Chequered Past
Chequered Past is a Formula 1 history podcast that dives deep into iconic races, legendary drivers, and forgotten moments from motorsport’s rich and dramatic past. Each episode revisits Grand Prix events that took place on the same date in history, uncovering fascinating stories, on-track controversies, and the evolution of F1 through the decades. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to the sport, Chequered Past offers compelling insights and nostalgia-fuelled storytelling from the world’s fastest sport.
Chequered Past
The Ones That Weren't Part 1
No engines, no chequered flag — but no shortage of stories.
On 10 November, a day with no Formula 1 race in history, Chequered Past explores the Grands Prix that never were: the events silenced by tragedy, economics, protest and ambition.
From the dark shadow of 1955 and the bans that followed the Le Mans disaster, to the oil-shortened 1957 season after the Suez Crisis, we trace the moments when the outside world stopped the sport in its tracks. Jackie Stewart’s 1969 Spa boycott signalled a new era of driver power, while the ghost of the 1983 Swiss Grand Prix — cancelled when French television refused to broadcast it — revealed how media had become central to Formula 1’s survival. And across the Atlantic, the dream of a New York Grand Prix for 1983 and 1984 promised glamour under the skyline but collapsed under politics and paperwork.
Sometimes the loudest lessons come from the days when the grid fell silent.
Music by #Mubert Music Rendering