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Monday, August 27, 2007

Turkish Delight


Ferrari's Felipe Massa won his second consecutive Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday, beating teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Two-time defending Formula One champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren was third.

Overall leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren had been in third place but dropped to fifth after shredding a tire on the 43rd lap. Nick Heidfeld was fourth.

At the end of the 58-lap race, Massa was 2.2 seconds ahead of Raikkonen, with Alonso 26 seconds back. Hamilton was 45 seconds behind Massa.

With five races left, Alonso gained on his teammate after being as low as sixth in the early stages of the race.

In the overall standings, Hamilton's lead was cut to five points over Alonso, 84-79. Massa is third with 69 points and Raikkonen is next with 68.

The Ferraris and McLarens continue to divide the races. In the 12 races so far, Alonso, Hamilton Massa and Raikkonen have won three each.

Massa made a reversal after his last race. He finished 13th in the Hungarian GP on Aug. 5 after a disappointing qualifying run that made him start from the back of the grid.

"Three Grands Prix here, two wins. Can't be better," Massa said. "Starting from pole, good car, difficult race. I managed to keep my concentration."

At the start Sunday, the two Ferrari drivers went to the top positions with Hamilton third. Alonso was beaten to the first turn by the two BMW-Sauber drivers and was sixth after the first lap. After five laps, he was more than seven seconds from first and, more important, almost five behind Hamilton.

"If someone told me on lap two you would be on the podium ... I would be very happy," Alonso said. "At the end, the final result is the best thing of the weekend."

Alonso was penalized five spots on the starting grid for the Hungarian GP after delaying his teammate in the pits in the final minutes of qualifying, although Hamilton refused to let Alonso pass him earlier, contrary to McLaren team orders. Hamilton won and Alonso was fourth.

At 10 laps Sunday it was still the two Ferraris ahead of Hamilton, with Alonso about 10 seconds back. Alonso was able to move into fourth past Heidfeld and Robert Kubica at the first pit stop, but he was still losing time.

Raikkonen closed to within a second.

"I made a small, small mistake and Kimi closed the gap," Massa said. "Just a small mistake made my life difficult."

Raikkonen said the result was predictable after Saturday when Massa was first, two places ahead of the Finnish driver.

"In Formula One these days the race is pretty much decided after qualifying," Raikkonen said.

Things changed on the 43rd lap when Hamilton was flapping rubber from his shredded front tire while in third place. Hamilton managed to make it to the pits to change the tire but Alonso moved into third and Heidfeld was fourth.

"I saw some bits fly off the tire," Hamilton said. "It was lucky I didn't put the car in the gravel and managed to control it back to the pits as this meant that in the end I only lost two places."

Hamilton said the tire cost him a place on the podium.

"I was pushing obviously. Without a doubt we would have finished third. I still had six laps more fuel than the Ferraris. I was hoping in those six laps I could get Kimi," Hamilton said.

"Then the tire went."

Renault's Heikki Kovalainen was sixth, followed by Nico Rosberg of Williams and Kubica.

The next race is the Italian Grand Prix on Sept. 9, followed by the Belgian Grand Prix a week later.

2007 Turkish Grand Prix Results

Pos
Driver Team
Time/Retired Grid Pts
1
Felipe Massa Ferrari
1:26:42.161 1 10
2
Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
+2.2 secs 3 8
3
Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes
+26.1 secs 4 6
4
Nick Heidfeld BMW
+39.6 secs 6 5
5
Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
+45.0 secs 2 4
6
Heikki Kovalainen Renault
+46.1 secs 7 3
7
Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota
+55.7 secs 8 2
8
Robert Kubica BMW
+56.7 secs 5 1
9
Giancarlo Fisichella Renault
+59.4 secs 10
10
David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault
+71.0 secs 13
11
Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota
+79.6 secs 14
12
Ralf Schumacher Toyota
+1 Lap 16
13
Jenson Button Honda
+1 Lap 21
14
Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda
+1 Lap 11
15
Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari
+1 Lap 15
16
Jarno Trulli Toyota
+1 Lap 9
17
Rubens Barrichello Honda
+1 Lap 22
18
Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda
+1 Lap 17
19
Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari
+1 Lap 18
20
Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari
+2 Laps 20
21
Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari
Fuel pressure 19
Ret
Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
Hydraulics 12

