Formula One - History Library

[Gilraen]

Sponsorship arrives

Although they failed to win the title in 1967, by the end of the season the Lotus 49 and the DFV engine were mature enough to make the Lotus team dominant again. However for 1968 Lotus had lost its exclusive right to use the DFV. McLaren built a new DFV-powered car and a new force appeared on the scene when Ken Tyrrell entered his own team using a Cosworth-powered cars built by French aeronautics company Matra and driven by ex-BRM driver Jackie Stewart.

Unsurprisingly the season-opening 1968 South African Grand Prix confirmed Lotus' superiority, with Jim Clark and Graham Hill finishing 1#8211;2. It would be Clark's last win. On 7 April 1968 Clark, once of the most successful and popular drivers of all time, was killed at Hockenheim in a non-championship Formula Two event.

In the next month came two significant innovations. The first was the arrival of unrestricted sponsorship, which the FIA decided to permit that year after the withdrawal of support from automobile related firms like BP, Shell and Firestone. In May the Lotus Formula One team appeared at Jarama in the Red, Gold and White colors of Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand. The second innovation was the introduction of wings as seen previously on the Chaparral endurance car. Colin Chapman introduced modest front wings and a spoiler on Graham Hill's Lotus 49B at Monaco. Brabham and Ferrari went one better at the Belgian Grand Prix with full width wings mounted on struts high above the driver. Lotus replied with a full width wing directly connected to the rear suspension that required a redesign of suspension wishbones and transmission shafts. Matra then produced a high mounted front wing connected to the front suspension. This last innovation was mostly used during practice as it required a lot of effort from the driver. By the end of the season most teams were using sophisticated wings.

Despite the death of Jim Clark, Lotus won both titles in 1968 with Graham Hill, but Stewart was a serious contender, winning several Grands Prix in the Tyrrell-run Matra MS10. The car's most innovative feature was the use of aviation-inspired structural fuel tanks. These allowed the chassis to be around 15kg lighter, while still being stronger than its competitors. The FIA considered the technology to be unsafe and decided to ban it for 1970. Safety became a major issue in Formula One. The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa did not take place due to the drivers boycotting the circuit after safety upgrades were not installed as demanded.

Matra CEO Jean-Luc Lagardère made a radical strategic decision for the 1969 championship: The Matra works team would not compete in Formula One. Matra would instead focus its efforts on the Tyrrell team (renamed Matra International) and build a new DFV powered car with structural fuel tanks, even though it would only be eligible for a single season. The decision was even more radical given that Matra was seeking a partnership with Simca, then a subsidiary of the American company Chrysler, which would preclude using Ford-branded engines for 1970.

After several incidents in which the wings, struts, or the suspension (to which they were attached) collapsed, wings were banned from Monaco 1969. They were reintroduced later in the season but were to be restricted in size and height, and attached directly to the chassis in a fixed position.

Stewart won the 1969 title easily with the new Matra MS80, which corrected most of the weaknesses of the MS10. Stewart's title was the first won by a French chassis, and the only one won by a chassis built in France. It was a spectacular achievement from a constructor that had only entered Formula One the previous year, but it had little impact on the French general public because the British contribution was too large to fulfil nationalistic pride.

[Gilraen]

1969 also saw a brief resurgence of interest in four wheel drive following a number of wet races the previous year. Four such cars were entered for the British Grand Prix, including Cosworth#8217;s only Formula One car, and Johnny Servoz-Gavin became the one and only driver to score a point with a 4WD, finishing sixth with the Matra MS84 at the Canadian Grand Prix. Downforce quickly proved a superior means of increasing grip, and the technology was abandoned, although Lotus continued to experiment with the idea for a few more years.

For 1970 following the agreement with Simca, Tyrrell were asked by Matra to use their V12 rather than the Cosworth. Stewart tested the Matra V12 and found it inferior to the DFV. As a large part of the Tyrrell budget was provided by Ford, and another significant element came from French state-owned petroleum company Elf, which had an agreement with Renault that precluded supporting a Simca partner, Ken Tyrrell bought March 701 chassis as interim solution before developing his own cars.

The new wedge-shaped Lotus 72 was a very innovative car featuring torsion bar suspension, in-board front brakes and an overhanging rear wing. The 72 quickly showed is superiority and Lotus new leader, the Austrian Jochen Rindt, dominated the championship until he was killed at Monza when a brake shaft broke. He took the 1970 title posthumously for Lotus. 1970 saw the introduction of slick tyres by Goodyear.

After the death of Rindt Lotus behaviour was strange probably because the reason of Rindt's death was not fully understood. The Lotus 72 was seen only in rare occasions. The team spent a lot of time experimenting with a gas turbine powered car, and with four wheel drive again. Using their own chassis heavily inspired by the Matra MS80 but with conventional tanks, Tyrrell and Stewart easily took success in 1971.

Lotus' 1971 experiments did not bring any serious advance in technology but allowed Chapman to test several drivers. For 1972 the team focussed again on the type 72 chassis. Imperial Tobacco continued its sponsorship of the team under its new John Player Special brand. The cars, now often referred to as 'JPS', were fielded in a new black and gold livery - considered beautiful by many. Lotus took the championship by surprise in 1972 with 26-year old Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi who became the youngest world champion. Stewart came second in the championship, but improved his reputation further with notable performances in North America in a CanAm Lola. His busy schedule on both sides of the Atlantic led to an ulcer, however. In 1973, Lotus teammates Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson raced each other while Stewart was supported by François Cévert at Tyrrell. Stewart took the Driver's title, but then at the final race of the season, the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Cévert crashed during Saturday practice in the notorious esses and was killed instantly. Stewart and Tyrrell withdrew from the race effectively handing the Constructor's title to Lotus. At the end of the season Stewart made public his decision to retire, a decision that was already made before the US Grand Prix.

By the end of 1973 season the best car on the track was probably the new McLaren M23, a wedge-shaped car following the same concept as the Lotus 72 but with more conventional suspension and better aerodynamics. Fittipaldi made the choice to leave Lotus for McLaren, now under the direction of Teddy Mayer and a role that offered him true lead driver status that Chapman refused to him.

[Gilraen]

Ferrari and McLaren at the top

The 1974 season went to pre-season favourites McLaren and Fittipaldi, but was a far closer result than expected. Ferrari bounced back from a dismal 1973 season with its first monocoque cars, the flat-12 powered 312 B3s driven by young Austrian Niki Lauda and the experienced Clay Regazzoni. Despite the failure of the new Lotus 76, Peterson managed to win Grands Prix with the four year old 72. Brabham driver Carlos Reutemann was also able to win with the new BT44 and young talent Jody Scheckter ended most of the races in the points, including winning the Swedish Grand Prix with the Tyrrell 007, a car very similar to the McLaren M23. Lauda's season fizzled out after a crash on the first lap of the German Grand Prix. Only the last race of the season decided the driver's title between Fittipaldi, Regazzoni, and Scheckter.

