Era Texts
THE NINETIES by Luca Dal Monte
The 1990s in Formula 1 open and close with McLaren, although in fact, the McLaren of 1990 and 1991 and that of 1998 and 1999 are two profoundly different teams. In between, there’s plenty of Williams and two seasons of Benetton. The notable absentee is the perennially announced but never present protagonist, Ferrari, which only at the end of the decade will return to win a title – although it will have to make do with the Constructor’s title….
THE EIGHTIES by Luca Dal Monte
The 1980s begin with Williams leading the pack. Old Clay Regazzoni, who clinched the team’s first victory, is no longer with the British team, but behind the wheel of the FW07, Australian Alan Jones secures the 1980 World Championship with five victories evenly spread throughout the season: the opening race in Argentina, the French and British Grand Prix in the heart of summer, and the last two races of the year in Canada and the United States, useful for holding back the emerging star of motorsport, Brazilian Nelson Piquet, driving the Brabham BT49….
THE SEVENTIES by Luca Dal Monte
The 1970s can be divided into two distinct parts. While there is a first part from 1970 to 1974 that sees the continuation of the dominance of English teams that characterized the 1960s, there is a second part in which English teams are, in part, downsized and Ferrari returns to the spotlight. The turning point is indeed the 1974 season, the first without three-time world champion Jackie Stewart, and in which Scuderia Ferrari returns to the top, but still has to bow down to an English team – specifically, McLaren….
THE SIXTIES by Luca Dal Monte
In Formula 1, the 1960s are the triumph of Made in England. Ferrari manages to win two world titles, but the entire decade is marked by the consolidation of power by British teams. These are the years of innovators, of drivers who become constructors, of a way of racing that breaks with the past. Constructors disappear. Engine suppliers arrive, to whom teams turn for their cars….
THE FIFTIES by Luca Dal Monte
The 1950s in Formula 1 are marked by the dominance of big automotive manufacturers – Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes. They are the major players for the first seven seasons. The small English teams, which start to make an impact in the second half of the decade, don’t truly become protagonists until the latter part of the 1950s, when Vanwall claims the first Constructor’s Cup and Cooper-Climax does even better by clinching both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in the final season of the decade.
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