Indy 500 and Formula 1 have been racing since the early 1900s. Here, we look back at the eras that have shaped 100 years of racing history. 

History of Indy 500 

1911 The first Indianapolis 500 is won by Ray Harroun, driving the Marmon Wasp

1910s European drivers and cars win most of the early 500s until a two-year hiatus caused by World War I

1920s American marques Duesenberg and Miller dominate the 500

1930s Louis Meyer begins tradition of drinking milk when he wins for the third time in 1936

1940s Wilbur Shaw scores his third win in 1940. After a four-year break during WW2 Indy 500 resumes at the first opportunity in 1946

1950s Watson and Kurtis roadsters are the cars to beat in the roadster era

1960s Jim Clark and the British Lotus team score the first win for a rear-engined car in 1965, and the front-engined era quickly draws to a close

1970s Huge wings lead to higher speeds and safety concerns after crashes mar the 1973 500. McLaren wins the 500 in 1972 (via Penske), 1974 and 1976. AJ Foyt scores his fourth 500 victory in 1977, the same year that Janet Guthrie becomes the first female qualifier. The Cosworth DFX supersedes the Offenhauser as the engine of choice.

1980s Indy is the mainstay of a growing CART/Indycar series as British March and Lola cars predominate. Al Unser Sr ties Foyt’s record with his fourth win in 1987.

1990s Rick Mears becomes the third driver to log a fourth 500 win in 1991. The sport is split in two when the Indy Racing League is formed in 1995, while the CART series continues under the Champcar name. Many top teams and drivers miss the 500 in subsequent years

2000s Leading CART/Champcar teams start to return to Indy on one-off basis. After the final CART season in 2007 the series merges with the Indy Racing League the following year, creating a stronger single entity. Honda scores the first of 11 500 wins in 2004

2010s The 500 celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011. Team Penske scores its 16th win in 2015. Rookie Alex Rossi wins the 100th running of the 500 in 2016

History of Formula 1

1906 First motor race with the title ‘Grand Prix’ is held at Le Mans in France and won by Hungarian Ferenc Szisz in a Renault

1920s Grand Prix racing expands with races in Italy, Spain and Germany. The first Monaco GP is held in 1929

1930s The latter part of the decade is dominated by Germany’s Auto Union and Mercedes teams until World War II stops international sport

1950s The World Championship is inaugurated, initially with six Grands Prix counting. Despite using different rules and cars the Indianapolis 500 also scores points until 1960. Italian marques dominate initially before British teams begin to find success

1960s The first half of the decade sees F1 run with 1.5-litre engines, the least powerful in the sport’s history. In 1966 capacity is doubled to 3-litres

1970s British ‘kit cars’ using the Ford DFV V8 engine, including McLaren, battle against the works Ferrari team. Renault introduces the 1.5-litre turbo engine in 1977

1980s From 1983-’88 the World Championship is won by hugely powerful turbo-charged cars, including McLaren in 1984-’86 with TAG engines, and in 1988 with Honda. For 1989, the sport moves back to normally aspirated 3.5-litre V10 engines

1990s Ayrton Senna wins his third title with McLaren and Honda in 1991. His death in 1994 leads to a renewed focus on safety, and engine capacity is cut to 3.0-litres for 1995. Michael Schumacher emerges as the star of the era

2000s Schumacher and Ferrari dominate the first half of the decade, with McLaren usually providing the main opposition. Fernando Alonso wins two titles with Renault. 2006 sees a switch from V10 to 2.4-litre V8 engines

2010s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull win four titles. In 2014 new rules featuring 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engines with energy recovery are introduced. Mercedes proves to be the initial dominant force

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