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Standings

Driver's Standings

Pos Driver Nationality Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton British McLaren-Mercedes 84
2 Fernando Alonso Spanish McLaren-Mercedes 79
3 Felipe Massa Brazilian Ferrari 69
4 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish Ferrari 68
5 Nick Heidfeld German BMW 47
6 Robert Kubica Polish BMW 29
7 Heikki Kovalainen Finnish Renault 19
8 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Renault 17
9 Alexander Wurz Austrian Williams-Toyota 13
10 Nico Rosberg German Williams-Toyota 9
11 Mark Webber Australian Red Bull-Renault 8
11= David Coulthard British Red Bull-Renault 8
13 Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 7
14 Ralf Schumacher German Toyota 5
15 Takuma Sato Japanese Super Aguri-Honda 4
16 Jenson Button British Honda 1
16= Sebastian Vettel German STR-Ferrari 1
18 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Honda 0
18= Scott Speed USA STR-Ferrari 0
18= Anthony Davidson British Super Aguri-Honda 0
18= Adrian Sutil German Spyker-Ferrari 0
18= Christijan Albers Dutch Spyker-Ferrari 0
18= Vitantonio Liuzzi Italian STR-Ferrari 0
18= Markus Winkelhock German Spyker-Ferrari 0
18= Sakon Yamamoto Japanese Spyker-Ferrari 0


Teams Standings
Pos Team Points
1 McLaren-Mercedes 148
2 Ferrari 137
3 BMW 77
4 Renault 36
5 Williams-Toyota 22
6 Red Bull-Renault 16
7 Toyota 12
8 Super Aguri-Honda 4
9 Honda 1
10 STR-Ferrari 0
10= Spyker-Ferrari 0

Saturday, August 25, 2007

2007 FORMULA 1™ Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix

Ferrari's Felipe Massa loves Istanbul Park. After taking his first pole and his first win here last year, he grabbed pole again on Saturday afternoon by a hair from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, and their respective team mates were third and fourth.

After the switch to medium tyres and minimal fuel loads, it was Hamilton who set the final pace with 1m 27.373s, but just as McLaren were celebrating, Massa came barrelling out of the last turn to depose him with 1m 27.329s.

Pos No Driver Team

Q3 Laps
1 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari

1:27.329 18
2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes

1:27.373 17
3 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari

1:27.546 18
4 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes

1:27.574 17
5 10 Robert Kubica BMW

1:27.722 17
6 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW

1:28.037 17
7 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault

1:28.491 24
8 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota

1:28.501 20
9 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota

1:28.740 24
10 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault

1:29.322 24
11 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda


12
12 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault


12
13 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault


12
14 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda


12
15 7 Jenson Button Honda


12
16 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota


14
17 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari


9
18 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota


7
19 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda


8
20 19 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari


6
21 20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari


9
22 21 Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari


7

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Karthikeyan hopeful of Williams drive

Narain Karthikeyan remains hopeful of securing a race-seat with Williams next season. The Indian driver is currently testing for the British team, a role which he has filled for the last two years.

And the 30-year-old revealed that he still has designs on replacing either Alex Wurz or Nico Rosberg in the Williams cockpit.

However, the former Jordan driver has a seat lined up in A1 racing should this fail to materialise.

"I have got a contract with Williams for next year and am hoping to get behind the wheels as a driver," he told The Hindustan Times.

"If it doesn't materialise though, I have got a commitment with the A1 Grand Prix and would race in it."

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Expert Opinion

Former world champion Mika Hakkinen believes Fernando Alonso is struggling to come to terms with being beaten by a rookie. Lewis Hamilton leads the title race by seven points from bitter McLaren rival Alonso following a contentious Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team-mates are no longer on speaking terms following their row after qualifying when Alonso was adjudged to have deliberately impeded Hamilton in the pit lane.

Alonso was subsequently demoted from pole to sixth on the grid, leaving Hamilton to claim the third win of his debut season and take a step nearer world title glory.

Hakkinen, who won the championship in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren, said: "Fernando is the double world champion while Lewis has just started his career.

"But he has already caused him a number of worries, something that Fernando is struggling to accept.

"McLaren treat both drivers equally but Alonso just can't accept such strong competition from a novice."

Hakkinen is confident embattled team boss Ron Dennis will be able to resolve the furore.

Speaking in Caracas, Venezuela, promoting a campaign warning against the dangers of drinking and flying, Hakkinen added: "For Ron the situation is troublesome but he is absolutely the right person to be able to deal with it."

Singapore eyes street circuit work

Singapore will begin road works on its street circuit next month before hosting its debut Formula One Grand Prix event next year, the government and the promoter said.

They said the 5.05-kilometre (3.13-mile) street route would offer "a number of overtaking opportunities, fast turns and technically challenging sections."

More than 70 percent of the circuit is made up of the city-state's existing road network.

The world motorsport's governing body FIA in July set the date for the Singapore Grand Prix for September 28 next year.

The design of the paddock, which will house the control tower, garages for the teams, hospitality lounges, the press room and other facilities, is also being finalised, it said.

