Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna and his racing skills doesn't need any introduction as he is considered as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One racing. He won 3 world championships ( 1998 , 1990 & 1991 ) during his career which spans from 1984 to 1994. He died due to a car crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy.

He holds world records in Formula One racing which are unbeatable till date. Some of them include most consecutive pole positions # 8 , most consecutive starts from front row # 24 & youngest triple World Champion at the age of 31 years, 227 days.

Monaco post issued a stamp in 2009 to commemorate the 50th birth anniversary of  Ayrton Senna (1960-1994). The stamp contains the art work portrait of Senna, a Formula One racing car and a race track.

For those who want to know more about this legend watch the documentary "Senna" released in 2010.

British Formula 1 World Champions

It's here , it's fresh , appealing and brightly-colored. Yes...Guernsey's British Formula 1 World Champions - part 2 of the “British F1 World Champions” stamp series, a four stamp souvenir sheet to commemorate the British F1 World Champions. The souvenir sheet contains 4 stamps, all has the portraits of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team F1 car. Other than the stamps the souvenir sheet has the images of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - 2008 and 2009 British Formula 1 World Champions.

Lewis Hamilton is the youngest driver to win the Formula One champion title till date. Jenson Button equaled the records of Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher by winning six out of 2009 seasons first seven races. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are the 9^th and 10^th Formula 1 champions from Britain.

Guernsey Post issued multiple products related to this issue such as “a set of four stamps” , “Limited edition souvenir folder” , “First day cover” , “Presentation pack” , “Sheets of 10” and “Souvenir sheet First day cover”.

Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.

Enzo Anselmo Ferrari and his magnificient cars

The 2011 Formula one Season is almost nearing its end with 3 races left ( inaugural Indian Grand Prix - Round 17 this 10/29 weekend ) it is certain team Ferrari ending the season with 3rd place in the constructor championships. Ferrari ( Scuderia Ferrari ) its dominance and the records in the Formula One is very impressive which makes them one of the very successful teams in the Formula One racing.

The sports car manufacturer takes its name from its founder Enzo Ferrari who founded the company in 1929. Post Italia issued a commemorative souvenir sheet to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Enzo Ferrari in the year 1998. The souvenir sheet has an art-work portrait of Enzo Ferrari with his famous black sunglasses ( there's a story behind why he always wears a black sunglasses ) and the four of his magnificent cars out of 2 represents 1952 & 1998 F1 Formula One racing models. The other two features the Ferrari 250 GTO - 1963 ( first car to have the name GTO ) and Enzo Ferrari at Bobbio Penice in 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.

Circuito da Boavista - First Portuguese Formula One Grand Prix

The motor racing in Circuito da Boavista , Portugal dates back to 1931 but the first Formula One Grand Prix race was held on 24th August 1958. The circuit hosted 2 Formula One races - 1958 and 1960. Circuito da Boavista has the honor of hosting the first Formula One Grand Prix race in Portugal. The other circuits which hosted Portuguese Grand Prix were Monsanto Park, Lisbon & Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril.

Even though Formula One racing started very early in Portugal it was not a regular event in the Formula One racing calendar. The last Formula One race in Portugal was held in 1996.

In 2008 , Portugal post issued a miniature sheet to commemorate 50 Years of the Boavista Circuit - Formula 1. In addition there were 4 stamps issued to celebrate this occasion.

Stirling Moss ( Vanwall ), Jack Brabham ( Cooper ), Mark Haywood ( Cooper ), Bobby Verdon Roe ( Mclaren ) were the drivers honored in the stamp set.

Stirling Moss won the inaugural Portuguese Grand Prix ( 1958 ) and Jack Brabham won the race in the 1960 season.

