Racing Files

Designer, engineer, and team boss, Colin Chapman was one of the driving forces behind Formula One throughout the 1960s and ‘70s. A man whose name became synonymous with motorsport innovation, Chapman’s racing career began with an unimpressive start behind the wheel before the Briton came to realize that his real talents lay elsewhere

One of Britain’s best known racing drivers, Sir Jackie Stewart is as respected for his work to improve driver safety standards as he is for his three world championships. Stewart’s career encompassed some of the most dangerous years in the history of Formula One, and the Scottish driver’s 27 impressive F1 wins pale into insignificance when compared with the number of lives he has helped to save.

From 1934 onwards Germany was the preeminent force in global motor-racing. The Silver Arrows, the name given to the two racing teams run by Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, dominated grand prix racing throughout the 1930s, while setting and breaking land speed records across Europe and the world. To this day, the silver arrows are the pre-eminent force in German motorsports.

Talking of motorsport without speaking of France is impossible. France is home to the first motor-race to be called a grand prix, host of several of history’s most iconic racetracks like Le Mans or Paul Ricard, and a pioneer of city-to-city road racing, France was critical in the development of motorsport as we know it today. Racing Files takes a look at the French history of motorsports.

The world's oldest ongoing sportscar race, the 24 Heures du Mans was first held in 1923. The event is one of the most gloried on the international motor-racing calendar, matched only by the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.

The second-oldest surviving team in Formula One, the name McLaren is famous around the world. Few would have imagined that the small team founded by a racing driver from New Zealand would go on to become a global name in supercar production as well as one of the best-known marques in motor racing. Racing Files tells the story of McLaren.

First held in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix is the most iconic of all Grand Prix, a race with a storied history that long pre-dates Formula 1 and has become intertwined with the history of motor racing and come to eclipse the sport itself.

Fierce battles for championship titles, fierce duels for race victories and even disputes among teammates: Motorsports has been marked by feuds since its inception. The Formula One World Championship is full of heated rivalries, too, and fierce duels are a regular occurrence in the series. Racing Files looks back on the most exciting championship battles in the world’s most important racing competition.