Post by paulgilb on Mar 23, 2011 0:04:17 GMT 1
Pre-season info & stats on this year's teams and drivers (thanks to www.formula1.com and www.itv.com/formula1 amongst others):
Red Bull (AUT)
First season: 2005
Constructors’ Championships: 1 (2010)
Drivers’ Championships: 1 (2010)
Races Started: 107
Race Wins: 15
1-2 Finishes: 8
Podiums: 39
Pole Positions: 20
Fastest Laps: 12
Points: 754.5
Engines: Cosworth (2005), Ferrari (2006), Renault (2007-date)
Most Races Started: David Coulthard (71), Mark Webber (71)
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel (9)
Having purchased Jaguar in 2004, Red Bull made their debut in 2005 (ousting some Jaguar figures and installing Christian Horner as the youngest ever head of an F1 team), and scored 11 points in the first 2 races (more than Jaguar managed in the whole of 2004), partly thanks to David Coulthard finishing 4th in the team’s first race, ultimately finishing 7th overall with 34 points. 2006 was less good (despite Ferrari power), with the team only managing 16 points (still good enough for 7th overall). They did however manage a podium courtesy of David Coulthard at Monaco. In 2007 they recruited Adrian Newey, however it was another tough season – at least one retirement in each of the first 7 races. They improved later on in the season (managing 3rd and 5th at the Nurburgring) to finish 5th overall (24 points). In 2008 the team switched development to 2009, and as a result were overpowered by Toro Rosso, and they only finished 7th overall (29 points). The highlight was Coulthard’s podium in Canada. In 2009 they became front-runners, scoring their first pole position and victory in China and adding a further 5 victories to finish runners-up (153.5 points), unable to overcome the points cushion obtained by Brawn’s early season dominance despite having the fastest car from early-summer onwards. In 2010, the Red Bull was normally the fastest car, however due to reliability, poor wet-weather pace, driver errors and intra-team rivalry, they only moved ahead in the standings mid-season. Despite their refusal to employ team orders, they managed to win both titles, winning 9 races in the process (498 points).
1 – Sebastian Vettel (GER)
First season: 2007
Teams: BMW Sauber (2007), Toro Rosso (2007-08), Red Bull (2009-date)
Races: 62
Pole Positions: 15
Wins: 10
Podiums: 19
Points: 381
Fastest Laps: 6
World Championships: 1 (2010)
Races Led: 19
Doubles: 7
Hat-Tricks: 1 (Britain 2009)
A champion in German Formula BMW (2004) and a runner-up in Formula 3 Euroseries (2006), Sebastian Vettel joined BMW Sauber as a test driver in 2006, and made his debut for the team in 2007 at Indianapolis, standing in for the injured Robert Kubica. He qualified 7th and became the sport’s youngest points scorer by finishing 8th. He secured a full-time race seat with Toro Rosso for the last 7 races of 2007, and managed a 4th place finish in China (in the previous race in Japan he briefly led and was running 3rd when Mark Webber crashed into him). He finished 14th overall (6 pts). 2008 got off to a slow start – he failed to finish any of the first 4 races (crashing out of 3 of them on the first lap), however the second half of the season saw a massive improvement, with 2008 yielding a total of 10 top 10 starts and 9 points scoring finishes, including pole position and victory at Monza (making him the sport’s youngest winner). He finished 8th overall with 35 points, and was rewarded with a switch to the Red Bull team (who finished lower in the standings than Toro Rosso in 2008) for 2009, making him the only driver to be changing teams for 2009. In 2009 he failed to score in the first 2 races, but bounced back to score 8 podiums (including wins in China, Britain, Japan and Abu Dhabi) and 3 fastest laps to finish 2nd overall (84 pts). He outscored everybody from Britain onwards. In 2010 he was supremely fast – 10 pole positions (never qualifying lower than 6th and only twice qualifying outside the top 3) – however, a combination of reliability, driver errors, and intra-team rivalry with Mark Webber led to a struggle for the championship, which he did win with his victory in Abu Dhabi (having also won in Malaysia, Europe, Japan and Brazil), even though he was only 3rd in the standings going into that race (and had not led the championship previously). He became the youngest world champion (the 3rd driver to break that record since 2005). He managed 10 podiums, 3 fastest laps, and scored 256 points.
2 – Mark Webber (AUS)
First season: 2002
Teams: Minardi (2002), Jaguar (2003-04), Williams (2005-06), Red Bull (2007-date)
Races: 159 (157 starts)
Pole Positions: 6
Wins: 6
Podiums: 20
Points: 411.5
Fastest Laps: 6
Races Led: 19
Doubles: 3
A runner-up in British Formula Ford (1996), FIA GT Series (1999), and FIA International Formula 3000 (2001), Mark Webber tested for Benetton in 2001 before making his race debut for Minardi in 2002. Despite never qualifying higher than 18th, he managed some impressive drives, including 5th place on his debut (on home soil), to finish 16th overall (2 pts). He joined Jaguar in 2003, where he cemented his reputation as one of the sport’s rising stars, qualifying 3rd on the grid twice and managing 3 6th place finishes and 4 7th place finishes to finish 10th overall (17 pts). He also briefly led in the US. 2004 was a difficult season – despite a front-row start in Malaysia, he only scored 4 times (best finish 6th) to finish 13th overall (7 pts). He moved to Williams in 2005 (having turned down the chance of a Renault drive), where he shined in qualifying, starting each of the first 7 races from the top 5 (including a front-row start in Spain), and managed his first podium at Monaco. However, his performance dropped off slightly towards the end of the season, and he finished 10th overall (36 pts). 2006 was another tough season, in which he only finished 7 races to finish 14th overall (7 pts), despite another front-row start (this time at Monaco) and leading 2 races. He moved to Red Bull in 2007, where he reached Q3 on 12 occasions, but poor reliability meant that these were rarely translated into points – in fact, he only scored on 3 occasions (but this did include a podium at the Nurburgring) – and he finished 12th overall (10 pts). 2008 got off to a reasonably good start, with 5 consecutive points-scoring finishes (including a 4th place at Monaco) following a DNF in the first race. However, despite his usual excellent qualifying form (including a front-row start at Silverstone and 3rd at Monza), his lack of race pace meant that he finished 11th overall (21 pts). Despite breaking his leg prior to the 2009 season, he managed his best season to date, with his maiden pole position in Germany, 8 podium finishes (including wins in Germany and Brazil), and 3 fastest laps. However, 5 consecutive non-scoring races mid-season cost him any chance of the title, and he finished 4th overall (69.5 points). 2010 got off a slow start (2 8th places and a 9th in the first 4 races), however he turned his season around with wins in Spain and Monaco (leading every lap of both races), as well as Britain and Hungary to lead the championship going into the summer break. However, an injured shoulder plus a poor pit strategy in the final race meant that he missed out on the title, finishing 3rd overall (242 pts). He only started 1 race from outside the top 6 (and that was due to a gearbox change), managed 5 pole positions, 3 fastest laps, only failed to score twice (collision in Europe, spin in Korea), and managed 10 podiums.
McLaren (GBR)
First season: 1966
Constructors’ Championships: 8 (1974, 1984-85, 1988-91, 1998)
Drivers’ Championships: 12 (1974, 1976, 1984-86, 1988-91, 1998-99, 2008)
Races Started: 684
Race Wins: 169
1-2 Finishes: 47
Podiums: 452
Pole Positions: 146
Fastest Laps: 143
Points: 3835.5
Engines: Ford (1966), Serenissima (1966), BRM (1967-68), Ford Cosworth (1968-83, 1993), Alfa Romeo (1970), TAG Porsche (1983-87), Honda (1988-1992), Peugeot (1994), Mercedes (1995-date)
Most Races Started: David Coulthard (150)
Most Wins: Ayrton Senna (35)
Three years after Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd was founded, McLaren made their F1 debut at Monaco. They scored their first victory courtesy of Bruce McLaren in 1968 (the team finishing 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship that year), and won the Drivers’ Championship with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and with James Hunt by a single point in 1976, beating Niki Lauda who would himself take the Drivers’ Championship with McLaren in 1984, winning by half a point from team-mate Alain Prost, who would then himself win the title in both 1985 and 1986, before a slightly less successful 1987. McLaren entered a period of total dominance in 1988-1991 (thanks to their Honda engines), with Ayrton Senna winning the title in 1988 (all bar one race being a McLaren win), 1990 and 1991, and Prost winning in 1989. Honda and Senna departed in the early 1990s, casting the team into the wilderness until the team’s next period of dominance in 1998-99, with Mika Hakkinen winning the Drivers’ Championship in both years and the team winning the Constructors’ Championship in 1998 (thanks to their partnership with Mercedes and the arrival of Adrian Newey). They dropped to 2nd behind Ferrari in 2000-01, and then were pushed down to 3rd by Williams in 2002-03 (Kimi Raikkonen missed out on the Drivers’ Championship in 2003 by 2 points). 2004 started terribly – only 5 points from the first 7 races – however they did stage a recovery (including 1 victory) to finish 5th overall. In 2005 the McLaren car was the quickest for most of the season, and the team took 10 victories (2 more than Renault), but poor reliability meant that they missed out on both titles. In 2006 they were a distant 3rd behind Renault and Ferrari. Despite strong pace in the latter part of the season, they failed to win a race (for the first time since 1996) – although they did manage 2nd place finishes with 3 different drivers. In 2007 they won 8 races but were ejected from the Constructors’ Championship and fined US$100 million. They also missed out on the Drivers’ Championship, with the feuding Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso finishing 1 point behind Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton made amends in 2008 by winning the Drivers’ Championship, however they were unable to regain the Constructors’ Championship, finishing 21 points behind Ferrari. 2009 started badly, with the team struggling to score points early on – however, the car became a race-winner later on, and they pipped Ferrari to 3rd place by a single point. Their 2010 car was not as quick as Red Bull's, but was more reliable and shone in damp conditions. They were helped by the much-imitated F-duct. They led the standings for first half of season, but ultimately finished 2nd overall after five race wins.
3 – Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
First Season: 2007
Teams: McLaren (2007-date)
Races: 71
Pole Positions: 18
Wins: 14
Podiums: 36
Points: 496
Fastest Laps: 8
World Championships: 1 (2008)
Races Led: 31
Doubles: 9
Hat-Tricks: 2 (Japan 2007, China 2008)
Having been champion in British Formula Renault (2003), F3 Euroseries (2005) and GP2 (2006), Lewis Hamilton earned himself a McLaren race drive for 2007. He started the season in style, finishing on the podium in each of the first 9 races. Overall he managed 6 pole positions, 4 victories (Canada, USA, Hungary, Japan), a further 8 podiums, and 2 fastest laps, outperforming team-mate Fernando Alonso. He led the championship after 4 races, regained it after his first victory in Canada, and held it until the final race, where he lost out by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen due to errors in the final 2 races (109 pts). He made amends by winning the championship in 2008 by a single point (98 pts), with 7 pole positions, 5 victories (Australia, Monaco, Great Britain, Germany, China), another 5 podiums, and 1 fastest lap (despite being as low as 4th in the championship after 2 consecutive non-scoring races). He became the youngest ever world champion, and only the second driver to clinch the title in only their second season in F1 (discounting 1950-51). He only had 1 retirement in each of his first 2 seasons (both occurring in the pitlane). He committed to McLaren until the end of 2012. 2009 started badly – he was disqualified in Australia for misleading the stewards, and managed just 9 points from the first 9 races. However, the McLaren’s car development came good in the second half of the season, and he managed 4 pole positions and 5 podiums, including wins in Hungary and Singapore, to finish 5th overall (49 pts). In the early part of 2010, he put in some good drives that were marred by dubious strategy calls – however back-to-back wins in Turkey and Canada (the latter being his only pole position of the season) brought him into title contention. However, towards the end of the season the McLaren was increasingly outpaced by Red Bull and Ferrari (he also had 3 DNFs in 4 races), and he dropped to 4th overall (240 pts), despite scoring another win in Belgium. As well as his 3 wins, he managed a further 6 podiums and 5 fastest laps.
