Formula 1 fans 'mind blown' noticing tiny 'hidden detail' in iconic logo

It's the most popular auto-racing event in the world - but it has taken 30 years for some enthusiasts to notice a hidden detail in the old Formula 1 logo.

F1 started in 1950, originating from the World Manufacturers' Championship and European Drivers' Championship. It came to be known as Formula 1 for two reasons - with 'formula' being its set of rules covering car design, engine size, component usage and more. Adding to this, the 'one' simply identifies it as the premier formula.

An F1 statement reads: "Formula 1 was formed as a world championship competition back in 1950, with the first-ever race held at the Silverstone Circuit – a former Royal Air Force station – in the United Kingdom on May 13 of that year.

"Six more events were staged in a season which saw Alfa Romeo driver Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina become the sport’s first world champion – edging out teammates Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli.

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"While motorsport had been taking place since the late-1800s, with Grand Prix events growing in popularity across the following decades, 1950 marked the start of the official F1 championship that remains to this day."

Throughout the years, F1 has used four different logos - and despite having switched out logos seven years ago, many people are still talking about its 1994 to 2017 design.

One impressed Reddit user pointed out how its old logo incorporated a 'hidden detail' that it has taken them decades to notice, as they asked: "Is the F1 logo a flag with a '1' in the centre or is it an 'F' and an oddly shaped '1'? Or is it both? Seriously for like eight years I thought it was an F and a 1 but then I saw the one in the middle. Is this done purposely?"

Commenting on this, one user said: "I got to study various F1 logos and GP poster designs. Yes, the great thing about this logo is the negative space between the F and the streaks is a 1. The old F1 logo used negative space to represent a car."

Question: Is the F1 logo a flag with a "1" in the centre or is it an "F" and an oddly shaped "1"? Or is it both?
byu/anonomaus informula1

Another user added: "Yes, that silhouette bit between the F and the right part of the logo is the '1' in F1." A third user said: "So the real logo is the F and the middle one and the rest of the logo is just some scribble with lines and stuff? That was the last thing I was thinking!"

One more user added: "If you look at the full logo with the words underneath, you can see that the Fs and the 1s in the logo and the words use the same font. The real 1 is the middle one. Your eight years have been lies."

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