Presentation of 1950 season

In 1950 The International Automobile Federation (FIA) organized the first world championship among drivers in the Formula-1 class, allowing racing cars with 1.5-liter compressor or 4.5-liter atmospheric engines. The championship calendar included the Grand Prix of Great Britain, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy. The champion was the driver who scored the most points, while the results of only four best Grand Prix were counted. The winner of the Grand Prix was awarded 8 points, for second place – 6, for third - 4, for fourth - 3, for fifth - 2 and one point for the fastest lap in the race. At the same time, drivers of the same team could change cars during the race, while the points were divided equally between them.

Teams

Alfa Romeo S.p.a

The famous Italian team returned to Grand Prix racing in 1950 after a one-year break due to the death of drivers Jean-Pierre Wimille, Carlo Felice Trossi and Achille Varzi. The head of the racing team became Gioacchino Colombo, the creator of famous Alfa Romeo 158, nicknamed "Alfetta", which were designed back in 1938 and still were the best cars in this class. The cars was equipped with an 8-cylinder inline 1.5-liter supercharged engine and reached a power of 350 hp. The team's drivers were three "Fa": Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Juan-Manuel Fangio.

Alfa Romeo 158 «Alfetta»

43-year-old Italian nicknamed "Nino", nephew of the founder of Pininfarina company. Three-time Italian champion in circuit racing 1937-39, winner of Grand Prix of Nations in 1946, Grand Prix of Monaco, Geneva and Mar del Plata in 1948, Grand Prix of Lausanne and Rosario in 1949. Despite his age, the Italian was still considered one of the best drivers of post-war period, but at the same time he had the reputation of very risky and ruthless racer, who often got into truly nasty accidents.

Giuseppe Farina

52-year-old Italian nicknamed "The Old robber from Abruzzi", whose main successes came in the pre-war period. Winner of Grand Prix of Pescara, Comminges, Marseille and Italy in 1933, Italian and Spanish Grand Prix in 1934, Grand Prix of Monaco, AFUS, Barcelona in 1935. This year was the Italian's comeback in motorsport after his long absence since 1939. Fagioli was famous for his unyielding character, would not recognize any authorities and always opposed the role of second driver.

Luigi Fagioli

39-year-old Argentine, a native of the working class. Fangio achieved significant success in racing in his homeland, after which the Argentine government sponsored his trip to race in Europe. Having won Grand Prix of San Remo, Roussillion, Pau, Marseille, Albi and Monza in his Maserati, he became one of the most successful drivers in previous year and thus received an invitation to join Alfa Romeo. Nevertheless, despite his successes, the Argentine still was considered as a "dark horse" in Europe .

Juan-Manuel Fangio

Scuderia Ferrari

Founded in 1929 as a racing division of Alfa Romeo and disbanded in 1937, the Italian team was re-established in 1947 and quickly achieved success, winning several Grand Prix in 1948-49. At the head of the team was its founder, Enzo Ferrari, a man who achieved great success with Alfa Romeo both as a racer and as the manager of the racing team, while Aurelio Lampredi was appointed the chief designer, who took up the development of the new Ferrari 375 cars. A distinctive feature of these cars was a new 12-cylinder V-shaped 4.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, which developed a power of 350 hp. Unfortunately, by the beginning of the season, the new cars were not ready yet, so in the first races the team planned to use their supercharged Ferraris 125, which had proven themselves well in 1949. As in previous year, the team's drivers were Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, who were joined by the Frenchman Raymond Sommer.

Ferrari 125

32-year-old Italian, the son of the famous driver of 1920s Antonio Ascari, who tragically died in the Grand Prix races in 1925. Joining Scuderia Ferrari in previous year, Alberto won four Grand Prix and became one of the most successful drivers of last season. This year Ascari continued his collaboration with Enzo Ferrari, hoping to achieve new successes in the first World Championship.

Alberto Ascari

41-year-old Italian nicknamed "Gi-Gi", friend and mentor of Alberto Ascari. Winner of the Targa Florio race in 1939-40, Grand Prix of Nice in 1946, Grand Prix of Buenos Aires, Nimes, Nice, Strasbourg, Lausanne in 1947, Grand Prix of Buenos Aires, Comming, Albi, Great Britain, Penya-Rhin in 1948, Grand Prix of Rio de Janeiro and the Netherlands in 1949. Luigi was considered one of the strongest drivers of the post-war period and was easily recognizable by his gray-haired head. In 1949, together with Alberto Ascari, he joined Enzo Ferrari's team and now was preparing for new achievements in the first World Championship.