4 – Jenson Button (GBR)
First season: 2000
Teams: Williams (2000), Benetton (2001), Renault (2002), BAR (2003-05), Honda (2006-08), Brawn GP (2009), McLaren (2010-date)
Races: 191
Pole Positions: 7
Wins: 9
Podiums: 31
Points: 541
Fastest Laps: 2
World Championships: 1 (2009)
Races Led: 20
Doubles: 4
Hat-tricks: 1 (Malaysia 2009)
A champion in British Formula Ford (1998), Jenson Button tested for McLaren, Prost and Williams in 1999 before making his race debut for Williams in 2000. He scored a point in only his 2nd race (becoming the sport’s youngest ever points scorer). He managed 8 top 10 grid slots (including 3rd in Belgium), and 6 points finishes (including 4th in Germany), to finish 8th overall (12 pts). He moved to Benetton in 2001, where he had a difficult season, only qualifying in the top 10 in the last 2 races, and only managing 1 points-scoring finish (5th place in Germany) to finish 17th overall. Benetton was renamed Renault in 2002, and the season got off to a good start, with 2 4th places and one 5th place in the first 4 races (narrowly missing out on a podium in Malaysia), before fading later in the season to finish 7th overall (14 pts). He moved to BAR in 2003, where he consistently outperformed team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. He managed 7 top 10 grid slots, and 7 points finishes, including 2 4th places finishes (he also led 2 races), to finish 9th overall (17 pts). 2004 was his best season so far – despite not managing a win, he only qualified outside the top 10 on 3 occasions (including pole in San Marino and 2 further front-row starts), and only failed to score in 3 races. He managed 4 2nd places and 6 3rd places to finish 3rd overall (85 pts), only behind the 2 Ferraris. A contract dispute scuppered his potential move to Williams for 2005, and thus he stayed with BAR. The season started terribly – a disqualification and a 2-race ban for the team led to Button being on 0 points after 9 races (despite pole in Canada). However, he fought back strongly in the second half of the season, scoring in all of the last 10 races, including 2 3rd places, to finish 9th overall (37 pts). He bought himself out of a Williams contract for 2006, instead signing a deal with Honda. He started 2006 off reasonably well, with 3 front-row starts including pole in Australia, and a 3rd place finish in Malaysia. After a dip in the middle of the season, he bounced back with 7 consecutive top 5 finishes in the last 7 races of the season, including a win in Hungary and 3rd place in Brazil, to finish 6th overall (56 pts). In 2007 he struggled to stay with the midfield due to problems with the car, only managing 4 top 10 grid slots and 3 points finishes (including 5th in China) to finish 15th overall (6 pts). Honda’s form continued to dwindle in 2008, with Button managing just one top 10 grid slot and only one points finish (6th in Spain) to finish 18th overall. Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2008 – however, Button stayed with the team (who were re-branded Brawn). This decision paid off – he won 6 of the first 7 races (Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Turkey), scored 4 pole positions, and 2 fastest laps (including a hat-trick in Malaysia). As his team lost their performance advantage mid-season, Button’s challenge faded, however he kept scoring (only failing to score in 1 race) to wrap up the title with a race to spare (95 pts). In 2010 he surprised many by moving to McLaren, leading to claims that he would be blown away by Lewis Hamilton. However, he defied his critics, winning 2 of the first 4 races (Australia and China). However, his results were in general hampered by qualifying struggles (his front-row start in Italy was his only top 3 start of the season) – however strong race speed and consistency yielded 5 further podiums and kept him in contention until the penultimate round (he only failed to score 3 times). He finished 5th overall with 214 points.
Ferrari (ITA)
First season: 1950
Constructors’ Championships: 16 (1961, 1964, 1975-77, 1979, 1982-83, 1999-2004, 2007-2008)
Drivers’ Championships: 15 (1952-53, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000-04, 2007)
Races Started: 812
Race Wins: 215
1-2 Finishes: 81
Podiums: 643
Pole Positions: 205
Fastest Laps: 224
Points: 5353.785
Engines: Ferrari (1950-date), Jaguar (1950)
Most Races Started: Michael Schumacher (180)
Most Wins: Michael Schumacher (72)
Ferrari made their debut in the 1950 Monaco GP, scored their first victory in 1951, and won Drivers’ Championships with Alberto Ascari (1952-53), Juan-Manuel Fangio (1956), Mike Hawthorn (1958), Phil Hill (1961), John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) and Jody Scheckter (1979). After this, they won the Constructors’ Championship during the turbo era in 1982 and 1983, but then entered a slump (Alain Prost did however come close to the title in 1990). Signing Jean Todt in 1993 followed by Michael Schumacher in 1996 and Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne in 1997 proved a masterstroke - they won the Constructors’ Championship in 1999 (but Eddie Irvine fell short of the Drivers’ Championship), and in 2000 they entered a period of total domination, winning both titles 3 years in a row. 2003 was a tougher season, but they still managed to hold on to both titles, which they also retained in 2004 (only losing 3 races that year – 13 races were won by Michael Schumacher). However, in 2005 they struggled due to the regulations requiring one set of tyres to last a whole race. They did however manage several podium finishes, including a 1-2 in the 6-car US GP to finish 3rd overall. In 2006 they were initially dominated by Renault, but staged a second-half fightback (with Michael Schumacher scoring 7 victories) to move ahead of Renault with 3 rounds to go – however, reliability issues saw them beaten to the title by 5 points. In 2007 they managed to beat McLaren to both titles, with Kimi Raikkonen’s late surge in form bringing him the Drivers’ Championship, and the FIA effectively handing them the Constructors’ Championship. They retained the latter in 2008, but Felipe Massa just missed out on the Drivers’ Championship by a single point (despite 1 more victory than Lewis Hamilton). In 2009 they were never in title contention – they failed to score in the first 3 races, and Felipe Massa had a life-threatening accident at Hungary (with his replacements failing to score points). They stopped development on the 2009 car early in order to focus on 2010. Despite this, they still managed victory in Belgium. With Fernando Alonso now in the team, 2010 started well with a 1-2 in Bahrain, but the team fell behind Red Bull and McLaren before catching up mid-season. Despite using team orders, they just missed out on both titles (even though Alonso was favourite going into the final race).
