Red Bull

Welcome back to the final instalment of my Team History section. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed reading about the teams just as much as I have writing them, I also hope you discovered something you didn't know and that your Formula 1 knowledge is boosted!

As I draw this to a close it's important to state that after a long winter, we have finally come to the start of the 2013 season! Engines will start in Melbourne very soon and I pray we have an exciting season just like last year.

My blog this week is about the current stars of the F1 paddock and depending on your cynicism and naivety, this success can either be attributed to one individual or another. Never shared. But as most F1 stories, success did not happen overnight, where did it all begin for Dietrich Mateschitz Red Bull team?

STEWART GRAND PRIX

First Entered: 1997

Pole Positions: 1

Race Wins: 1

Points: 47

Constructors Championships: 0

Drivers Championships: 0

The Red Bull success story starts with a father-son business in the form of three time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and his son Paul. The early form of the team was poor but in a rain effected Monaco Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello managed a second place finish, but this proved to be a success from the elements as the feat was not achieved again until their final season when Barrichello took them to another three podiums. For a short lived and small team, they can boast a one race win from the European Grand Prix when Johnny Herbert after he inherited the win following multiple race incidents. 

JAGUAR RACING

First Entered: 2000

Pole Positions: 0

Race Wins: 0

Points: 49

Constructors Championships: 0

Drivers Championships: 0

Stewart's engine supplier Ford bought the team off the father-son duo and renamed the team after the British sports car manufacturer, a move which boosted Jaguar's sales and popularity. Even though they scored more points, Jaguar never achieved that race win, and they certainly had the talent to do it with Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert driving for them. Current Ferrari test driver Pedro de la Rosa had a race role with the team, achieving point finishes. 

This would also mark the first time when Mark Webber would join what would become his current team.

INFINITI RED BULL RACING

First Entered: 2005

Pole Positions: 46

Race Wins: 34

Points: 1864.5

Constructors Championships: 3

Drivers Championships: 3

The current crop of glory boys first joined F1 in 2005, and unlike most debuting teams they scored a double points finish. Fan favourite David Coulthard was the lead driver right up until his retirement which saw him paired up with Mark Webber for a few seasons.

The Milton-Keynes team was headed by Christian Horner since Red Bull re-branded Jaguar and was key to organising the early success, but the next two points are the debate about where the true success and glory comes from.

F1 genius Adrian Newey joined the team in 2006, the year which coincidently saw them grab their first podiums. It wasn't long until the momentum started picking up. Podiums became race wins, race wins accumulated to runners up in 2009, then 2010 saw them complete the double, a trend which has continued right up until the season gone by. 

RB9

The next point is about to cause a whole load of controversy  but I'm never one to shy away from the truth. 2009 saw the first race win, thanks to Sebastian Vettel the man who has since dominated the sport.

Why has he dominated? Be under no illusion, it's not all down to him. Puppet boy is only doing a job whereby you need to be able to handle a Formula 1 car. If you were to strip away any advantage and give a stock car to him and any other driver, I guarantee you you'll see just how average Vettel is. Why the disdain for Seb? I hated his dominance in 2011. People would retaliate with "Schumacher done the same." Well my reply to you sir/madam: "Schumacher was not a hateful little git despite what you may think." The seven time world champion did also not throw his toys out of the pram like our current world champion.

No matter what you think, Red Bull are a quick team, and something tells me their dominance is about to continue. But I cannot bring myself to accept the fact that puppet boy will fluke another four championships to bring himself level to Schumi, or even beat him. That would be disastrous for my love for the sport. This season, they have a lot more resistance and I don't he can make it to four.

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Lotus

Welcome back to my special one off blog detailing the past identities of the current Formula 1 teams. We've been slowly working our way up the grid and now we come to a team close to my heart. Lotus have an historical impact on the sport dating back to the 50s. The history can also be confusing to some new readers, for instance in  2011 Lotus actually had four cars on the grid! You can clear your confusion here.

It is important to stress that the Team Lotus who competed from 1958 to 1994 have no connection with the current Lotus. This is because the two history's would overlap and intertwine with each other. This being said, it is important to mention just what a history is in the name. Throughout the years the team won 7 constructors championships, ranking them 4th overall behind Ferrari, Williams and McLaren. Five drivers have gone on to win World Championships while driving a Lotus car including; Jim Clark twice, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt (posthumously), Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti. The name is a well established and respected one, with previous drivers such as Sir Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna (pictured). 

