The History of Formula 1
Richard WeissKey Takeaways
- The first Formula 1 World Championship race was held at Silverstone, Great Britain, on May 13, 1950. Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won it in an Alfa Romeo 158 and went on to become the first World Champion.
- Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record of seven World Championships. Hamilton holds the record for race wins with 106 as of October 6, 2026.
- Lando Norris is the reigning World Champion. He won the 2025 title with McLaren and became the sport's 35th World Champion.
- Formula 1 teams build their own chassis. Every IndyCar team races the same Dallara chassis with a Honda or Chevrolet engine.
- Topps has been the official Formula 1 trading card and sticker licensee since 2020.
Table of Contents
Formula 1 is the highest class of open-wheel, single-seater racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Championship started in 1950, and the first race was held at Silverstone on May 13, 1950.
How Formula 1 Started
The word "formula" refers to the set of rules every car in the series must follow. The Formula One rules were agreed in 1946, and the World Championship for drivers began in 1950.
The first World Championship Grand Prix was run at Silverstone in Great Britain on May 13, 1950. Twenty-one drivers took the start. Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won in an Alfa Romeo 158, with Alfa Romeo team mates Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell second and third. Farina finished the season as the first World Champion.
The Constructors' Championship, i.e. the title for teams, was added in 1958.
Formula 1 Today
Eleven teams and 22 drivers are racing in the 2026 season: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull Racing, Racing Bulls, Alpine, Haas, Audi, Williams, Aston Martin and Cadillac.
Lando Norris is the reigning World Champion. He won the 2025 title with McLaren at the final race in Abu Dhabi, finishing on 408 points to Max Verstappen's 396 and Oscar Piastri's 392.
As of October 6, 2026, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes leads the 2026 drivers' standings with 320 points. The most recent race, the Bahrain Grand Prix on October 4, 2026, was won by Max Verstappen. The season ends in Abu Dhabi on the weekend of December 4 to 6, 2026.
Differences Between Formula 1 and IndyCar
Formula 1 and IndyCar are both open-wheel, single-seater series, but they are built on different ideas. The main differences:
| Feature | Formula 1 | IndyCar |
|---|---|---|
| Cars | Each team builds its own chassis (required since 1981) | Every team uses the same Dallara IR-18 chassis with a 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 from Honda or Chevrolet |
| Tracks | Purpose-built circuits and street circuits | Superspeedways, short ovals, road courses and street circuits |
| 2026 schedule | 23 Grands Prix across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia and the Americas | 18 races, 17 in the United States and one in Canada |
The IndyCar schedule includes the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, run on May 24 in 2026. The series says its cars often exceed 230 mph on superspeedways.
The Best Formula 1 Drivers of All Time
Any "best ever" list is a matter of opinion, so this table sticks to the record book: World Championships and Grand Prix wins for 11 of the most successful drivers. Totals for active drivers are as of October 6, 2026.
| Driver | Titles | Championship years | Race wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 7 | 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017 to 2020 | 106 |
| Michael Schumacher | 7 | 1994, 1995, 2000 to 2004 | 91 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 5 | 1951, 1954 to 1957 | 24 |
| Max Verstappen | 4 | 2021 to 2024 | 72 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 4 | 2010 to 2013 | 53 |
| Alain Prost | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 | 51 |
| Ayrton Senna | 3 | 1988, 1990, 1991 | 41 |
| Jackie Stewart | 3 | 1969, 1971, 1973 | 27 |
| Niki Lauda | 3 | 1975, 1977, 1984 | 25 |
| Jack Brabham | 3 | 1959, 1960, 1966 | 14 |
| Jim Clark | 2 | 1963, 1965 | 25 |
A few notes on the names above:
- Fangio won his five titles with four different teams: Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati.
- Schumacher won two titles with Benetton and five in a row with Ferrari.
- Hamilton won his first title with McLaren in 2008 and now drives for Ferrari.
- Clark spent his whole Formula 1 career with Team Lotus. His 25th win, in the first Grand Prix of 1968, broke Fangio's record.
Formula 1 Trading Cards
Topps makes the official Formula 1 cards. Formula 1 announced Topps as its exclusive Official Sticker and Trading Card Licensee on September 11, 2020, and announced a multi-year renewal on March 25, 2024. The 2020 announcement named Chrome, Dynasty and Topps Now products.
The debut Chrome set is covered in our guide to 2020 Topps Chrome F1. The newest one, 2026 Topps Chrome Formula 1, is listed for October 15, 2026 on our 2026 sports card release calendar.
Shop our racing cards for Formula 1 singles, or look up hobby terms like rookie card in our sports card glossary.
Sources
- 10 facts about the very first F1 Grand Prix (Formula1.com)
- Drivers' Hall of Fame (Formula1.com)
- Lewis Hamilton driver profile (Formula1.com)
- Max Verstappen driver profile (Formula1.com)
- Lando Norris, Hall of Fame (Formula1.com)
- 2026 driver standings (Formula1.com)
- 2026 race results (Formula1.com)
- 2026 teams (Formula1.com)
- 2026 race calendar (Formula1.com)
- Beginner's guide to the Constructors' Championship (Formula1.com)
- Formula 1 and Topps sign exclusive global licence (Formula1.com, 2020)
- F1 and Topps announce long-term renewal (Formula1.com, 2024)
- NTT IndyCar Series car specifications (IndyCar.com)
- 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule (IndyCar.com)
- Formula One (Wikipedia)
- List of Formula One Grand Prix winners (Wikipedia)
- 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 checklist (Cardboard Connection)
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