5 – Fernando Alonso (ESP)
First season: 2001 (did not race in 2002)
Teams: Minardi (2001), Renault (2003-06), McLaren (2007), Renault (2008-2009), Ferrari (2010-date)
Races: 159 (158 starts)
Pole Positions: 20
Wins: 26
Podiums: 63
Points: 829
Fastest Laps: 18
World Championships: 2 (2005, 2006)
Races Led: 60
Doubles: 13
Hat-Tricks: 5 (Great Britain 2006, Monaco 2007, Italy 2007, Italy 2010, Singapore 2010)
Grand Chelems: 1 (Singapore 2010)
A champion in Euro-Open Movistar (1999), Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut for Minardi in 2001, never qualifying higher than 17th and his best finish being 10th (he finished 23rd overall with no points). He tested for Renault in 2002 before racing for the team in 2003, where he was quickly hailed as the next Michael Schumacher. He became the youngest ever pole-sitter in Malaysia and managed another pole position as well as becoming the youngest ever race winner in Hungary (lapping Michael Schumacher in the process). This along with 3 other podiums (and 1 fastest lap) helped him to 6th overall (55 pts). 2004 was a strong season (if ultimately disappointing) in which he dominated team-mate Jarno Trulli (despite the latter managing a victory). He managed pole position and 2nd place at France, along with 3 other podiums to finish 4th overall (59 pts). Despite not having the fastest car in 2005 (especially in the later races), he managed 6 pole positions, 7 victories (Malaysia, Bahrain, San Marino, Europe, France, Germany, China), a further 8 podiums, and 2 fastest laps, to become the sport’s youngest champion with 2 races to spare (133 pts), leading the championship from the second race onwards. In 2006 he dominated the early part of the season – 5 pole positions, 6 wins (Bahrain, Australia, Spain, Monaco, Great Britain, Canada) and 3 2nd places from the first 9 races, before fighting off a strong challenge from Michael Schumacher in the second half of the season (including one more pole position and 5 further podiums including a victory in Japan) to retain his title with 134 points (only losing the lead once). He managed 5 fastest laps in 2006. He moved to McLaren for 2007 where he managed 2 pole positions, 4 wins (Malaysia, Monaco, Europe, Italy), a further 8 podiums, and 3 fastest laps to finish 3rd overall on 109 points (level with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and just 1 point behind Kimi Raikkonen). Only once did he start a race from outside the top 4, and only once did he fail to score in 2007. However, he fell out with the team and returned to Renault for 2008, where he helped to transform the team’s lacklustre car into a race winner – despite only scoring 13 points in the first 10 races (in spite of a front-row start in Spain), he scored 2 wins (Singapore and Japan) and a 2nd place in the final 4 races to finish 5th overall (61 pts). In 2009, his less-than-competitive Renault meant that he struggled to break clear of the midfield. He did manage a surprise pole in Hungary, and managed a podium finish in Singapore (plus 2 fastest laps) to finish 9th overall (26 pts). He moved to Ferrari in 2010, and won on his debut for the team in Bahrain. He struggled somewhat in the next few races, finding himself 47 points off the championship lead. However, he declared that he would win the title, and did indeed turn his fortunes around with wins in Germany, Italy, Singapore, and Korea (Italy and Singapore were his only pole positions of the season) – in fact, in the 8 races from Germany to Brazil, he finished 7 of them on the podium (the exception being Belgium where he crashed). Leading the championship going into the final race, a poor pit strategy cost him the title. He had a total of 10 podiums and 5 fastest laps, and failed to score on 3 occasions, finishing 2nd overall (252 pts).
6 – Felipe Massa (BRA)
First season: 2002 (did not race in 2003)
Teams: Sauber (2002, 2004-05), Ferrari (2006-date)
Races: 135 (133 starts)
Pole Positions: 15
Wins: 11
Podiums: 33
Points: 464
Fastest Laps: 12
Races Led: 29
Doubles: 8
Hat-Tricks: 4 (Bahrain 2007, Spain 2007, Europe 2008, Brazil 2008)
Having been champion in Formula Chevrolet Brazil (1999), Formula Renault Italy (2000), Formula Renault Eurocup (2000), and European F3000 (2001), Felipe Massa made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2002 (competing in 16 of the 17 races that year). He managed 4 points, his best finish being 5th, to finish 13th overall. He tested for Ferrari in 2003, before returning to his Sauber seat in 2004. This season was inconsistent – he twice qualified 4th, and scored 12 points, including 1 4th place and 1 5th place to finish 12th overall (he also briefly led in Brazil that year). He finished 13th in 2005 (11 points), outscoring team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, with a best finish of 4th. He moved to Ferrari in 2006 to partner Michael Schumacher, where he managed 3 pole positions, 2 victories (Turkey and Brazil), a further 5 podiums, and 2 fastest laps. He finished 3rd overall with 80 points. 2007 saw 6 pole positions, 3 wins (Bahrain, Spain, Turkey), a further 7 podiums, and 6 fastest laps, however due to a couple of reliability problems and a disqualification, he only managed 4th place (94 pts). Despite failing to finish either of the first 2 races, in 2008 he showed new levels of speed and maturity, managing 6 pole positions, 6 victories (Bahrain, Turkey, France, Europe, Belgium, Brazil), a further 4 podiums, and 3 fastest laps, but just missed out on the title by 1 point (97 pts), despite leading the championship at one point. 2009 started badly – he did not score until the 5th race. However, he managed a string of points-scoring finishes (including a podium in Germany), as well as fastest lap in Monaco, before fracturing his skull in qualifying for Hungary. This ruled him out for the rest of the season. He finished 11th overall (22 pts). He bounced back in 2010, scoring his only front-row start of the season and finishing 2nd to team-mate Fernando Alonso in the season-opened in Bahrain, beat Alonso to the podium in Australia, and was leading the championship after 3 races (having won none of them). However, after 3 consecutive failures to score, he was forced to play a supporting role to Fernando Alonso, moving aside to let him win in Germany. He did manage a couple of other 3rd place finishes, however, finishing 6th overall (144 pts).