By this time, Formula One cars looked very different to those of 1966. Most cars had bodywork sculpted into the wedge shapes pioneered by Lotus (with the notable exception of the Ferraris' extremely complex curves) and gigantic airboxes towered over driver's heads. There were internal revolutions as well. Using the engine as a fully stressed part of the chassis structure, pioneered by Lotus in 1967, was now the norm. But the biggest mechanical change came in 1975, when the Ferrari 312T appeared, its transverse gearbox allowing better weight distribution.

The red cars won the Constructors titles in 1975, 1976, and 1977. Lauda took a relatively straightforward first Driver's title in 1975. The main surprise of the season came when the tiny Hesketh team won the Dutch Grand Prix with James Hunt. Despite entering only one car and refusing sponsorship the team finished 4th in the constructors championship. That year also saw Lella Lombardi score the first points by a woman in Formula One for 6th place at the Spanish Grand Prix.

For 1976, Fittipaldi made the surprising decision to drive for the Brazilian Fittipaldi team of his brother Wilson, sponsored by Copersucar. James Hunt, who knew that Hesketh's future was doomed by its quixotic refusal of sponsorship, signed for McLaren. In 1976 Lauda's second successive title seemed inevitable until he crashed in the rain on the first lap at the Nürburgring, suffering severe burns. He was given the last rites but unbelievably was back in his Ferrari six weeks later. He lost the championship by a single point to James Hunt in heavy rain at the final round at Fuji in Japan when he pitted his car and refused to continue, declaring that the risk was too great and that from now on he would refuse to race under extreme conditions.
The most radical innovation of 1976 was the 6-wheeled P34. The P34 was a good car, often finishing third or fourth and winning the Swedish Grand Prix, but it was not superior to the best 4-wheeled car. 1976 also saw the Lotus team fitting brushes or plastic skirts under its rather uncompetitive 77. Some teams copied these devices but found no significant effect on performance, in fact nobody knew what was in Chapman's mind.

The incident at Fuji damaged Lauda's relationship with Enzo Ferrari and Lauda officially became the second driver of the Scuderia with Carlos Reutemann as leader. Lauda signed for Brabham before the end of the 1977 championship, having taken the title easily before Enzo Ferrari refused him a car for the end of the season. His second title was mostly built on regularity and reliability. Despite his conflict with the "Commendatore" and his second driver status Lauda enjoyed immense respect from the Ferrari team, which did its best to give him a good car. There was in fact a very competitive field that year but no single challenger to the Austrian emerged and points taken away from Ferrari were shared between many teams and drivers.

[Gilraen]

1977 also saw two radical technical innovations that would change the future of Formula One. The purpose of Lotus' bizarre experimentation in 1976 was revealed with the Lotus 78, which brought ground effect to Formula One for the first time. Generating radically increased downforce with radically less drag, the Lotus 78s driven by Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson won five Grands Prix in 1977. Reportedly the internal name of the project that gave birth to 78 was "Something for nothing", Lotus external consultant Peter Wright, one of the designer of the 1970 March 701, brough the idea. Renault unveiled the second when their RS01 made its first appearance powered by a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine, derived from their sportscar unit. Although supercharged engines were successful in the 1950s and the regulations allowing for turbocharged engines had existed for 11 years, no Formula One team had built one, feeling that the fuel consumption and turbo lag (boost lag) would negate its superior power. Motor engineer François Castaing, who had observed the turbocharged Offenhauser engines used in Indycar racing in the USA, pushed for this choice.

The entry of Renault also brought Michelin's radial tires to Formula One. Goodyear, who enjoyed a monopoly before the entry of Michelin, was still using the cross ply design for racing. Goodyear saw the entry of Michelin as a serious threat and made a notable effort in research and development to develop its own radial tires. Tyrrell's 1977 season was disastrous because Goodyear was too busy to continue to develop the unique small tires required by the P34. Without continuing development, the tyres became less competitive and the six-wheeled concept had to be dropped.

The wing-cars era



For 1978 the new Lotus 79 made a more radical and mature use of the ground effect concept. Many other teams began experimenting with the technology, but Lotus had a head start and Mario Andretti won the Championship, becoming the first driver to win both the American IndyCar championship and the Formula One title. Brabham outbid Lotus in generating downforce with BT46B "fan car", a revival of the "sucker car" concept used by Jim Hall's Chaparrals in CanAm in 1970. The car exploited a loophole in the regulations, however, the team, led by Bernie Ecclestone who had recently become president of the Formula One Constructors Association, withdrew the car before it had a chance to be banned after winning its only race with Niki Lauda at the wheel at the Swedish Grand Prix. Late in the season Ronnie Peterson crashed into the barriers in the first lap at Monza and his Lotus burst into flames. James Hunt heroically pulled him out of the car and the medical prognosis was initially good but the Swede died the next day because of an embolism. Hunt would retire after the following season's Monaco Grand Prix.

For 1979 Ligier, the resurrected Williams team and Ferrari produced wing-cars designs that were more effective that the Lotus 79. This forced Lotus to hastily introduce the new 80 that overplayed the ground effect concept and never proved competitive. Renault persisted with the turbo engine, despite frequent breakdowns that resulted in the nickname of the 'Little Yellow Teapot', and finally won for the first time at Dijon in 1979 with the RS10 that featured both ground effect and turbo engine.

The new technologies introduced by Renault and Lotus became entangled in the FISA-FOCA war of the early 1980s. Turbo engines were complex machines whose layout limited the ground effect 'tunnels' under the car. They were an emerging technology and so they were difficult and expensive to develop and build and make reliable. It was mostly manufacturer-supported teams, such as Renault, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo which took that route.

[Gilraen]

In contrast, the cheap, reliable and narrow Ford-Cosworth DFV engine, still used by most teams more than a decade after its introduction, lent itself well to highly efficient ground effect aerodynamics. These two groups were represented by two political bodies #8211; the FISA, headed by Jean-Marie Balestre, and FOCA, headed up by Bernie Ecclestone. The first group supported a strict limitation of ground effect to gain full advantage from their powerful turbos while the other relied on unrestricted ground effect to balance their horsepower deficit. There were also financial considerations. Faced with large constructors with unrestricted budgets, the smaller constructors wanted a larger share of Formula One's income to remain competitive.

