Ferrari is the only team in Formula 1 to have competed in every season of the World Championship since its inception in 1950. As a result, the Prancing Horse has a huge number of fans around the world, while in Italy supporting the scarlet cars of the Ferrari Formula 1 racing team is almost a religion. The last of Ferrari's nine Constructors' Championships came in 1999, the previous victory being as far back as 1983; the last of its nine Drivers Championships was in 1979.
Since Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne arrived in 1996, Ferrari has become increasingly competitive. The German driver came close to snatching the championship honours 1997 and again in 98, and Ferrari finished second in the Constructors Championship in both years prior to winning in 1999 after a somewhat controversial end to the season.
The Jaguar Ford team was formed in 2000 as a result of Ford buying outright the Stewart Grand Prix team which was founded in 1997 by former multiple Formula 1 World Champion Jackie Stewart and his son Paul.
As Stewart-Ford the teams 1997 performances were impressive: Rubens Barrichello finished second at Monaco and produced several fine qualifying performances. 1998 however was a disappointment, but the Jaguar Ford bounced back in 1999 with the SF-3 and Johnny Herbert scored the teams first win in the Luxembourg Grand Prix held in Germany.
2000 promised much with new Jaguar Ford livery, plus Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert providing an all British driver line up, but despite this the first half of the season has not lived up to expectation.
With firm financial backing from Ford, and the might of Cosworth behind engine development it is only a matter of time before the Jaguar Ford formula 1 racing team are consistent winners in Formula 1 racing.
Bruce McLaren started his Formula One Grand Prix racing team back in 1966. Two years later it was a winner, and in 1974 Emerson Fittipaldi and McLaren won the Drivers' and Constructors' championship together, then in 1976 James Hunt took the drivers crown in a McLaren. Ron Dennis took charge in 1981, and between 1984 and . 91, the McLaren Mercedes team won six Constructors crowns and seven Drivers' titles with Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.
The McLaren Mercedes partnership began in 1995, and came to fruition when Adrian Newey joined the team, winning the Constructors' Championships in 1998 while Mika Hakkinen's eight victories made him Formula 1 World Champion in the same year.
Currently the MP4-15 is seen as the quickest formula 1 car of the field closely followed by Ferrari, its greatest rival.
Frank Williams established Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977, having previously entered cars of other makes. His first Williams appeared in 1978 designed by Patrick Head, and the following year the team won five races. In 1980 Alan Jones took the Drivers World Championship, and Williams the Constructors crown. Since then the BMW Williams racing team has won over 100 Grand Prix. Damon Hill won the Drivers title in 1996, while Jacques Villeneuve's 1997 World Championship success was the BMW Willimas team's seventh Drivers title and clinched its ninth Constructors' Championship.
After two fruitless years BMW Williams are back on the victory trail with BMW power and expect to be back on the formula 1 winners rostrum if not in 2000 then for certain in 2001.
Eddie Jordan entered Formula 1 in 1991, and finished the year lying fifth in the constructors Championship but 1992 and 1993 proved disappointing. However the following year Rubens Barrichello gave Jordan Honda its first top three finish, and its first pole position. In 1995 Jordan Honda finished second and third in the Canadian Grand Prix , and the team had three podium finishes in 1997.
In 1998 the Jordan racing team scored its first victory with a now famous first and second for Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher in Belgium, and the team went on to finish fourth in the Constructors Championship.
In 1999 came the second win for Jordan Honda in France with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and much was expected in 2000, however the first part of the season has been disappointing. Works Honda engines promise more power, and hopefully better results in for Jordan Honda in the Formula 1 Grand Prix races for 2001.
Benetton Formula 1 bought out the Tolman team before the 1986 Grand Prix Season and by the end of the year, Benetton had scored its first win. The next seven years yielded just six wins for the Benetton racing team in Formula 1, despite a works-engine deal and substantial financial backing. Then in 1994 the potential was suddenly fulfilled, with Benetton and Michael Schumacher taking eight wins and the Drivers Championship. A switch from Ford to Renault power the following season helped Schumacher to an even more convincing Drivers' title and Benetton took the Constructors Championship.
When Michael Schumacher left for Ferrari, Benetton suffered a relapse, though in 1997 there was a win and two pole positions. Throughout 1998 and 1999 the Benetton powered by Supertec engines have been off the pace, and this year the announcement of a buy out by Renault means that the Benetton team will soon rejoin at the front of the Formula One field.
British American Racing bought out the Tyrrell team before the start of the 1998 season, and completed that season under the Tyrrell name.
The excitement surrounding BAR Honda at the start of the start of 1999 was understandable. Not only was this a well funded operation with two highly talented drivers, but the chassis was built by Adrian Reynard - and his company has succeeded in every category it has entered.
All this was to culminate in frustration and disappointment, BAR Honda scored not a single point throughout the Formula 1 season and were plagued with unreliability.
For 2000 the team has works Honda engines, and the talents of their drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta are starting to show through. As the BAR Honda racing team builds on both its experience and the talented people throughout the squad a win in Formula One cannot be ruled out especially with Jaques Villeneuve's never-say-die attitude!
Arrows was formed in 1978 by ex- Formula 1 Grand Prix driver Jackie Oliver and the team's first four years had moments of promise. More top-three finishes came in the years 1985,.'88, '89 and '95 - but the Arrows team's most famous near miss came three years ago when Damon Hill lost the lead of the Hungarian Grand Prix with less than two laps to go. 1998 and 1999 were tough for Arrows, but never underestimate Tom Walkinshaw. Funding from Orange, and Supertec engines have had a major impact on the Arrows racing team in 2000, and there are rumours of a works engine for 2001. Driver line up with Pedro de la Rosa and Jos Verstappen (Jos the boss) are more than capable of some surprises.
Formed by Peter Sauber in 1993, the team used Mercedes engines for two years before switching to Ford in 1995 which saw Heinz-Harald Frentzen score the teams top three finish in the 1995 Italian Grand Prix, while Johnny Herbert took third in Monaco in 1996.
Using the Petronas-financed Ferrari V10 the Sauber Petronas scored a third place in Hungary in 1997, and in 1998 their only claim to fame was when Jean Alesi qualified second in the Austrian Grand Prix.
1999 saw the Sauber Petronas struggling again, and in 2000 it is more of the same except that Mika Salo has shown surprising pace on occasions
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