"Who needs religion when there's Formula 1?" – The premier class of motorsport turns 75

The thesis is heretical, but former world champion Damon Hill swears by it: "Who needs religion when there's Formula 1?" German BMW manager Mario Theissen took a much more sober view: "In the end, it's all physics."

Somewhere between complete inexplicability and complete predictability lies the immense and unbroken fascination with Formula 1. For the racing series, in other words, which, now that it's turning 75, is doing better than ever. Extremes, excesses, exclusivity, energy – these are the elements that make up its formula for success.

Of course, it's easy to condemn Formula 1, knowing that sometimes four racing drivers lost their lives in a single season. Or marvel at the fact that engineers on short-time work designed better ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic. Such contradictions have always been part of it; they are cultivated amidst all the greed and adrenaline, with sentimentality forbidden at the limits of speed. If something seems too far-fetched, even to those directly involved, they simply shrug their shoulders and say: "It's Formula 1." The racing series has always fluctuated between appearance and reality—a matter of life and death, mind you.

It's unthinkable what would have happened if the World Championship had been simply dubbed "Formula A" in its founding year 75 years ago, in accordance with the regulations at the time. The big number one, however, immediately manifested all the ambition and significance. And the British Regent George VI traveled to the first race at Silverstone on May 13, 1950. Since then, this wild chase has been a true premier league. By today's standards, Formula 1 would be more like a startup: cool guys, high speed, unusual approaches, high financial needs, and lots of parties.

Money may generally corrupt character, but in this €3.6 billion business, it actually sharpens it. A risky game, after all, in which second place is always the first loser. Fans love this sport for its clear answers. Almost 800 drivers have attempted success, but there have only been 34 champions in three-quarters of a century. The defining figures were multiple winners like Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen. And, above all, the two seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

The asphalt cowboys' thirst for freedom means that Formula 1 remains preoccupied with itself even when the world around them seems to be going berserk. Conventions were long alien to the leading actors, whether they were James Hunt or Nelson Piquet, Gilles Villeneuve or Kimi Räikkönen. This made them, each in their own way, a kind of pop star. They received high salaries and seemed eccentric, obsessed with what they did, always surrounded by the cold air of danger. Contrary to the cliché, however, they certainly didn't have a death wish.

In a fluid transition from self-promotion to self-centeredness, Formula 1 has always defied wars and epidemics. The racing series knows how to deal with crises, even those it maneuvers itself into. It succeeds in this, in part, because it has committed itself to rapid change through technology alone: ​​high-tech materials, safety technology, hybrid technology – much of what later became standard in road cars had already been found on the racetrack. And that the most capitalist of all sports is also capable of being an economic pioneer is demonstrated by Formula 1's early penetration of the Eastern Bloc and China. The horsepower caravan has now moved on to Saudi Arabia and the USA to increase profits. The racing series is honest in its efforts to always follow its greed.

Above all, Formula 1, as a self-proclaimed futuristic sport, is never satisfied with itself or with what it has. It's usually only what's coming that counts. And will-o'-the-wisps are part of that. The drivers obey their highly sensitive perception, the engineers develop racing cars with an occasionally frightening aesthetic, such as a Tyrrell with six wheels. Nevertheless, Niki Lauda was certain: "Speed ​​and beauty inspire each other." Only in slow motion do you become aware of the immense forces that are barely perceptible to the naked eye. In the constant roundabout traffic, speed is a completely legal drug.

Formula 1 constantly delivers accelerated dramas, sometimes described as circus, sometimes as mind-blowing cinema, or daily soap operas. All of these descriptions are accurate, because Formula 1 thrives on exaggeration, making it a perfect fit for Monte Carlo or Las Vegas. With egos sometimes so large that they barely fit in the cockpit or the control center.

The influential figure of Bernie Ecclestone divided Formula 1 into three eras: the era before him, the era with him, and the era after him. The lanky, all-round marketer always presented a simple demeanor. However, an enormous magnetic field of power grew around him, which is now controlled by the Hollywood corporation Liberty Media and appears to be gaining ever-increasing momentum. The principle, however, is borrowed from the Zampano: making money from a myth.

Racing drivers try to master the brutality of their cars with a seismographic feel. This hasn't always worked out; 25 drivers lost their lives: Jochen Rindt became champion posthumously, Count Berghe von Trips crashed shortly before winning the title, and Swiss idol Jo Siffert died in the fiery hell of Brands Hatch in 1971. Bernie Ecclestone commented cynically but aptly on Ayrton Senna's death on May 1, 1994 : "It was as if Jesus had been crucified live on TV."

Safety measures have been strengthened year after year, but complete safety is impossible. Everyone knows this, and some are drawn to the stands and in front of their screens precisely because of it.

Left: Englishman Richard Attwood in a Lotus car during the 1969 Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Right: Swiss idol Jo Siffert (right) with his wife Nina and Briton Jackie Stewart. Siffert died in the Brands Hatch fire in 1971.

This complex cocktail, with its intense blend of technology and risk, calculation and exuberance, money and prestige, never seems to stale. It's a global social event held every two weeks—no matter how out of date it may seem to its opponents. Yet Formula 1 has no shortage of young talent; over the decades, it has continued to attract its increasingly female target audience with sensory overload and high speed.

By taking all emotions to extremes, the emotional machine that is Formula 1 has captured our attention. It seems like a Hemingway plot about human behavior in tense situations. The Nobel Prize winner for literature only allowed three disciplines: bullfighting, mountaineering, and motorsports.