The battles between FISA and FOCA during the first years of the 1980s overshadowed the events on track. Jody Scheckter took Ferrari's last title of the 20th Century in 1979, but attention there was already being focused on young Canadian Gilles Villeneuve. Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg brought success to Frank Williams at last in 1980 and 1982, while young Brazilian Nelson Piquet won titles for Brabham team owner Ecclestone in 1981 and 1983.

Patrick Depailler was killed in 1980, probably due to high lateral acceleration causing a black out in Hockenheim's fast Ostkurve. The double blow struck to Ferrari in 1982, of the death of Gilles Villeneuve and the crippling injury to teammate Didier Pironi only a few weeks later, helped bring this crisis into the spotlight, and helped both sides settle the dispute for the good of the sport.

The old fashioned DFV helped make the UK domestic Aurora Formula One series possible between 1978 and 1980. As in South Africa a generation before, second hand cars from manufacturers like Lotus and Fittipaldi were the order of the day, although some, such as the March 781, were built specifically for the series. In 1980 the series saw South African Desiré Wilson become the only woman to win a Formula One race when she triumphed at Brands Hatch in a Williams.

After several years in darkness McLaren merged with Ron Dennis's Formula Two Project-4 team. The McLaren MP4/1 (McLaren Project-4) introduced the first carbon fibre composite chassis in 1981, an innovation which, despite initial doubts over its likely performance in a crash, had been taken up by all the teams by the middle of the decade. The use of carbon fibre composite in place of aluminium honeycomb produced cars that were significantly lighter, yet also far stiffer which improved grip and therefore cornering speed.

[Gilraen]

Rise in popularity (1981#8211;2000)

1981 saw the signing of the first Concorde Agreement, a contract which bound the teams to compete until its expiration and assured them a share of the profits from the sale of television rights, bringing an end to the FISA-FOCA War and contributing to Bernie Ecclestone's eventual complete financial control of the sport, after much negotiation.

The FIA imposed a ban on ground effect aerodynamics in 1983. By then, however, turbocharged engines, which Renault had pioneered in 1977, were producing over 700 bhp (520 kW) and were essential to be competitive. In later years, notably 1987, the Formula One turbo cars produced in excess of 1,000 bhp in racing trim (and perhaps as much as 1,250 bhp in qualifying trim). These cars were the most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 and boost pressures in 1988 before banning turbocharged engines in 1989.

In the early 1990s, teams started introducing electronic driver aids such as active suspension, semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control. Some were borrowed from contemporary road cars. Some, like active suspension, were primarily developed for the track and later made their way to the showroom. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining the outcome of races more than driver skill, banned many such aids in 1994. However, many observers felt that the ban on driver aids was a ban in name only as the FIA did not have the technology or the methods to eliminate these features from competition.

The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement in 1992 and a third in 1997, which is due to expire on the last day of 2007.

On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Honda and McLaren dominated much of the 1980s, whilst Renault-powered Williams drivers won several world championships in the mid 1990s, with a McLaren comeback in the late 1990s. The rivalry between racing legends Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost became F1's central focus in 1988, and continued until Prost retired at the end of 1993. Tragically, Senna died in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix having taken over Prost's lead drive at Williams that year. The FIA vowed to improve the sport's safety standards; since that terrible weekend, during which rookie driver Roland Ratzenberger also lost his life in an accident during Saturday qualifying, no driver has died on the track during a race.

Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the "Big Four", have won every World Championship from 1984 to the present day. Due to the technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One rose dramatically. This increased financial burden, combined with four teams' dominance (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive, but to stay in business. Financial troubles forced several teams to withdraw. Since 1990, 28 teams have pulled out of Formula One. This has prompted former Jordan owner Eddie Jordan to say that the days of competitive privateers are over.

[Gilraen]

Contemporary F1 (2001#8211;present)

Many records were broken in the first few years of the 21st century by German Michael Schumacher and a resurgent Ferrari. In 2001, Schumacher set the new record for the most Grands Prix ever won; the earlier record holder was Alain Prost, with 51 wins to his name. In 2002, Schumacher also set a new record by winning the championship earlier in the season than any previous driver by winning the French Grand Prix in July that year.[3] In 2003, Schumacher won his sixth championship title, beating the earlier record-holder, Juan Manuel Fangio with five championships. His record in 2006 stood at 7 championships. In 2003 Fernando Alonso became the youngest ever pole sitter by qualifying first at Malaysia. Later that year he became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix when he took the chequered flag in Hungary. In 2005 Alonso became the youngest ever World Driver's Champion.

Despite Ferrari's dominance, Kimi Räikkönen driving for McLaren had a chance of claiming the championship in 2003 right until the end of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix. Juan Pablo Montoya driving for Williams also came close in 2003. Ferrari's championship streak finally came to an end on September 25, 2005 when Fernando Alonso clinched the 2005 championship with a third place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix to become the youngest champion to date, replacing previous record holder Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil. Michael Schumacher had been world champion for more than 1,800 days.

In the rulebook, several driver aids returned due in part to developments that allowed teams to evade the FIA "restrictions". Meanwhile, several changes to the rules were made[1] with the intention of improving the on-track action and cutting ever-increasing costs. Most notably, the qualifying format changed several times between 2003 and 2006. Another new regulation made drivers start each race with the same level of fuel they had during qualifying, introducing a new tactical element to each team's strategy. Other new restrictions included one making it mandatory for each engine to last two races; a driver who had to have his engine replaced would be penalised by starting ten places lower than his actual qualifying position in the starting grid of the race. In 2005, drivers were not allowed to change tyres during the race, unless the tyres were dangerously worn. This rule was removed for the 2006 season. Slick tyres (tyres without treads) are required for the 2007 season.

The first few years of the 21st century in F1 also saw some controversies and scandals. At the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari who was leading the race, was ordered by Ferrari to allow Schumacher to overtake him under "team orders". Barrichello let him pass on the last lap at the finish line, which caused outrage with the supporters at the circuit and around the world. The ensuing scandal saw Ferrari slapped with a fine by the FIA, who also banned any further use of team orders in the new rules and regulations. [4] In 2005, the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis saw only three out of ten teams race in a bizarre mishap when it turned out that the Michelin tyres for the other seven teams could not be safely used on the surface of the track, causing them to withdraw from the race [5] when the FIA refused a change for safety reasons, insisting on keeping to the letter of the regulations. Michelin has since announced that they will stop supplying tyres to F1 teams in 2007, sparking debate on whether this new system would make all F1 racing teams compete on a more equal ground.

