Gallery: Celebrating 900 Formula 1 GPs

Bahrain marked the 900th Formula 1 Grand Prix. Lets take a look back at the history of F1, 100 races at a time.

Formula 1 kicked off officially way back in 1950, and since then to date exactly 900 races have been run as part of official championships. Here’s a quick history we’ve put together breaking down the story of F1 into 100 race increments. Enjoy.

The 1st Formula 1 Grand Prix – Silverstone 1950

The British Grand Prix of 1950 marked the first ever official Formula 1 World Championship event. It was won by Giuseppe Farina whilst driving an Alfa Romeo. You can watch it HERE. (Image: Getty).

The 100th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Nurburgring Nordschleife 1961

The 100th Formula 1 event came around 11 years later. Landing on the 1961 German Grand Prix, the event was held at Nurburgring Nordschleife and was won by Stirling Moss. It is remembered as an important race as it was to be the last win Moss would ever have whilst driving a Formula 1 car, and one which he earned by squeezing every last bit out of his Lotus and then some to beat the better Ferrari machines in terrible weather conditions. (Image: Cahier)

The 200th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Monaco 1971

It took 10 years for the Formula 1 show to roll through the next 100 races, with the 200th official event being that of Monte-Carlo in 1971. The race was won by non-other than Jackie Stewart on behalf of Tyrell, leading Ronnie Peterson in second. Stewart would go on to win his second Formula 1 World Championship. (Image: Cahier)

The 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Kyalami 1978

100 races later it would be Ronnie Peterson’s turn to stand on the top of the podium, at the 1978 South African Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Patrick Depailler, with team mate Mario Andretti back in 7th. Sadly, Peterson would be killed before the season was through – being involved in a fatal accident during the 1978 Italian GP.

The 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Osterreichring 1984

By race number 400 Niki Lauda was on a hot streak. Coming into the latter half of the 1984 season, he’d just placed second in Germany, after having won in Great Britain the round prior. The 400th ever F1 GP would be held in Austria, and Lauda’s win there would contribute to his final Formula 1 World Championship victory. The race is remembered by Austrian fans as the first time one of their countrymen won on home soil. (Image: Cahier)

The 500th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Adelaide 1990

The 500th F1 GP would land right in the middle of one of the most controversial times in Formula 1 history. The event was the 1990 season finale in Australia, immediately following the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix during which Ayrton Senna had infamously driven into Alain Prost as soon as the race started – taking both out of the race and earning Senna the title. Piquet would win this final event of 1990. (Image: Sutton Images)

The 600th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Buenos Aires 1997

Seven years later Jacques Villeneuve was in the early stages of making a move for his first Formula 1 World Championship. He’d just won in Brazil, before managing to keep Eddie Irvine in second place to win the 1997 Argentinian Grand Prix – the 600th ever F1 GP. (Image: Cahier)

The 700th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Interlagos 2003

Just six years later came the 700th Formula 1 GP – 2003, Brazil. It was to be the last time the Brazilian Grand Prix would be held early in the season, and the site of a very controversial finish. The race itself saw heavy rainfall and water pooling on the track, which made things extremely difficult for drivers. Eventually the race was abandoned following a very nasty crash by Mark Webber, which saw Fernando Alonso plow into the remains. Initially the winner was said to be Kimi Raikkonen, however a little over one week later the FIA would take the trophy from him and give it to Giancarlo Fisichella after reviewing their own rules. (Image: Cahier)

The 800th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Marina Bay 2008

There was much anticipation ahead of the first ever night time Formula 1 Grand Prix, to be held at the brand new Marina Bay venue in Singapore. The event is well remembered today, however not for the reasons that the event organizers might have hoped. It was to become the scene of the incident best remembered as “Crashgate”, which unfolded a full 12 months after the event when news came to light that Renault had in fact ordered Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash so that the safety car would be brought onto the track, allowing Fernando Alonso a chance to win the race. (Image: Cahier)

The 900th Formula 1 Grand Prix – Bahrain 2014

Held at the Bahrain International Circuit under lights, the most recent round of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship was without a doubt the most exciting the sport has seen so far this year. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg might be team mates under the Mercedes flag, however that didn’t stop them from giving it everything they had whilst going head-to-head for first place. Hamilton would win the race, his second consecutive one this year. (Image: Mercedes AMG Petronas)