1950 F1 World Championship

Season Summary

The 1950 Formula 1 season introduced the first-ever FIA World Championship of Drivers, giving drivers an official seven-race championship calendar and setting the stage for F1 we know and love today.

In addition to the races that counted towards the World Championship, the 1950 season also had a number of non-championship races, offering teams and drivers other races to showcase their cars and on-track race craft.

Season

The championship started on May 13 at Silverstone and ran until September 3 at Monza. During the season, drivers competed in six official Grand Prix events across Europe, driving cars that adhered to the FIA’s specific Formula 1 regulations. Outside of the non-championship races, other cars were allowed to compete.

The Indianapolis 500 was also a counted event, unique to the championship, even though it operated under the AAA National Championship regulations, which were distinct from the standard F1 rules.

Giuseppe Farina emerged as the 1950 Drivers’ Champion, clinching the title ahead of other F1 legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli. The win solidified Farina’s position in F1 history as the first-ever championship winner in Formula One.

1950 F1 Entries drivers and teams

TeamDriverRace entriesVictoriesPodiumsPolesFastes Laps
AdamsBayliss Levrett1
Bill Cantrell1
Alfa RomeoConsalvo Sanesi1
Giuseppe Farina63323
Juan Manuel Fangio73343
Luigi Fagioli65
Piero Taruffi1
Reg Parnell21
AltaGeoffrey Crossley2
Joe Kelly1
Automobiles Talbot-DarracqCharles Pozzi1
Eugen Martin2
Eugene Chaboud2
Guy Mairesse1
Henri Louveau1
Johnny Claes6
Louis Rosier72
Philippe Etancelin6
Pierre Levegh3
Yves Giraud-Cabantous4
CooperHarry Schell2
DeidtBill Holland11
Mauri Rose11
Tony Bettenhausen Sr.1
EwingJimmy Davies1
FerrariAlberto Ascari62
Dorino Serafini11
Luigi Villoresi4
Raymond Sommer5
FerrariJaguarClemente Biondetti1
GordiniMaurice Trintignant2
Robert Manzon3
KurtisCecil Green1
Duke Dinsmore1
Freddie Agabashian1
Jack McGrath1
Jerry Hoyt1
Jimmy Jackson1
Johnnie Parsons1111
Johnny McDowell1
Joie Chitwood1
Mack Hellings1
Pat Flaherty1
Sam Hanks1
Walt Brown1
Walt Faulkner11
LangleyGene Hartley1
LesovskyGeorge Connor1
Troy Ruttman1
MarcheseMyron Fohr1
MaseratiAlfredo Pian1
Antonio Branca2
Birabongse Bhanudej4
Bob Gerard2
Brian Shawe-Taylor1
David Hampshire2
David Murray2
Emmanuel de Graffenried4
Felice Bonetto4
Franco Rol3
Henry Banks1
Joe Fry1
Jose Froilan Gonzalez2
Leslie Johnson1
Louis Chiron51
Nello Pagani1
Paul Pietsch1
Peter Walker1
Spider Webb1
T. Cuth Harrison3
Tony Rolt1
MooreLee Wallard1
NichelsPaul Russo1
OlsonJackie Holmes1
Peter WhiteheadPeter Whitehead31
RaeWalt Ader1
Scuderia MilanoGianfranco Comotti1
SnowbergerBill Schindler1
StevensDuane Carter1
WatsonDick Rathmann1
WetterothJim Rathmann1

1950 Formula 1 Race Calendar

DateGrand PrixLapsDistanceCountry
13 MaySilverstone704.649Great Britain
21 MayMonte Carlo1003.1801Monaco
30 MayIndianapolis2004.01Indianapolis
04 JunBremgarten427.28Switzerland
18 JunSpa-Francorchamps3514.12Belgium
02 JulRheims647.815France
03 SepMonza806.3Italy

1950 Formula 1 Standings

In the scoring system of the 1950 Formula One season, drivers were allocated points based on their finishing positions in each Grand Prix. Specifically, the distribution was as follows:

  • The race winner received 8 points.
  • The second-place finisher was awarded 6 points.
  • Third place earned 4 points.
  • Fourth place got 3 points.
  • The driver finishing fifth was given 2 points.

Furthermore, an additional point was up for grabs for the driver who set the fastest lap during the Grand Prix.

However, there was a notable caveat in the championship calculations: only a driver’s best four race results contributed to their championship total. This meant that even if a driver competed in more races and amassed points, only the points from their top four performances would count towards their championship standing.

Driver standings

PosDriverNationalityCarPTS
1Giuseppe FarinaITAAlfa Romeo30
2Juan Manuel FangioARGAlfa Romeo27
3Luigi FagioliITAAlfa Romeo24
4Louis RosierFRATalbot-Lago13
5Alberto AscariITAFerrari11
6Johnnie ParsonsUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser9
7Bill HollandUSADeidt Offenhauser6
8Prince BiraTHAMaserati5
9Reg ParnellGBRMaserati4
9Louis ChironMONMaserati4
9Mauri RoseUSADeidt Offenhauser4
9Peter WhiteheadGBRFerrari4
13Yves Giraud CabantousFRATalbot-Lago3
13Raymond SommerFRATalbot-Lago3
13Cecil GreenUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser3
13Robert ManzonFRASimca-Gordini3
13Dorino SerafiniITA3
13Philippe EtancelinFRA3
19Felice BonettoITAMaserati Milano2
20Tony BettenhausenUSADeidt Offenhauser1
20Joie ChitwoodUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser1
20Eugene ChaboudFRA1