At 3pm on May 13, 1950, the very first Formula 1 world championship commenced at Silverstone, UK. It was part of a seven-race season, a far cry from the 24-race slog of today.
And from humble beginnings, it has come a long way, from its hay-bales-scattered-around-Silverstone days to a memetastic, global phenomenon.
A global phenomenon that likes a good stat. Here are 15 good ones to impress/repel your friends with. Because nothing screams ‘F1 fan incoming’ than reciting how many races have been held since 1950.
Speaking of which...
1,131
Total number of races (including the Indianapolis 500 races, which were part of the world championships from 1950 until 1960). That’s a lot of Sunday afternoon napping
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Verstappen became ‘Franz Hermann’ to secretly test a Ferrari at the Nordschleife
Could Oscar Piastri be an early favorite for the F1 title?
787
Number of drivers that have started a grand prix, from 41 countries, with 151 of the total represented from the US, 148 from the UK, and 85 from Italy
34
Different drivers’ world champions, the youngest being Sebastian Vettel aged 23 years, four months, and 11 days in 2010, and the oldest being Juan Manuel Fangio aged 46 years, one month, and 11 days in 1957
115
Different grand prix winners. Sadly, none of those were Taki Inoue, Top Gear hero and the self-proclaimed worst driver in F1 history
216
Podium finishers. Nope, no Taki here, either, though he comfortably makes the grade when it comes to our top three favorite drivers, and that’s what matters
107
Different polesitters. Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions, having qualified first on 104 occasions, followed by Michael Schumacher in second with 68, and Ayrton Senna in third with 65
77
Circuits used across 34 countries. Monza has hosted the most races with 74, followed by Monaco with 70, then Silverstone with 59
11
Circuits that appeared only once on the F1 calendar, including such hits as Casablanca! Berlin! Dallas! Donington, Le Mans, Monsanto, Mugello, Pescara, Riverside, Sebring, and Zeltweg make up the others. No doubt there are current tracks you wish were on this list
363,956.169
Kilometres driven since the 1950 British Grand Prix (through to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix), equivalent to nine times around the earth. Quickly round it, of course. Unless you’re—that’s right—Taki Inoue
18
Years, seven months, and 15 days—the age Max Verstappen was when he became the youngest driver to ever win a race at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Heck, we hadn’t even passed our driving test
407
Race starts make Fernando Alonso the longest-serving driver in history, having made his debut back at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix...some 24 years and two months prior
105
Record number of wins, held by Lewis Hamilton. He’s followed by Michael Schumacher with 91, and Max Verstappen, who is fast catching up on 64
Seven
Joint record number of driver championships, held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. On current form, it could be a while (if ever) before Hamilton gets number eight
Nine
Record number of wins from a driver at one circuit, which is Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone. He also holds the record for the most podiums from a single driver at one circuit, claiming 15 at Silverstone. Oh, how he must wish every race were there
Eight
Years, 11 days, and six months—rhe longest gap between two pole positions, set by Kimi Räikkönen, from the 2008 French Grand Prix until the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
