Formula One Racing

Just what is it about Formula 1, that continues to fascinate and entertain fans from Silverstone to Shanghai...?

For each and every race in the 2009 season, an estimated 400 million people in around 180 countries will forego tiresome time differences and settle to watch the latest high-speed grand prix action. Only the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup finals deliver larger television audiences, and they take place only once every four years. Try doing it every fortnight between March and November!

Excitement kept us going...
One of its greatest assets of course is, that Formula One has history - dramatic, heroic, eventful history that has featured a cast of characters ranging from the extravagantly colourful to the deeply complex. So whether you grew up worshipping Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso there has always been something uniquely compelling about Formula 1.

Circuits change, cars evolve, teams come and go, but the raw intensity and passion remain the same.

For some people, it's the glamour, prestige and exclusivity that provide the most seductive aspect of F1. And it's not restricted to the fans. Film stars, musicians and sports personalities are regularly seen strolling down pit lanes basking in the reflected glory of F1. When it comes to glamour, no other sport comes within a yacht length.

Along with enthusiastic crowds, one of the most striking features of new circuits such as Singpapore or Valencia has been the impressive facilities on offer on and around the track. Building a grand prix circuit for the 21st century requires expertise and imagination, which is why the developers of the Bahrain, Chinese and Turkish Grand Prix have been creating suberb facilities.

But the benefits of hosting a Formula One race are considerable, and not just for the few dizzying days the attention of the world is focused squarely on the host city. The Australian Grand Prix was the first major coup in Melbourne's plan in the early 1990's to host major sporting events. The aim of that initiative was to revive local economy and put Melbourne on the sporting map. The grand prix certainly has achieved that.

The sport has always led the way in developing and applying innovative car technology, attracting the brightest minds in engineering and design. And the end product is nothing short of sensation. A Formula 1 car is capable of accelerating from standstill to 160km/h in 3.6 seconds. Three seconds later, the carbon-fibre brakes will have brought it back to rest. The sight and sound of these cars close-up exerts and intoxicating affect, one of the reasons why more than 2.5 million spectators attended F1 races last season. And it showed something of the enthusiasm people have for Formula 1 when more than 500,000 used every available vantage point along London's Regent Street to witness cars performing an ear-splitting demonstration run.

The sport has traditionally been centred in Europe, which undoubtedly remains its leading market, but races have also been held in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. New races in Bahrain, China and in Turkey, and others discussed for Mexico, India, Russia and South Africa have reinforced the sport's "worldwide" image.

The early 2000s have been dominated by Michael Schumacher and a resurgent Ferrari, whilst several driver aids returned due in part to rumours that teams were able to evade the restrictions. During the early 2000s, Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration created a number of trademarks and an official website for the sport (www.formula1.com) in an attempt to give it a corporate identity.

Bernie Ecclestone experimented with a digital television package, known as Bernievision, by which a fan could purchase an entire F1 season, but after poor viewing figures in 2002 the program was discontinued.