Formula 1 Cars In An Unnatural Habitat

Photography by: Nat Twiss

It’s always a treat to see an F1 car. It doesn’t matter how you feel about the current situation in the elite tier of open wheel racing—there is just something about Formula One that grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you to your core. Or, at least it does for me. One great car is enough, but the collection that was on display and driving at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was, frankly, astounding.

A perfect mix of new and old, and piloted by some of the legends who made Formula One what it is today. Stewart, Surtees, Moss, Button, Raikkonnen, Rosberg, and more were on the hill over the weekend, in cars that ranged from pre-aero legends like the Lotus 49, through the ground effect era, right to more contemporary cars like the Ferrari F10.

There was a moment at the Festival that sticks out to me more than any of the others was on the Friday, for the first run of the Formula cars. Nothing made my hair stand up on end more than seeing the crowd growing at the barriers, the grandstands packed, everybody clamoring to see these legendary machines, kids being lifted on to parents’ shoulders, and the anticipation mounting as the first car started its run, the high revs reverberating through the entire Goodwood Estate like a tornado siren.

Everything that is great about the Festival of Speed was condensed into those moments, and it was truly memorable to experience. Now, I’ll let the images do the talking…