Irish Motorsport - Jordan Grand Prix

Formula One racing Team "Jordan Grand Prix" is the only Irish team in the history of Formula One , though it didn't had much success in the Formula One as the other European teams , the team had some best drivers such as Schumacher brothers , Damon Hill , Rubens Barrichello , Eddie Irvine , Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Giancarlo Fisichella. The 1999 season was the best season as it finished third with 2 victories in the year. In the 1998 season the team drivers finished 1st ( Damon Hill ) and 2nd ( Ralf Schumacher ) in the Belgian grand prix which is the best finish ever for Jordan in the Formula One racing.

Irish post honored this victory by issuing a commemorative miniature sheet in 2001. The miniature sheet contains a image of Jordan Grand Prix Formula One car and a stamp at the top left of the sheet. The stamp has a portrait of the Jordan Grand Prix Formula One car with the wordings “Jordan Grand Prix – Formula One”

Niki Lauda

Austria has issued more stamps related to Formula One Sports than any other country in the world. It hosted its first race in 1964 and the last race in 2003. Jochen Rindt and Niki Lauda are the only 2 Formula One Champions from Austria till date. In 2005 Austria post issued two commemorative stamps ( through special issue series ) to honor these champions. Niki Lauda has won 3 Formula One Championships ( 1975 , 1977 & 1984 ) , 2 of them with the team Ferrari and the remaining one with team Mclaren. The other drivers who have won 3 Formula One Championships are Jack Brabham , Jackie Stewart , Nelson Piquet and Aryton Senna.

In the year 1976 Niki Lauda survived an accident in the German Grand Prix which could have almost cost his life but fortunately for him he was back to the racing track after a gap of 6 weeks and finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix. This was considered as one of the remarkable comeback in the history of Formula One.

The stamp features a portrait of Niki Lauda , his signature and a Ferrari Formula One racing car in the background. The top of the stamp has a title "Formula 1 Legends". ( Formel 1 Legenden ).

Ferrari 2000 Formula One Champions

Scuderia Ferrari's sheer dominance in Formula One Racing was unbeatable from 1999 to 2008 where it won a total of 8 Constructors Championships. They won a straight 6 Constructors Championships from 1999 to 2004. Ferrari is the only constructor to win more than 10 Championships , the only team(s) that comes close to winning more championships are Williams (9) and Mclaren (8). 16 Constructor Championships wins till this date still looks invincible.

In the year 2001 Poste Italiane issued a commemorative miniature sheet to celebrate the Ferrari's 2000 Constructor Championships - "Formula 1 World Champions" ( Campionidel Mondo 2000 ). The stamp features the Ferrari F1-2000 car ( Chasis ~ F1-2000 , Engine ~ Ferrari 049 ) with the chequered flag in the background. The miniature sheet features a prancing horse ( Ferrari's symbol ) in the background and the stamp placed at the bottom in the middle of the sheet. Red and green blocks with combination of white symbolizes Italian flag.

A treat for Tifosi..indeed.

New Zealand Champions of World Motorsport

Race drivers from 14 countries have won Formula One Championships as of today and this count doesn't seem to change atleast for this year (2011). In one of my earlier blog I have indicated that Asia is still yet to get a Champion. These 14 nations include very popular racing nations such as Germany , United Kingdom , Italy , Finland , Brazil etc.

New Zealand is part of that elite list of nations which has a produced a Formula One Champion. Out of the 8 drivers represented for New Zealand in the Formula One race championship , Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme is the first New Zealand driver to win a Formula One Championship. He achieved this feat in 1967 for the Brabham team. Bruce Leslie McLaren is the first New Zealand race driver to participate in the Formula One Championships and also the first New Zealand driver to win a Formula One race.

In February 2009 New Zealand post issued a set of 5 stamps on "New Zealand Champions of World Motorsport". 2 stamps issued in honor of Denis Clive Hulme and Bruce Leslie Mclaren.

A known fact , Kiwi's can run fast..now another fact Kiwi's can drive fast too.

More details of this stamp can be found HERE.