Red Bull (AUT)
First season: 2005
Constructors’ Championships: 1 (2010)
Drivers’ Championships: 1 (2010)
Races Started: 107
Race Wins: 15
1-2 Finishes: 8
Podiums: 39
Pole Positions: 20
Fastest Laps: 12
Points: 754.5
Engines: Cosworth (2005), Ferrari (2006), Renault (2007-date)
Most Races Started: David Coulthard (71), Mark Webber (71)
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel (9)
Having purchased Jaguar in 2004, Red Bull made their debut in 2005 (ousting some Jaguar figures and installing Christian Horner as the youngest ever head of an F1 team), and scored 11 points in the first 2 races (more than Jaguar managed in the whole of 2004), partly thanks to David Coulthard finishing 4th in the team’s first race, ultimately finishing 7th overall with 34 points. 2006 was less good (despite Ferrari power), with the team only managing 16 points (still good enough for 7th overall). They did however manage a podium courtesy of David Coulthard at Monaco. In 2007 they recruited Adrian Newey, however it was another tough season – at least one retirement in each of the first 7 races. They improved later on in the season (managing 3rd and 5th at the Nurburgring) to finish 5th overall (24 points). In 2008 the team switched development to 2009, and as a result were overpowered by Toro Rosso, and they only finished 7th overall (29 points). The highlight was Coulthard’s podium in Canada. In 2009 they became front-runners, scoring their first pole position and victory in China and adding a further 5 victories to finish runners-up (153.5 points), unable to overcome the points cushion obtained by Brawn’s early season dominance despite having the fastest car from early-summer onwards. In 2010, the Red Bull was normally the fastest car, however due to reliability, poor wet-weather pace, driver errors and intra-team rivalry, they only moved ahead in the standings mid-season. Despite their refusal to employ team orders, they managed to win both titles, winning 9 races in the process (498 points).
1 – Sebastian Vettel (GER)
First season: 2007
Teams: BMW Sauber (2007), Toro Rosso (2007-08), Red Bull (2009-date)
Races: 62
Pole Positions: 15
Wins: 10
Podiums: 19
Points: 381
Fastest Laps: 6
World Championships: 1 (2010)
Races Led: 19
Doubles: 7
Hat-Tricks: 1 (Britain 2009)
A champion in German Formula BMW (2004) and a runner-up in Formula 3 Euroseries (2006), Sebastian Vettel joined BMW Sauber as a test driver in 2006, and made his debut for the team in 2007 at Indianapolis, standing in for the injured Robert Kubica. He qualified 7th and became the sport’s youngest points scorer by finishing 8th. He secured a full-time race seat with Toro Rosso for the last 7 races of 2007, and managed a 4th place finish in China (in the previous race in Japan he briefly led and was running 3rd when Mark Webber crashed into him). He finished 14th overall (6 pts). 2008 got off to a slow start – he failed to finish any of the first 4 races (crashing out of 3 of them on the first lap), however the second half of the season saw a massive improvement, with 2008 yielding a total of 10 top 10 starts and 9 points scoring finishes, including pole position and victory at Monza (making him the sport’s youngest winner). He finished 8th overall with 35 points, and was rewarded with a switch to the Red Bull team (who finished lower in the standings than Toro Rosso in 2008) for 2009, making him the only driver to be changing teams for 2009. In 2009 he failed to score in the first 2 races, but bounced back to score 8 podiums (including wins in China, Britain, Japan and Abu Dhabi) and 3 fastest laps to finish 2nd overall (84 pts). He outscored everybody from Britain onwards. In 2010 he was supremely fast – 10 pole positions (never qualifying lower than 6th and only twice qualifying outside the top 3) – however, a combination of reliability, driver errors, and intra-team rivalry with Mark Webber led to a struggle for the championship, which he did win with his victory in Abu Dhabi (having also won in Malaysia, Europe, Japan and Brazil), even though he was only 3rd in the standings going into that race (and had not led the championship previously). He became the youngest world champion (the 3rd driver to break that record since 2005). He managed 10 podiums, 3 fastest laps, and scored 256 points.
2 – Mark Webber (AUS)
First season: 2002
Teams: Minardi (2002), Jaguar (2003-04), Williams (2005-06), Red Bull (2007-date)
Races: 159 (157 starts)
Pole Positions: 6
Wins: 6
Podiums: 20
Points: 411.5
Fastest Laps: 6
Races Led: 19
Doubles: 3
A runner-up in British Formula Ford (1996), FIA GT Series (1999), and FIA International Formula 3000 (2001), Mark Webber tested for Benetton in 2001 before making his race debut for Minardi in 2002. Despite never qualifying higher than 18th, he managed some impressive drives, including 5th place on his debut (on home soil), to finish 16th overall (2 pts). He joined Jaguar in 2003, where he cemented his reputation as one of the sport’s rising stars, qualifying 3rd on the grid twice and managing 3 6th place finishes and 4 7th place finishes to finish 10th overall (17 pts). He also briefly led in the US. 2004 was a difficult season – despite a front-row start in Malaysia, he only scored 4 times (best finish 6th) to finish 13th overall (7 pts). He moved to Williams in 2005 (having turned down the chance of a Renault drive), where he shined in qualifying, starting each of the first 7 races from the top 5 (including a front-row start in Spain), and managed his first podium at Monaco. However, his performance dropped off slightly towards the end of the season, and he finished 10th overall (36 pts). 2006 was another tough season, in which he only finished 7 races to finish 14th overall (7 pts), despite another front-row start (this time at Monaco) and leading 2 races. He moved to Red Bull in 2007, where he reached Q3 on 12 occasions, but poor reliability meant that these were rarely translated into points – in fact, he only scored on 3 occasions (but this did include a podium at the Nurburgring) – and he finished 12th overall (10 pts). 2008 got off to a reasonably good start, with 5 consecutive points-scoring finishes (including a 4th place at Monaco) following a DNF in the first race. However, despite his usual excellent qualifying form (including a front-row start at Silverstone and 3rd at Monza), his lack of race pace meant that he finished 11th overall (21 pts). Despite breaking his leg prior to the 2009 season, he managed his best season to date, with his maiden pole position in Germany, 8 podium finishes (including wins in Germany and Brazil), and 3 fastest laps. However, 5 consecutive non-scoring races mid-season cost him any chance of the title, and he finished 4th overall (69.5 points). 2010 got off a slow start (2 8th places and a 9th in the first 4 races), however he turned his season around with wins in Spain and Monaco (leading every lap of both races), as well as Britain and Hungary to lead the championship going into the summer break. However, an injured shoulder plus a poor pit strategy in the final race meant that he missed out on the title, finishing 3rd overall (242 pts). He only started 1 race from outside the top 6 (and that was due to a gearbox change), managed 5 pole positions, 3 fastest laps, only failed to score twice (collision in Europe, spin in Korea), and managed 10 podiums.
