Formula One World Drivers' Championship trophy.
Fifty-nine seasons of Formula One, the highest class of open wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body, have been run. The F1 world championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets, the most famous of which is the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.
The World Drivers' Championship is awarded to the most successful Formula One driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results, and has been awarded since the first Formula One season in 1950. The World Constructors' Championship is awarded to the most successful Formula One constructor over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results. The Constructors' Championship was first awarded in 1958. Different car make/engine combinations are considered to be different constructors for the purposes of the Championship. Constructors' Championship points are calculated by adding points scored in each race by any driver for that constructor. Up until 1979, most seasons saw only the highest-scoring driver in each race for each constructor contributing points towards the Championship. On only ten occasions has the World Constructors' Champion team not contained the World Drivers' Champion for that season.
[edit] List of seasons
