Formula One

F.1 Logo

The inaugural Formula One Grand Prix took place in 1950 and was won by an Italian driver, Nino Farina, who was driving an Alfa Romeo. Italian auto giant Ferrari is the only team to have participated to every single season, winning 215 races and more championships than any other team. These numbers clearly show that Italy and Formula One go a long way back. For many years Italy was actually able to host two races in the same season, one in Monza--the traditional home of the Italian Grand Prix--and another one in Imola, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit. The track at Imola has a morbid claim to fame as the place that Brazilian racing icon Ayrton Senna died in 1994; it was taken off the F1 calendar a few years back. These days there are talks to bring a race to Rome in what would no doubt be a very highly anticipated Grand Prix.

Nino Farina

For American readers who may not be familiar with Formula One we'll briefly explain what it is: Formula One is a car world championship divided into 18 races, which take place in countries all over the globe. At the moment the United States doesn't host a race, but in the past Long Beach, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Indianapolis have held Formula One events and in 2012 a race is set to take place in Austin.

Similar to Indy and Formula Cart, F1 has been a sport largely dominated by Italian and British teams. These teams have not only won the most but have also invested huge amounts of money in developing their cars and achieving technological results that are not only good for the sport, but also for the companies' regular cars that are produced for the road. There was a time when Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari were the strongest teams in the championship. Today all three belong to Fiat and only Ferrari remains in F1.

First F1 Grand Prix in History - May 13rd, 1950

Besides Ferrari and the other cars however, Italy has a long tradition of F.1 drivers, who for decades raced collaborating on the making of the most prestigious event in car racing.

Aside from the glorious history of Ferrari and a name for making top rate cars, Italy also has a long tradition of great F1 drivers including Farina, Riccardo Patrese, Alberto Ascari, Tazio Nuvolari, Elio De Angelis, Andrea De Cesaris, Michele Alboreto, the Fabi brothers, Bruno Giacomelli, Riccardo Paletti and most recently Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Vitantonio Luzzi. Unfortunately some of them died while driving, and we would like to remember DeAngelis, Alboreto and Paletti, just to mention the most recent ones to have passed away. The natural danger of this sport and the long list of deaths often made the Italian media very strong opponents of Formula 1 and for this reason Enzo Ferrari often looked for foreign drivers to fill his cars. With car safety at an all time high the Italian media have actually begun to focus on Ferrari's historic wins, which have been smashing record after record.

F1 Track Simulator - Mark Webber at Monza

The prestige of winning or simply participating in Formula One is so important that investments into the sport skyrocketed until the international federation decided it was time to start controlling them and began imposing strict rules and regulations. Ferrari, too, has often been hindered by rules that have been put in place to level the playing field for other competitors.

With such a rich racing history in Italy it's also important to remember the Italian cars that raced but never won a championship, like Osella and Minardi, who always showed commitment and hard work. Today Minardi is Toro Rosso, the minor team of World Champion Red Bull. Another successful story is the one of Benetton, who won two world championships in its time, and Mr. Flavio Briatore, considered one of the best team managers, who has led Renault to some very prestigious victories. Just another example of the indelible link between Italy and Formula 1 is that Pirelli have been named the sole tire providers for 2011.