McLaren (GBR)
First season: 1966
Constructors’ Championships: 8 (1974, 1984-85, 1988-91, 1998)
Drivers’ Championships: 12 (1974, 1976, 1984-86, 1988-91, 1998-99, 2008)
Races Started: 684
Race Wins: 169
1-2 Finishes: 47
Podiums: 452
Pole Positions: 146
Fastest Laps: 143
Points: 3835.5
Engines: Ford (1966), Serenissima (1966), BRM (1967-68), Ford Cosworth (1968-83, 1993), Alfa Romeo (1970), TAG Porsche (1983-87), Honda (1988-1992), Peugeot (1994), Mercedes (1995-date)
Most Races Started: David Coulthard (150)
Most Wins: Ayrton Senna (35)
Three years after Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd was founded, McLaren made their F1 debut at Monaco. They scored their first victory courtesy of Bruce McLaren in 1968 (the team finishing 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship that year), and won the Drivers’ Championship with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and with James Hunt by a single point in 1976, beating Niki Lauda who would himself take the Drivers’ Championship with McLaren in 1984, winning by half a point from team-mate Alain Prost, who would then himself win the title in both 1985 and 1986, before a slightly less successful 1987. McLaren entered a period of total dominance in 1988-1991 (thanks to their Honda engines), with Ayrton Senna winning the title in 1988 (all bar one race being a McLaren win), 1990 and 1991, and Prost winning in 1989. Honda and Senna departed in the early 1990s, casting the team into the wilderness until the team’s next period of dominance in 1998-99, with Mika Hakkinen winning the Drivers’ Championship in both years and the team winning the Constructors’ Championship in 1998 (thanks to their partnership with Mercedes and the arrival of Adrian Newey). They dropped to 2nd behind Ferrari in 2000-01, and then were pushed down to 3rd by Williams in 2002-03 (Kimi Raikkonen missed out on the Drivers’ Championship in 2003 by 2 points). 2004 started terribly – only 5 points from the first 7 races – however they did stage a recovery (including 1 victory) to finish 5th overall. In 2005 the McLaren car was the quickest for most of the season, and the team took 10 victories (2 more than Renault), but poor reliability meant that they missed out on both titles. In 2006 they were a distant 3rd behind Renault and Ferrari. Despite strong pace in the latter part of the season, they failed to win a race (for the first time since 1996) – although they did manage 2nd place finishes with 3 different drivers. In 2007 they won 8 races but were ejected from the Constructors’ Championship and fined US$100 million. They also missed out on the Drivers’ Championship, with the feuding Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso finishing 1 point behind Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton made amends in 2008 by winning the Drivers’ Championship, however they were unable to regain the Constructors’ Championship, finishing 21 points behind Ferrari. 2009 started badly, with the team struggling to score points early on – however, the car became a race-winner later on, and they pipped Ferrari to 3rd place by a single point. Their 2010 car was not as quick as Red Bull's, but was more reliable and shone in damp conditions. They were helped by the much-imitated F-duct. They led the standings for first half of season, but ultimately finished 2nd overall after five race wins.
3 – Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
First Season: 2007
Teams: McLaren (2007-date)
Races: 71
Pole Positions: 18
Wins: 14
Podiums: 36
Points: 496
Fastest Laps: 8
World Championships: 1 (2008)
Races Led: 31
Doubles: 9
Hat-Tricks: 2 (Japan 2007, China 2008)
Having been champion in British Formula Renault (2003), F3 Euroseries (2005) and GP2 (2006), Lewis Hamilton earned himself a McLaren race drive for 2007. He started the season in style, finishing on the podium in each of the first 9 races. Overall he managed 6 pole positions, 4 victories (Canada, USA, Hungary, Japan), a further 8 podiums, and 2 fastest laps, outperforming team-mate Fernando Alonso. He led the championship after 4 races, regained it after his first victory in Canada, and held it until the final race, where he lost out by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen due to errors in the final 2 races (109 pts). He made amends by winning the championship in 2008 by a single point (98 pts), with 7 pole positions, 5 victories (Australia, Monaco, Great Britain, Germany, China), another 5 podiums, and 1 fastest lap (despite being as low as 4th in the championship after 2 consecutive non-scoring races). He became the youngest ever world champion, and only the second driver to clinch the title in only their second season in F1 (discounting 1950-51). He only had 1 retirement in each of his first 2 seasons (both occurring in the pitlane). He committed to McLaren until the end of 2012. 2009 started badly – he was disqualified in Australia for misleading the stewards, and managed just 9 points from the first 9 races. However, the McLaren’s car development came good in the second half of the season, and he managed 4 pole positions and 5 podiums, including wins in Hungary and Singapore, to finish 5th overall (49 pts). In the early part of 2010, he put in some good drives that were marred by dubious strategy calls – however back-to-back wins in Turkey and Canada (the latter being his only pole position of the season) brought him into title contention. However, towards the end of the season the McLaren was increasingly outpaced by Red Bull and Ferrari (he also had 3 DNFs in 4 races), and he dropped to 4th overall (240 pts), despite scoring another win in Belgium. As well as his 3 wins, he managed a further 6 podiums and 5 fastest laps.
