Did you know the Silverstone Circuit was an aerodrome during World War II?

Bruce McLaren took the wheel with the eponymous car, which made its F1 debut at the Monaco Grand Prix. The New Zealand born race-car designer is credited with laying the foundation of one of the most successful franchises in F1 history.

Jochen Rindt became F1’s only posthumous champion when his car crashed during a practice run at the Italian Grand Prix. Rindt had established an unassailable lead before his untimely passing.

Ferrari’s Niki Lauda made a surprise recovery following an accident at the German Grand Prix. A priest performed the last rites after Lauda was hospitalised with severe burns. However, the Austrian returned to the cockpit in six weeks, even managing to give James Hunt a close chase for the championship.

Bernie Ecclestone, credited with commercialising the sport, took charge as the chief executive of the Formula One Constructor’s Association. The year also marked the entry of Williams Engineering to the F1 fold.

In his rookie season, Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna nearly staged an upset at the Monaco Grand Prix by upstaging fancied drivers like Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Keke Rosberg. Senna, who started in 13th position, managed to pass polesitter Prost in the latter stages, but was unfortunate to finish second as track officials brought the race to a premature end on account of inclement weather.

Senna’s stature grew by leaps and bounds in subsequent years, and by 1989-90, his rivalry with Alain Prost was the stuff of legend. They were teammates at McLaren and for two consecutive seasons ending 1990, the seasondeciding race at Suzuka, Japan, witnessed collisions between the two rivals.

Rhinelandborn Michael Schumacher made his debut for Jordan-Ford at the Belgian Grand Prix. He qualified seventh-fastest but had to retire without completing even one lap owing to a clutch failure.

Schumacher won his first championship in a year marred by two fatalities. Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger succumbed to injuries sustained in two separate accidents at the San Marino Grand Prix.

Schumacher collided with Jacques Villeneuve in an aggressive maneuver deemed deliberate by officials. The German was penalized all the championship points he had accumulated that season.