"We are confident that both the circuit and paddock building will be officially endorsed very soon," said tourism board chief executive Lim Neo Chian, who chair's the event's working committee.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said the Singapore race may be held at night in a bid to boost global TV ratings, although there are still safety issues that needed to be resolved.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Lewis Hamilton wins Hungary GP

Lewis Hamilton somehow blocked out the twin distractions of a qualifying controversy and in-fighting at his McLaren team to win the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton started from pole position after his teammate Fernando Alonso was demoted five grid positions for obstructing the rookie Englishman in qualifying.

Alonso had seemingly snatched pole with a last-gasp flying lap but the race stewards judged that he had acted improperly in delaying Hamilton and denying him a chance to respond.

Hamilton took full advantage of his improved grid position, driving a mistake-free race to hold Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to second and claim a victory that extends his driver's championship lead to seven points.

If history is anything to go by Hamilton will now go on to win the driver's title, only twice in the last 15 years has a driver leading the championship at this stage been beaten to the crown.

The 22-year-old was understandably delighted on the podium; his third grand prix win was undoubtedly his most important so far.

Nick Heidfeld of BMW was third with Alonso fourth just ahead of Poland's Robert Kubica in the other BMW.

The final point-scorers were German Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher in sixth, Nico Rosberg of Williams in seventh and Heikki Kovalainen of Renault in eighth.

Felipe Massa, currently fourth in the championship, had an unhappy weekend, finishing 13th.

The race started in bright sunshine and Hamilton made a clean getaway ahead of normally fast-starting Heidfeld.

On this occasion Heidfeld struggled off the grid and was immediately passed by Raikkonen who slotted in behind the leader.

Back in sixth Alonso made a poor start, soon finding himself back in eighth place when Robert Kubica and Red Bull's Mark Webber forced past him in the opening lap.

Alonso fought back but was soon stuck behind Ralf Schumacher who defended his fifth place expertly.

Meanwhile Sakon Yamamoto was the first man to drop out of the race. The Japanese Spyker driver lost control at turn 11, prematurely ending his first grand prix appearance of the season.

After 15 of the 70 laps Hamilton had established a lead of nearly five seconds from Raikkonen.

The leaders made their first pit stops five laps later with Raikkonen making up over a second on the McLaren man.

Perhaps spurred on by a strong Finnish contingent in the grandstands, Raikkonen continued to gain on Hamilton and the gap was down to one second by the halfway point.

Honda's Jenson Button, winner of this race a year ago, struggled towards the back of the field on this occasion.

But the Briton will still have been bitterly disappointed when he had to retire from the race after a mechanical failure at the halfway point.

Raikkonen made his second and final stop on his 47th lap, moving to the super-soft option tyres.

Hamilton stayed out for another three laps and the strategy paid off, he eventually emerged from the pits with a four-second lead.

Behind the front two Alonso had finally edged past Schumacher but he could not quite manage to pass Heidfeld and had to settle for fourth.

Raikkonen put Hamilton under intense pressure throughout the closing stages of the race but the 22-year-old showed great maturity to hang on and win by just over a second.

It was McLaren's 154th grand prix win and their sixth of the season. However the English team's joy will be tinged by the reality that, unless they win an appeal against the action the FIA has taken against them for the qualifying debacle, they will not be awarded any constructor's championship points from the race.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

A McLaren front row in Hungary as Ferrari fall short

Fernando Alonso will start Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix from pole position, after beating McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Hungaroring.

BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was third fastest, ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. Felipe Massa will start 14th after he failed to make it into Q3 following a problem with his F2007. Full results...

FORMULA 1™ Magyar Nagydíj 2007

Pos No Driver Team

Q3 Laps
1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes

1:19.674 17
2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes

1:19.781 17
3 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW

1:20.259 22
4 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari

1:20.410 19
5 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota

1:20.632 22
6 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota

1:20.714 24
7 10 Robert Kubica BMW

1:20.876 23
8 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault

1:21.079 25
9 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota

1:21.206 20
10 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault

1:21.256 22
11 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault


12
12 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault


12
13 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota


18
14 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari


9
15 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda


12
16 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari


16
17 7 Jenson Button Honda


6
18 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda


6
19 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda


6
20 19 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari


7
21 20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari


9
22 21 Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari


7

Friday, August 3, 2007

Raikkonen stays out of F1 spy row

Kimi Raikkonen has distanced himself from his Ferrari team's ongoing row with McLaren, saying the championship has to be decided on the track.

Ferrari are furious that McLaren escaped punishment over the recent spy row, before claiming the Italians' car was illegal in the first race of 2007.

But Raikkonen told BBC Sport: "I have not followed any of this and it is for other people, not me, to get involved.

"It would be great if things were just decided on the circuit to be honest."

McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, who has since been suspended by the team, was found to have nearly 800 pages of Ferrari documents in his house last month and the FIA world motorsport council (WMSC) found McLaren guilty of possessing confidential Ferrari information.