In my eyes, as a British racing car fan and a British F1 fan, Lotus are really our Ferrari. The McLaren and die hard Williams fans are going to grab their pitchforks but they really are just as important. The founding father Colin Chapman was an innovator, so much so that he influenced the minds of Ross Brawn and Adrian Newey. British Motorsport owes a lot to Lotus and where they excelled us to where we are today. 

TOLEMAN

First Entered: 1981
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 0
Points: 26
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0




Toleman were a British based team who raced from 1981 until 1985, and were far from successful. In their first season they failed to qualify for their first 9 races and only finished one grand prix that whole year. Things did not improve until the 1983 season where they managed to scrape 10 points together. What Toleman should be remembered for however, is the first team to award a drive to the (already mentioned) legend that is Ayrton Senna.

BENETTON


First Entered: 1986
Pole Positions: 15
Race Wins: 27
Points: 851.5
Constructors Championships: 1
Drivers Championships: 2




After taking over from Toleman as sponsors, Benetton slowly but surely asserted their mark on F1 early on. In their first season, Gerhard Berger scored two podiums, including a race win in Mexico, his first and the teams. Drivers such as Nelson Piquet, Jean Alesi and Jenson Button have all driven for this team, but the greatest success came in the form of the most successful driver in Formula 1 history. 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher won the first of his two world championships back-to-back with in the team in 1994-1995. The team can also boast a talented technical staff with big names such as Flavio Britatore, Ross Brawn, Mike Gascogyne, Pat Symonds and Pat Fry. The team soon full into a slump and was bought over by our next name in 2002. 

RENAULT


First Entered: 2002
Pole Positions: 51
Race Wins: 35
Points: 1006*
Constructors Championships: 2
Drivers Championships: 2





*only the years from 2002-2011

Jenson Button continued driving for a year alongside Jarno Trulli but was replaced by Fernando Alonso in 2003 following his year out after Minardi. The fortune from the move came very very soon as in the 2005 and 2006 season, Alonso and the team completed the championship double, ending Michael Schumacher's Ferrari dominance. The Renault team became hugely popular during these times, but the very foundations that team boss Flavio Britatore had put in place to form these championship wins soon fell through.

In 2009, Crash-Gate came to our attention following Nelson Piquet jr's childish ways in un-earthing the dirt surrounded Fernando Alonso's victory in Singapore during its inaugural race in 2008. The scandal put a cloud around the Renault name that would sour in our memory for years.

In 2011, Lotus (who already had a Team Lotus on the grid since 2010) completed an advertising deal with Renault which would re-name the team Lotus-Renault. Following the decision, Team Lotus and Lotus-Renault reached a decision to clear up the remaining confusion, Team Lotus would become Caterham (due to their boss buying Caterham Cars) and Renault Lotus would simply become Lotus.

LOTUS


First Entered: 2012
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 1
Points: 303
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0







In 2012, Lotus hired Kimi Raikkonen after a two year absence, a move which made the majority question. But The Iceman proved everybody wrong, he had a phenomenal season leading to a few calling him driver of the year. Following his ice cool messages and race win during Abu Dhabi, he reminded us all why we love him. The Enstone factory and the team around him provide him with a relaxed yet motivated platform, something which his former employers Ferrari and McLaren failed to provide. This is the key to Raikkonen's success and he will be one to watch during 2013.

His team mate Romain Grosjean, not so much. In 2012 Grosjean had 10 crashes, 7 of them first lap and won which cased him to get banned for one race. He'll need to improve dramatically, he has the talent and the pace, just not the head.

What's remarkable about the car is that on the body you can see 3 stars which represent the 3 constructors championships. This shows a respect and fond memory of their history while still moving forward in amazing strides. Lotus are my favourite team because I love Kimi and I love the passion of the Lotus team. The future holds many bright moments for us, 2013 will be the beginning.

Mercedes

Welcome back to my one-off blog documenting the past history of the current Formula 1 teams on the grid today!

This later than normal post involves one of the oldest team names in the history of Formula 1. The Silver Arrows have been competing since the 30s, enjoying a very successful first few years. After that they withdrew from the sport, only to supply engines to teams. But the current team has had a very dynamic background.

DAIMIER-BENZ 

First Entered: 1954
Drivers Championships: 2

Mercedes entered under the name Daimier-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 seasons, and endured unparalled success winning both of the drivers championships with the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. However after a Mercedes disaster in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 (which resulted in 80 spectator deaths) forced the remainder of the Formula 1 season to be cancelled, and Mercedes felt the need to pull out of the sport entirely.

