The thrill of speed at Beaulieu as Icons of Formula 1 take to the National Motor Museum stage

From the 24^th May until 2^nd November 2025 a new special display at the Museum will mark 75 years since the inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in 1950. The temporary exhibition will bring together nine iconic Formula 1 racing cars, including cars from World Championship winning teams such as BRM, Lotus, Williams and Ferrari. Each vehicle represents a decade of technical and sporting development in Formula 1’s illustrious history – as well as some of its most legendary drivers.

Image credit: Williams Racing

The Museum’s celebration of this motorsport anniversary isn’t just offering visitors the rare chance to see all the cars together but also experience the thrill of driving the powerful machines with an immersive adrenaline-fuelled Formula 1 simulator experience. The state-of-the art simulator sessions will give the rush of sitting in the cockpit of an F1 car, just like a real racing drive.  The sim racing experiences will be available as an addition to the Beaulieu attraction ticket, and visitors will get the opportunity to compete for a monthly Champagne prize for the best lap time around the realistic circuit.

Jon Murden, Chief Executive says, “We can’t wait to share this display of the Icons of Formula 1. The National Motor Museum is renowned for our collection of motoring history, so what better place to showcase the development of motorsport and mark 75 years of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. We’ve collaborated with some of the world’s leading teams and private collectors to bring this collection of iconic cars together and brought one of the best Formula 1 simulators to Beaulieu to offer the experience of the performance and thrill of real racing.”

The Icons of Formula 1 display headline sponsor is logistics company Indigo-Blue who work with the National Motor Museum to transport historic cars to events across Britain.

Entry to the display in the Museum is included in the Beaulieu ticket, and simulator experience add-on tickets can be booked and purchased on the day – the supplementary price starts at £15 for a 15 minutes sim experience.

75 years of Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship

• The first race in the newly created Formula 1 World Championship of Drivers was on the 13th May 1950 at Silverstone in Northamptonshire. Victory went to Italy’s Guiseppe ‘Nino’ Farina at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. He went on to win the first ever World Championship title.
• Grand Prix racing in 1950 was very different from today. There were seven World Championship races including the Indianapolis 500, cars had front-engines, tracks were lined with straw bales, while drivers wore polo shirts. There were no seat belts, and few wore crash helmets.
• Over 75 years there have been countless moments of excitement and glory, countered by times of tragedy and despair.
• Today the Formula 1 World Championship boasts a global audience of over 450 million. There are 24 World Championship races. The cars are sophisticated, rear-engined, 1.6 litre turbo-charged hybrids of up to 1,000bhp with aerodynamic aids. Circuits have crash barriers to protect both drivers and spectators and drivers with split-second responses are protected by fireproof suits, crash helmets, neck braces and harnesses, and Halo safety cages on the cars.

Formula 1 Icons brought together

Each vehicle in the display represents a decade of technical and sporting development in Formula 1’s illustrious history

*Cars are subject to change.

Car Details

BRM V16, 1950 Great Britain

The BRM was a milestone on the path to Britain’s dominance of the sport of Formula 1. The car was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss and finished in the 1951 British Grand Prix.

Manufacturer: British Racing Motors, Bourne

Owner:  National Motor Museum Trust

Lotus 49, 1967 Great Britain

The Lotus 49 was the first car to use the legendary Ford-Cosworth DFV engine, which formed an integral part of the vehicle’s chassis. It won its first race, the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix, driven by Jim Clark. This car, chassis R3, was built overnight for Graham Hill to drive in the 1967 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Manufacturer: Team Lotus International Ltd, Hethel

Owner: National Motor Museum Trust

March 761, 1976 Great Britain

The Ford Cosworth DFV powered 761, designed by Robin Herd was driven by Italian drivers Vittorio Brambilla, Lella Lombardi as well as the great Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson – who won the 1976 Italian Grand Prix.

Manufacturer: March Engineering, Bicester

Owner: Ian Cox

Williams FW11 Honda, 1986 Great Britain

The FW11’s turbo-charged 1.5 litre Honda V6 engine was, at the time, the most powerful in F1. Driven by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell who battled Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost for the 1986 championship.

Manufacturer: Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Didcot

Owner: Williams Racing

Williams FW15C Renault, 1993 Great Britain

Designed by Adrian Newey and Patrick Head, the Williams FW15C is one of the most technologically advanced racing cars ever built. Driven by Alain Prost and Damon Hill, it became the dominant car of the 1993 F1 season.

This car, chassis 01, was used for testing and carries the markings of David Coulthard, the Williams test driver for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Coulthard made his F1 race debut at the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix.

Manufacturer: Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Didcot

Owner: Williams Racing

Jaguar R5, 2004 Great Britain

The Jaguar team had its origins as the Stewart Grand Prix team that had been founded by three-time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart and his son Paul. The Jaguar R5 was driven in the 2004 season by Mark Weber and Christian Klein. At the end of the 2004 season Ford sold the Jaguar team to Red Bull. As Red Bull Racing the team have gone on to multiple World Championship titles.

Manufacturer: Jaguar Racing F1 Team, Milton Keynes

Owner: Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust

Ferrari F2002, 2002 Italy

Ferrari have been part of the World Championship since the very beginning in 1950. The Maranello built cars still carry traditional Italian racing red livery. The F2002 was particularly successful, taking Michael Schumacher to ten Grand Prix victories in 2002 and a further victory at the San Marino Grand Prix in the 2003 Championship.

Manufacturer: Scuderia Ferrari, Maranello

Owner: Meridien Modena

Red Bull RB9, 2013 Great Britain

Designed by Adrian Newey, and driven by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, the Red Bull RB9 was the dominant car of the 2013 season. Vettel won 13 races on his way to securing his fourth consecutive World Championship title and Red Bull’s fourth consecutive Constructors’ title. The RB9 was powered by a Renault/Mecachrome V8 engine.

Manufacturer: Red Bull Racing, Milton Keynes Owner: Red Bull Racing

Williams FW43B, 2021 Great Britain

2021 was the first season following the sale of the Williams team to a US investment company by founder Frank Williams. Williams’ drivers for 2021 were Nicholas Latifi and George Russell. Russell was awarded a second place in the Belgian Grand Prix, the first podium finish for Williams since 2017.

The FW43B exhibits many of the features of a modern Formula 1 car, with carbon fibre chassis, hybrid turbo-charged 1.6 litre engine, in this case a Mercedes AMG F1 M12E, and provision for a Halo safety cage, although not currently fitted to this car.

Manufacturer: Williams Racing, Grove

Owner: Williams Racing

Image credit: Wave Italy

About the Formula 1 simulator

The Formula One simulator provides an immersive experience into the world of racing. Large screens and an advanced motion system with reactive belts heighten the experience. Developed in Italy by Wave Italy the simulator is aimed at racing enthusiasts and professional drivers. It uses a sophisticated vibrating system that faithfully reproduces the roughness of the track and curbs. The sim promises to give an ultra-realistic and unforgettable adrenaline rush driving experience.

Bookings can be made at the reception desk in the National Motor Museum. Timed slots are allocated daily on a first-come, first-served basis, and are 15 minutes from 10:30am until 5pm. Height and weight limits apply and the simulators is designed for use by adults; it is a professional-grade racing simulator and a step-up from traditional console racing games. As such, young people and children may find the complexity of the simulator challenging.

Further information on the Icons of Formula 1 display is available here and from www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk