 1 racing drivers in the Grands Prix history. She participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting in 1958. The other women who attempted to start in Formula 1 were Lella Lombardi, Divina Galica, Desire Wilson and Giovanna Amati.

Monocoque

In 1962 Colin Chapman introduced the monocoque, single shell chassis. In that monocoque sheet metal was formed into an integral unit, with the advantages of lightness and ridigity, as techniques developed with considerably safety advantages for drivers.

Tyres

Tyre technology came fairly late to F1. The first racing-only tyres were used in 1962. The slicks appeared in 1971 having been pioneered in karting and drag racing.

Driver-constructor

Jack Brabham was the first and probably only successful driver-constructor in Formula 1. The first man to drive a car bearing his own name to victory in a world championship. In 1966 Brabham took the both titles, drivers and constructors.

Wings

Aerodynamic wings first appeared on the Brabham BT26 by early 1968. But their fragile nature led to breakages and a ban. Fixed wings replaced them in 1969 and remain in use today, helping to produce massive downforce.

Sponsorship

Necessary full sponsorship came in 1968 with Lotus running cars in the colours of John Player Gold Leaf brand and entered by Gold Leaf Team Lotus.

Safety car

In Canadian Grand Prix in Mosport 1973 for the first time, a pace car was introduced on the track after the collision of Jody Scheckter with Francois Cevert. The idea was good, but the execution was not on the high level. The safety car held its pace ahead of the wrong driver, allowing Peter Revson to make up nearly an entire lap in his McLaren. When the pace car had gone, Revson took home the win.

First woman

Lella Lombardi has the distinction of being the first and so far only woman to score in the world championship, in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. That was in her only full season, when with a March she showed as much ability as other back of the grid drivers in the same year.

Six wheeler

For the 1976 season Tyrell came up with an extraordinary model constructed with four small wheels at the front.

Groud effect car

Was introduced by Lotus in the year 1977. The car was Lotus 78. Colin Chapman discovered that if the underside of the car was shaped like an upsidedown plane-wing, and sealed off from the outside air, it would suck the car towards the ground. Grip increased massively, the cars became difficult to drive and it was banned at the end of 1982.

Turbo engines

Renault the first used turbo engine on its debut at the British Grand Prix 1977. Other teams followed suit and the introduction of turbos changed the face of F1 at that time.

Carbon brakes

Brabham first used carbon fibre technology in 1978 which assisted braking and increased durability.

Carbon fibre shells

McLaren first used a carbon fibre bodyshell in 1981. This was lighter and more rigid than any metal, and enabled John Watson to win in that year British Grand Prix.

Telemetry

Computers were first used to log data on the Renault RE60 in 1985. But the latest systems are much more hi-tech. They can help drivers to work out ways of going faster, as well as informing teams when something is about to go wrong with the car.

Cancelled Grand Prix

In 1985 was the Spa Francorchamps circuit resurfaced to combat aquaplaning, and the work was completed only ten day before practice. Under the pounding of cars it started to break up, and the meeting was cancelled and rescheduled to be run 4 months later, uniquely in Grand Prix history.

In-car camera

The Renault team ran in Germany 1985 a third car, that featured the first in-car camera which could be viewed live by a television transmission. The car driven by Francois Hesnault drove only 8 laps before a clutch problem forced it to retire.

Active suspension

Colin Chapman's idea originated in early 70s. But it wasn't until 1987 that a car with active suspension won an F1 race. Ayrton Senna in Lotus at Monaco. Nigel Mansell owed his 1992 championship to it.

Semi-automatic gearbox

Few technical innovations succeed on their first competitive appearance, but John Barnard's semi-automatic gearbox was a race winner on its debut at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix. Every car is now fitted with one. Not only are they faster, but they also prevent expensive engine failures because drivers can no longer miss gear.