1950 British Grand Prix

The 1950 British Grand Prix, formally known as The Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d'Europe Incorporating The British Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, England. It was the first World Championship Formula One race, as well as the fifth British Grand Prix, and the third to be held at Silverstone after motor racing resumed after World War II. It was the first race of seven in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers.

The 70-lap race was won by Nino Farina for the Alfa Romeo team, after starting from pole position, with a race time of 2:13:23.6 and an average speed of 146.378 km/h (90.955 mph). Luigi Fagioli finished second in another Alfa Romeo, and Reg Parnell third in a third Alfa Romeo.

The race followed the non-championship Pau Grand Prix and San Remo Grand Prix (both won by Juan Manuel Fangio), the Richmond Trophy (won by Reg Parnell), and the Paris Grand Prix (won by Georges Grignard).

Background

Early Formula One racing

In 1946, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Commission Sportive Internationale first defined the "International Formula", a premier single-seater racing series to start in 1947. While the first Formula One race was the 1947 Pau Grand Prix, the 1950 British Grand Prix was the first Grand Prix of the new World Championship of Drivers.

Four non-championship races were held all across Europe in 1950 prior to the Grand Prix: Juan Manuel Fangio won the races in Pau and San Remo, Reg Parnell won in Douglas, and Georges Grignard won in Paris.

The first World Championship race The 1950 edition of the British Grand Prix was fifth held since 1926 and the third held at Silverstone Circuit since its first time in 1948. It was also the designated European Grand Prix for the year, making it the 11th time the circuit has held the title since the first race in 1923.

The race was also supported by an international 500cc Formula Three race the same weekend, which was won by Stirling Moss driving a Cooper-JAP. There was also a demonstration run for the BRM P15, which was due to enter the sport later in the year. The race was attended by George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and the Earl & Countess Mountbatten of Burma, which makes it the only motor race (and Formula 1 Grand Prix) in Britain attended by a reigning British monarch. 12 May 2025. formula1.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025. 30 June 2022. automobilist.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025. sportsbreaks.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025

Entries

24 drivers were entered for the first race with them competing in 22 different cars. The numbers 7 and 13 were not assigned. The biggest absence was the Scuderia Ferrari who would not compete in the opening race with Enzo Ferrari not sending any cars to Britain with the team debuting at the next round in Monaco, due to the small amount of appearance money the organisers were willing to pay him to participate.

This meant that Alfa Romeo were favourites with their four drivers Farina, Fangio, Fagioli, and British driver, Reg Parnell, while their main competition came from the Maseratis of the Scuderia Ambrosiana and Enrico Platé teams. Felice Bonetto also entered a Maserati but would not arrive for the race.

Talbot-Lago sent over two factory cars in the traditional French pale blue colour to be driven by Yves Giraud-Cabantous and Eugène Martin. Other private Talbots were entered by Louis Rosier, Philippe Étancelin, and Belgian Johnny Claes in a car painted in Belgium's national yellow colour. The rest of the field was made up of local machinery, which included four ERAs and two Altas in British racing green.

No Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre 1 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s 2 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s 3 Luigi Fagioli Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s 4 Reg Parnell Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s 5 David Murray Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 6 David Hampshire Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 7 Duncan HamiltonDuncan HamiltonMaseratiMaserati 4CLMaserati 4CL 1.5 L4s 8 Leslie Johnson T.A.S.O. Mathieson ERA ERA E ERA 1.5 L6s 9 Peter Walker Peter Walker ERA ERA E ERA 1.5 L6s 10 Joe Fry Joe Fry Maserati Maserati 4CL Maserati 4CL 1.5 L4s 11 Cuth Harrison Cuth Harrison ERA ERA B ERA 1.5 L6s 12 Bob Gerard Bob Gerard ERA ERA B ERA 1.5 L6s 14 Yves Giraud-Cabantous Automobiles Talbot-Darracq Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago T26C-DA Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6 15 Louis Rosier Automobiles Talbot-Darracq Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6 16 Philippe Étancelin Automobiles Talbot-Darracq Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6 17 Eugène Martin Automobiles Talbot-Darracq Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago T26C-DA Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6 18 Johnny Claes Ecurie Belge Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6 19 Louis Chiron Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 20 Toulo de Graffenried Enrico Platé Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 21 Prince Bira Enrico Platé Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 22 Felice Bonetto Scuderia Milano Maserati Maserati 4CLT/50 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s 23 Joe Kelly Joe Kelly Alta Alta GP Alta 1.5 L4s 24 Geoffrey Crossley Geoffrey Crossley Alta Alta GP Alta 1.5 L4s 26 Raymond Mays Raymond Mays ERA ERA D ERA 1.5 L6s Sources:

– Luigi Fagioli qualified and drove all 70 laps of the race in the #3 Alfa Romeo. Gianbattista Guidotti, named substitute driver for the car, was not used at the Grand Prix. – Peter Walker qualified and drove 2 laps of the race in the #9 ERA. Tony Rolt took over the car for 3 laps of the race. – Joe Fry qualified and drove 45 laps of the race in the #10 Maserati. Brian Shawe-Taylor took over the car for 19 laps of the race. – Entry cancelled prior to the event.