Luigi Villoresi

44-year-old Frenchman, winner of "24 Hours of Le Mans" races in 1932-33, Grand Prix of Marseille, Forez, Saint-Claude, Lille, Boulogne in 1946, Grand Prix of Montlery in 1949. Raymond was considered one of the best French drivers of the post-war period, combining all the qualities necessary for a racer: courage, perseverance, enthusiasm and skill. Driving in previous years for the most part as a private racer, the Frenchman contrary to his custom joined the factory team this season, hoping to achieve greater success in the new championship.

Raymond Sommer

Automobiles Talbot-Darracq

The French factory team of the car manufacturer Talbot-Lago, which has competed in Grand Prix races since 1921. The team won many victories in 1922-1925, then left the motor racing in 1929, then returned again in 1936 and won several Grand Prix in 1937. In the post-war period, the team also performed successfully, winning several Grand Prix in each season. The post of manager and chief designer of the team was invariably occupied by the head of the Talbot-Lago company, Anthony Lago, who created all cars of this brand since the 1930s. In the first Formula-1 World Championship Anthony put up his Talbot-Lagos T26C, which successfully proved themselves in the post-war Grand Prix. These cars were equipped with 6-cylinder 4.5-liter atmospheric engines, which developed a power of 240 hp, while a serious advantage of these cars was volumetric fuel tanks, which allowed drivers to drive the entire distance without refueling. The team's drivers, as always, were only Frenchmen: Philippe Etancelin, Louis Rosier, Yves Giraud-Cabantous and Eugene Martin.

Talbot Lago T26C

54-year-old Frenchman nicknamed "Phi-Phi", easily recognizable by the cap he wore backwards. Philippe won his first victories before the war, winning Grand Prix of Reims in 1927, Grand Prix of Antibes, Reims, Comminges, La Baule in 1929, Grand Prix of Pau, Algeria in 1930, Grand Prix of Pau in 1936 and "24 Hours of Le Mans" race in 1934. After the war the Frenchman began to compete for Talbot-Lago and in 1949 he won Grand Prix of Paris. Despite his age, Philippe remained as fast as his younger rivals, and this season he will try himself in the first Formula-1 World Championship, still driving for the French team.

Philippe Etancelin

44-year-old Frenchman, who owned his own garage and was seriously engaged in motor racing after the war. Winner of Albi Grand Prix in 1947, Grand Prix of Salon in 1948, Belgian Grand Prix in 1949. In racing, Louis tried not to take excessive risks and mostly relied on reliability. In 1949 Rosier took the title of the best French driver, and this year he will try to do his best to retain this title in the new championship.

Louis Rosier

45-year-old Frenchman who started his racing career before the war. Winner of Grand Prix of Chimay in 1927, Grand Prix of Chimay, Montlery, San Remo in 1947, Grand Prix of Paris in 1948. This year Yves joined Anthony Lago's official team to participate in the first Formula 1 World Championship.

Yves Giraud-Cabantous

35-year-old Frenchman with good engineering skills, Eugene personally upgraded his BMW/Frazer-Nash racing car and brought it to victorious finish in Grand Prix of Lyons in 1947. At the end of last year the Frenchman received an invitation from Anthony Lago to join his team, getting a real chance to prove himself in the first Formula-1 World Championship.

Eugene Martin

Officine Alfieri Maserati

The team of the famous Italian car manufacturer began competing in Grand Prix races in 1931, but in the pre-war period it failed to achieve great success without winning a single Grand Prix. The first victories came to Maserati after the war, when the new chief designer Alberto Massimino, who previously worked at Scuderia Ferrari, modified the 4CL car. This car was very popular with private racers, which won many victories in the period of 1946-49 at the wheel of this car. In 1948, this model was upgraded and received the name 4CLT/48, and it was it which went to the start of the first Formula-1 World Championship. The car was equipped with a 4-cylinder 1.5-liter supercharged engine and developed a power of 270 hp. The team's drivers were Louis Chiron and Franco Rol.