However, it went on to say there was "insufficient evidence" that the team had used it to their benefit and McLaren were not punished, though FIA president Max Mosley has now sent the verdict to its court of appeal.

And the row was further ignited when McLaren team boss Ron Dennis wrote an open letter to the FIA claiming that Ferrari's car in the first race of the season was illegal.

Raikkonen won that race in Australia, but said: "For everything there is a reason but it is for other people to make the decisions.

"Myself and Felipe (Massa) are just going to push as hard as we can to win races and fight to gain as many points as possible.

"That is the only way we know how to race. We're not waiting to gain an advantage in any other way, we're doing our job on the track.

"As for Mr Dennis's letter about race one, I guess we would have been disqualified if that was true so I guess he was not right."

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Super Aguri
With just the one season under their belt, Super Aguri has a lot to prove. Their driver line-up of Takuma Sato and Anthon Davidson isn't the best on the track, but they are still in the development stages of their car. In fact, it is thanks to Super Aguri that Takuma Sato is still in Formula 1 racing!

The team almost missed the 2006 season because it could not produce a necessary financial bond of $48 million on time. Thereafter, there were hurdles caused by the erstwhile Jordan team who cited reduced TV revenues as a reason for blocking their entry. In the end, it all worked out and Super Aguri was granted entry into F1 just a month before the season.

Their first season had its set of teething troubles but Super Aguri has managed to get past those. Development on the car has been satisfactory and in the last race of 2006, they finished in 10th place, their best finish. Driver troubles, though, continued to plague them through 2006 with Yuji Ide, Sato's original team-mate having his Super License revoked. The FIA said he needed more experience outside the F1 circuit.

Franck Montagny replaced Ide for seven races while the final seven races of the season were completed by Sakon Yamamoto. Neither car could score any points as the team finished at the bottom of the group.

Things have obviously improved at Super Aguri since their debut season. Takuma Sato also exudes a quiet confidence that emanates from a team that knows it's past the initial troubles. "We are now in a very different situation compared with this time last year. This project was launched by only a few people a year ago, but there are more than 150 people working at SAF1 Team now," he says.

It will be good if another team can rise to challenge the big four of Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Renault. And Super Aguri has the expertise. All it needs is some experience.


Team Boss: Aguri Suzuki

Races: 28

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Honda V8 RA806E

Chassis: SA05 - Super Aguri F1

Suspension: Ohlins

Brakes: AP Racing Hitco Carbon

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds


Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed semi automatic electro hydraulically controlled
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4666mm x 1800mm x 950mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
--
Designer: Peter McCool
Chief engineer: --
Drivers: Takuma Sato (Japan), Anthony Davidson (Great Britain)
Test driver: Sakon Yamamoto

Toro Rosso
Former Minardi boss Paul Stoddart claims that he had as many as 41 offers to sell Minardi, but he chose Red Bull since he thought they would take it further the way he could not.

He was also insistent on retaining the Italian link for the team and hence the "Scuderia" in the name of a team now owned by an Austrian brand. Another part of this deal is that the team would be based out of Italy for the 2007 season before having the option of relocating. Although fans of the fledgling Minardi team were upset by this, commercial decisions overrode their demands of retaining the Minardi name.

2006 - The first season for the team under its new colours was rather difficult and although the car was reliable, it was hardly ever competitive to seriously challenge for points. The best finish for the season was an 8th place in the US GP to Liuzzi.

While the team were powered by Cosworth engines last season - they will take on Ferrari's V8 engine this season and race with an un-changed driver line-up of American racer Scott Speed and former F3000 Champion Tonio Liuzzi.


Team Boss: Franz Tost

Races: 28

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Ferrari V8 056

Chassis: STR-02 - Toro Rosso

Suspension: Sachs

Brakes: Brembo Carbon

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds


Other:
Engine power:
--
GearBox: 7-speed unit + reverse
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: --
Valves: -
Total displacement: -


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
-
Designer: -
Chief engineer: -
Drivers: Vitantonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed
Test driver: -

Teams

BMW Sauber BMW Sauber

Ferrari Ferrari
Honda Honda

McLaren McLaren
Red Bull Red Bull

Renault Renault
Spyker Spyker

Super Aguri Super Aguri
Toro Rosso Toro Rosso

Toyota Toyota
Williams Williams


Ferrari
Founded in 1929, Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest and most successful of all Formula 1 teams. Founded by Enzo Ferrari, a race driver himself, the original avatar of Scuderia Ferrari was to be a sponsor for amateur drivers for various races. But as time went on, Ferrari became a full-fledged team. In the initial days, Ferrari would race mostly for Alfa Romeo but eventually, he moved on to set up his own establishment.

