Page 15 - YANTRAEVUE
P. 15
For 100 years, Formula One has stood as the highest class Aerodynamics was that technological
of motor racing. As is the case with any other sport, it too development, although it was around for
had started as a form of entertainment, but its long and a long time, the introduction of Airfoil
intricate history had turned it into the multi-billion dollar had placed it among the top priorities for
sport that it is today. Formula One was first sanctioned by vehicles trying to achieve high speeds. The
Federation Internationale de l’ Automobile (FIA) in 1950 results achieved by the application of Aero-
and ever since it has been branded as the most sought after dynamic downforce were astonishing. This
racing sport. As is the case with an event occurring in that aerodynamic revolution overwhelmed the
dreadful period, Formula 1 was also affected by World War engineers of F1 cars as the bar for preci-
II. The conflict between the nations in 1946 had resulted sion had been increased drastically. Every
in the suspension of initial races, in what was already a little aspect was to be carefully studied to
non-championship year. Next year saw the formalisation of produce the fastest car on track. This also
the championship races in Formula One and the races had provided a chance to the engine providers
been renamed as Grand Prix, meaning grand prizes. Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Honda to
advertise their engineering expertise to the
From the very beginning, F1 racing inspired excitement, public by innovating the fastest car at that
prevailing from its unpredictability, in every ‘Speed-Freak’ time. There were major improvements in
of their time. In the first three decades, the Grand Prix held F1 cars, the materials, the tires, the design,
in a year were limited as nobody attempted to predict the everything had to be changed. In simple
future it would have. The races, as said by some critics of terms, Formula One was reborn from the
Formula One, were literally playing with the lives of Drivers. ashes of its ancestors.
The reason for such criticisms was the lack of proper safety
for drivers around the race track; unlike today, there were The inclusion of aerodynamics in For-
no mobile medical units placed around the track, and this mula One led to extensive experimenting.
meant certain death for any Driver colliding into something The results weren’t always promising, there
at the speed of 290kmph. Due to an alleged lack of techno- were a lot of misfires and accidents in
logical and financial aid, or utter neglect, the problem of the second era. The safety measures were
safety was not solved in the first era of Formula One. improved, but accidents were caused more
by mechanical fault than by the Driver’s
Against all these odds, in 1950 the first man to be declared fault. There was no room for error on the
the world champion of F1 racing was Giuseppe Farina, Driver’s part in this era as all the Engines
almost losing the championship to Juan Manuel Fangio, produced nearly the same speed. Stra-
who later went on to win a record-setting 5 Championships, tegic Driving became vital for winning
earning him the name of the Grand Master of F1. Apart races. Drivers started to be more daring
from the inclusion of new rules, technological twitches, and on the track but practised caution where
quite a number of tragedies, the first era of Formula One it was necessary. They raced not for mon-
did not see much change from its infant years. By the end of ey but for the glory that will follow the
the first era, a new technological development was gradually world champions. There were no heroes
taking over the Automobile industry, little did people know who braved a fatal curve in this era, but
that this would change Formula One and inherently the way rather heroes who slowed down when it
cars are made. was required. The greatest Driver this era
produced was Ayrton Senna, who believed
he had a god given right to win. Senna
won three world championships before his
untimely demise in ’94. Apart from psy-
chological stress, there were also concerns
about the new modifications made by the
Engineers to his then car, Williams FW16.
He was the causality of a mechanical fault.
For quite some time the Beast seemed to
rule over men. 06
