How To Know the History of Formula 1 Racing

Formula 1 racing has been the pinnacle of motor sports for over 60 years. The modern era sprang from the ashes of WWII. The early days were marked with danger and death, not only for the drivers but spectators as well. Cars had little in the way of safety equipment and often careened down city streets at well over a hundred miles an hour with no safety barrier between them and spectators watching from the sidewalk or side of the road. Often more spectators were injured in the course of a race than drivers.

The early days of F1 are marked with some of the most legendary drivers: Fangio, Gonzalez, Sterling Moss and Jim Clark driving cars from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Porche. One can only imagine what it would have been like to watch Fangio and Gonzalez dueling an arm's length away as you sipped wine at a corner café. Many great drivers have piloted an F1 rocket such as Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Stewart, Fittapaldi, Schecter, Andretti, Senna and Schumacher to name a few. Some of the marks they drove for were March, Mercedes, McLaren, Lotus and Ford-Cosworth. As technology and safety concerns progressed, Formula 1 has typically been at the forefront.

Today you can still sit within arm's length of an F1 car at Monaco but there is an Armco barrier between you and the track. The rest of the circuits raced on today are purpose built tracks or street courses carefully laid out to maximize safety for all involved. Although many of the legendary marks are gone, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, BMW and Toyota can be found in the paddock today, with Cosworth slated to return in 2010. The teams of yesteryear replaced with Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams, Sauber, Force India and the magic team of 2009, Brawn. In 2009 F1 will race in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the Middle East.

Unfortunately once again F1 fails to stop in North America. F1 has had a love-hate relationship with North America, with races having been held at legendary venues like Watkins Glen, the streets of Long Beach and Indy. The races are always well attended but politics among the racing elite seem to always throw a spanner into the works somehow. Because of this, American and Canadian F1 fans can only watch the incredible season that Brawn-Mercedes is having from their living room or favorite sports bar.