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.

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.

Introduction - The Obvious Exceptions

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

If this is your first time to any of my blogs, I am the owner and author of the Formula 1 blog which started out as a hobby and turned out to be my passion as it became a big success. This idea came to me recently one night as I discovered that a lot of Formula 1 fans both old and new are completely unaware of their teams history beyond their current name! There's also a bit of a dry spell in Formula 1 at the minute with it being pre season, new stories are hard to come by, so take this as a gap filler until the new season gets under way!

Each week I'll be examining a different team and posting them here on this blog as to keep it separate from the news on my Formula 1 blog. I'll be noting famous drivers and team owners.  I'll be taking note of the amount of Pole Positions, Race Wins, Constructors Championships & Drivers Championships. Each outfit will be totalled up in the four categories to see who is technically the most successful team in the history of Formula 1. Just remember his is for fun and is not an interpretation into what team is the best, so sit back and enjoy!

There are currently 11 teams on the grid for 2013. Now I'm sure you've already figured out, not every team has had a former identity. This post will contain the four teams who have remained the same ever since their entry into Formula 1. Next weeks blog will kick off the first real posts, starting with Marussia. So without further hesitation, please enjoy the exceptions to this special blog:

WILLIAMS

First Entered: 1978

Pole Positions: 127

Race Wins: 114
Points: 2760

Constructors Championships: 9

Drivers Championships: 7

Williams have had some amazing drivers attached to their history; Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet and Jenson Button. Formula 1's greatest driver Ayrton Senna had a stint with the team, and unfortunately this was his last team as he died in a Williams car. This has also been the last fatality to date and long may this continue. As a tribute, every Williams car has the name Senna on its livery somewhere. Team principal is the legendary Sir Frank Williams, although in getting on with age, he is likely to be succeeded by business partner Toto Wolff.

McLAREN

First Entered: 1966

Pole Positions: 155

Race Wins: 182
Points: 4710.5

Constructors Championships: 8

Drivers Championships: 12

Past drivers include Jacky Ickx, Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve, Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The team was at its highest whenever they had the greatest and the second greatest driver as team mates. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost provided the most intense rivalry that the sport has ever seen, and perhaps the world. Jenson Button currently drives for them. Martin Whitmarsh is the current team principle, McLarens most famous team principle has to be the legendary Ron Dennis.

FERRARI

First Entered: 1950 (every season since)

Pole Positions: 207

Race Wins: 227
Points: 6166. 27

Constructors Championships: 16

Drivers Championships: 15

The oldest and most prestigious outfit in the history of Formula 1. Current driver Fernando Alonso has constantly stated that to drive for Ferrari is the ultimate goal. It's hard to argue when drivers such as; Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Niki Lauda & Kimi Raikkonen have all won championships with the team. The most famous driver to drive for the team? He is no doubt the God of Formula 1, 7 times World Champion Michael Schumacher won 5 of his championships consecutively racing for this team. Stefano Domenicali currently heads the greatest Formula 1 team, a post once held by Jean Todt. Ross Brawn also designed cars for them during the Schumi era.

I hope you enjoyed my first entry in the history of Formula 1 teams. Next weeks blog I will focus on the minnow team, Marussia. Thanks for reading.

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