Ferrari - 50 Years of Racing

Ferrari needs no introduction owing to its popularity as well as it is everyone's dream car ( atleast my ). It's dominance in Formula One is staggering with 16 constructor championships. In 1998 San Marino issued a miniature sheet of 12 stamps featuring Ferrari Formula One racing cars. This year also marks the birth centenary of Enzo Anselmo Ferrari , the founder of Ferrari. This issue is very special as San Marino is one of the countries which hosted Formula One for almost 26 races , the last race held in 2006. More details of the stamp can be found here.

Jochen Rindt

Jochen Rindt – the first Austrian to win a Formula One World Drivers Championship , achieved this feat in the year 1970 and the 12^th driver to win a Formula One World Drivers Championship. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers Championship , after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix. In 2005 Austrian post honored him by issuing a “special issue series” stamp. The stamp portrays a picture of Jochen Rindet , a racing car and signature across the stamp. This is also the first stamp in Austria to be issued on Formula One Sports. “even after his death no one was able to deprive Jochen Rindt of the championship he surely deserved. F1.com ”

80th Anniversary of the 1st Automobile Grand Prix

Monaco celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the 1st Grand Prix ( 1929 ) in 2009. Racing in Monaco started before the F1 era as Grand Prix Race and later became a permanent fixture in the Formula One Grand Prix Calendar from 1950 ( except 1951 , 1953 & 1954 ). There were 57 races held in Circuit de Monaco which is the only venue second to Monza , Italian Grand Prix ( 60 races ) to host most number of races in a single venue. Circuit de Monaco is a very popular and challenging street circuit where overtaking is simply impossible.

As per the statistics late Aryton Senna of Brazil holds the record for the most number of wins at Circuit de Monaco winning 6 six races from 1987 to 1993. Graham Hill of Great Britain and Michael Schumacher of Germany have won 5 times , Alain Prost of France have won 4 times at this street venue.

The commemorative stamp has a portrait of a Formula One Race car ( bottom left ) and a racing car ( top right ).

Turkish Grand Prix 2005

Turkey hosted their first Formula One Grand Prix race in 2005. It released a commemorative stamp which has a portrait of a racing car , the official F1 symbol and the words "Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul 2005".

Interestingly..in the history of Formula One there is no single driver from Turkey. The circuit - Instanbul park has been called "the best race track in the world" by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Singapore Formula One Grand Prix 2008

Singapore famous for its thematic and vibrant stamps issued a commemorative stamp in 2008 to celebrate their first Formula One Grand prix. This issue has many reasons to celebrate.....many firsts..Singapore’s first-ever Formula One Race, the first night race in F1’s history, and Asia’s first street race. It is the 15th race of the 2008 season and also the 800th Formula One Grand Prix. This inaugural night race was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso racing for the French Renault F1 team. The issue has 2 stamps both containing a drawing of a race car , one having Singapore CBD as the background and having the chequered flag in the background. This is also my first Formula One related Stamp ( any stamp ) to be bought on-line.

The 25th FORMULA 1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

In 2010 Hungary celebrated the 25th Formula One Grand Prix by issuing a special souvenir sheet. Read the story here. The stamp portrays 2 race cars one behind the other and the top right contains a small outline of the Hungaroring racetrack. The souvenir ( leaf ) sheet contains 2 of these stamps on the right side and a huge portrait of Bernie Ecclestone on the left side. Lower portion of the souvenir sheet list the years of Formula One Grand prix races held in Hungary. Michael Schumacher of Germany holds the record of most Hungary Formula Grand Prix Wins ( 4 ).

Juan Manuel Fangio

Juan Manuel Fangio , the first Argentine ( the only Argentine ) and also the first race driver from outside Europe to win a Formula One Championship. Fangio held some of the records which were unbeaten for a long time which were finally beaten by another legend Michael Schumacher. He is the first driver to win 5 Formula One Championships and also the first driver to win 4 consecutive Formula One Championships. He is the only driver to win a Formula One Championship for all the teams which he raced for - ( Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati & Mercedes-Benz ) which stands unbeaten till today.

