g., in 1950, a total of twenty-two Formula One races were held, of which only six counted towards the World Championship). If the driver who set the fastest lap finishes outside of the top ten, then the point for fastest lap will not be awarded for that race.

The first Formula One race was held in 1946, [198] whereas the World Championship did not start until 1950. I bought this as an intended Christmas Present for my son-in-law, so cannot comment on the comprehensiveness or bias of the content. Brabham were also being competitive during the early part of the 1980s, winning two Drivers' Championships with Nelson Piquet. The safety car is another relatively recent innovation that reduced the need to deploy the red flag, allowing races to be completed on time for a growing international live television audience. As the head of the race officials, the race director also plays a large role in sorting disputes among teams and drivers.

The different compounds have different levels of performance and choosing when to use which compound is a key tactical decision to make. Companies such as Climax, Repco, Cosworth, Hart, Judd and Supertec, which had no direct team affiliation, often sold engines to teams that could not afford to manufacture them. Consequently, the driver's head is pulled sideways with a force equivalent to the weight of 20 kg in corners. Renault (pictured here with Nico Hülkenberg) has had an active role in Formula One as both constructor and engine supplier since 1977. Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance in car design with the appearance of aerofoils during the 1968 season.

Each chapter tells the fascinating stories behind the greatest drivers and teams, important personnel, famous and infamous incidents, as well as key changes to the rules on design, safety and competitiveness. All in all, Formula 1: The Official History is a fantastic celebration of one of the world's most popular, spectacular and glamorous sports.

Six of the original seven races took place in Europe; the only non-European race that counted towards the World Championship in 1950 was the Indianapolis 500, which was held to different regulations and later replaced by the United States Grand Prix.

Sky launched a dedicated channel, Sky Sports F1 which covered all races live without commercial interruption as well as live practice and qualifying sessions, along with F1 programming, including interviews, archive action and magazine shows. Following their purchase of the commercial rights to the sport in 2017, Liberty Media announced their vision for the future of Formula One at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The previous generation of cars sported a large number of small winglets, "barge boards", and turning vanes designed to closely control the flow of the air over, under, and around the car. Grids were generally limited to 26 cars – if the race had more entries, qualification would also decide which drivers would start the race. A significant overhaul of the technical regulations intended to be introduced in the 2021 season was pushed back to 2022, [60] with constructors instead using their 2020 chassis for two seasons and a token system limiting which parts could be modified was introduced. This proved to be the greatest technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engined cars.