Since 1950, Formula 1 has been the pinnacle of motorsport. Throughout its 74-year history, the company has had over 700 different drivers. Only 34 of them have won a world championship.
Giuseppe Farina, an Italian driver who raced in Formula 1 from 1950 to 1955, was the first man to be named Formula 1 World Champion. While he’s most well known for being F1’s maiden champion, Farina was much more than just an F1 driver.
Giuseppe Farina’s life before Formula 1
Farina always had a love for cars. By the age of nine, he was already driving, and by the age of 19, he was competing in hillclimbing. Just a few years later, Farina was competing in Alfa Romeos and Maseratis, with his most notable victory coming at the Masaryk voiturette race in 1934.
A couple of years later, Farina caught the eye of Enzo Ferrari, who gave him a seat with Alfa Romeo. He won three consecutive Italian Championships from 1937-1939 with the team and earned a reputation for being a ferocious driver.
From Nino Farina to Sebastian Vettel via Jim Clark. Our clickable #F1 hall of fame > http://t.co/4LFZJbb8wU pic.twitter.com/MbuOrvWIRX
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 23, 2015
During his time with Alfa Romeo in the Italian Championship, Farina was involved in two fatal collisions. The first of which came in 1936, when he and Marcel Lehoux collided at the Deauville GP. The second was with Lazlo Hartmann, Hungarian champion, which occurred at Tripoli in 1938.
After 1939, Farina and many other drivers took part in the war. It wasn’t until 1946 that Farina would get back behind the wheel. There was tension between Farina and Alfa Romeo upon his return, which saw him leave the team in favour of Maserati. There, he won in Monaco and a handful of other races in 1948.
Just a couple of years later, Farina rejoined Alfa Romeo for the first-ever Formula 1 World Championship. There, he would drive alongside another soon-to-be champion, Juan Manuel Fangio.
Farina’s short but famous F1 career
The first Formula 1 race was held at Silverstone in 1950. Farina put his Alfa Romeo on pole position and came home to win the race, putting him in first place in the championship. Farina would follow that up with a win in Switzerland before Fangio won three consecutive races to close the gap to his teammate.
With one race to go and the championship on the line, Farina needed to beat Fangio in Monza to claim the first-ever World Driver’s Championship. Fangio did not finish the race after his car dropped a valve, and Farina came across the line first to claim the title.
NINO FARINA WINSSSS!!! 🏆🇮🇹
He becomes the first Formula 1 race winner with a superb Silverstone display! 👏#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/thIz7fE2y6
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 13, 2025
Farina’s career was never the same after 1950. In 1951, he won just one race in Spa while his teammate took home the championship. He’d jump ship and sign with Ferrari in 1952. But he was unable to beat his teammate, Alberto Ascari, who won the championship in 1952 and 1953.
Farina would race two more seasons in 1954 and 1955, but could only manage a P8 and P5 finish, respectively. After winning the first F1 title, Farina’s career was plagued by crashes and injuries, and after 1955, he retired.
In five seasons, Farina won five races and one world championship. Even though he didn’t have the best career after the inaugural season, he will always be F1’s maiden champion.
