Everything You Need To Know About The Grand Prix

Started in 1950 and consisting of just seven races, Formula One was the culmination of the top racing categories from across Europe and the Indianapolis 500.

Sixty years later the sport now covers 18 races a season and is a multi-million pound operation broadcast across the globe to over 600 million viewers.

It is the premier category of world motorsport and is the platform upon which many of the most memorable events in sporting history have been staged.

Formula One has created 31 world champions, some of which have become household names around the world and legends in their own right.

Drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Juan Manuel Fangio have all become synonymous with excellence in Formula One and are renowned as being some of the greatest drivers of all time.

The most successful driver in Formula One is Michael Schumacher who, upon his retirement in 2006, had acquired seven World Championship titles, 91 victories, and 68 pole positions, all records.

Rubens Barrichello is the most experienced driver in Formula One history having started 284 races by the end of the 2009 season. By the end of 2010, he will likely have become the first Formula One driver to have competed in over 300 grand prix.

Ferrari is the most successful team in the Formula One and through its unique position as the only team to have competed in every season of the World Championship it has developed a prestige and history to rival any team in world sport.

Other teams which command a legendary status in Formula One are McLaren, Williams, and Lotus. McLaren and Williams still compete in the sport today and have achieved success of the highest level with hundreds of victories and 17 team championships between them.

The Lotus name will return to the sport in 2010 as one of three new teams entering the championship.

Traditional tracks like Silverstone and Monza have been around from the start but thanks to a recent push into previously untapped markets Formula is now breaking new ground with state-of-the-art circuits being constructed in countries like China and the
United Arab Emirates.

In 2010, it is expected that Formula One will once more expand its calendar to 19 races in order to make room for the very first South Korean grand prix.
The Singapore grand prix in 2008 broke new ground in Formula One when it became the first race ever to be hosted at night. Over 1,600 floodlights lit up the streets of Singapore to provide a spectacle the like of which had never been seen in the sport before.

Abu Dhabi became the second race to be held at night in 2009 with the futuristic Yas Marina circuit featuring a race which started in daylight and ended under the dark of night.

Formula One looks set to go from strength to strength in 2010 as cost cutting measures brought in to make the sport more affordable have attracted a host of new teams. The field will grow from 20 to 26 cars and is sure to make the battle for points more intense.

The races around the world have millions of follewers. Some of whom travel in person to each event, and others who watch from the comfort of their living rooms. If you are a fan then I am sure you will agree that going to see the Grand Prix is an amazing and exilerating experience never to be forgotten. Ths stuff that dreams are made of.