1950 Formula One season facts for kids
The 1950 Formula One season was super special! It was the very first time the Formula One World Championship was held. Imagine, the start of something huge! The champion that year was Giuseppe Farina, and he won after a really close fight.
Contents
The Races: Grands Prix
A Grand Prix (pronounced "Grahn Pree") is a big car race. In 1950, there were seven official races that counted towards the championship. Here's a quick look at them:
| Round | Race Name | Where it was held | Date | Pole position (fastest in qualifying) | Fastest lap (quickest lap in the race) | Winning driver | Car Maker | Tyre Brand | Race Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  British Grand Prix |
Silverstone | May 13 |  Giuseppe Farina |
Giuseppe Farina |
Giuseppe Farina |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
| 2 |  Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco | May 21 |  Juan Manuel Fangio |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
| 3 |  Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis | May 30 | Walt Faulkner |
Johnnie Parsons |
Johnnie Parsons |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser |
F | Report |
| 4 |  Swiss Grand Prix |
Bremgarten | June 4 | Juan Manuel Fangio |
Giuseppe Farina |
Giuseppe Farina |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
| 5 |  Belgian Grand Prix |
Spa-Francorchamps | June 18 | Giuseppe Farina |
Giuseppe Farina |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
| 6 |  French Grand Prix |
Reims-Gueux | July 2 | Juan Manuel Fangio |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
| 7 | Italian Grand Prix |
Monza | September 3 | Juan Manuel Fangio |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Giuseppe Farina |
Alfa Romeo |
P | Report |
The Indianapolis 500 race was a bit different. It followed American rules, not the new Formula One rules. But it still counted for the championship that year!
Teams and Drivers
Many different teams and drivers took part in the first Formula One World Championship. The most important team was Alfa Romeo. They had very fast cars and some of the best drivers.
Some of the famous drivers who raced in 1950 included:
- Giuseppe Farina from Italy, who became the first champion.
- Juan Manuel Fangio from Argentina, a legendary driver who would win many more titles later.
- Luigi Fagioli from Italy, another strong driver for Alfa Romeo.
- Alberto Ascari from Italy, who drove for Ferrari.
- Louis Rosier from France, who drove for Talbot-Lago.
These drivers and their teams battled it out on tracks across Europe and even in the USA.
Final Standings: Who Won the Championship?
Drivers earned points based on where they finished in each race. The driver with the most points at the end of the season became the World Champion!
Here's how the top drivers finished in the 1950 championship:
| Pos. | Driver | GBR |
MON |
500 |
SUI |
BEL |
FRA |
ITA |
Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Farina |
1 | Ret | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 30 | |
| 2 | Juan Manuel Fangio |
Ret | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | Ret / Ret | 27 | |
| 3 | Luigi Fagioli |
2 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 2 | (3) | 24 (28) | |
| 4 | Louis Rosier |
5 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 6† | 4 | 13 | |
| 5 | Alberto Ascari |
2 | Ret | 5 | DNS | 2† | 11 | ||
| 6 | Johnnie Parsons |
1 | 9 | ||||||
| 7 | Bill Holland |
2 | 6 | ||||||
| 8 |  Birabongse Bhanudej |
Ret | 5 | 4 | Ret | 5 | |||
| 9 | Peter Whitehead |
DNS | 3 | 7 | 4 | ||||
| = | Louis Chiron |
Ret | 3 | 9 | Ret | Ret | 4 | ||
| = | Reg Parnell |
3 | Ret | 4 | |||||
| = | Mauri Rose |
3 | 4 | ||||||
| 13 | Dorino Serafini |
2† | 3 | ||||||
| = | Yves Giraud-Cabantous |
4 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 3 | |||
| = | Raymond Sommer |
4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | ||
| = | Robert Manzon |
Ret | 4 | Ret | 3 | ||||
| = | Cecil Green |
4 | 3 | ||||||
| = | Philippe Étancelin |
8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5† | 5 | 3 |
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Other points position |
| Blue | Other classified position |
| Not classified, finished (NC) | |
| Purple | Not classified, retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) | |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Race cancelled (C) | |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Excluded (EX) | |
| Did not arrive (DNA) | |
| Withdrawn (WD) | |
- Italics mean the driver had the fastest lap in the race (they got 1 extra point for this).
- Bold means the driver started from "pole position" (they were fastest in qualifying).
- † This means the position was shared between more drivers who drove the same car in that race.
Images for kids
-
Italian Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won the World Championship of Drivers, driving for the dominant Alfa Romeo team.
-
Alfa Romeo won six of the seven championship races with its 158 car.
See also
In Spanish: Temporada 1950 de Fórmula 1 para niños
