Formula One can be traced back to the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, when there were several Grand Prix races staged on an annual basis. In 1946 a new 'formula' (the set of rules governing the cars and participants) was agreed and the first Formula One race took place in 1947.

Formula One Motor Racing DVDs

The first official World Championship race took place at Silverstone in 1950. The F1 World Championship driver at the end of that first season was Italian Giuseppe Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo. However, it was to be his team mate, Juan Manuel Fangio, who would become Formula One's first superstar. Fangio won the drivers championship in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957. The most successful cars in the 1950s were all traditional road car manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and Maserati. It wasn't until 1984 that every Formula One race counted towards the World Championship.

Michael Schumacher's Historic F1 Record

Michael Scumacher is the most successful driver of all time with seven World Championships. Other notable winners have been Fangio with five titles, Alain Prost with four and Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet who all landed three titles.

Apart from Jackie Stewart, other British winners include Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn (the first Briton to become Formula One World Champion in 1958), James Hunt, John Surtees, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

The Formula One Constructors' Championship

In 1958 the Constructors' Championship was awarded for the first time, to Vanwall. Since then this championship has been won by many famous names, such as Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Lotus, Renault, Cooper and Brabham.

Today the sport is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), whose headquarters are based in Place de la Concorde, Paris.

Grand Prix are held all over the world with recent additions including China, Malaysia, United States, Bahrain and Turkey.