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The F1 Exhibition brings together a collection of historical F1 artifacts and cars from throughout the generations.
The immersive journey takes you from the sport’s early days, in the form of the 1961 ‘shark nose’ Ferrari 156, all the way to Max Verstappen’s debut championship-winning car, the RB16B.
The fourth event, which is the third in Europe, has landed at the ExCeL London and is set back from the banks of the River Thames. The modern architecture of the exhibition centre, where Formula E also holds its races, starkly contrasts the old 18th-century mill that lies across the water. A building where workers would have witnessed a different time of Formula 1 that we could only dream of.
This F1 fans’ paradise is not oversized—an empty expanse of wasted space—but a contained, intense hit of F1 history. It highlights the sport’s great times, from former CEO Bernie Ecclestone’s growth and media explosion, which can be witnessed today, to the remains of Romain Grosjean’s burnt monocoque, showcasing the perils of the sport we watch.
Why London?
The first F1 World Championship race was the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Alfa Romeo took all three spots on the podium, with Nino Farina taking the win, followed by Luigi Fagioli and the British driver Reg Parnell.
Silverstone had held four races before. However, none of them counted as a Formula 1 championship race.
The birthplace of the F1 World Championship was the United Kingdom, which the producer of the Formula 1 Exhibition, Jonathan Linden, described as the “home of Formula 1” and explained was part of the reasoning for bringing the event back to its homeland.
With the red and white McLaren MP4/4 in our shadows, Linden sat down with FormulaNerds and explained in an exclusive interviewВ? why London was so important to the exhibition. The F1 Exhibition producer said:
“I think we wanted to come to London at the beginning.
“It’s sort of the home of Formula 1, and it’s a fantastic market, and there’s a huge fanbase, but obviously, the nature of venues of this size, particularly coming out of the pandemic, we had to find the right spots that made sense.”
The show’s producer also mentioned that visitors could perhaps expect a more “refined” performance than what customers in Vienna and Madrid would have experienced.
“So, Madrid was a great opening market, and then into Vienna and it’s almost like those were initial markets where we worked out some of the things that need to be perfected and refined,” Linden added.
“So, we are ready for primetime —we are ready for the London market, and we are really excited to be here!”
The immersive content showcased through visual displays has been clearly designed to target the British consumer. A large section of it is focused on Britain and the country’s drivers and personalities, their stories, and the products of their success and failure.
The iconic McLaren MP4/4 on display
The 1988 McLaren MP4/4 is arguably the most iconic car in sports history. The V6 turbocharged iconic white and red liveried rocket was the last hurrah in the turbocharged era. The turbo was banned from 1989, and teams moved their focus to a naturally aspirated generation.
The 675 hp car was a dominant force which previous pack leaders Williams couldn’t keep up with; the pace contained in the car saw them obtain 15 wins of the 16 races that season, apart from one being the Italian Grand Prix.
The driver pairing of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna led the field, but the Brazilian motor racing icon Senna came out on top by three points. The three-time World Champion’s championship-winning car sits centre stage amongst walls of films and mementoes of engineering and technological advancements.
With the McLaren in the middle, it emphasises the work required to build a car that, up until 2023, had the highest win rate until the Red Bull RB23 broke it with a 95.45% win rate.
Tim Harvey, the curator of the Formula 1 Exhibition, explained his decision to pick the “iconic” MP4/4 for the show.
“It’s arguably Formula 1’s most iconic race car,” Harvey said.
“A large part of that is not actually because of the cutting-edge invitation that exists within the car, but it’s because this car was the best example of how electronics and the new material science- carbon fibre had been brought together in a perfectly balanced car.
“It was a brilliant race car: its balance, its design, its weight distribution made it an unbeatable, literally unbeatable car through most of the 1988 season.
“It was driven by the sport’s great icon Ayrton Senna, so it is a legendary car and a car that means a lot to Formula 1 fans but also is this sort of the apex of the early years of carbon fibre chassis development, that John Barnard, Ron Dennis introduced to the sport in the early 80’s [1980’s].
“But it was also combined with these two amazing drivers, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. It represents a definite golden era in the sport.
“But up until last season, it was statistically the best-performing car.”
Häkkinen tells his story
When you first enter the exhibition, you are greeted by four cars in the darkness, lights shining from below, and banners with portraits of their creators flying behind.
The ‘shark nose’ Ferrari 156, the Lotus Type 72, the Williams FW08 and Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren MP4/14 all take centre stage as you enter the venue.
The 1999 McLaren MP4/14 sent the Finnish driver to his second Drivers’ Championship in a season, where he beat Eddie Irvine’s Ferrari by just two points.
In a previously unseen interview, the two-time World Champion tells the story of his thoughts on the winning car and his enjoyment as soon as he stepped foot inside in what would be his 5-time race-winning car.
However, the MP4/13 successor for 1999 was less successful. When questioned why they chose to bring Häkkinen’s second championship-winning car, Harvey claimed it was the story behind the car that made it so special, as the tides of power in Formula 1 began to shift.
“It was a fascinating season because suddenly the dominance of McLaren was starting to wane,” added Harvey. “That era of a 20-year period, where with all be it by a few exceptions, Williams and McLaren had utterly dominated and reinvented what a racing car looked like during that period of time.
“So, 1999 was a great year because of this turning point in the balance of power that existed during the sport.
“I think there’s a great story in that. Is it as good a car as the 1998, the MP4/13 -probably not. In comparison, I think the story it reflects is worth it, and it’s a great privilege to have the car.”
A truly global venture
The fact that the exhibition is in its fourth leg of the tour speaks for itself about how successful it has been. Its reception around the world has gone down as one of the greatest collections and experiences of sports memorabilia.
A first look at the @F1Exhibition in London ?
A thrilling journey through the adrenaline-fueled world of F1, featuring iconic cars, legendary moments, and cutting-edge technology that drives the sport forward.A thread of photos from our own @brindle_oliver #F1 #F1Exhibition pic.twitter.com/SihjnBqJx8
— FormulaNerds ?? (@Formula_Nerds) August 20, 2024
Linden who has spent his time piecing the show together admitted it was about tweaking the show to different audiences with the North America audiences enjoying more immersive content compared to Europe.
“Madrid and Vienna were both great markets and Toronto’s obviously the North American launch earlier this season. It’s a different fanbase, and so the shows are a little bit different; it’s a little smaller.
“Some of the historical elements that the feeling was they wouldn’t resonate quite the same way a little more immersive content, with each market you’re trying to find the right fit.
The great aspect is that the show changes at each event and for each audience. With the London event featuring racing simulators and the remains of Grosjean’s Haas VF-20, there is certainly something that will attract different F1 fans.
The event gets underway on Friday, August 23rd, at the ExCeL in London. Tickets can be found here.
Featured image: FormulaNerds via Oliver Brindle