4 – Jenson Button (GBR)
First season: 2000
Teams: Williams (2000), Benetton (2001), Renault (2002), BAR (2003-05), Honda (2006-08), Brawn GP (2009), McLaren (2010-date)
Races: 191
Pole Positions: 7
Wins: 9
Podiums: 31
Points: 541
Fastest Laps: 2
World Championships: 1 (2009)
Races Led: 20
Doubles: 4
Hat-tricks: 1 (Malaysia 2009)
A champion in British Formula Ford (1998), Jenson Button tested for McLaren, Prost and Williams in 1999 before making his race debut for Williams in 2000. He scored a point in only his 2nd race (becoming the sport’s youngest ever points scorer). He managed 8 top 10 grid slots (including 3rd in Belgium), and 6 points finishes (including 4th in Germany), to finish 8th overall (12 pts). He moved to Benetton in 2001, where he had a difficult season, only qualifying in the top 10 in the last 2 races, and only managing 1 points-scoring finish (5th place in Germany) to finish 17th overall. Benetton was renamed Renault in 2002, and the season got off to a good start, with 2 4th places and one 5th place in the first 4 races (narrowly missing out on a podium in Malaysia), before fading later in the season to finish 7th overall (14 pts). He moved to BAR in 2003, where he consistently outperformed team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. He managed 7 top 10 grid slots, and 7 points finishes, including 2 4th places finishes (he also led 2 races), to finish 9th overall (17 pts). 2004 was his best season so far – despite not managing a win, he only qualified outside the top 10 on 3 occasions (including pole in San Marino and 2 further front-row starts), and only failed to score in 3 races. He managed 4 2nd places and 6 3rd places to finish 3rd overall (85 pts), only behind the 2 Ferraris. A contract dispute scuppered his potential move to Williams for 2005, and thus he stayed with BAR. The season started terribly – a disqualification and a 2-race ban for the team led to Button being on 0 points after 9 races (despite pole in Canada). However, he fought back strongly in the second half of the season, scoring in all of the last 10 races, including 2 3rd places, to finish 9th overall (37 pts). He bought himself out of a Williams contract for 2006, instead signing a deal with Honda. He started 2006 off reasonably well, with 3 front-row starts including pole in Australia, and a 3rd place finish in Malaysia. After a dip in the middle of the season, he bounced back with 7 consecutive top 5 finishes in the last 7 races of the season, including a win in Hungary and 3rd place in Brazil, to finish 6th overall (56 pts). In 2007 he struggled to stay with the midfield due to problems with the car, only managing 4 top 10 grid slots and 3 points finishes (including 5th in China) to finish 15th overall (6 pts). Honda’s form continued to dwindle in 2008, with Button managing just one top 10 grid slot and only one points finish (6th in Spain) to finish 18th overall. Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2008 – however, Button stayed with the team (who were re-branded Brawn). This decision paid off – he won 6 of the first 7 races (Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Turkey), scored 4 pole positions, and 2 fastest laps (including a hat-trick in Malaysia). As his team lost their performance advantage mid-season, Button’s challenge faded, however he kept scoring (only failing to score in 1 race) to wrap up the title with a race to spare (95 pts). In 2010 he surprised many by moving to McLaren, leading to claims that he would be blown away by Lewis Hamilton. However, he defied his critics, winning 2 of the first 4 races (Australia and China). However, his results were in general hampered by qualifying struggles (his front-row start in Italy was his only top 3 start of the season) – however strong race speed and consistency yielded 5 further podiums and kept him in contention until the penultimate round (he only failed to score 3 times). He finished 5th overall with 214 points.
Ferrari (ITA)
First season: 1950
Constructors’ Championships: 16 (1961, 1964, 1975-77, 1979, 1982-83, 1999-2004, 2007-2008)
Drivers’ Championships: 15 (1952-53, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000-04, 2007)
Races Started: 812
Race Wins: 215
1-2 Finishes: 81
Podiums: 643
Pole Positions: 205
Fastest Laps: 224
Points: 5353.785
Engines: Ferrari (1950-date), Jaguar (1950)
Most Races Started: Michael Schumacher (180)
Most Wins: Michael Schumacher (72)
Ferrari made their debut in the 1950 Monaco GP, scored their first victory in 1951, and won Drivers’ Championships with Alberto Ascari (1952-53), Juan-Manuel Fangio (1956), Mike Hawthorn (1958), Phil Hill (1961), John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) and Jody Scheckter (1979). After this, they won the Constructors’ Championship during the turbo era in 1982 and 1983, but then entered a slump (Alain Prost did however come close to the title in 1990). Signing Jean Todt in 1993 followed by Michael Schumacher in 1996 and Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne in 1997 proved a masterstroke - they won the Constructors’ Championship in 1999 (but Eddie Irvine fell short of the Drivers’ Championship), and in 2000 they entered a period of total domination, winning both titles 3 years in a row. 2003 was a tougher season, but they still managed to hold on to both titles, which they also retained in 2004 (only losing 3 races that year – 13 races were won by Michael Schumacher). However, in 2005 they struggled due to the regulations requiring one set of tyres to last a whole race. They did however manage several podium finishes, including a 1-2 in the 6-car US GP to finish 3rd overall. In 2006 they were initially dominated by Renault, but staged a second-half fightback (with Michael Schumacher scoring 7 victories) to move ahead of Renault with 3 rounds to go – however, reliability issues saw them beaten to the title by 5 points. In 2007 they managed to beat McLaren to both titles, with Kimi Raikkonen’s late surge in form bringing him the Drivers’ Championship, and the FIA effectively handing them the Constructors’ Championship. They retained the latter in 2008, but Felipe Massa just missed out on the Drivers’ Championship by a single point (despite 1 more victory than Lewis Hamilton). In 2009 they were never in title contention – they failed to score in the first 3 races, and Felipe Massa had a life-threatening accident at Hungary (with his replacements failing to score points). They stopped development on the 2009 car early in order to focus on 2010. Despite this, they still managed victory in Belgium. With Fernando Alonso now in the team, 2010 started well with a 1-2 in Bahrain, but the team fell behind Red Bull and McLaren before catching up mid-season. Despite using team orders, they just missed out on both titles (even though Alonso was favourite going into the final race).
