Formula 1 The Art Dimension

FORMULA THE ART DIMENSION 1

INTRODUCTION

BY PETER NYGAARD

The Formula 1 World Championship celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025. June 2004 saw the 50th anniversary of my first Grand Prix—I had just turned 12, when my dear father took his Formula 1-mad son to the 1974 Swedish Grand Prix in Anderstorp. In December 2024, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit was my 700th Formula 1 race.

This book is a celebration of these milestones.

I have spent my entire working life in Formula 1 as a photojournalist. Photography and journalism have been a great combo. When I needed a special photo for an article, I could take it myself. If I took a unique photo, I could write a suitable story.

During my many years in the paddock, I have met a lot of fascinating people. The book obviously gives my personal view of this wonderful sport, but it has been shaped by encounters with the greatest names in the history of Formula 1—from Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

When we started this project, the ambition was to create a spectacular book about Formula 1. But it is more than that: To me, Formula 1 is not just a sport, not just entertainment. As the title—“Formula 1 – the Art Dimension”—suggests, I see Formula 1 as art. The drivers are artists, the engineers are artists, and the designers are artists.

And—I hope you’ll agree!—the photographers are artists. During the curation of photographs for this book, it was important for me to emphasize that Formula 1 photography is an art form. Yes, you will find some conventional motor racing pictures on the following pages. But most of the photographs have been selected because of their artistic value, because they offer a different view of the sport, and because they are open to interpretation.

That is why there are no ordinary captions to the photos. The book offers the bare facts to each of them—you can interpret the picture any way you want (and search for more information from other sources if needed).

All the photos in this book come from Grand Prix Photo, the small “boutique” agency I created when I started out as a very

5

young and hopeful Formula 1 photographer in 1982. Most of the photos were taken by me, but over the years, I have also been lucky enough to purchase archives from retired colleagues. I am proud that Grand Prix Photo today is one of the finest independent collections of Formula 1 photography.

Over the years, I have employed assistants to help me, and special thanks go to Michael Stirnberg, Ole Jakobsen, and Anders Rysgaard.

My wife, Tina, and our children, Lucas, Lise, and Levi, have also contributed to the Grand Prix Photo archive. But more importantly, they have supported me through my 40-plus years of working in Formula 1.

Thanks, Tina, Lucas, Lise, and Levi, for letting me live the dream and follow my passion.

It’s been an incredible journey, and it’s not over yet.

PETER NYGAARD www.grandprixphoto.com