Tyrrell

First Entered: 1970
Pole Positions: 19
Race Wins: 23
Points: 617
Constructors Championships: 1
Drivers Championships: 3





In absolutely no relation to the team already mentioned, Tyrrell was a team set up by Ken Tyrrell and endured many great successes in the early years. But like the trends back then, this soon faded away. The team can boast a great number of drivers who entered the cockpit such as Jean Alesi, Jody Scheckter and Francois Covert. The greatest success was Scotland's favourite racing legend and three time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart (although he only won one here). 

The team does have a certain accolade that many say will be forever untouched. They are the only team ever to have won a Grand Prix with a six wheeler car! An innovative design that was soon abandoned.

SIX WHEELS?!?!?!

BAR 


First Entered: 1999
Pole Positions: 2
Race Wins: 0
Points: 227
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0




British American Racing (BAR) took over as main sponsor for the Tyrrell team from 1999 onwards exclusively becoming BAR. The team had big ambitions and landed World Champion Jacques Villeneuve to drive for them. This marked the first time a car had emerged from the Brackley facilities. Their ambitions often became annoying, stating they were already an excellent team and that they could win a race in their first ever season.  Between three drivers, they only managed to finish 11 races, with a rookie driver completing a finish before Villeneuve. The 2000 season was a big improvement but their real successes did not start occurring until Jenson Button joined in 2003. His following season saw a peak performance which seen the Brackley team grasp 2nd in the Constructors Championship.

HONDA


First Entered: 2006
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 1
Points: 106
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0







In their debut season, Honda acquired Rubens Barrichello to race alongside Button, a line-up which continued right the way through to the next incarnation. Button achieved his first ever win in 2006 which remained the teams only win. In 2008, the team gave up on their current season to focus on the brand new rule changes for 2009. However, Honda pulled the plug and withdrew from motor racing. The team had no idea what to do, or where the future lies. Fortunately, team principle Ross Brawn reacted quickly.

BRAWN GP


First Entered: 2009
Pole Positions: 5
Race Wins: 8
Points: 172
Constructors Championships: 1
Drivers Championships: 1



The BGP 001 has to be the most beautiful car ever created in F1. Untill 2012, the 2009 season was my favourite ever purely because of the excitement of this team. From the ashes of Honda, Ross Brawn managed the impossible and the team still holds the 100% record for winning both world championships. It was the best season because of the euphoric highs at the beginning, the devastating lows when they got brought back to earth and of course the amazing in team rivalry between Button and Barrichello. I was quite annoyed when Mercedes bought them over because I absolutely loved the team and car, and to be perfectly honest I don't feel the same love for Mercedes AMG.

Mercedes

First Entered: 2010
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 1
Points: 521
Constructors Championships: 1
Drivers Championships: 3


The greatest thing about the new look Mercedes was the re-introduction of God himself, Michael Schumacher. Yes, he didn't have the greatest of comebacks, so what? He had nothing to prove to anyone. He came back because he loves the sport. He doesn't care what anyone thinks. He got bored and came back. What a champion.

The current reshuffle of the Mercedes staff is a real pickle but on track they appear to have things sorted after hiring Lewis Hamilton from McLaren. The question is how and when are they going to impact? And where does Ross Brawn go? I would not like to be a Mercedes fan at the minute, you guys have a mountain to climb. Good luck.

Sauber

Welcome back to my one-off blog documenting the past history of the current Formula 1 teams on the grid today!

This weeks instalment includes one of my favourite teams, and probably everybody's favourite underdog! Sauber have always had their name in every title they've ever ran under, the only difference came from engine manufacturers. 

SAUBER

First Entered: 1993
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 195
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0






After his successes in Hillclimbing and other Motorsport activities, Swiss Peter Sauber introduced his own F1 team to the sport in 1993. The team never gathered much success and was better known as a team who employed younger talent in order to grow and nurture them. Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella were among the older drivers but Sauber did hire future drivers like Nick Heidfeld and Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Their greatest contribution was far and wide, giving Kimi Raikkonen his F1 debut. He was so impressive that he pipped the more experience Heidfeld to the vacant seat at McLaren, a move that angered Heidfeld. Sorry Nick, but you would never have reached the heights that the Iceman soared.

Sauber also had a brief involvement with Red Bull as a sponsor for a number of years.

BMW SAUBER


First Entered: 2006
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 1
Points: 308
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0








The team entered into an engine deal with BMW and raced as BMW Sauber in 2006, a move that proved to be quite successful in contrast to their previous set up. Heidfeld continued driving with them right the way through with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve driving for 3/4 of the 2006 season before being replaced by the extremely talented Robert Kubica (get better soon Rab). Sebastian Vettel had a race start after Kubica's horrible accident in Canada in 2007.

