It’s the most popular auto-racing event in the world, but a subtle detail in the old Formula 1 logo has gone unnoticed by some enthusiasts for three decades. F1 originated in 1950 from the World Manufacturers’ Championship and European Drivers’ Championship.

The name ‘Formula 1’ comes from its set of rules, known as ‘formula’, covering car design, engine size, and component usage, with the ‘one’ signifying it as the top formula. According to an F1 statement: “Formula 1 was formed as a world championship competition back in 1950, with the first-ever race held at the Silverstone Circuit – a former Royal Air Force station – in the United Kingdom on May 13 of that year.

“Six more events were staged in a season which saw Alfa Romeo driver Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina become the sport’s first world champion – edging out teammates Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli. While motorsport had been taking place since the late-1800s, with Grand Prix events growing in popularity across the following decades, 1950 marked the start of the official F1 championship that remains to this day.”

The new logo (left) next to the old logo (left)

The new logo (left) next to the old logo (right) ( 

Image:

Formula One)

Throughout the years, F1 has used four different logos – and despite having switched out logos seven years ago, many people are still talking about its 1994 to 2017 design. It prompted one Reddit user to share a ‘hidden detail’ in the old F1 logo that they missed for decades, wondering: “Is the F1 logo a flag with a ‘1’ in the centre or is it an ‘F’ and an oddly shaped ‘1’? Or is it both? Seriously for like eight years I thought it was an F and a 1 but then I saw the one in the middle. Is this done purposely?”

Responding to this revelation, another enthusiast said: “I got to study various F1 logos and GP poster designs. Yes, the great thing about this logo is the negative space between the F and the streaks is a 1. The old F1 logo used negative space to represent a car.” Someone else chimed in: “Yes, that silhouette bit between the F and the right part of the logo is the ‘1’ in F1.”

Another user expressed surprise: “So the real logo is the F and the middle one and the rest of the logo is just some scribble with lines and stuff? That was the last thing I was thinking! ” And yet another added insightfully: “If you look at the full logo with the words underneath, you can see that the Fs and the 1s in the logo and the words use the same font. The real 1 is the middle one. Your eight years have been lies.”