Formula 1 is nowadays considered to be the place where we can see the latest and greatest engineering developments being put to use, but everything has to start somewhere.
In the case of Formula 1, the story began with Grand Prix racing in 1906. Back then, it was not the hugely popular sport we know today, but rather one that attracted mostly amateur gentlemen. That changed in 1938 when Mercedes brought the professionalism we expect to see from the sport to this day. However, Grand Prix racing would have to take a break around 1939 and only came back 11 years later.
It is this era, the 1950s, that we get to see at the Goodwood revival event. The people competing in the first Formula 1 Championship had not even caught up to what Mercedes had previously managed to achieve. The cars were not the highly precise, downforce-reliant speed demons that we see today. They were still highly unstable, unsafe, and difficult to drive.
But it’s these cars that gave us some of the biggest names in Formula 1 history, like Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari (yes, the guy that the chicane at Monza is named after). They used to put their lives on the line and race these untamed beasts in a bid to prove they were the best driver out there. And we get to see a spectacular example of a car they both drove in the early years of the sport during the Goodwood Richmond & Gordon Trophies event.
I am talking about the Lancia D50, a car so good that determined Ferrari to take up racing after Lancia retired from the sport. This car is also the one that took Fangio to his championship win in 1956, even though it had been introduced in 1954. But Fangio won championships in more than one car. Another model present here, which the Argentine also won a championship with, is the Maserati 250F.
And we get to see even more awesome vehicles from F1 history. One of them is the Ferrari 246. One such car was used by Mike Hawthorn to win the championship in 1958. The list goes on with marvels like the Cooper-Climax T51 and T53, which took Jack Brabham to his first two titles. You can also see the Lotus-Climax 18, designed by the legendary Colin Chapman.
Overall, you would be hard-pressed to find a race with more historical significance for Formula 1 than the Goodwood Richmond & Gordon Trophies event. Even if the cars are not as fast, even if the drama is not there, this event is still one of the greatest any F1 fan could watch.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
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