Editing Formula One (section)

==Distinction between Formula One and World Championship races==
<!--Note:numerous pages link to this subsection. So give due consideration before changing the section title.-->
Currently, the terms "Formula One race" and "World Championship race" are effectively synonymous. Since 1984, every Formula One race has counted towards the World Championship, and every World Championship race has been run to Formula One regulations. However, the two terms are not interchangeable.
* The first Formula One race was held in 1946,<ref name="ESPN">{{cite web|title=Timeline of Formula One|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/page/2825.html|access-date=29 May 2016|publisher=ESPN|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104154747/http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/page/2825.html|url-status=live}}</ref> whereas the World Championship did not start until 1950.<ref name=ESPN/>
* In the 1950s and 1960s, there were many Formula One races that did not count for the World Championship;<ref name=silhouet>{{cite web |url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/title.html |title=The Formula One Archives |website=silhouet.com |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=9 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809033827/http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/title.html |url-status=live }}</ref> in 1950, a total of twenty-two Formula One races were held, of which only six counted towards the World Championship.<ref name=ESPN/> The number of non-championship Formula One events decreased throughout the 1970s and 1980s, to the point where the last non-championship Formula One race was the [[1983 Race of Champions]].<ref name=silhouet/>
* The World Championship was not always exclusively composed of Formula One events:
** The World Championship was originally established as the "World Championship for Drivers", i.e. without the term "Formula One" in the title. It only officially became the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1981.
** From 1950 to 1960, the [[Indianapolis 500]] race counted towards the World Championship.<ref name=silhouet/> This race was run to [[American Automobile Association]], and later [[United States Automobile Club]], [[American open-wheel car racing|Championship Car]] regulations, rather than to Formula One regulations. Only one of the World Championship regulars, [[Alberto Ascari]] in [[1952 Indianapolis 500|1952]], started at Indianapolis during this period.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1061 |title=Alberto Ascari |website=historicracing.com |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=30 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430164558/http://historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1061 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** From 1952 to 1953, all races counting towards the World Championship (except the Indianapolis 500) were run to Formula Two regulations.<ref name=silhouet/> Formula One was not changed to Formula Two during this period; the Formula One regulations remained the same, and numerous non-championship Formula One races were staged during this time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1952/1952.html |title=1952 Non-World Championship Grands Prix |website=silhouet.com |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=7 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107181439/http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1952/1952.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1953/1953.html |title=1953 Non-World Championship Grands Prix |website=silhouet.com |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033208/http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1953/1953.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The distinction is most relevant when considering career summaries and all-time lists. For example, in the [[List of Formula One drivers]], [[Clemente Biondetti]] is shown with a single race against his name. Biondetti actually competed in four Formula One races in 1950,<ref name=Biondetti>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicanef1.com/query.pl?action=Submit&exact=on&driver=Clemente%20Biondetti&nc=nc |title=Clemente Biondetti Formula One race entries |publisher=ChicaneF1 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=21 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205629/https://www.chicanef1.com/query.pl?action=Submit&exact=on&driver=Clemente%20Biondetti&nc=nc |url-status=live }}</ref> but only one of these counted for the World Championship.

In the earlier history of Formula One, many races took place outside the World Championship, and local championships run to Formula One regulations also occurred. These events often took place on circuits that were not always suitable for the World Championship and featured local cars and drivers as well as those competing in the championship.<ref name="LastnonchampF1" />

===European non-championship racing===
In the early years of Formula One, before the world championship was established, there were around twenty races held from late Spring to early Autumn in Europe, although not all of these were considered significant. Most competitive cars came from Italy, particularly [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]. After the start of the world championship, these non-championship races continued. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were many Formula One races which did not count for the World Championship; in {{f1|1950}} a total of twenty-two Formula One races were held, of which only six counted towards the World Championship.<ref name="ESPN" /> In 1952 and 1953, when the world championship was run to Formula Two regulations, non-championship events were the only Formula One races that took place.

Some races, particularly in the UK, including the [[Race of Champions (Brands Hatch)|Race of Champions]], [[Oulton Park International Gold Cup]] and the [[International Trophy]], were attended by the majority of the world championship contenders. Other smaller events were regularly held in locations not part of the championship, such as the [[Syracuse Grand Prix|Syracuse]] and [[Danish Grand Prix|Danish]] Grands Prix, although these only attracted a small amount of the championship teams and relied on private entries and lower Formula cars to make up the grid.<ref name="LastnonchampF1" /> These became less common through the 1970s and 1983 saw the last non-championship Formula One race; the [[1983 Race of Champions]] at Brands Hatch, won by reigning World Champion [[Keke Rosberg]] in a Williams-Cosworth in a close fight with American [[Danny Sullivan]].<ref name="LastnonchampF1" />

===South African Formula One championship===
{{Main|South African Formula One Championship}}

South Africa's domestic Formula One championship ran from 1960 through to 1975. The frontrunning cars in the series were recently retired from the world championship although there were also locally built or modified cars.

===British Formula One Championship===
{{Main|British Formula One Championship}}

The [[Cosworth DFV|DFV]] helped in making the UK domestic Formula One championship possible between 1978 and 1980. As in South Africa a decade before, second-hand cars from manufacturers like [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]] and [[Fittipaldi Automotive]] were the order of the day, although some, such as the March 781, were built specifically for the series. In 1980, the series saw [[Formula One drivers from South Africa|South African]] [[Desiré Wilson]] become the only woman to win a Formula One race when she triumphed at Brands Hatch in a [[Walter Wolf Racing|Wolf WR3]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Desiré Wilson|url=http://f1rejects.com/drivers/wilson/biography.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605215016/http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/wilson/biography.html|archive-date=5 June 2007|access-date=17 November 2007|website=f1rejects.com}}</ref>