Ferrari had been in readiness to enter Formula 1 racing on their own, but World War II put a hold on these plans. Eventually, in 1948, they debuted as a racing team at the Italian GP and their first win came with Giuseppe Farina. Though they participated in Formula 1's first season in 1950; they were not as good as the Alfa Romeo cars and had to wait until 1952 for their first taste of success. Changes in regulations helped them and they won the Drivers' championship that year. Repeating their success three more times in the decade (1953, 56 and 58) and establishing themselves as a top notch team.

More success in the 1960s and 1970s including five Drivers' titles and six Constructors' titles kept them at the helm of the sport. But after early success in the 1980s (two Driver's titles in 1982 and 1983), they faded away. In the early part of the 1990s, Ferrari enjoyed minor successes with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, but these were short-lived. After a change of affairs at the helm forced by the signing of Michael Schumacher in 1996, the team saw a brief period of rise that included many wins and a realistic challenge for the title in 1997, but they could not complete the job.

The new millennium brought about a huge change in fortunes as Michael Schumacher won the title in 2000, Ferrari's first since 1979 and started an era of domination that would end with a fifth successive title for the driver in 2004. During this period, Ferrari would be virtually unbeatable as a constructor too winning the title on all five occasions. The team of Schumacher and Barrichello has been one of the most dominant in motorsport for a long time. There was some criticism levelled at them, though, for insisting that Schumacher be the winning driver while Barrichello was always the bridesmaid!

Over the last two years, Ferrari's results have not been as good and Schumacher announced his retirement after his second unsuccessful year in 2006. The 2007 season holds much hope for Ferrari and the F2007 car has been impressive in testing. In Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, the scarlet team does have an experienced set of drivers, and all the signs point to a return to the top for the Scuderia.


Team Boss: Jean Todt

Races: 751

Race Wins: 197

Constructor's Championships: 14

Engine: Ferrari V8 056

Chassis: F2007 - Ferrari

Suspension: Sachs

Brakes: Brembo Carbon

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds

Other:
Engine power: Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed unit + reverse
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4545 mm x 1796 mm x 959 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager: Jean Todt
Designer: Aldo Costa
Chief engineer: Gilles Simon
Drivers: Kimi Raikkönen (Finland), Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Test driver: Luca Badoer, Marc Gene

Honda
With just three race wins to their credit, Honda doesn't exactly have a glittering Formula 1 history... However, they are clearly not new to Formula 1, having initially made their debut in 1963.

In the early days, they surprised everyone by deciding to construct their own engine and chassis. But this decision proved good when they showed early success in the mid-1960s. Thereafter, however, the going got tough and Honda had little or no success for a while forcing them to quit F1.

As the company grew, so did their interest in F1 and in 1983, they returned to Formula 1 as an engine supplier. Although they did not have a team, their involvement as engine manufacturer saw them win six constructors' titles and five drivers' championships. Once again, though, at the end of 1992, they quit the sport. They were involved in F1 from 1993 to 1999 mainly through their associates Mugen Motorsports as engine suppliers to Ligier, Prost and Jordan. But in 2000, they entered the Formula 1 circuit again and this time, as partners with BAR.

By 2005, they had bought out the majority stake in BAR and were the sole owners of the team. After restrictions on tobacco advertising in Formula 1, British-American Tobacco, the original title sponsors have withdrawn support and since 2006, the team has raced under the name of Honda Racing F1 Team.

In 2006, the V8 Honda engine was touted as the most powerful on the grid, but after a pole position in Australia - they could not keep up with the expectations. Reliability and pit-stop issues were the main reasons! Rubens Barrichello, after a long stint at Ferrari, was still getting used to the new car and its behaviour while Jenson Button was generally off the boil in the initial part of the season. But the win at Hungary proved to be just the shot in the arm they needed as their performances peaked.

Button finished 2006 in 6th place with 56 points while Barrichello finished 7th with 30 points. Honda finished 4th in the Constructors' race and 2007 certainly promises to be a good year for the Japanese Manufacturer.


Team Boss: Nick Fry

Races: 63

Race Wins: 3

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Honda V8 RA807E

Chassis: RA107 - Honda

Suspension: Showa

Brakes: Alcon Carbon

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: 7-speed unit + reverse

Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed Honda, sequential, semi-automatic, hydraulic activation
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4675mm x 1800mm x 950 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:

Designer:
Chief engineer:
Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Brazil), Jenson Button (Great Britain)
Test driver: Christian Klien, James Rossiter

Toyota
Toyota has been around in motorsport since 1957 but their entry to Formula 1 is as recent as 2002. After partnering with various smaller teams in other motorsport disciplines, Toyota decided to enter F1 on their own without partnering any specialist constructor. Toyota also set-up their base in Germany unlike most other teams that seemed to prefer Britain.

Allan McNish and Mika Salo were their drivers for the debut season. Driving the TF102, built out of the biggest F1 budget, neither could make an impression and the team languished at the back, competing only with the Minardi and beating Arrows! Despite replacing both drivers for the 2003 season, Toyota could not do much better. They scored 16 points and finished more races, but their overall standing as constructor improved to only 8th.

