Vintage photos show how Formula 1 has changed since its first season nearly 75 years ago
- Formula 1 held its first race 74 years ago in 1950.
- Safety measures were more lax in the early years, but now include barriers and safety cars.
This year's Formula 1 season kicks off on March 2 with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir.
A lot has changed since the first F1 race was held almost 75 years ago. Ahead of the new season, here's a look back at the early years of F1 races.
The first Formula 1 World Championship race was held in 1950 at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England.
King George VI attended the race with his daughters, then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
Two years later, George VI died of coronary thrombosis and Queen Elizabeth ascended to the British throne.
In the 1950s, racers wore plain uniforms with no featured sponsorships.
Formula 1 drivers posed for a photo in 1951 at the Paris Grand Prix wearing their jumpsuits, head coverings, and goggles.
The race cars featured retro touches like plaid upholstery.
At the British Grand Prix in 1956, the cockpit of the Connaught-Alta B race car was furnished with plaid fabric.
Huge crowds gathered to watch racers zoom through the Monaco Grand Prix in 1955.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Maurice Trintignant rode to victory in a Ferrari 625.
In 1961, tragedy struck when a race car crashed into the crowd, killing the driver and 15 spectators.
German driver Wolfgang von Trips died after he was thrown from his racecar during a collision at the Italian Grand Prix.
Safety standards weren't as advanced in the early years of the F1. Yahoo News reported that 14 F1 drivers died throughout the 1960s.
In subsequent years, racetracks featured protective barriers.
At the Questor Grand Prix in 1971, fans watched the race from a safe distance in the stands.
A Grand Prix race was televised in color for the first time in 1967.
Viewers at home watched Denny Hulme win first place at the German Grand Prix in color on their TV screens.
In 1968, Lotus cars featured the Imperial Tobacco logo for the first time.
Graham Hill won the Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid in 1968 while driving a Lotus race car.
Uniforms also began to feature more sponsorships and endorsement deals in the 1970s.
At the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix, drivers wore jumpsuits embroidered with logos for Miller beer, Gulf oil, Marlboro cigarettes, and other brands.
In 1984, racers in the Austrian Grand Prix exclusively used cars with turbocharged engines.
It was the first Formula 1 race where every car featured a turbocharged engine, ESPN reported.
Safety cars, which guide racers off the course in emergencies, were instituted in the 1990s.
The first safety cars appeared at F1 races in the early 1970s. The International Automobile Federation formalized their presence on racetracks at the end of the 1996 season.
Royals such as Prince Rainier, Princess Grace, Prince Albert, and Princess Caroline of Monaco remained a regular presence at Formula 1.
Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, and Prince Rainier of Monaco appeared at the Grand Prix of Monaco beginning in the 1950s. Their children, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stephanie, went together in the 1980s and 1990s and still attend today.
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