For a team with little pace before, BMW Sauber had a 2nd and 3rd place finish in two championship years with Kubica winning the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, a year after the accident (it also happened to be a 1-2 for the team).

In 2009, BMW withdrew their involvement in the sport, ending any possible progression. Peter Sauber repurchased the team, filling in the spot left vacated by Toyota following their withdrawal. The team could have reached amazing heights, but they didn't exactly have a massive decline in form.

SAUBER

Re-Entered: 2010
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 214
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0




Sauber came back and started using Ferrari engines a move which did not bring back their great BMW pace, but they hired veteran Pedro de la Rosa and rookie Kamui Kobayashi in order to make a new beginning. The team conceded 14 DNF's and dropped de la Rosa for former driver Nick Heidfeld who had another DNF on his first race back. Under the new point system the did manage to make a pretty decent haul in points but real strides in performace were not seen until last year when Sergio Perez scored the first podium for Sauber since 2003, a feat he achieved three times. The team totalled four podiums last season with Krazy Kob bagging a third place in Japan.

For 2013, Sauber took Nico Hulkenberg from Force India and GP2 runner Esteban Gutierrez on board to try and build on the current successes. Sauber have also made F1 history by being the first team to have a female boss in the form of Monisha Kaltenborn. 

Sauber C32

Sauber tend to follow up a successful season with a few poor ones. For the sake of Hulkenberg (who is an extremely talented driver) this is proven wrong. Hopefully the team who sacrificed Kobayashi for better funding know the risk they took, and that expectations are extremely high.

Force India

Welcome back to my spin off blog detailing the pasts of the current Formula 1 teams on the grid today!

The one-off blog is well under way now, today we're looking at the Sahara Force India team. Owned my Dr. Vijay Mallya since 2008, Force India have made great progress. I have given the start of their 2013 a real hard time as they have yet to announce a full driver line up. Their only driver so far is Britain's Paul di Resta who joined the team in 2011 following his successes in the DTM. I covered the Force India story briefly on my main blog but here is a closer look at some of the previous teams we knew before Force India.

JORDAN



First Entered: 1991
Pole Positions: 2
Race Wins: 4
Points: 259
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0









They were known as the rockstars of Formula 1, fronted by probably the most eccentric man in the history of the sport. Irishman Eddie Jordan. Sporting a colourful yellow livery, the team were liked throughout the entire paddock. Jordan can also boast a tremendous alumni, including; Rubens Barichello, fellow Ulsterman Eddie Irvine, Damon Hill, Jean Alesi, Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella. The team can also be responsible for introducing some of the greatest technical minds. Fellow BBC annalist Gary Anderson (also from Northern Ireland), Mike Gascoyne, and Rob Smedly are among the few. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Jordan's career was giving Formula 1 deity, Michael Schumacher his very first drive. I think Jordan have done more for this sport than some of the teams we know and love.

 MIDLAND


 

First Entered: 2006
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 0
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0





After Jordan sold the team over to Canadian business man Alex Shnaider, although it was adminstarated as the first Russian team to reflect Shniader's background. The team was highly unsuccessful competing only one season before being sold on again to Dutch manufacturers Spyker.

SPYKER





First Entered: 2007
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 1
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0






Like it's predecessors, the team failed to live up to much and ran through four drivers in their short campaign. Adrian Sutil was the only driver to survive. So thanks for that guys. A real BIG thanks (To those who aren't British, this is known as sarcasm). But the misery for the history of this particular Formula 1 past was about to end as Force India's presence became known.

FORCE INDIA




First Entered: 2008
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 0
Points: 259
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0









Starting out in a Ferrari engine, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella started off in the 2008, failing to score any points, although in 2009 Fisichella made the jump from Force India to Ferrari following Felipe Massa's accident which took him out for the rest of the season. This would however be the last time he raced in Formula 1. That same season saw them score their first points and marked a considerable improvement in form. In 2011 they welcomed British driver Paul di Resta to the team following his championship win in the DTM. 

In 2013, the team has so far yet to announce a second driver, a move which I personally think is absolutely disgraceful. I do however hope it is another rookie, this way di Resta will get full backing from the team and then hopefully a move up in the Formula 1 world. The boy can race and all he wants to do is win races.




The team has certainly involved from race winning Jordan through to point scoring Force India. The middle parts of this tale will surely be forgotten in time, but the history of this team predicts a strong future.

Toro Rosso

Welcome back to my spin off blog detailing the pasts of the current Formula 1 teams on the grid today!

