French, Italians and Germans dominated ’20s and ’30s racing
Formula 1 has grown in global popularity at a phenomenal rate in recent years, almost to the point of saturation, with an endless stream of online content showing us every bit of data, every comment, every lap from every camera angle and every aspect of every driver’s personality. Search up on the paddock of 50 years ago and you can get a good sense of how it was back then. That of 100 years ago, though? No chance. Unless, that is, you know of an obscure website named The Golden Era.
Many F1 fans have a vague notion that grand prix racing existed before the foundation of the World Championship, but you do still get the impression that it all started in 1950, the year Giuseppe Farina won the inaugural title – not as a rookie, incidentally, but at the age of 43.