Qualifying Qualifying took place on Friday and saw the Alfa Romeos end up on the front row of the grid as Farina claimed the first pole position in the history of Formula One with a time of 1:50.8. Fagioli and Fangio and Parnell would fill the remaining spots on the front row of the grid. Prince Bira was the fastest non-Alfa, 1.8 seconds back with the two Talbot's cars filling in the second row.

Qualifying classification Pos No Driver Constructor Time 1 2 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo 1:50.8 2 3 Luigi Fagioli Alfa Romeo 1:51.0 3 1 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 1:51.2 4 4 Reg Parnell Alfa Romeo 1:52.2 5 21 Prince Bira Maserati 1:52.6 6 14 Yves Giraud-Cabantous Talbot-Lago-Talbot 1:53.4 7 17 Eugène Martin Talbot-Lago-Talbot 1:55.4 8 20 Toulo de Graffenried Maserati 1:55.8 9 15 Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago-Talbot 1:56.0 10 9 Peter Walker ERA 1:56.6 11 19 Louis Chiron Maserati 1:56.6 12 8 Leslie Johnson ERA 1:57.4 13 12 Bob Gerard ERA 1:57.4 14 16 Philippe Étancelin Talbot-Lago-Talbot 1:57.8 15 11 Cuth Harrison ERA 1:58.4 16 6 David Hampshire Maserati 2:01.0 17 24 Geoffrey Crossley Alta 2:02.6 18 5 David Murray Maserati 2:05.6 19 23 Joe Kelly Alta 2:06.2 20 10 Joe Fry Maserati 2:07.0 21 18 Johnny Claes Talbot-Lago-Talbot 2:08.87 Duncan HamiltonMaserati– 22 Felice Bonetto Maserati–Source:

Race On 13 May, 21 drivers from nine countries were represented at the old Silverstone airport, four from France, two from Italy, and one each from Belgium, Ireland, Monaco, Argentina, Thailand and Switzerland. The UK was represented by 9 drivers. The race drew 200,000 spectators. The cars drew up in a 4-3-4 formation. At the start of the race, Farina took the lead with Fagioli and Fangio in pursuit, while Cabantous got a poor start and lost four positions. In the early laps, they switched around between themselves several times to keep everyone amused. Fangio retired with engine troubles caused by a broken oil pipe (possibly due to clipping a straw bale)"10 Fascinating Facts About the Very First F1 Race – Held at Silverstone on This Day 75 Years Ago". 12 May 2025. formula1.com. Retrieved 15 August 2025 and so Farina led Fagioli home by 2.5 seconds with Parnell a distant third, despite hitting a hare during the race which caused a significant dent in the cowling of the British driver’s car. The nearest challenger was Giraud-Cabantous two laps down, with Bira having retired with a fuel problem. Crossley and Murray duelled at the back before retiring, de Graffenried had done so on lap 34, while Chiron was demoted to the role of the viewer 10 laps earlier.

Nino Farina led for 63 laps (1–9, 16–37 and 39–70). Luigi Fagioli led for 6 laps (10–15). Juan Manuel Fangio led for 1 lap (38).

Nino Farina achieved the fastest lap of the race, with a 1:50.6 on Lap 2.

Race classification Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 2 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo 70 2:13:23.6 1 9 2 3 Luigi Fagioli Alfa Romeo 70 +2.6 2 6 3 4 Reg Parnell Alfa Romeo 70 +52.0 4 4 4 14 Yves Giraud-Cabantous Talbot-Lago-Talbot 68 +2 laps 6 3 5 15 Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago-Talbot 68 +2 laps 9 2 6 12 Bob Gerard ERA 67 +3 laps 13   7 11 Cuth Harrison ERA 67 +3 laps 15   8 16 Philippe Étancelin Talbot-Lago-Talbot 65 +5 laps 14   9 6 David Hampshire Maserati 64 +6 laps 16   10 10 Joe Fry Maserati 64 +6 laps 20   Brian Shawe-Taylor 11 18 Johnny Claes Talbot-Lago-Talbot 64 +6 laps 21   1 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 62 Oil pipe 3   23 Joe Kelly Alta 57 Not classified 19   21 Prince Bira Maserati 49 Out of fuel 5   5 David Murray Maserati 44 Engine 18   24 Geoffrey Crossley Alta 43 Transmission 17   20 Toulo de Graffenried Maserati 36 Engine 8   19 Louis Chiron Maserati 24 Clutch 11   17 Eugène Martin Talbot-Lago-Talbot 8 Oil pressure 7   9 Peter Walker ERA 5 Gearbox 10   Tony Rolt 8 Leslie Johnson ERA 2 Compressor 12   Notes – Includes 1 point for fastest lap – Joe Fry drove car #10 for the first 45 laps, then Brian Shawe-Taylor took over for 19 laps for a total of 64 laps. – Peter Walker drove car #9 for 2 laps, then Tony Rolt drove for an additional 3 laps, totaling 5 laps.

Championship standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Nino Farina 9 2 Luigi Fagioli 6 3 Reg Parnell 4 4 Yves Giraud-Cabantous 3 5 Louis Rosier 2Source:

References

External links BBC newsreel of the event Digital scan of programme