Maserati 4CLT/48

50-year-old Monegasque, one of the best racers of the pre-war period. Winner of Grand Prix of Rome, Marne, Spain, Italy in 1928, Grand Prix of Germany, Italy in 1929, Grand Prix of Europe, Lyons in 1930, Grand Prix of Monaco, France in 1931, French Grand Prix in 1937. After the war, Louis returned behind the wheel of Talbot-Lago and won French Grand Prix in 1947 and 1949. Despite his age, in 1950 Louis accepted a new challenge, joining Maserati to take part in the first Formula-1 World Championship.

Louis Chiron

42-year-old Italian aristocrat, known for his performances in sports car racing. In 1949 Franco took 3rd place in the Mille Miglia race, and in 1950 he decided to try his hand at the first Formula 1 World Championship as a Maserati driver.

Franco Rol

Equipe Gordini

A French team, founded in the 1930s by Amadeus Gordini, nicknamed "The Sorcerer". After the first successes in motor racing, the team was taken under its wing by the Simca company (which was French Fiat car assembler) and since then the racing cars of the team have been called Simca-Gordini. The first cars for Grand Prix races were built immediately after the war and in the period of 1946-49 they won several races. For the first World Championship, Gordini designed Simca-Gordini T15 model, which actually was more suitable for Formula-2 races in terms of its characteristics. This model was equipped with a 4-cylinder 1.5-liter supercharged engine, developing a power of only 195 hp. The team's drivers were Maurice Trintignant and Robert Manzon.

Simca-Gordini T15

33-year-old Frenchman who started racing after the war on his own Cisitalia. Having won Grand Prix of Angouleme and Comminges in 1947, Robert greatly impressed Amadeus Gordini, and in 1948 he received an invitation to drive in his team. In 1949, the Frenchman climbed the podium several times and won Montlery Grand Prix, and this year he will try his best in the first Formula 1 World Championship.

Robert Manzon

32-year-old Frenchman, the son of a successful winemaker, who started his racing career even before the war. In the first post-war race in Boulogne, Moris retired because of rat excrements left in the fuel tank of the car during forced downtime, earning himself the nickname "Petoulet", which the Frenchman took with his usual humor. Winner of Grand Prix of Chimay in 1939, Grand Prix of Avignon in 1947. In 1948 Maurice joined the Gordini team and won Grand Prix of Perpignan and Montlery, but also almost died and was seriously injured during the Swiss Grand Prix, having lain in a coma for eight days. The recovery took six months, but at the beginning of 1949 he returned to the team and won Grand Prix of Angouleme. This year Maurice will continue to drive for the French team, taking part in the first Formula-1 World Championship.

Maurice Trintignant

Enrico Plate

Swiss private team, created by former mechanic and driver Enrico Plate. The first success came to the team due to Tazio Nuvolari in 1946, who won his last victory in the Albi Grand Prix. In 1947-49, the team's drivers also performed quite successfully, achieving victories at the wheel of Maseratis in every season. At the same time, there were losses when the winner of 1947 Grand Prix of Marne, Christian Kautz, died in 1948 at the Swiss Grand Prix. To participate in the first Formula-1 World Championship, Enrico put up his private Maseratis 4CLT/48 while the drivers of the team, as in previous year, were Tulo de Graffenried and Prince Bira.

36-year-old Swiss aristocrat from an ancient family, who was fond of motor racing even before the war and achieved considerable success in the post-war period, performing on Maserati for the private team of Enrico Plate. In 1949, Tulo won the British Grand Prix and climbed the podium several times, and this year he will try himself in the first Formula-1 World Championship.

Baron Emmanuel Tulo de Graffenried

36-year-old grandson of the King of Siam (Thailand), who start his racing career in the 1930s while living in London. Together with his cousin Prince Chula, he organized his own team and performed quite successfully at ERA in the pre-war period. After the war, Prince Bira switched to Maserati and in 1947 won Grand Prix of Chimay, while in 1949 he joined the team of Enrico Plate, having achieved some success there. This year, the Prince will continue his cooperation with the team, hoping for success in the first Formula-1 World Championship.

Prince Bira