[Gilraen]

2005 marked the end of the V10 era in Formula One. First introduced in 1989 after the banning of turbos, the configuration had been mandatory since 1998. Over this period, the statistics show a raw supremacy of the Renault engines, having clinched five Constructors and four Drivers championships as engine suppliers and their first ever Drivers and Constructors Championships in a 100% Renault car in 2005. Renault was innovative during this period producing out of the standard designs as the 111° 10 cylinder engine for the 2003 RS23. But not only Renault was successful, Ferrari and especially Honda enjoyed great success with multiple championships with several teams, most notable McLaren and by a lesser extent Williams with whom Honda engines reached the highest levels of power in F1 history in the late 1980s exceeding, in some circumstances, the 1200 bhp limit in qualifying. Other Championship winning engines are those from Mercedes Benz (Ilmor), BMW, Porsche and Ford Cosworth.


Grands Prix

The number of Grands Prix held in a season has varied over the years. Only seven races comprised the inaugural 1950 season; over the years the calendar has almost tripled in size. Though the number of races had stayed at sixteen or seventeen since the 1980s, it reached nineteen in 2005.

Six of the original seven races took place in Europe; the only non-European race that counted towards the World Championship in 1950 was the Indianapolis 500, which, due to lack of participation by F1 teams, since it required cars with different specifications from the other races, was later replaced by the United States Grand Prix. The F1 championship gradually expanded to other non-European countries as well. Argentina hosted the first South American grand prix in 1953, and Morocco hosted the first African World Championship race in 1958. Asia (Japan in 1976) and Oceania (Australia in 1985) followed. The current nineteen races are spread over the continents of Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America.

Traditionally, each nation has hosted a single grand prix that carries the name of the country. If a single country hosts multiple grands prix in a year, they receive different names. For example, every year two grands prix take place in Germany, one of which is known as the European Grand Prix.

The grands prix, some of which have a history that predates the Formula One World Championship, are not always held on the same circuit every year. The British Grand Prix, for example, though held every year since 1950, alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone from 1963 to 1986. The only other race to have been included in every World Championship season is the Italian Grand Prix. It has always taken place at Monza, with one exception in 1980 when it took place at Imola (which now hosts the San Marino Grand Prix).

One of the newest races on the Grand Prix calendar, held in Bahrain, represents Formula One's first penetration into the Middle East with a high tech purpose-built desert track. The Bahrain Grand Prix, along with other new races in China and Turkey, present new opportunities for the growth and evolution of the Formula One Grand Prix franchise whilst new facilities also raise the bar for other Formula One racing venues around the world.

[Gilraen]

Circuits

A typical circuit usually features a stretch of straight road on which the starting grid is situated. The pit lane, where the drivers stop for fuel during the race, and where the teams work on the cars before the race, is normally located next to the starting grid. The layout of the rest of the circuit varies widely, although in most cases the circuit runs in a clockwise direction. Those few circuits that run anticlockwise (and therefore have predominantly left handed corners) can cause drivers neck problems due to the enormous lateral forces generated by F1 cars pulling their heads in the opposite direction to normal. Many corners have become well known in their own right, such as the high-speed Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, the Parabolica at Monza and, before the addition of chicanes to tame it, the Tamburello corner at Imola. Others, like thirteenth turn at Indianapolis (road course configuration), are simply straights for the drivers, even having taken in consideration the G-forces acting on the suspension. Also particularly lamented are the circuits at Zandvoort in the Netherlands and Kyalami in South Africa, neither of which are now used by F1.

Most of the circuits currently in use are specially constructed for competition. The only real street circuit is the Circuit de Monaco, used for the Monaco Grand Prix, although races in other urban locations come and go (Las Vegas and Detroit, for example) and proposals for such races are often discussed #8211; most recently for London and Beirut. Several other circuits are also completely or partially laid out on public roads, such as Spa-Francorchamps. The glamour and history of the Monaco race are the primary reasons why the circuit is still in use, since it is thought not to meet the strict safety requirements imposed on other tracks. Three-time World champion Nelson Piquet famously described racing in Monaco as "riding a bicycle around your living room."

Circuit design to protect the safety of drivers is becoming increasingly sophisticated, as exemplified by the new Bahrain International Circuit, designed #8211; like most of F1's new circuits #8211; by Hermann Tilke. Whereas in the 1950s a driver was lucky to find a strategically placed bale of straw to absorb an impact, modern Formula One circuits feature large run-off areas, gravel traps and tyre barriers to reduce the risk of injury in crashes. This is an ongoing task #8211; after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola during the 1994 season, the FIA mandated further changes to circuits. These were mostly aimed at better matching the speed of a car with both the available space to slow down in before reaching a barrier and the ability of those barriers to safely absorb the energy of a crash.

Several of the new circuits in F1, especially those designed by Tilke, have been criticized as lacking the "flow" of such classics as Spa-Francorchamps and Imola. His redesign of the Hockenheim circuit in Germany for example, while providing more capacity for grandstands and eliminating extremely long and dangerous straights, has been frowned upon by many who argue that part of the character of the Hockenheim circuits were the long and blinding straights into the Black Forest. These newer circuits, however are generally agreed upon to meet the safety standards of modern Formula One better than the older ones.

[Gilraen]

Formula One and Television

Formula 1 is generally one of the biggest global TV draws behind football and the Olympics. The 2005 Canadian Grand Prix attracted the third largest global TV audience of any sporting event that year, behind only the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League final. Formula 1 can be seen around the world on RTL, the longest serving F1 broadcaster, ITV in Great Britain, SPEED Channel in America and many other stations relaying the action live. Recent deals include Al-Jazeera in the Middle East - a market which is steadily growing.

During the early 2000s, Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration created a number of trademarks, an official logo, and an official website for the sport in an attempt to give it a corporate identity. Ecclestone experimented with a digital television package (known colloquially as Bernievision), which was launched at the 1996 German Grand Prix in cooperation with German digital television service "DF1". Bernievision offered the viewer several simultaneous feeds (such as super signal, on-board, top of field, backfield, highlights, pit lane, timing), which were produced with cameras, technical equipment and staff different from those used for the conventional coverage. It was introduced in many countries over the years, but was shut down after the 2002 season for financial reasons.

