Stirling and Behra, 1956 – Photo: f1-photo.com As one of the greatest drivers never to win an official Grand Prix, Jean Behra lived and drove full of courage and bravery. To his love of racing, he lost part of his nose, an ear and ultimately, his life. Behra was born in Nice, France in 1921. […]
Last summer, in the French town of Le Mans, the famous twenty-four hour race started. In the front of the field, the hybrids from Porsche, Audi and Toyota shot away into a big lead. After twenty minutes, the backmarkers, Ferrari’s and Chevrolet’s, were lapped, which means a disadvantage of 14 kilometers. Porsche went on to win, while […]
Originally an answer on Quora to the question: What do you see as the future for F1 Grand Prix? I’m pretty sure that — despite the public disliking the new V6 engines and their sound — Formula 1 will go all-electric within the decade. Maybe at first there will be only an electric final drive, […]
Bellof, 1984 Monaco Grand Prix – Copyright © The Cahier Archive The timid Stefan Bellof played tennis, squash, sailed and skied. Yet most of all, he excelled at racing. Images of him in the nimble black Tyrrell remain of his F1 legacy, along with the thought of what could have been. Stefan Bellof was born […]
De Portago at Monza, 1956 – Copyright © The Cahier As one of the most remarkable Formula One drivers of yore, Alfonso de Portago’s short life ended as abruptly as it bloomed, and featured a series of highlights that went way beyond motor racing. Alfonso de Portago’s father was a Spanish marquess, his mother a […]
The dark weekend in May of 1994, when the world lost Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna, wasn’t the first time Damon Hill lost his teammate. That happened eight years earlier, on an ice-cold day at Goodwood. Here’s the tragic tale of Canada’s Bertrand Fabi, an enigmatic case of ‘what might have been’. Bertrand Fabi, all-out […]
“I’ve lost the race, haven’t I?”. Lewis Hamilton was always going to win the Monaco Grand Prix, until he wasn’t. After signing a new contract with Mercedes, Lewis led both sessions on Thursday. On Saturday, he took pole position, and on Sunday, Lewis charged away from the field and into a seven second lead that […]
1976 Germany German Grand Prix – Copyright © The Cahier Archive “Car good, Vittorio good.” Vittorio Brambilla spoke Italian and French, but little English. At the age of thirty-six he was a former mechanic and brought to Formula 1 as a driver by sponsor Beta. Nobody expected anything of him, but days would come where […]
The evening before the Italian Grand Prix of 1961, Wolfgang von Trips, speaking on the dangers of racing, replied to a journalist: “It could happen tomorrow. That’s the thing about this business, you never know.” Von Trips was always going to be Germany’s first World Champion, until that promise, along with the lives of fifteen […]
In the night of August 3, 1914, German troops invaded Belgium, bringing an end to the first era of motor racing that had started in 1894. An epoch of ‘horseless carriages’ powered by petrol, kerosene, steam or electricity. Experimental cars balancing on thin and flimsy tyres, lacking suspension, stopping power or protection against the elements. […]