By Kelsey Doogan
England is widely considered the home of Formula One due to 6 of the 11 teams having this headquarters there.
They are also known for hosting the first ever F1 World Championship race way back in 1950.
Although it was very different to the racing we know now, many things remained similar to what we see now.
Over 100,000 people attended the event to watch the 21 drivers compete for glory around Silverstone.
Silverstone was formerly home to a former RAF bomber station from WW2. The track was 4.6km in distance with the starting point being the Woodcote Corner we know today by the support paddocks.
The race was 70 laps long and last roughly 2 and a quarter hours. Only 11 of the 21 who started the race managed to finish showing just how unreliable the cars were back then.
An interesting fact about the first ever British Grand Prix is that it remains the only race ever to be attended by a reigning Monarch with both King George VI in attendance along with his two daughters, Elizabeth, future Queen, and Princess Margaret.
The grid reflected the international aspect that would come to define Formula One. Drivers from across Europe gathered at Silverstone, including Prince Bira of Thailand and Swiss Baron Emmanuel de Graffenried.
But it was Alfa Romeo, a team no longer on the grid, that arrived as the team to beat. Their Alfa Romeo 158 cars were dominant, and Italian driver Giuseppe “Nino” Farina delivered a masterclass performance.
He led home an Alfa Romeo 1–2–3 finish, claiming victory in the first championship race in F1 history, a win that set him on course to become Formula One’s first World Drivers’ Champion later that year.
Another interesting fact comes in the form of the average age of the grid back in 1950. The average age of the 21 drivers was 39 which seems old compared to the average of 28 years for the 2026 grid.
The paddock was far more open and accessible than in modern day Formula One. Spectators could walk right up to the cars and drivers without any sort of pass or permission.
That day at Silverstone did more than crown a race winner. It established the blueprint for what Formula One would become, an international contest of speed, engineering, and driver skill played out before huge and growing crowds.
The British Grand Prix would grow into one of the sport’s most prestigious and beloved events, but its legacy will always trace back to that spring afternoon in 1950 when Formula One truly began.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 