Team Origins

[Sparky]

Ok all you seasoned F1 fans, a brief refresher course on the teams that became those we know and love today.

I know Arrows came from what once was Shadow, and Benetton Formula used to be Toleman.

Ferrari were always Ferrari, but what about the rest? Was it the case of teams starting from scratch, or did they start, as today, with an existing team foundation and relaunch with a fresh identity.

I know it wouldn't take two minutes to look up, but I thought it might be interesting to hear your memories!

[slicktoast]

I'm probably wrong & I know I'll hear it for this, but for some reason my memory tells me about Ferrari coming from Alfa. Sorry if I'm wrong. Pre-emptive apologies.
Man, was I off!

[This message has been edited by slicktoast (edited 17 May 2000).]

[Sparky]

Where did Stewart start? By that I mean did they 'buy' the Forti spot or wot?

I need a Formula 1 family tree!

What about Minardi? Minardifaaaan...Where are yoooou!?

[Minardi fan]

I'm heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

Sauber I believe are a team in their own right - they didn't evolve from another.

Minardi from what I remember started as an F2 team or something before moving up to F1 in 1985 fielding just one car (Martini?).

[yorkie]

How about Arrows - Footwork - Arrows?

Arrows was not born from Shadow but was a brak away team consisting of former Shadow team members (Jackie Oliver, Alan Rees etc.). Alan Rees was the designer for Shadow who then went on to design the first Arrows racing car, which looked almost exactly the same as the Shadow. The design was subject to a legal battle and ultimatly Shadow won the case, stopping Arrows from using the first car.

McLaren International was born when McLaren merged with Ron Dennis's Project 4 organinzation (Hence all McLarens being give the MP4 prifix to the model).

Coloni, which was mentioned in another post, was bought buy an Itallian shoe manufacturer. The cars were run(?) in 1992 though they only qualified on on single occasion, lasting less than half a lap. The name of the team? Andrea Moda.

Sauber were originally heavily funded by Mercedes with the view to the German manufacturer buying the team when it became succcssfull. When the time limit for success had expired Mercedes moved on to form a partnership with McLaren.

[yorkie]

Stewart F1 was a thinly vieled entry by Ford into F1. Ford was Stewart's major backes and were alway going to buy the team (take up the option?) whenever the team became successfull or other manufacturers started to enter the sport.

[EERO]

Enzo Ferrari had run Alfa Romeo's Grand Prix and Sports Car teams in the thirties; following the war, he set up his own shop.
As Alfa continued into the fifties in Formula 1, i guess we can say that Ferrari was self conceived.
The only really convoluted lineage seems to be Williams, DeTomaso in 1970, Politoys and privateer Marches in 1971-72, Iso-Rivolta Marlboro in '73, later the first Williams Team to be swallowed up by Walter Wolf and reborn again as Williams in 79.
Sauber out of Leyton House? that's news to me.

[Scottie]

Don't forget Tyrrell to BAR

[Red]

And Ligier - Prost and of course Stewart - Jaguar. (And soon Benetton - Renault)

Scuderia Ferrari was created in 1929. Enzo Ferrari came to Alfa in 1920 as a test driver. Scuderia Ferrari was transformed into engineering-racing division of Alfa Romeo. They split in 1940. Enzo Ferrari founded "Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari" in 1940.

The "Prancing Horse" shield was first used on July 9-10, 1932 (24 Hours race at Spa) The car (an Alfa) won!

Racing debut: May 11, 1947. (Piacenza) The car (Ferrari 125) retired, but led in the first lap.

First GP: Monaco, May 21, 1950 (125 S, Alberto Ascari, second place)

[Neil C]

Does anyone know the lineage of the Ensign team from which Mo Nunn and Rod Campbell came?

[EERO]

Yorkie, I think Alan Rees was the Team Manager and Tony Southgate was the designer for the first Arrows/Shadow.

Neil., I don't know whay Ensign's origans were prior to the appearence of the first British Racing Green Batmobile in 1973 that Mo Nunn penned for Riki von Opel. Once von Opel disappeared due to "Rich boy with no talent" disease, the Ensigns were very tidy and efficient potentially quick though underfunded cars. I always thought Reggazoni's 1977 Tissot sponsored car was lovely, though the ground efects car that cost him so dearly at Long Beach three years later was not so nice. The Team eventually was bought by Teddy Yip , I think and folded.

[Leo]

Didn't Teddy Yip run an old Ensign as Theodore once or twice, before building his own car (also named Theodeore)?

Andrea Moda only ran the the Coloni cars the first two races of 1992. After that they used their own design (which was actually built by Simtek).