TV stations all take what is known as the 'World Feed', either produced by the FOM (Formula One Management) or the 'host broadcaster'. This is made up of one of the home nations stations such as ITV for the British Grand Prix. The only station that has any difference is 'Premiere' - a German channel that offers All Sessions live and interactive, with features such as the Onboard channel. This service was more widely available around Europe until the end of 2002, when the cost of a whole different feed for the digital interactive services was thought too much. This was a large part because of the failure of the 'F1 Digital +' Channel; launched through Sky Digital in the UK. Prices were too high for viewers to pay when they could watch the Qualifying and Races for Free on ITV1.

In the future it is thought that there soon could be an interactive F1 stream on the internet - similar to such services already in operation for Moto GP and the Champ Car World Series. With the recent ownership changes in Formula 1, fans are hoping to see such developments sooner, rather than later.

[Gilraen]

Formula One Champions

2007 -Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)
2006 -Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005 -Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2004 -Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2003 -Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2002 -Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2001 -Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2000 -Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1999 -Mika Hakkinen (McLaren)
1998 -Mika Hakkinen (McLaren)
1997 -Jacques Villeneuve (Williams)
1996 -Damon Hill (Williams)
1995 -Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 -Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 -Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 -Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 -Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1990 -Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1989 -Alain Prost (McLaren)
1988 -Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1987 -Nelson Piquet (Williams)
1986 -Alain Prost (McLaren)
1985 -Alain Prost (McLaren)
1984 -Niki Lauda (McLaren)
1983 -Nelson Piquet (Brabham)
1982 -Keke Rosberg (Williams)
1981 -Nelson Piquet (Brabham)
1980 -Alan Jones (Williams)
1979 -Jody Scheckter (Ferrari)
1978 -Mario Andretti (Lotus)
1977 -Niki Lauda (Ferrari)
1976 -James Hunt (McLaren)
1975 -Niki Lauda (Ferrari)
1974 -Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren)
1973 -Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell)
1972 -Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus)
1971 -Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell)
1970 -Jochen Rindt (Lotus)
1969 -Jackie Stewart (Matra)
1968 -Graham Hill (Ford, Lotus)
1967 -Denny Hulme (Brabham)
1966 -Jack Brabham (Brabham)
1965 -Jim Clark (Lotus)
1964 -John Surtees (Ferrari)
1963 -Jim Clark (Lotus)
1962 -Graham Hill (BRM)
1961 -Phil Hill (Ferrari)i
1960 -Jack Brabham (Cooper)
1959 -Jack Brabham (Cooper)
1958 -Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari)
1957 -Juan Manuel Fangio (Maserati)
1956 -Juan Manuel Fangio (Ferrari, Lancia)
1955 -Juan Manuel Fangio (Mercedes)
1954 -Juan Manuel Fangio (Maserati, Mercedes)
1953 -Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
1952 -Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
1951 -Juan Manuel Fangio (Alfa Romeo)
1950 -Giuseppe Farina (Alfa Romeo)

[Mikka]

Racing 1945-1949


http://raikkonen.ru/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=26

File Size
96MB
Download
http://rapidshare.com/files/22689890/Racing_1945-1949.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/3de8ee/
Password to archive
raikkonen.ru

[Axel]

1950

Races
Rnd Name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Tyre Report
1 British Grand Prix Silverstone May 13 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo P Report
2 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco May 21 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report
3 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis May 30 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser F Report
4 Swiss Grand Prix Bremgarten June 4 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo P Report
5 Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps June 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report
6 French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux July 2 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report
7 Italian Grand Prix Monza September 3 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo P Report

1950 Drivers Championship final standings
Pos Driver GBR MON IND SUI BEL FRA ITA Pts
1 Nino Farina 1 Ret 1 4 7 1 30
2 Juan Manuel Fangio Ret 1 Ret 1 1 Ret 27
3 Luigi Fagioli 2 Ret 2 2 2 3 24 (2[2]

[color=blue]Pos Driver Constructor Pts Win Pod Pol
1 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo 30 3 3 2
2 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 27 3 3 4
3 Luigi Fagioli Alfa Romeo 24 (2[3] 5
4 Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago 13 2
5 Alberto Ascari Ferrari 11 1
6 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 9 1 1
7 Bill Holland Deidt-Offenhauser 6 1
8 Prince Bira Maserati 5
9 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 4 1
10 Mauri Rose Deidt-Offenhauser 4 1
11 Reg Parnell Alfa Romeo Maserati 4 1
12 Louis Chiron Maserati 4 1
13 Dorino Serafini Ferrari 3 1
14 Philippe Étancelin Talbot-Lago 3
15 Yves Giraud Cabantous Talbot-Lago 3
16 Raymond Sommer Talbot-Lago Ferrari 3
17 Robert Manzon Simca-Gordini 3
18 Cecil Green Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 3
19 Felice Bonetto Maserati Milano Speluzzi 2
20 Joie Chitwood Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 1
21 Tony Bettenhausen Deidt-Offenhauser Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 1
22 Eugène Chaboud Talbot-Lago 1
23 Mack Hellings Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
24 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari
25 Maurice Trintignant Simca-Gordini
26 Myron Fohr Marchese-Offenhauser
27 Nello Pagani Maserati
28 Pat Flaherty Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
29 Paul Pietsch Maserati
30 Paul Russo Nichels-Offenhauser
31 Peter Walker ERA
32 Piero Taruffi Alfa Romeo 1
33 Pierre Levegh Talbot-Lago
34 Sam Hanks Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
35 Spider Webb Maserati-Offenhauser
36 Toni Branca Maserati
37 Toulo de Graffenried Maserati
38 Troy Ruttman Lesovsky-Offenhauser
39 Walt Ader Rae-Offenhauser
40 Walt Faulkner Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 1
41 Walt Brown Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
42 Consalvo Sanesi Alfa Romeo
43 Franco Rol Maserati
44 Eugène Martin Talbot-Lago
45 Duane Carter Stevens-Offenhauser
46 *** No swearing *** Rathmann Watson-Offenhauser
47 David Murray Maserati
48 Franco Comotti Maserati
Milano Speluzzi
49 Cuth Harrison ERA
50 Geoff Crossley Alta
51 Clemente Biondetti Ferrari Maserati
52 Charles Pozzi Talbot-Lago
53 Brian Shawe Taylor Maserati
54 Bob Gerard ERA
55 Bill Schindler Snowberger-Offenhauser
56 Bayliss Levrett Adams-Offenhauser
57 David Hampshire Maserati
58 Jackie Holmes Olson-Offenhauser
59 José Froilán González Maserati 1
60 Johnny McDowell Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
61 Johnny Claes Talbot-Lago
62 Joe Kelly Alta
63 Jimmy Jackson Kurtis Kraft-Cummins
64 Jimmy Davies Ewing-Offenhauser
65 Fred Agabashian Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser Maserati-Offenhauser
66 Jerry Hoyt Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
67 Gene Hartley Langley-Offenhauser
68 Jack McGrath Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
69 Henri Louveau Talbot-Lago
70 Harry Schell [4] Cooper-JAP Talbot-Lago
71 Guy Mairesse Talbot-Lago
_________________
I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I'm perfect

