Birth of Formula One – 75 Years


01 September 2021
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Jersey Post celebrate the Birth of Formula One 75 years ago with ten stamps, dedicated to the ten British drivers that have achieved the ultimate accolade of World Champion; award-winning artist Keith Burns’ fabulously dynamic artwork features each of these champions of the sport duelling with their rivals.
Birth of Formula One – 75 Years Images

These ten stamps and two miniature sheets are in a two-part series: 

Part One features five Jersey stamps paying homage to

  • Mike Hawthorn
  • Jim Clark
  • Jackie Stewart
  • Damon Hill
  • Jenson Button
  • …with James Hunt featuring on the miniature sheet 

Part Two showcases:

  • Graham Hill
  • John Surtees
  • James Hunt
  • Nigel Mansell
  • Lewis Hamilton
  • …and the miniature sheet features Jim Clark. 

Formula One is the pinnacle of world motorsport, the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile.

Originally called Formula A, the first race to approved Formula One rules was a Grand Prix race held at Valentino Park, Turin, Italy, on 1 September 1946.

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After a mediocre start, a generation of British engineers and drivers came onto the scene to win a cluster of World Championships and develop an excellence in producing British designed and manufactured cars, continuing to dominate the sport to this day. 

Keith Burns, the artist, said:

“Working on this project has been an absolute dream come true. I’ve always been obsessed with cars, especially racing cars. They embody technical excellence and a pursuit for speed and handling that has much in common with my usual field of aviation. The approach is the same - to try to capture the same kinetic energy and drama through story-telling and human involvement. As an avid fan of motorsport, it has been a real treat to research in-depth the cars and British World Champions of the last 75 years.” 

As well as First Day Covers, Presentation Packs and art prints, there is also a coffee-table style art book available, featuring 20 of Keith Burns’ illustrations from throughout the issue. Written by motorsport journalist Joe Saward, it includes a foreword by 1992 Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell.