May 13, 1950: 76 years ago, the Formula 1 World Championship was born at Silverstone

Seventy-six years ago today, on a Saturday—the English strictly observing Sunday as a day of rest, forcing sporting events to be held during the week or on Saturdays—the Silverstone circuit hosted the very first Grand Prix counting towards a World Championship of Formula 1King George VI and his daughter Elizabeth, the future Queen of the United Kingdom, watched the race from their grandstand. The history of motorsport was about to change.

The domination of Alfa Romeo That day was beyond dispute. Their four cars occupied the front row in qualifying, with Nino Farina taking pole position in 1'50.8 at an average speed of 151 km/h. Behind them, the rest of the grid—Maserati, Talbot-Lago, Alta, and ERA—seemed destined to be mere spectators. The only major absentee: the Team Ferrari, which opted to race in Belgium where the prize money is more generous. The rising star of motorsport is conspicuously absent, and his absence has not gone unnoticed.

The race itself offered little suspense. Fagioli overtook the pole-sitter at the start, but Farina regained the lead on the first lap and almost never relinquished it. After 70 laps, the three remaining Alfa Romeos crossed the finish line in this order: Farina, Fagioli, Parnell—a clean and decisive 1-2-3 finish for the Italian marque, averaging 146 km/h. The fourth Alfa, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, retired on lap 63 with a broken oil line after hitting a bale of straw. The fledgling Formula 1 already had its share of dramatic moments.

From Silverstone to the rest of the world

This first World Championship comprised seven races, including the Indianapolis 500—a historical curiosity that the sport would soon abandon. Giuseppe Farina won the world title that year, the first in the sport's history, ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli. The following year, Fangio took his revenge, beginning a run of five world titles that made him the undisputed champion of the sport for several decades.

Since Saturday, May 13, 1950, Formula 1 has undergone a radical transformation. Naturally aspirated single-seaters, without seatbelts or roll cages, have given way to hybrid racing cars developing over 1000 horsepower, protected by the Halo and monitored by hundreds of sensors. The championship, which initially consisted of only a few European races, now spans 24 Grands Prix across five continents. Global audiences reach hundreds of millions of viewers, and the Netflix series Drive to Survive has attracted a new generation of fans far beyond the traditional circles of motorsport.

Yet, the essence of the spectacle remains the same as it was on that Saturday in 1950: drivers at the peak of their skills, engineers at the cutting edge of technology, and a track where everything can change in a fraction of a second. Silverstone is still on the calendar today, and the Formula 1 World Championship celebrates its 76th anniversary.

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