Toyota retained da Matta and Panis but the results did not improve. There was a serious blot on the reputation during this season when both Toyotas were disqualified in Canada for running illegal parts.

By 2005, the team had matured and the line-up had changed again. Jarno Trulli, who had come aboard in 2004 retained his place, but his partner from 2004, Ricardo Zonta lost his seat to Ralf Schumacher. Toyota was also supplying engines to Jordan that year; a sign that things were coming together for them. 2005 was, by far, Toyota's most successful year and they finished all but two races that season. With 88 points, they finished 4th and were looking ahead with hope.

2006 came and went and Toyota did not make much headway. Too many retirements raised doubts about the car's reliability and as a result, they slipped from a 4th place in 2005 to 6th in 2006. Nonetheless, their development seemed on track and for 2007, they have unveiled a new car, the TF107. The drivers line-up remains unchanged with R.Schumacher and Trulli seeming comfortable with the team and setup.


Team Boss: Tsutomu Tomita

Races: 98

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Toyota V8 RVX-07

Chassis: TF107 - Toyota

Suspension: Penske/Toyota

Brakes: Brembo Carbon

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: 7-speed unit + reverse

Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed Toyota semi-automatic shift via driver-controlled electro-hydraulic actuation
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4530 mm x 1800 mm x 950 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
Designer:
Chief engineer: Luca Marmorini
Drivers: Jarno Trulli (Italy), Ralf Schumacher (Germany)
Test driver: Franck Montagny

Red Bull
Red Bull Racing bought the Jaguar team at the end of the 2004 season, after it was put up for sale by Ford following several dismal seasons in the sport... And what a turn-around they achieved!!!

The energy-drinks company, completed an impressive debut season with the help of David Coulthard and two other contracted drivers - Christian Klien, and Vitantonio Liuzzi. They gained a handful of points to finish ahead of Sauber, Jordan and Minardi.

Coulthard also seems to have played a significant role off the track, and is reported to have played an integral role in convincing design guru Adrian Newey to leave McLaren and head to RBR.

In 2006, Red Bull decided to move away from the Cosworth engines they were using as a legacy of their deal with Jaguar. They signed a deal with Ferrari but despite Coulthard's praises, the car did face initial troubles and Red Bull could not make an early impact. Furthermore, Klien ended up moving out for the last three races, replaced by Robert Doornbos but the results did not come. Although the RB2 (the 2006 car) had a similar engine to the Ferrari (V8 specification regulations made this mandatory), they could not compete with the major teams.

Red Bull has reworked their strategy for 2007 and these changes include an engine from Renault, Bridgestone tyres and Mark Webber as the second driver. Despite high hopes, though, Red Bull is in danger of falling short of the targets they are setting themselves. A slightly pessimistic Coulthard said after two practice sessions at Sakhir, "At the moment we're not going to achieve the goals I had for the year. But we've some more time to develop and hopefully, once we've done that, we can try and achieve them."

Whether they have enough time or not is debatable, but Red Bull does have some high hopes. Even if they don't achieve it all this season, there's always next. After all, they have signed the Concorde agreement and are going nowhere!


Team Boss: Christian Horner

Races: 47

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Renault

Chassis: RB2 Carbon Aramid produced by Red Bull

Suspension: -

Brakes: AP Racing Calipers, Carbone Industries carbon-fibre

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: 7-speed unit + reverse


Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed unit + reverse
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: --
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager: --
Designer: Robert Taylor
Chief engineer: --
Driver: David Coulthard (Great Britain), Mark Webber (Australia)
Test driver: --

Williams
With a penchant for innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, Sir Frank Williams created the 'Williams Grand Prix Engineering Team' in 1977. Since their debut in the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix, Williams has won 9 Constructors' Championships and 7 Drivers' titles. With over 100 GP wins, they are clearly amongst the big boys of Formula 1.

Williams has a history of recruiting some outstanding talent and Patrick Head, the designer, was hired when the team was in its early days. His efforts coupled with Frank Williams' expertise are often referred to the 'Williams-Head' partnership that is now legendary.

Unlike other teams that took a while to make a mark on the F1 circuit, Williams tasted almost instant success. In just their first season, they had a podium finish and by the end of their third season in 1980, they had their hands around both the drivers' and constructors' titles. This helped in attracting some fine talent their way and the results continued to be impressive.

Amongst some of the major names to have raced with Williams are Finland's Keke Rosberg, Britain's Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill, France's Alain Prost and Brazil's Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. Williams' toughest hour came in 1994 when Ayrton Senna died in an accident in a Williams. Frank Williams, Patrick Head and designer Adrian Newey, were all subsequently accused of manslaughter but when the trial ended in 2005, they were all cleared of any wrongdoing.

