An Archive to Behold

Most readers should be familiar with the work of Bernard Cahier and his son Paul-Henri as chroniclers of the Formula One experience, essentially from the beginning to now. Upon Bernard’s 2008 passing, the family torch was passed into the keeping of Paul-Henri, who has devoted great energy to maximizing the potential of the extensive archive.

Although there is much to see in every corner of the site, especially the “F1 Archives,” we’ll focus on the section devoted to “America in F1.” There, the available imagery chronicles the participation of Yankee drivers in the Grand Prix World Championship from Harry Schell’s appearance as America’s first standard bearer at the beginning of the F1 era in 1950, through the World Championships won by Phil Hill and Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney’s Spa success, and up to Scott Speed. There’s even an image of Al Unser in a Formula 5000 car at the Questor Grand Prix.