In 2008 Argentina released 4 stamps featuring sports personalities including Juan Manuel Fangio. Being also called as "The Maestro" , 2011 is the birth centenary of Fangio. The souvenir sheet features a portrait of Fangio in a Mercedes-Benz Formula one car.

Kimi Raikkonen

Started his Formula One racing career with Swiss Sauber-Petronas then moving to British Mclaren Mercedes and finally settling with Ferrari , Kimi Raikkonen a.k.a Iceman won his first Formula One Driver's Championship in 2007 with Ferrari of Italy. Often called as Flying Finn , Kimi is the third Finnish to win a Formula One Driver's Championship after Keke Rosberg and Mika Hakkinen. In 2008 Finland post released a self adhesive miniature sheet of 2 stamps depicting a victorious Kimi Raikkonen and a propelling Ferrari Formula One Race car ( not a graphical image ). Is there any better delight for a Tifosi than this ?

Bahrain 2004 Formula One Grand Prix

With weeks away for the first formula one race of the 2011 season in Bahrain , it is still unclear whether the race will be held or canceled due to the unrest in Bahrain. This may not be an encouraging sign for the season but the stamp released to celebrate the Bahrain's inaugural 2004 Formula One Grand Prix doesn't fail to impress the collectors. An impressive rhombus shaped sheetlet containing 5 stamps with denominations of 100,150,200,250 & 500 fils - four of them depicting a 3 dimensional model of a formula one car from different angles and another one displaying a portrait of the circuit tower. Michael Schumacher of Germany won this inaugural Grand Prix for Ferrari. Bahrain takes the pride of hosting the first Formula One Grand Prix race in the middle east. :)

Gilles Villeneuve

Formula one has champions from every continent except Asia. North America has 3 formula one champions , 2 from United States and 1 from Canada. In 1997 Canada issued a commemorative souvenir sheet to honor Gilles Villeneuve who died in a crash during the qualifying race. His son Jacques Villeneuve won the Formula one Championship in 1997. In the same year the montreal race track was named Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. One of my favourites !!!

British World Champion Grand Prix Drivers

In 2010 Royal Mail released a commemorative sheet of 10 stamps featuring Britain's 10 Grand Prix World Champion Drivers. From Mike Hawthorn to Jenson Button this one is a
perfect collectible. After Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button won their Championship in 2008 & 2009 respectively there was lot of speculation on whether Royal Mail will issue a commemorative stamp to honour them or not , but it seems worth the wait. The only other 2 countries which comes next in the list of most number of Drivers won the championship country wise is Brazil and Finland , each having 3 drivers. A perfect 10 seems to be a record , safe for Britain for at least few years from now.

WOPA - World Online Philatelic Agency

WOPA - the first international face value stamp site has arrived. Currently the site offers hobbyist to buy stamp products from 7 countries such as Aland Islands, Alderney, Gibraltar, Faores, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey. The website is simple and user friendly and one doesn't need to register or create an account to buy products from their website. The payments can be made in 8 different popular currencies and accepts major credit cards. One of the best feature is the products can be viewed based on thematics. So, what are you waiting for ?
Thank you * Gracias * Merci * Danke * Grazie.

No country celebrates their sportsmen as Australia does. In 2009 Australia post released a sheetlet of 10 stamps each of 55c featuring Mark Webber's first F1 grand prix win at Nurburgring , Nurburg, Germany. The sheetlet has 3 different images of Mark Webber on track, a portrait and a closer shot with his helmet on.

Welcome to f1stamps.blogspot.com

Well..Welcome to f1stamps.blogspot.com. I have been doing this maniac almost two decades now and collecting all kinds of stamps..without any theme. Then suddenly one day I realised it's time to bring in a theme..so what's the theme. At that time I was so crazy about formula1....watching Michael Schumacher and Ferrari on their continuous championship wins..and then I made it firm..my theme..is going to be Formula 1..Sounds crazy... The first formula one related stamp that I found in my stock is Australian 45c on Albert Park.....Then...