Chris Adamson reports…
(All words and photographs by and © Chris Adamson).
A new exhibition to mark 75 years since the inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in 1950 is set to be opened to the public at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu on Saturday 24 May.
Ahead of the public unveiling, Wheels-Alive was given a sneak look under the covers as the final finishing touches were being given to the new display.
Located on the entrance level of the museum (to the right as the public enters) the special display brings together nine iconic Formula 1 racing cars, including cars from World Championship winning teams such as BRM, Lotus, Williams and Ferrari.
Each vehicle represents a decade of technical and sporting development in Formula 1’s illustrious history – as well as some of its most legendary drivers.
Arranged in chronological order, the featured cars begin with the museum’s own BRM V16 which was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss at the 1951 British Grand Prix.
The 1960s are represented by the Lotus 49 from 1967 (also from the museum collection) which was the first car to use the legendary Ford-Cosworth DFV engine – winning its first race, the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. This car, chassis R3 was built overnight for Graham Hill to drive at the British Grand Prix.
Showcasing the technology of the 1970s is the March 761 which was driven by Vittorio Brambilla, Lella Lombardi and Ronnie Peterson who won the 1976 Italian Grand Prix.
For the 1980s no other car will do than the Red 5 as driven by Nigel Mansell – this Williams FW11 (from 1986) was powered by a turbo-charged 1.5 litre Honda V6, the most powerful F1 car of its day.
Staying with Williams for the 1990s the dominant car of 1993 was the technologically advanced active suspension Adrian Newey designed FW15C that was driven by Alain Prost and Damon Hill. This chassis (loaned by Williams Racing) was used for testing and carries the markings for David Coulthard who was then the test driver ahead of making his F1 debut the following year at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Representing the technological advances of the turn of the century are two cars, the first being the Ferrari F2002 that took Michael Schumacher to 10 Grand Prix victories in that year and the second, the Jaguar R5 (evolved from the Stewart Grand Prix team) which was driven in the 2004 season by Mark Webber and Christian Klen. It was their last car before the team was sold to Red Bull.
And it is the Adrian Newey RB9 from 2013 that comes next. Again a hugely successful car it was driven by Sebastian Vettel (to 13 race wins on his way to his fourth title) and Mark Webber taking Red Bull to its fourth consecutive Constructors title.
Completing the line-up is the William FW43B which was the first car to be created following the sale of the British team to a US investment company. The car took George Russell to second place in the Belgian Grand Prix of 2021 – the first podium finish for Williams since 2017.
In total, the cars and drivers who drove them represent a combination of 76 driver and manufacturer world championship titles.
Lifting the wraps off the cars, museum Chief Executive Jon Murden, said: “We can’t wait to share this display of the Icons of Formula 1. The National Motor Museum is renowned for our collection of motoring history, so what better place to showcase the development of motorsport and mark 75 years of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.”
SIMULATOR EXPERIENCE
In addition to seeing the fearsome race cars, visitors can try their hand at being a Formula One racing driver on an F1 simulator experience pitting their skills against the famous Silverstone Circuit. The simulator session lasts 15 minutes and costs £15 (use is subject to height and weight restrictions) – there will be a monthly prize of a Scalextric set for the best lap time.
The Icons of Formula 1 display has been curated by motoring journalist and motorsport commentator Guy Loveridge who is a heritage consultant to the National Motor Museum.
Headline sponsor is logistics company Indigo-Blue who work with the museum to transport historic cars to events across Britain.
The temporary exhibition runs until Sunday 02 November.