Formula One: The Champions

Maurice Hamilton has been part of the Formula One scene since 1977 and was the Observer's motor racing correspondent for 20 years. He has written more than 20 books as well as commentating on Formula One for BBC Radio. He is now actively involved with the online community on Twitter and writes several blogs whilst continuing to write books about racing.

Once described as the 'Cartier-Bresson of Motor Racing' due to his uncanny ability to capture key moments, Bernard Cahier was a renowned photo-journalist. Starting in 1952, he covered both F1 and sports car races for innumerable magazines around the world and sometimes even raced himself, notably at Sebring and in the Targa Florio. He founded the IRPA (International Racing Press Association) in 1968 and remained its president until his retirement in 1985.The Cahier Archive is the only photographic collection covering the history of the Formula One Championship to have remained in the hands of its original authors.

Two photographers have built this archive: Bernard Cahier and his son Paul-Henri, giving the collection two very different styles. Bernard was a reporter and had the gift to make people truly live events through his pictures. Paul-Henri, on the other hand, has always leaned towards an artistic approach to photography.

The common ground of their photos though, is that they always go beyond the illustrative dimension.