Over the years, Williams has had many engine suppliers, but their best results have been with the Honda and Renault engines. They have won two constructors' championships with Honda and five with Renault. However, the downslide for Williams began with Renault's withdrawal from the sport in 1997.

2006 saw Williams compile their worst tally of points since debut and a lot of work remains to be done. Rebuilding the team is underway but the results aren't expected to be forthcoming. In 2007, their brand new FW29 will be powered by Toyota and while Nico Rosberg retained his race-drive - last season's test driver, Alex Wurz makes a full-time race comeback replacing the Red Bull bound, Mark Webber.


Team Boss: Frank Williams

Races: 497

Race Wins: 113

Constructor's Championships: 9

Engine: Toyota V8 RVX-07

Chassis: FW29 - Williams

Suspension: Double wishbones by WilliamsF1

Brakes: AP Racing Calipers, Carbone Industries carbon-fibre

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: 7-speed unit + reverse

Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed WilliamsF1
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: --
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
--
Designer: Ed Wood
Chief engineer: --
Drivers: Alexander Wurz (Austria), Nico Rosberg (Germany)
Test driver: Narain Karthikeyan, Kazuki Nakajima

Spyker
Amid rumours that had been doing the rounds of the F1 circuit, Spyker confirmed their buyout of Midland F1 (which not long ago was called Jordan F1) halfway through the 2006 season. At time of Spker's announcement of the buyout, Michiel Mol, the Director of F1 Racing, Spyker, had assured that Spyker was not in F1 for the sake of it. "We are in F1 to win," he had stated emphatically.

At the time of the buyout, Midland employed Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro. While Albers has retained his place, Monteiro had to move out. He will be replaced by Adrian Sutil of Germany for the 2007 season. It was also recently announced that previous team boss of Midland, Colin Kolles, would continue as the team principal through 2007.

Spyker has made some technical changes to the Midland set up it bought. They will be replacing the Toyota engines with Ferrari ones and also use the Dutch flag and colours on the car livery.

Spyker is a very new player not only in F1, but also in car manufacturing and they will take some time to settle down. But they are one of many new and inexperienced teams on the circuit this season and the race at the back of the pack is sure to get interesting.


Team Boss: Michiel Mol

Races: 28

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: Ferrari V8 056

Chassis: F8 VII - SpykerF1

Suspension: SpykerF1

Brakes: Carbon discs

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds

Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed + reverse longitudinal gearbox with electrohydraulic sequential gear change
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: Approx. 5000 mm x 1800mm x 950 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager: --
Designer: John McQuilliam
Chief engineer: --
Drivers: Adrian Sutil (Portugal), Christijan Albers (Netherlands)
Test driver: Giedo Van der Garde, Fairuz Fauzy, Markus Winkelhock, Adrian Valles

BMW Sauber
Sauber had a horrid season in 2005 after a rather respectable campaign the year before. Peter Sauber had always resisted colaborating with a big manufacturer ever since he formed the team in 1993. However, the need for financial muscle was inevetible - both on and off the track and the Swiss finally had to give-in to a buy-out offer from BMW.

In their first season as a full team, BMW had employed Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve with Robert Kubica as the test driver. It wasn't the best season, but for a debut year, 36 points and fifth in the Constructors' championship was not too bad either. Having Villeneuve on the team paid off when he scored the teams first points in Malaysia. In the same race, the team a radical aerodynamic attachment that has since been dubbed the 'twin towers' as homage to the Petronas Towers (Petronas are the team's principal sponsors) in Kuala Lumpur. The attachment has since been banned by the FIA as it could prove to be obstructive to drivers.

While there were initial troubles in the first half of the season, they performed substantially better in the second half. Heidfeld and Kubica both managed a podium finish and allowed a strong end to the year. Kubica was racing thanks to Villeneuve not being fit after an accident in Germany.

For 2007, Heidfeld and Kubica will be the main drivers for BMW with Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock as the test drivers. The car's reliability that was one of the main issues going into winter testing, seems to have been ironed out.

Whatever the case, BMW has done well enough to keep fans and competition interested in how they shape up. And at a time when F1 needs someone to challenge the four dominant teams, BMW Sauber could well be the team.


Team Boss: Mario Theissen

Races: 246

Race Wins: 0

Constructor's Championships: 0

Engine: BMW P86 (V8)

Chassis: F1.06 Carbon-fibre monocoque

Suspension: Upper and lower wishbones (front and rear), inboard springs and dampers, actuated by pushrods

Brakes: Six-piston callipers (Brembo), carbon pads and discs

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Longitudinally mounted 7-speed transmission, carbon-fibre clutch


Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed BMW Sauber, semi-automatic, longitudinally mounted, carbon casing
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4610mm x 1800 mm x 1000mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
--
Designer: Jorg Zander
Chief engineer: -
Drivers: Nick Heidfeld (Germany), Robert Kubica (Poland)
Test driver: Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock


Renault
For a team that was called the "yellow teapot" in its initial races, Renault sure has come a long way! In a see-saw involvement in F1 that has seen them move from being a full-fledged team to engine supplier, Renault has seen it all.

