The Most Influential Person in F1
To coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first ever world championship grand prix at Silverstone in 1950, Formula One set out to find the most influential person in Formula One history. A panel of influential automotive enthusiasts were tasked to select 32 influencers who they felt have had the biggest impact on the sport during its 70 years existence.
The 32 nominees were then divided into 4 categories of drivers, team bosses, technical innovators and game-changers. Fans voted in their thousands to vote for their chosen heroes within each of the categories.
Our very own Prof. Gordon Murray, CBE was voted the overall winner of the most influential Technical Innovator category, for his outstanding achievements, contribution and creative flare during his career in Formula One. “I am hugely appreciative to all of the Formula One fans that voted for me. I’ve always worked towards pushing boundaries and creating winning designs through innovation and we continue to push boundaries even now with our 980kg Type 50 supercar setting new standards in that sector”.
Influencers were whittled down to just two names: Bernie Ecclestone and Michael Schumacher, with Michael winning the overall title as Most Influential Person in F1 History.
“My congratulations to all of the nominees.It was a tough choice and when considering my overall vote, there was only ever one true winner in my eyes – and that was Bernie. When I joined F1 in 1970, the sport was literally on its knees. Bernie worked relentlessly year after year and has made the multi-billion pound sport into the huge global success that it is today.”