We've already covered the teams who have never changed names and the minnows, so we're well under way now!

Today I'm going to cover the Red Bull feeder team Toro Rosso. Set up by Dietrich Mateschitz (owner of  the Red Bull energy drink company) in order to provide parent team Red Bull with new talent for the future. They only have a short history, including just the one name change after Mateschitz bought the last stocks to this previous guise.

MINARDI




First Entered: 1985
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 38
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0






Founded by Giancarlo Minardi and first raced in 1985, the team never really gathered any momentum in order to impress or impact. in 1996 Minardi entered into joint ownership with F1 bad boy Flavio Briatore. The team does however have quite a good roll call of drivers including; Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mark Webber and double world champion Fernando Alonso. Despite never being at the forefront of the grid, they gained a very loyal following and if they were able to produce a talent such as Fernando Alonso, it gives me great hope that the smaller teams today will provide an Alonsoesque driver. Another great quality about this team is that they loved giving the fans a new livery every once in a while! here are a few examples!:

After eventual owner Paul Stoddart sold Minardi to Red Bull, they wanted to keep the teams Italian heritage. So in a clever market ploy they named the team Toro Rosso which of course in translation means, Red Bull.

TORO ROSSO


First Entered: 2006
Pole Positions: 1
Race Wins: 1
Points: 136
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0






I have wrote a peice oringinaly about how Toro Rosso treat their younger drivers and through that I included a small history about the team from some of the drivers who have raced for them, to how Sebastian Vettel got their first pole position, podium and race win at Monza 2008. The article can be read here and I thoroughly recommend you take a read at it to see my view on how young stars are often mistreated at the outfit.

For the unaware out there, you may have noticed a change in my Blogger profile. That's because I am now a writer for a great informative and opinionated Formula 1 website called Let's Talk F1. I would absolutely implore you to check this out if you have not yet done so, there's a great dedicated team in place always looking to report the latest stories and events in our wonderful world. Please go and explore the site, favourite it and also follow us on Twitter @LetsTalkF1.


I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of my main blog where I post my opinions on the latest goings on in Formula 1 where I've covered issues such as the Toto Wolff saga and the unveiling of the Lotus E21. Contact details for both are below this text!

The Minnows

Welcome to my spin off blog detailing the pasts of the current Formula 1 teams on the grid!

Last week I detailed three of the most important teams in Formula 1, the three who have never changed their names. This is maybe why we've all come to love them so much. It's hard to imagine a world with Williams and McLaren in it. To think about one without Ferrari is just impossible. Here is the Introduction to this special blog.

This week again instead of taking on just the one team, I've included a double feature for you to enjoy. So here are your two Minnow teams and their previous outfits.

TEAM LOTUS

First Entered: 2010
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points : 0
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0






One of three new teams in 2010, Lotus were re-established from the infamous Lotus brand of the 70s and 80s. Though a shadow of their former selves, it was great to hear the name again. They hired the ever impressive Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli to drive a partnership that lasted through both the 2010 and 2011 season, although they gave a drive at the British Grand Prix to Karun Chandhok. Owned by Tony Fernandes and ran by Mike Gascoyne, the team did little to impressive as the stats show. .

CATERHAM

Since: 2012
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 0
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0







Due to a whatever debate (I honestly lost interest in the whole fight) they were forced to give up the name Lotus and became Caterham. Management remained the same, only change was Trulli out, Vitaly Petrov in. For 2013 they are one of three teams (Marussia and Force India) still not to complete a their line up, only naming Charles Pic thus far.

The next team name will take most of you by shock as the team never actually raced under this name. The team you came to know as Virgin were named Manor GP. However due to a number of shares swapping about, the team changed to Virgin Racing before a race had been started.

VIRGIN RACING

First Entered: 2010
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 0
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0







Funded by the "richy" Richard Branson, the team began as one of the other new teams in 2010. The line-up consisted of Timo Glock, and Lucas di Grassi. For 2011 they became Marussia Virgin Racing replacing di Grassi for Jerome d'Ambrosio. Like the other newbies they failed to make even a little impact on the grid.

MARUSSIA

Since: 2012
Pole Positions: 0
Race Wins: 0
Points: 0
Constructors Championships: 0
Drivers Championships: 0







With a name change and the introduction of GP2 graduate Charles Pic, Marussia nearly pipped Caterham to the prize giving 10th place in the constructors championship. It was not meant to be, although with the use of McLaren's wind tunnel and KERS for the first time they did look to be on track for 2013. Although with Pic joining Caterham and Glock's future looking to be over, it's hard to see where they can go now.