Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo – Drunk on the Thought of Impending Return

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We would go down to the fish market early to cleanse our vision: the fish were silver, and scarlet, and green, and the color of sea. The fish were lovelier than even the sea with its silvery scales. We thought of return. We thought of return the way a man thinks of morning after an … Read more

The Notorious F1 Godfathers: The Man Who Became “The Maestro”

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Brought to you by TheJudge13 contributor Dane Hansen *** The 50’s. The Wild West of Grand Prix racing and a time when it all seemed so primitive. Men raced rugged machines around undulating tracks and danger vibrated through the minds of many. Juan Manuel Fangio’s tale is diverse and obscure. From his regular visits to the … Read more

#F1 Daily News and Comment: Wednesday 25th March 2015

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UPDATED 09:51 GMT A Daily Round up of Formula One news, inside whispers, opinion and comment. Today, OTD Lite 1984 – Balestre cunningly disqualifies Tyrrell team – sacre bleu Renault demonstrate Red Bull as much to blame Hamilton new deal AGAIN is closea> Ex-Lotus engineers strengthen Ferrari technical squad Is Alfa Romeo coming back to … Read more

#F1 Daily News and Comment: Friday 3rd October 2014

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This page will be updated throughout the day. Please if you are on Twitter press the tweet button below. If you re-write and tweet individual story headlines don’t forget to include #F1. You may not realise how hugely important this is and has helped grow our community significantly Previously on The Judge 13: TJ13 #F1 … Read more

On This Day in #F1: 30 January

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Brought to you by TheJudge13 chronicler Carlo Carluccio – 1901: Caracciola – The original Regenmeister When Mercedes bought the Tyrrell-BAR-Honda-Brawn team and renamed it for 2010, the general consensus was that any new achievements were to be included with it’s 1950’s forebears accomplishments. Personally I take issue with this as there is absolutely no connection … Read more

The #F1 Bar Exam: 22 August

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Welcome to another week of Formula 1 trivia. Last week’s one seemed a bit tougher and we only had two correct answers. Last week’s question(s): Can you name the year and circuit where the Formula 1 race in the picture was held and who won it? Can you also name the drivers of cars #12, … Read more

Formula 1’s first world champion:

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Rose tinted spectacles

“In the golden days of F1 every Grand Prix was a classic, with 20 changes of lead and a photo finish. Dashing drivers would climb from beautiful, sponsor-free cars, light a cigarette and regale the world’s press with quick-witted quips” (Keith Collantine). I love the picture this conjures up, and the further back in Grand Prix history we go, the more rose-tinted the spectacles become.

The names of Fangio, Ascari, Hawthorn and Moss all trip of the lips of every true F1 fan when discussing the very beginnings of Formula 1, but there is a name I never heard in my early F1 education and it is particularly strange because he is credited with winning the first FIA Formula 1 world drivers championship. Maybe this was because he was a ‘here today gone tomorrow type character’, or possibly he ‘lucked in’ to win a title when those much better around him failed to deliver.

Nope. None of that is true. Guiseppe ‘Nino’ Farina born in 1906 had nearly 25 years in motor racing and was still employed by a works F1 team when he retired at the age of 55. The nickname ‘Nino’ is Italian and means “God is gracious” and the reason for this label will become apparent.

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The Birth of the ‘Silver Arrows’ and the greatest race of all time.

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Bernie Ecclestone controversial said early this year, “What have Mercedes ever done in F1?” He was of course referring to the Brackley based F1 team which have had a number of names, as opposed to Mercedes per se. But modern F1 history often only begins in 1950 because this is when the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship season. Yet Grand Prix racing Formula One style was in existence way before 1950, and was exactly the highly competitive prototype car development race we have today. The 1935 German Grand Prix Victory for the massively under powered Alfa, is considered by many to be the greatest Grand Prix vicotry of all time.

A New Premier Formula

The previous governing body, the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) announced a new formula in 1935. The formula that limited the car minus driver, fuel and oil to 750kg without restricting engine size and the length of a Grand Prix was set to a minimum 500 kilometer – nearly twice as far as today’s races. The rules were designed to make the cars slower, but as been for all time the car designers had other ideas. Mercedes developed 4 litre engines with new lightweight materials – the previous thinking was that anything over 2 litres couldn’t be fitted into a proper race car. Mercedes’ chief designer, Dr. Hans Nibel, designed a car around a conventional layout but incorporating some of the latest development in racing technology

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