Renault entered Formula 1 in late 1977 with the first ever turbocharged engine to be used in F1. Unfortunately, the car was unreliable and would remain so for the next couple of years despite improvements to the engine and build of the car. Along the way, however, Renault had started to make a mark as a constructor and began starting from pole position every once in a while!

By the 1980s, Renault had started to move higher and also had a few wins under their belt now. Rene Arnoux was one of the two drivers employed by Renault and he was steadily adding to the team's tally of wins and reputation with Jean-Pierre Jabouille until he suffered a serious crash in Canada in had to be replaced with Alain Prost.

Prost's time with Renault established the team's reputation as a forerunner and Renault won 11 races in 1981-82 with Prost winning nine and Arnoux two. Renault struggled a bit after Prost left them in 1982 for Ferrari, but the real problem for them came in 1985 when financial problems forced them to first become mere engine suppliers the following year, but completely pull out at the end of the season.

Just three years later, Renault returned to F1 but again... still as engine suppliers. They joined hands with Williams and made steady progress until 1992 when their active-ride engine clinched them the title, a feat they would repeat with the Renault engine in 1993. The combine was well on their way to a third title in 1994 until Ayrton Senna, the lead driver for Williams, died in an accident. Damon Hill tried his best, but could not stop Michael Schumacher. Interestingly, Schumacher was the only driver between 1992 and 1997 to win the title in a non-Renault powered car!

In 2000, Renault returned to Formula 1 when they bought over the Benetton Formula 1 team. Results, though, were hard to come by and after much changing and chopping of personnel and equipment, Renault finally seemed to have got it right when they challenged for the second place in the constructors' championship in 2004. Eventually, they would finish third, but the stage had been set...

The last two seasons have been the best for Renault and as a Formula 1 team, they have won everything available for the first time. Although their premier driver has left the team, hopes are still high of a hat-trick.


Team Boss: Flavio Briatore

Races: 223

Race Wins: 33

Constructor's Championships: 2

Engine: Renault V8 RS27

Chassis: R27 - Renault F1

Suspension: RenaultF1

Brakes: Hitco/AP Racing

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds

Other:
Engine power:
Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed unit + reverse
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: 4800 mm x 1800 mm x 950 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: 2.4 litres


Team Personnel:
Team manager:
-
Designer: Tim Densham
Chief engineer: Rob White
Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen(Finland), Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy)
Test driver: Nelson Piquet Jr, Ricardo Zonta


Mclaren
McLaren is one of the oldest teams on the Formula 1 circuit and since the time they have been formed, the most successful. But the going has not been exactly the easiest over the last few years.

Founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, they have won 11 Drivers' Championship titles and 8 Constructors' titles. Their most successful years have been 1974, 84, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91 and 98 when they won both titles in the same year. Over the years, McLaren has employed some of the best drivers of their times including Denny Hulme in the late 1960s, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger in the 1980s and Mika Hakkinen in the later part of the '90s.

The MP4 chassis of the McLaren F1 team that has been in use for almost 25 years now came about when a struggling team known as Project 4, sponsored by Marlboro was brought together with the McLaren team. At the time (in the early 1980s), McLaren had funds and a set up to nurture a good team while Project 4 had a good engine, designer and a new concept of fibre-glass body but no money. The term MP4 in fact stands for "Marlboro Project 4" but has over the years been conveniently dubbed as "McLaren Project 4".

The last season was a bit of an up and down one for them. They were always in contention and near the top of the pack, but lack of reliability prevented them from going any further. For the first time in ten years, McLaren failed to win a race through the season. But hopes are high for 2007 with the signing of Fernando Alonso and the new Mercedes engine.


Team Boss: Ron Dennis

Races: 627

Race Wins: 153

Constructor's Championships: 8

Engine: Mercedes V8 FO 108T

Chassis: MP4-22 - McLaren

Suspension: Koni

Brakes: Carbon discs

Tyres: Bridgestone

Transmission: Semi-auto 7 speeds

Other:
Engine power: Over 18,500 rpm
GearBox: 7-speed unit + reverse
Weight: 605 kgs (including driver, camera and ballast)
Dimensions: Approx. 4800 mm x 1800 mm x 950 mm
Valves: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Total displacement: -


Team Personnel:
Team manager: Ron Dennis
Designer: Mike Coughlan
Chief engineer: Norbert Haug
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Spain), Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain)
Test drivers: Pedro de la Rosa, Gary Paffett