5 – Fernando Alonso (ESP)
First season: 2001 (did not race in 2002)
Teams: Minardi (2001), Renault (2003-06), McLaren (2007), Renault (2008-2009), Ferrari (2010-date)
Races: 159 (158 starts)
Pole Positions: 20
Wins: 26
Podiums: 63
Points: 829
Fastest Laps: 18
World Championships: 2 (2005, 2006)
Races Led: 60
Doubles: 13
Hat-Tricks: 5 (Great Britain 2006, Monaco 2007, Italy 2007, Italy 2010, Singapore 2010)
Grand Chelems: 1 (Singapore 2010)
A champion in Euro-Open Movistar (1999), Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut for Minardi in 2001, never qualifying higher than 17th and his best finish being 10th (he finished 23rd overall with no points). He tested for Renault in 2002 before racing for the team in 2003, where he was quickly hailed as the next Michael Schumacher. He became the youngest ever pole-sitter in Malaysia and managed another pole position as well as becoming the youngest ever race winner in Hungary (lapping Michael Schumacher in the process). This along with 3 other podiums (and 1 fastest lap) helped him to 6th overall (55 pts). 2004 was a strong season (if ultimately disappointing) in which he dominated team-mate Jarno Trulli (despite the latter managing a victory). He managed pole position and 2nd place at France, along with 3 other podiums to finish 4th overall (59 pts). Despite not having the fastest car in 2005 (especially in the later races), he managed 6 pole positions, 7 victories (Malaysia, Bahrain, San Marino, Europe, France, Germany, China), a further 8 podiums, and 2 fastest laps, to become the sport’s youngest champion with 2 races to spare (133 pts), leading the championship from the second race onwards. In 2006 he dominated the early part of the season – 5 pole positions, 6 wins (Bahrain, Australia, Spain, Monaco, Great Britain, Canada) and 3 2nd places from the first 9 races, before fighting off a strong challenge from Michael Schumacher in the second half of the season (including one more pole position and 5 further podiums including a victory in Japan) to retain his title with 134 points (only losing the lead once). He managed 5 fastest laps in 2006. He moved to McLaren for 2007 where he managed 2 pole positions, 4 wins (Malaysia, Monaco, Europe, Italy), a further 8 podiums, and 3 fastest laps to finish 3rd overall on 109 points (level with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and just 1 point behind Kimi Raikkonen). Only once did he start a race from outside the top 4, and only once did he fail to score in 2007. However, he fell out with the team and returned to Renault for 2008, where he helped to transform the team’s lacklustre car into a race winner – despite only scoring 13 points in the first 10 races (in spite of a front-row start in Spain), he scored 2 wins (Singapore and Japan) and a 2nd place in the final 4 races to finish 5th overall (61 pts). In 2009, his less-than-competitive Renault meant that he struggled to break clear of the midfield. He did manage a surprise pole in Hungary, and managed a podium finish in Singapore (plus 2 fastest laps) to finish 9th overall (26 pts). He moved to Ferrari in 2010, and won on his debut for the team in Bahrain. He struggled somewhat in the next few races, finding himself 47 points off the championship lead. However, he declared that he would win the title, and did indeed turn his fortunes around with wins in Germany, Italy, Singapore, and Korea (Italy and Singapore were his only pole positions of the season) – in fact, in the 8 races from Germany to Brazil, he finished 7 of them on the podium (the exception being Belgium where he crashed). Leading the championship going into the final race, a poor pit strategy cost him the title. He had a total of 10 podiums and 5 fastest laps, and failed to score on 3 occasions, finishing 2nd overall (252 pts).
6 – Felipe Massa (BRA)
First season: 2002 (did not race in 2003)
Teams: Sauber (2002, 2004-05), Ferrari (2006-date)
Races: 135 (133 starts)
Pole Positions: 15
Wins: 11
Podiums: 33
Points: 464
Fastest Laps: 12
Races Led: 29
Doubles: 8
Hat-Tricks: 4 (Bahrain 2007, Spain 2007, Europe 2008, Brazil 2008)
Having been champion in Formula Chevrolet Brazil (1999), Formula Renault Italy (2000), Formula Renault Eurocup (2000), and European F3000 (2001), Felipe Massa made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2002 (competing in 16 of the 17 races that year). He managed 4 points, his best finish being 5th, to finish 13th overall. He tested for Ferrari in 2003, before returning to his Sauber seat in 2004. This season was inconsistent – he twice qualified 4th, and scored 12 points, including 1 4th place and 1 5th place to finish 12th overall (he also briefly led in Brazil that year). He finished 13th in 2005 (11 points), outscoring team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, with a best finish of 4th. He moved to Ferrari in 2006 to partner Michael Schumacher, where he managed 3 pole positions, 2 victories (Turkey and Brazil), a further 5 podiums, and 2 fastest laps. He finished 3rd overall with 80 points. 2007 saw 6 pole positions, 3 wins (Bahrain, Spain, Turkey), a further 7 podiums, and 6 fastest laps, however due to a couple of reliability problems and a disqualification, he only managed 4th place (94 pts). Despite failing to finish either of the first 2 races, in 2008 he showed new levels of speed and maturity, managing 6 pole positions, 6 victories (Bahrain, Turkey, France, Europe, Belgium, Brazil), a further 4 podiums, and 3 fastest laps, but just missed out on the title by 1 point (97 pts), despite leading the championship at one point. 2009 started badly – he did not score until the 5th race. However, he managed a string of points-scoring finishes (including a podium in Germany), as well as fastest lap in Monaco, before fracturing his skull in qualifying for Hungary. This ruled him out for the rest of the season. He finished 11th overall (22 pts). He bounced back in 2010, scoring his only front-row start of the season and finishing 2nd to team-mate Fernando Alonso in the season-opened in Bahrain, beat Alonso to the podium in Australia, and was leading the championship after 3 races (having won none of them). However, after 3 consecutive failures to score, he was forced to play a supporting role to Fernando Alonso, moving aside to let him win in Germany. He did manage a couple of other 3rd place finishes, however, finishing 6th overall (144 pts).