[Axel]

1951

Races

Rnd Race Date Location Winning driver Constructor Tyres Report
1 Swiss Grand Prix May 27 Bremgarten Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report
2 Indianapolis 500 May 30 Indianapolis Lee Wallard Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser F Report
3 Belgian Grand Prix June 17 Spa-Francorchamps Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo P Report
4 French Grand Prix July 1 Reims Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report
5 British Grand Prix July 14 Silverstone José Froilán González Ferrari P Report
6 German Grand Prix July 29 Nürburgring Alberto Ascari Ferrari P Report
7 Italian Grand Prix September 16 Monza Alberto Ascari Ferrari P Report
8 Spanish Grand Prix October 28 Pedralbes Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo P Report


1951 Drivers Championship final standings
Pos Driver Constructor Number Country Points Wins Podiums Poles
1 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 22 Argentina 31 (37) 3 5 3
2 Alberto Ascari Ferrari 2 Italy 25 (2 2 3 2
3 José Froilán González Ferrari 6 Argentina 24 (27) 1 5 1
4 Nino Farina Alfa Romeo 20 Italy 19 (22) 1 3
5 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 4 Italy 15 (1 3
6 Piero Taruffi Ferrari 8 Italy 10 1
7 Lee Wallard Kurtis Kraft-Novi
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 99 USA 9 1 1
8 Felice Bonetto Alfa Romeo 24 Italy 7 1
9 Mike Nazaruk Kurtis Kraft-Novi
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 83 USA 6 1
10 Reg Parnell BRM
Ferrari 30 Britain 5
11 Luigi Fagioli Alfa Romeo 8 Italy 4 1
12 Consalvo Sanesi Alfa Romeo 3 Italy 3
13 Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago-Talbot 28 France 3
14 Andy Linden Sherman-Offenhauser 57 USA 3
15 Manny Ayulo Kurtis Kraft-[Novi
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 9 USA 2 1
16 Toulo de Graffenried Alfa Romeo 26 Switzerland 2
17 Yves Giraud Cabantous Talbot-Lago-Talbot 32 France 2
18 Bobby Ball Schroeder-Offenhauser 52 USA 2
19 Jack McGrath Kurtis Kraft-Novi
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 49 USA 2
20 Andre Simon Simca-Gordini 16 France
21 Mauri Rose Deidt-Offenhauser 16 USA
22 Louis Chiron Maserati
Talbot-Lago-Talbot 30 Monaco
23 Onofre Marimon Maserati-Milano 50 Argentina
24 Paco Godia Maserati 44 Spain
25 Mack Hellings Deidt-Offenhauser 19 USA
26 Rodger Ward Bromme-Offenhauser 48 USA
27 Johnny McDowell Maserati-Offenhauser 12 USA
28 Walt Faulkner Kuzma-Offenhauser 2 USA
29 Walt Brown Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 44 USA
30 Troy Ruttman Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 98 USA
31 Tony Bettenhausen Deidt-Offenhauser 5 USA
32 Toni Branca Maserati 92 Switzerland
33 Sam Hanks Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 25 USA
34 Rudi Fischer Ferrari 91 Switzerland
35 Paul Pietsch Alfa Romeo 78 Germany
36 Robert Manzon Simca-Gordini 14 France
37 Prince Bira Maserati-Osca 30 Thailand
38 Pierre Levegh Talbot-Lago-Talbot 22 France
39 Philippe Étancelin Talbot-Lago-Talbot 34 France
40 Philip Fotheringham-Parker Maserati 17 Britain
41 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 16 Britain
42 Peter Walker BRM 7 Britain
43 Stirling Moss HWM-Alta 14 Britain
44 Carl Forberg Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 68 USA
45 Duane Carter Deidt-Offenhauser 27 USA
46 David Murray Maserati 15 Britain
47 Cliff Griffith Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 23 USA
48 Chuck Stevenson Marchese-Offenhauser 8 USA
49 Chico Landi Ferrari 12 Brazil
50 Chet Miller Kurtis Kraft-Novi 32 USA
51 Duke Dinsmore Schroeder-Offenhauser 6 USA
52 Carl Scarborough Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 73 USA
53 Bill Vukovich Trevis-Offenhauser 81 USA
54 Brian Shawe Taylor ERA 9 Britain
55 Bob Gerard ERA 8 Britain
56 Bill Schindler Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 10 USA
57 Andre Pilette Talbot-Lago-Talbot 24 Belgium
58 Aldo Gordini Simca-Gordini 36 France
59 Johnny Claes Talbot-Lago-Talbot 36 Belgium
_________________
I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I'm perfect

[Ferrari-F1]

BMW Sauber F1.07

Full name: BMW Sauber F1 Team
Base: Hinwil, Switzerland and Munich, Germany.
Team Principal: Mario Theissen
Technical Director: Willy Rampf
Race Drivers: (NO:9) Nick Heidfeld (NO:10) Robert Kubica
Chassis: F1.07
Ex Chassis (2006): F1.06
Engine: BMW P86/7
Tyres: Bridgestone
Debut: 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix

Almost everyone in this forum supports BMW Sauber so I thought I'd do a fact file, just to give all those who don't already know much about BMW Sauber.
The team was formed at the end of 2005 by the takeover of the already F1 team "Sauber" by German manufacturors BMW. BMW as most of you already know was once part of Williams. During 2005 BMW ended its engine agreement with Williams so BMW decided to sign a new engine agreement with struggling team Sauber. They signed Nick Heidfeld for their first driver and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villneuve as their second. In the 2006 season the team managed to score two podium finishes and secured a respectable 5th place in the World Championship. The best race results were in Hungarian Grand Prix where Nick Heidfeld finished 3rd, BMW Sauber's first podium. Robert Kubica got an amazing 3rd place at Monza. It was only his 3rd ever F1 race.

Sauber F1 (ORIGINS)

Peter Sauber built his first car in 1970. Sauber competed in sports car racing during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989 it became the Mercedes-Benz works team, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 and the World Sportscar Championship in 1989 and 1990.

