Motorsport Images’ archive contains over 29 million images and more than 8,900 hours of video footage from events set throughout motor racing’s history.
With its own story tracing back to 1895 through different guises, Motorsport Images possess shots from the first grand prix – the French GP held at Le Mans in 1906 – plus the first Le Mans 24-hour race in 1923, as well as images from every F1 race since its inaugural world championship round at Silverstone in 1950.
The Motorsport Images team now joins with Getty’s sports photography service the company says records at 50,000 events each year.
“We are thrilled to welcome Motorsport Images to Getty Images,” said Craig Peters, Getty Images’ CEO.
“The Motorsport Images team shares our commitment to capturing and bringing customers and fans the greatest moments from motorsports.
“Their impressive archive of iconic imagery and video will expand upon our premium motorsport offering to Getty Images’ global customer base.”
“I’m so proud of what the Motorsport Images team has built over our history and of the high-quality service and outstanding visuals we provide our customers,” added Steven Tee, managing director of Motorsport Images.
“Joining Getty Images marks a new chapter for us and I’m pleased to be joining a team who share the same passion for the sport and commitment to industry-leading photographic coverage.
“Our customers will now benefit from having access to an even greater depth and breadth of content and services.”
Motorsport Images’ photography content from the 2024 racing season is now set to be available online at Getty’s website from 3 May 2024, coinciding with upcoming Miami F1 race.
Motorsport Images’ existing website will also continue to service its customers after it joins Getty.
Back in 2020, a shot from Motorsport Images photographer Andy Hone featured on the front pages of major publications around the world as he captured dramatic shots of Romain Grosjean escaping from the burning wreckage of his Haas car following the start of the 2020 Bahrain GP and his contact with Daniil Kvyat.
