The 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first-ever World Championship Formula One race, inaugurating the modern era of Grand Prix motor racing.
Key Facts
- Race distance
- 70 laps
- Winner
- Nino Farina (Alfa Romeo)
- Race time
- 2:13:23.6
- Average speed
- 146.378 km/h
- Championship round
- Round 1 of 7 in 1950 season
- Runner-up
- Luigi Fagioli (Alfa Romeo)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the resumption of motor racing after World War II, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile established a new World Championship of Drivers for 1950, selecting Silverstone to host the inaugural round. The circuit had already staged two post-war British Grands Prix, making it a natural choice for the championship opener.
On 13 May 1950, the Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d'Europe Incorporating The British Grand Prix was held at Silverstone before a large crowd. Alfa Romeo dominated the 70-lap contest: Nino Farina started from pole position and won with a race time of 2:13:23.6, ahead of teammates Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell, who completed an Alfa Romeo one-two-three.
The race launched the Formula One World Championship of Drivers, a competition that would become the premier series in motorsport. Alfa Romeo's commanding performance established the Italian manufacturer as the early standard-bearer of the new championship, and Nino Farina went on to claim the first Drivers' World Championship title at the end of the 1950 season.