The Sound of Speed

The History of F1 Grand Prix The modern era of F1 Grand Prix Racing began in 1950, but the roots of F1 are far earlier. Including such pre-World War 2 legends as Italian Tazio Nuvolari and the great teams, Auto Union and Mercedes Benz. At the birth of racing, cars were upright and heavy, roads were tarred sand or wood, reliability was problematic, drivers were accompanied by mechanics, and races were impossibly long by modern standards. Regarded as the first motor race proper was a 1,200km road race from Paris to Bordeaux back in 1895, won by Emile Levassor with his Panhard et Levassor in 48 hours. One of the most successful drivers of the early years was Ferhand Charron, who won the Paris-Bordeaux race in 1899,also in Parhand, at the blazing average speed of 29.9mph