The Swiss team entered Formula One in the 1993 season, with support from Mercedes. The partnership with Mercedes lasted until 1994. Sauber used Ferrari engines, badged as Petronas, from 1997 to 2005. Sauber never scored a race win, pole position, or fastest lap in Formula One. The team's most successful season was 2001, when it finished fourth in the constructors' championship. (That was the season in which Kimi raced for Sauber )

So the old (zero) Sauber F1 team is now the third fastest F1 team (hero!)!

I hope you found this piece of information useful. My resources were wikipedia.
Thank you.
_________________

[Ferrari-F1]

Scuderia Ferrari

Full name: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Base: Maranello, Italy
Team Principal: Jean Todt
Technical Director: Mario Almondo
Race Drivers: (NO:5) Felipe Massa (NO:6) KIMI RAIKKONEN
Chassis: F2007
Ex Chassis: 248 F1
Engine: Ferrari 056
Tyres: Bridgestone
Debut: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix

Scuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva, the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing. Though the Scuderia and Ferrari Corse Clienti continue to manage the racing activities of numerous Ferrari customers and private teams, Ferrari's racing division has completely devoted its attention and funding to its Formula One team, Scuderia Ferrari. Scuderia Ferrari is Italian for "Ferrari Stable", though the name is liberally translated as "Team Ferrari."

Scuderia Ferrari was founded in 1929, and raced for Alfa Romeo until 1939. Ferrari first competed in F1 in 1948 (the team's first F1 car was the Tipo 125 F1), making it the oldest and most successful team left in the championship. The team's current drivers are Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, who has signed on to Ferrari for a three-year contract with the retirement of Michael Schumacher after the 2006 season, and its test drivers are Luca Badoer and Marc Gené. The team principal is Jean Todt, with Stefano Domenicali as sporting director, and its technical director is Mario Almondo. Both men are newly promoted following the promotion of Jean Todt and the departure of Ross Brawn, although Todt will remain as team principal for at least 2007. The team's numerous and ardent Italian fans have come to be known as tifosi.

In 2000 Schumacher had a close battle with rival Mika Häkkinen of McLaren but won the championship in the Ferrari F1-2000, winning 9 races out of 17 that year. He was Ferrari's first driver champion in 21 years, since Jody Scheckter in 1979. Teammate Rubens Barrichello finished 4th in the championship, taking his maiden win at the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring.

In 2001 Schumacher won the World Championship with 4 races to go, having claimed 9 victories. Teammate Barrichello finished 3rd in the championship. This was the first year in which the notorious A1-Ring incident occurred, where Barrichello was told to let Schumacher through for 2nd place by team boss Todt, to the consternation of the FIA, fans and media.

In 2002, Schumacher and Ferrari dominated F1, the Ferrari duo winning 15 out of 17 races (Schumacher 11, Barrichello 4), a record at the time. However, their run was tainted by a second A1-Ring incident. In a replay of 2001, Barrichello was asked to give way to Schumacher, except this time for the win. An embarrassed Schumacher then pushed Barrichello to the top step of the podium, and was subsequently fined $1 million by the FIA for interfering with podium procedures. This debacle eventually led to the banning of team orders. Schumacher matched Juan Manuel Fangio's record of 5 world championships, set back in the 1950s.


Then Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello in 2002.In 2003, Ferrari's domination of F1 was brought to a halt at the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, where for the first time in 3 years, there was no Ferrari driver on the podium. Rivals McLaren had an early lead in the championship, but Ferrari closed the gap by the Canadian Grand Prix. However, their other rivals Williams won the next 2 races and the driver championship went down to the wire at the last race, the Japanese Grand Prix, between Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren) and Michael Schumacher (Ferrari); Schumacher eventually won the championship by 2 points from Räikkönen, surpassing Fangio's record. In 2003, F1 magazine reported that Ferrari's budget was $443,800,000.

2004 saw a return of Ferrari's dominance. Ferrari teammates Schumacher and Barrichello finished first and second respectively in the driver championship, and Ferrari easily wrapped up the constructors championship.
_________________

[Ferrari-F1]

Schumacher won 13 of the 18 races, and 12 of the first 13 of the season -- both F1 records. Barrichello won two of the other races.


Michael Schumacher driving for Ferrari at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix.2005 saw a change of fortune for the previously dominant Ferrari. The team's practice of starting a new season with a modified version of the previous year's car (F2004M) pending full development of their new car (F2005) was one of the main causes for a poor start to the season. While this worked well in previous years, it seems Ferrari underestimated both the full effect of the new 2005 regulations and the pace of development of other teams (particularly McLaren and Renault who started the year with brand new cars). Alarmed by poor performances in Australia and Malaysia the new F2005 was rushed into service in Bahrain (the introduction was previously scheduled to be race 5 in Barcelona). This move saw Schumacher retire for the first time due to mechanical failure since Hockenheim 2001 ending a run of 59 Grands Prix without technical failure.

Another factor was the poor relative performance of the team's Bridgestone tyres, which failed to give performance for single lap qualifying and were not as durable as their Michelin rivals during races. However the tyres provided for San Marino Grand Prix were more competitive, and the Bridgestone tyres supplied for the United States Grand Prix allowed the three Bridgestone teams to race, while the seven Michelin teams were forced to retire due to Michelin's advice that the tyres would not last the race distance.

Near the end of the 2005 season, Rubens Barrichello announced that he was leaving the team at the end of the year and joining the Honda F1 team. Barrichello's departure was partly due to his dissatisfaction with his continued "Number 2" status at Ferrari. At the 2005 Monte Carlo Grand Prix Schumacher forced his way past Barrichello (on a track where overtaking is highly difficult and dangerous) near the end of the race. This only netted the German one extra point during a season where Ferrari were uncompetitive. In response, Ferrari named former Sauber-Petronas driver Felipe Massa as Barrichello's replacement for the following season.


2006 Season
With the "one set of tyres per race" rule no longer in use, Ferrari, after a poor 2005 and a troubled start to 2006, were again close contenders for both Drivers' and Constructors' titles by the latter part of the 2006 season. Unlike some recent seasons, they started 2006 with their new car, the 248 F1.

At the Bahrain Grand Prix Schumacher finished second, with Massa further down the order. At the Malaysian Grand Prix problems with the engine's piston rings meant that both drivers had to change their engines, Massa needing two changes (a ten-position penalty at the start of the race is enforced for an engine change prior to a legal engine change). In Australia, they scored no points, with both drivers crashing out of the race.

At the San Marino Schumacher took pole position in qualifying and won the race. At the European race, Schumacher won again, the first time this season the same engine won two consecutive races. At the Spanish Grand Prix Alonso won, with Schumacher finishing second.

