On May 13, Formula 1 will be 75 years old - its first race took place in Silverstone in 1950. Just weeks later, the premier class of motorsport raced through Bern. But after the tragedy at Le Mans, Switzerland pulled the emergency brake - and disappeared from the Formula 1 calendar.
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- The first FIA Formula 1 race took place on May 13, 1950 in Silverstone (GB) and was won by the Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 Alfetta.
- The fourth race weekend took place on the notorious Bremgarten racetrack near Bern in Switzerland.
- Until 1955, the Swiss Grand Prix was an integral part of the Formula 1 calendar. Then the terrible accident happened during the 24-hour race in Le Mans.
- As a result, Switzerland banned circuit races. The ban will not be lifted until 2022.
Formula 1 has been thrilling spectators with its speed, technology and excitement for 75 years. Even though no races have been held in Switzerland since the ban in 1955, interest in motorsport remains unbroken.
Swiss drivers such as Jo Siffert or currently Sauber as a racing team show this: Switzerland has remained part of the Formula 1 world - not on the track, but in the pit lane and in the background of the technology.
"Particularly life-threatening in the rain"
In 1950, however, Switzerland was still an integral part of the Formula 1 racing calendar.
Find out what the beginnings of motorsport in this country looked like, why the Swiss Grand Prix circuit was considered particularly dangerous and what consequences the worst accident in motorsport history had for Formula 1 in Switzerland in the video.