The birth of the F1 World Championship: Formula 1 Car by Car extract

Formula 1 celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the World Championship at Silverstone this weekend: where seven decades ago the first points were awarded following the Grand Prix d’Europe.

The rules for the grand prix series – initially known as Formula A – had been set out three years previously and 1950 saw the dawn of the championship, with a points structure and the inclusion of the Indy 500.

The first years would be stuttering, but the series would find its feet and grow into the international spectacular that it now is.

Peter Higham tells the story of the Formula 1 championship’s formation in an extract below, taken from his Formula 1 Car by Car 1950-59 book.

Extract from Formula 1 car by car 1950-59, by Peter Higham

The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus that had governed motor racing before World War II was revised in 1947 as the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). A subcommittee, the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), was appointed to shape new rules as the sport emerged from the dark days of conflict. The CSI met in October of that year and announced new GP rules for 1948–53. Originally known as Formula A but soon renamed Formula 1, these stipulated 4.5-litre normally aspirated or 1.5-litre forced-induction maximum engine capacity.

A motorcycling world championship had been organised in 1949 and, at a meeting in the last week of February 1950, pre-war racing driver Count Antonio Brivio, the Italian delegate to the FIA, suggested an F1 World Championship for drivers. The Grandes Épreuves of Britain, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy, plus the Indianapolis 500, were announced as qualifying rounds with points awarded to the top five finishers on the scale 8–6–4–3–2 and an extra point to whoever set the fastest race lap. Indy meant that the championship extended outside Europe but it had little relevance during the 11 years it was officially included.