Winning Run.

[Super Tourer]

Looking back at the constructors championships since 1980 throws up some interesting facts.

Apart from Benetton (1995) only Ferrari, McLaren or Williams have won the WCC since 1980.

If Ferrari wins the 2005 constructors championship they will equal Williams nine championship wins since 1980.

Williams go into 2005 without winning a WCC for 7 years, their longest ever 'losing' streak.

McLaren go into 2005 without a WCC for 6 years, equalling their lean period from '92 to '97.

Since 1980 McLaren have won 7 WCC titles. Williams have won 9 titles.

On only 5 occasions since 1980 has the winning constructor failed to 'do the double' and win the drivers title as well - of those, three times ('82,'83 and '99) it was Ferrari - in '82 it was tragically out of their hands and in '99 Schumacher was injured.

Brabham won two drivers titles with Piquet ('81 and '83) but didn't win the constructors title on either occasion.

Much is made of Ferrari's current dominance, but it was a very different story in the previous two decades. Ferrari won the WCC only once in the 90's ('99) and twice in the 80's ('82 and '83), which made it's lean period from '84 to '98 when it failed to win a single title of any kind.

To put Ferrari's current success into perspective with the teams history, between 1999 and 2004 it scored as many WCC titles as it did in the 1970's and 1980's put together.

The Ferrari dominant points gap to it's rivals has been almost replicated before - In Ferrari's most dominant years (2002 and 2004) it finished 143 and 129 points (respectively) ahead of it's nearest rivals. In 1988 McLaren Honda had a winning margin of 134 points from it's nearest rival - Ferrari...

You can often follow the ebb and flow of teams success by their engine deals, for example.

Williams won the WCC in '86 and '87 with Honda power - at the end of 1987 Honda decided to put all their eggs into McLaren's basket - the result - in 1988 Williams had a stop gap year with a Judd engine and finished 7th in the WCC with only 20 points (behind teams like March and Arrows), whereas McLaren won the title easily with Ferrari in 2nd place.

Prior to Ferrari's current winning streak, the longest winning run since 1980 had been McLaren - '88,'89,'90 and 1991.

And finally....the stage is set for another record to be set in 2005 - the longest winning engine constructor, currently that is a tie. Since 1980, Honda have won 6 titles on the trot ('86 to '91) as have Renault ('92 to '97) with Ferrari also on 6 wins in succession ('99 to 2004).

Can Ferrari make it seven in 2005 to add another record to their books?

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by Super Tourer

Can Ferrari make it seven in 2005 to add another record to their books?

Well, it has to be said, they are out and out favourites. If they do win the WCC again, all i hope is that the other teams have taken the fight to them, and they haven't had (yet another) easy time of it.

[ASCII Man]

Good god, i hope not...
We probably won't hear the end of it if that happens...

Ah well..

[Gt_R]

Records would be a good reflection and reward for the work put in by any team. If they achieve it, well done..if not, try to get back to the winning position the following year. I would be surprised if the likes of Mclaren and Williams allow '04 to repeat next year and made to look like humbled fools. If Ferrari really wins again next year, i would foresee another set of hastily arranged regulation and strange proposals popping up to again drag Ferrari down.

[Gt_R]

Anyway, it's a set of interesting statistics, and it shows the rather cyclical nature of F1, if not that every top team have their period of long dominance.

[ralf fan]

As long as the others put up a good show and actually challenge Ferrari like in 2003... i dont have a problem with Ferrari winning...
Infact i dont have a problem with Ferrari winning at all.... its the lack of fight from the other teams that makes it all boring...

No doubt Ferrari will be the faves in 05...

[Gt_R]

I'd put it down to how the tyre war figure out

[Super Tourer]

Originally Posted by Gt_R

Anyway, it's a set of interesting statistics, and it shows the rather cyclical nature of F1, if not that every top team have their period of long dominance.

Indeed, it also shows how engine supply is a major factor in the success cycle.

Both McLaren and Williams have been seriously compromised by their engine partners pulling out at various times, leaving them to either 'make do and mend' for a year with a 'customer deal', or taking time to regroup with a new engine supplier. There is also the knock on effect that new engine suppliers require a different design of chassis which slows the evolutionary design process.

Obviously this is not a factor for Ferrari nowadays, who are benefiting from this stability and both their engine and chassis dept's at the top of their game, along of course with the same stablity of personnel. Williams watched both Newey and laterly Willis walk out the factory door to go off and design cars for rival teams that went on to beat their own cars.

It is somewhat ironic that despite the length of McLaren's Mercedes 'relationship' (2005 will be their 10th season together), it has delivered one fewer WCC than their relatively brief TAG Porsche partnership, and far less than their great days with Honda.

Similarly, I wonder if BMW thought that after all their effort and investment in Williams since 2000, they would still have Nelson Piquet's 1983 drivers crown (Brabham-BMW) as the only title in the record books..?