Formula One |
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Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. [1] The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. [2] The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.
Ferrari hold the record for the most Grand Prix victories, having won 244 times. McLaren are second with 183 wins, and Mercedes are third with 125 wins. [3] Nine countries have produced winning constructors; apart from the six countries which are regarded as the major competitors, Canada (Wolf), Ireland (Jordan), and Austria (Red Bull) have constructors that have won races despite not having a large automotive industry, with all three teams being based in the UK. British constructors have won the most Grands Prix, with 16 constructors having won 519 races between them. Italian constructors are second with 266 wins between six constructors. German constructors are third, having won 127 Grands Prix between three constructors. During the first four championship seasons (1950–1953), only Italian constructors won championship races, with the exception of the Indianapolis 500. Five seasons (1973, 1986, 1991, 1992, and 1993) witnessed wins by only British constructors. Since the first win for a British constructor in 1957, British constructors won races in every season until 2013, except 2006.[ citation needed ] Only one constructor (Benetton) has achieved victories under two different nationalities.
All figures correct as of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Note: All wins were achieved by works teams except for 20 races won by three privateer teams between the 1958 and 1970 seasons.
* | Constructor has competed in the 2024 season |
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‡ | Formula One World Constructors' Champion |
† | Has competed in the 2024 season and a Formula One World Constructors' Champion |
All figures correct as of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Rank | Country | Wins | Constructor(s) |
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1 | United Kingdom | 519 | 16 |
2 | Italy [lower-alpha 5] | 266 | 6 |
3 | Germany | 127 | 3 |
4 | Austria | 116 | 1 |
5 | France | 54 | 4 |
6 | United States | 13 [lower-alpha 6] | 6 [lower-alpha 7] |
7 | Ireland | 4 | 1 |
8 | Japan | 3 | 1 |
9 | Canada | 3 | 1 |
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in 1950. The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s, before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s. This engine was the result of a deal between BMW and Brabham, which resulted in the team's chassis being powered by BMW engines from 1982 until 1987, a period in which Nelson Piquet won the 1983 championship driving a Brabham BT52-BMW. BMW also supplied the M12/13 on a customer basis to the ATS, Arrows, Benetton and Ligier teams during this period, with various degrees of success. In 1988, Brabham temporarily withdrew from the sport and BMW withdrew its official backing from the engines, which were still used by the Arrows team under the Megatron badge. Turbocharged engines were banned by the revised Formula One Technical Regulations for 1989, rendering the M12/13 obsolete.
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000, the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2002, the team became Renault. The Benetton Formula team was chaired by Alessandro Benetton from 1988 to 1998.
The 1997 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on 27 July 1997. It was the tenth race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship.
The 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 56th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2002 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 2002 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 3 March and ended on 13 October.
The 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 8 March and ended on 1 November.
The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October.
The 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The championship commenced on 10 March and ended on 13 October after sixteen races. Two World Championship titles were awarded, one for Drivers and one for Constructors.
The 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 49th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1995 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1995 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 26 March and ended on 12 November.
The 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 59th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship, contested over a then-record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on 6 March 2005 and ended 16 October.
The 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 60th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 57th Formula One World Championship which began on 12 March and ended on 22 October after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault for the second year in a row, with Alonso becoming the youngest ever double world champion at the time. Then-retiring seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari finished runner-up, 13 points behind. The Constructors' Championship was won by Renault, which defeated Ferrari by five points.
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. More than ten years after its last race, Team Lotus remained one of the most successful racing teams of all time, winning seven Formula One Constructors' titles, six Drivers' Championships, and the Indianapolis 500 in the United States between 1962 and 1978. Under the direction of founder and chief designer Colin Chapman, Lotus was responsible for many innovative and experimental developments in critical motorsport, in both technical and commercial arenas.