At Monaco Schumacher's qualifying times were deleted for stopping his car during the qualifying session. Schumacher started from the back of the grid but finished fifth for four points. At Silverstone Schumacher finishing second from third place on the grid. The podium of the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal was: Alonso as race winner, Michael Schumacher second, and Kimi Räikkönen third.

At the United States Grand Prix, in Indianapolis, the Ferrari's of Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa were dominant all weekend. Ferrari achieved its first one-two (both of the team's cars finishing in the top two positions) since the same race 12 months beforehand. At the French Grand Prix with a second consecutive one-two in qualifying.
_________________

[Ferrari-F1]

In the race Fernando Alonso finished second with Felipe Massa taking third.

At the Hockenheimring in Germany Räikkönen took pole position in his last German Grand Prix for McLaren (he was signed by Ferrari for 2007). However in the race both Ferrari 248F1's overtook Räikkönen at the first round of pit stops, and subsequently Schumacher went on to win. At the Hungarian GP Massa qualified 2nd and Schumacher 11th due to a 2 second penalty from Saturday practice. At the start of the wet race the Ferraris initially struggled. Later in the race Schumacher continued to drive on intermediate tyres while other drivers on dries like Pedro De La Rosa (who replaced Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren following his return to Chip Ganassi Racing Stateside for other racing duties) and Nick Heidfeld passed him easily. When Heidfeld passed Schumacher he collided with the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica, and retired in 9th, promoting Massa to 8th. The subsequent disqualification of Kubica gave Massa 7th and Schumacher 8th, with two and one championship points, respectively.

At Turkey, Felipe Massa achieved his first ever pole and victory. What looked like a Ferrari 1-2 was disrupted by a caution which came out after Vitantonio Liuzzi's spin at Turn 1. Ferrari chose to stack Schumacher in the pits behind Massa (each team can use only one pit box, and cannot pit both cars at once). Renault were able to pit Alonso and he rejoined in second place. The three finished in this order.

At Monza, Schumacher scored a win in Ferrari's home Grand Prix, while Massa's solid fourth-place run was spoiled late when he ran over debris left behind by the failure of Alonso's Renault V-8, puncturing a tyre and forcing him to pit, which left him mired in ninth place at the finish. Despite Massa not being able to score any points, the combination of Schumacher's win, Alonso's DNF, and a mediocre fourth-place finish for Giancarlo Fisichella allowed Ferrari to pull ahead of Renault in the World Constructors Championship for the first time in the 2006 season.

Following the race at Monza Ferrari announced Schumacher's retirement effective at the end of the 2006 season and that Räikkönen, whom they had signed months before, will replace him in 2007.

At the Chinese Grand Prix Ferrari and the other Bridgestone-running teams again suffered in wet conditions. However Schumacher managed to qualify ahead of Michelin drivers and seven places ahead of the next Bridgestone car. Despite taking pole position and setting the fastest lap, a poor tyre choice by Renault and a pit stop error allowed Schumacher to beat Fernando Alonso, his main rival for the Championship.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari again showed superiority in the qualifying stages, lapping up to 1.4s faster than the nearest competitors. Massa qualified 1st and Schumacher 2nd. Fernando Alonso capitalised on Massa's early puncture and took 2nd place. However on lap 34 Schumacher suffered his first in-race engine failure since 2000, forcing him to retire. Alonso won the race and opened a 10-point lead in the driver's championship with only one race to go. Massa finished 2nd, but with Renault's Fisichella in 3rd place.


Felipe Massa driving for Ferrari at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Ferrari showed a stunning performance with the Renault team playing it safe in order to avoid any break downs in their cars. qualifying was a mixed bag for Ferrari with Massa clinching pole position but Schumacher suffering a fuel pressure problem in the last session of the qualifying which left him unable to put in even a single lap in this session. Schumacher ended up at 10th on the grid with Massa on pole, Räikkönen 2nd, Trulli of Toyota 3rd and the championship leader Alonso at a comfortable 4th. The race itself was a dramatic one, with Schumacher making up 4 places in the first few laps, and then a safety car period followed. Once the race restarted Schumacher suffered a tyre puncture while trying to over take the Renault of Fisichella.
_________________

[Ferrari-F1]

This puncture virtually ended Schumacher's bid for the race lead and any hope of winning the 2006 Drivers' title. The final result saw the first victory for a Brazilian driver in home soil since Ayrton Senna in 1993. With Massa finishing 1st, Alonso 2nd, clinching the Drivers' title, followed by Honda's Jenson Button, who finished 3rd after putting in an impressive performance from 14th on the grid. Schumacher, after a stunning drive from the back of the grid (following his puncture), ended up 4th, but with Fisichella finishing 6th the Ferraris lost the Constructors title too.

Michael Schumacher retired at the end of the season and Kimi Räikkönen replaced him. Felipe Massa will continue his seat after a successful season.


2007 Season

Kimi Räikkönen won the first race of the 2007 season for Ferrari. The 2007 car was secretively unveiled on January 14, 2007 with a ban on photographers, and testing continued the next day, with many tests outside of Europe in order to evade sponsorship bans because of their Marlboro sponsorship. Over the course of pre-season testing, the F2007 and its drivers have improved considerably and have headed the timing sheets at multi-team tests on various occasions. Kimi Räikkönen won the inaugural race of the 2007 season in a Ferrari F2007 at Albert Park becoming the first Ferrari driver to win on his debut since Nigel Mansell. After a disappointing Malaysian Grand Prix, the team recovered to finish first and third in Bahrain, with Massa taking his first victory of the season. Since then, however, the team has fallen behind McLaren and its drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in both championships. The lack of performance in Monte Carlo was later found out to be a powder which was found within and around the fuel tank. Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stephney was alegged to have commited the sabotage mission and has been suspended.

The Salzburger Nachricht newspaper has quoted Luca Colajanni on the team's disappointing performance. The Ferrari PR manager claimed the team's factory owned wind tunnel was badly damaged in a testing accident, when a steel sheet conveyor belt, representing the road under the down-scaled F1 car replica, broke up at high speed and splattered debris at various instruments. Although the Ferrari team had received prior warning from F1 analysts to secure the use of an alternative, backup testing facility and/or invest more in computer simulations, such advices were not heeded. The Ferrari team cannot introduce new aerodynamic refinements to its cars until the wind tunnel is rebuilt, which will take several weeks. Meanwhile, the Scuderia remains severely handicapped against McLaren.

Hope you found this piece of information useful,
My resource was wikipedia!
Thank you.
_________________