McLaren Mercedes

History:

Bruce McLaren, born in Auckland New Zealand on the 30th of August 1937 was the man behind the McLaren marquee. He made a far greater impact on the Formula One world than the sum of his results as a driver.

He started driving in his homeland in the mid 1950's and his advancement to single seaters was swift, winning a scholarship to race in Europe in 1958 in Formula Two. His Formula one debut came the following year with Cooper, and by the time the season was over, he was a regularly scoring points, actually winning the final race of the season at Sebring making him the youngest ever Grand Prix driver. He was only 22. He played the role of number two to Jack Brabham in 1960, but took over the role of number one driver the following year when Brabham left the team. Unfortunately, several frustrating seasons were to follow before he formed his own team. Inspired by Jack Brabham, he formed ' Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd.' and constructed his own cars. He built this company into a successful professional outfit that earned a reputation for technical excellence.

His first Formula One chassis was designed by Robin Heard and built in 1966. Unfortunately, the first year of the 3-litre formula made suitable power units extremely scarce and he had to turn to an underpowered Italian Serenissima engine and an overweight Ford. McLaren won the first point for his team in the British Grand Prix in 1966 when he finished sixth after starting from thirteenth on the grid. Herd's Ford Cosworth DFV-powered M7 became a potent weapon and McLaren gave it its maiden victory in the Race of Champions. Enticing his friend and world champion, Danny Hulme to join him in 1968, Danny and the McLaren fought a championship down to the wire, but succumbed to Graham Hill in the final races of the season.

In the North American CanAm sports cars series, the McLaren's of Bruce and Danny were a formidable force, but sadly in June of 1970, Bruce McLaren was killed while testing a CanAm at Goodwood.

His legacy continues to this day and although the M7 was good, the car that was to put McLaren on the map in Formula One was the M23 with which Denny Hulme and Peter Revson won three races in 1973. McLaren's first Constructors Crown came in 1974 after Emerson Fittipaldi joined the team after leaving Team Lotus. He took the title after three wins and a number of consistent point scoring finishes. He didn't make it two from two as they lost out to Niki Lauda and Ferrari in 1975 and Fittipaldi left the team at the end of the season. James Hunt replaced him and after a very dramatic season, he won the drivers title by one point but Ferrari took the constructors title. Although Hunt won another three races in 1977, the McLaren appeared to be overtaken by the incoming ground-effect technology.

Success returned to the team in 1984 after the team's principal, Teddy Mayer, sold part of the company to Ron Dennis, who at the time was the team boss for the Project Four F2 team. Dennis brought meticulous attention to detail to the team and combined with designer John Barnard, they brought to life one of the Formula One classics, the carbon fibre MP4. The team had been struggling with normally aspirated engines against the emerging turbos in 1983, but the debut of the TAG-badged Porsche showed promise.

In 1984 Dennis signed Alain Prost from Renault, and after urging Lauda out of retirement to join McLaren in 82, he now had all the ingredients of a super team.

Together Prost and Lauda dominated that first year together, with Prost winning seven races to Lauda's five. Lauda took the title by the smallest of margins, 72 to 71.5. Prost got his own back, taking the title for himself and McLaren the following year, and although he won it again in '86, the Williams Honda combination of Mansell and Piquet were clearly superior.

In 1988, McLaren had the ultimate team, consisting of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, the stunning MP4/4 chassis and Honda turbo engines. They totally dominated, winning fifteen of the sixteen races that season. Senna won the team its first title since 1985 and Prost won it again in 1989.

Things were not good between the team-mates and Prost left for Ferrari at the end of the season. Senna went on to win the title two more years in a row, but Honda withdrew in 1992, leaving the team with customer Ford engines. Senna managed five more wins with the team in 1993, before leaving for Williams.

McLaren turned to Peugeot engines in 1994, and what followed was a disastrous campaign that didn't yield any wins, so the following season the team started a long-term relationship with Mercedes.

The following two seasons yielded little in terms of hard results for a team so used to championship success. David Coulthard was the one to give the McLaren Mercedes partnership as he took the chequered flag at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. Coulthard won again at the Italian Grand Prix and Mika Hakkinen secured his first victory at the season finale in Jerez.

1998 saw the dominance of the team begin again. From the beginning of the season, both Hakkinen and David were the class of the field, winning five out of the first six races with sheer engineering superiority. Ferrari and Michael Schumacher fought to the end, but McLaren came out on top again, taking the Constructors' and Drivers' crown once again. Mixed blessings followed for the 1999 season. Although the McLaren was still clearly superior, Ferrari and Schumacher continued to close the performance deficit. Mechanical failures, driver errors and pure bad luck hampered the last season of the millennium for the team, which saw Ferrari narrowly take the Constructors' crown in the last race, although Hakkinen retained his crown for a second year.

Ferrari dominated from the start of the 2000 season while McLaren struggled with poor reliability. Coulthard took second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix; however he was later disqualified for a technical infringement. By the time the third race in 2001 was completed, the Woking outfit knew that Ferrari was going to be extremely hard to beat and although Coulthard battled courageously against his German rival, the Scot finished a distant second. Meanwhile after what turned out to be a disappointing year, double world champion Mika Hakkinen announced that he would be retiring from F1 in 2002. Countryman Kimi Raikkonen replaced the Finn, the young driver opting to leave Sauber for a long-term contract with the Mercedes powered outfit.

A maiden victory was on the cards at Magny Cours but unfortunately for Raikkonen it fell by the wayside after his McLaren lost traction after running through oil from another car. The team dropped back a rung and finished third on the Constructors' ladder behind Ferrari and Williams and the season was classed as a disappointment.

Both Raikkonen and Coulthard were forced to contest the whole of the 2003 season using a modified version of the MP4/17 as the new car failed to make its debut. Despite this setback Raikkonen claimed second place in the title race, losing by a mere two points. McLaren again finished in third place.

McLaren Mercedes looked to be a team in disarray during the first half of the 2004 season. Come the season finale, the team had turned it all around and looked strong and very much back where they expect to be - the sharp end of the field with Raikkonen taking the Belgian Grand Prix victory.

For 2005, the targets were higher with Juan Pablo Montoya joining Raikkonen while the MP4/20 proved fast from the outset. It was a slow start to the season for the team as they worked hard on the suspension geometry to get the best out of the Michelin rubber in qualifying trim, but from the fourth round of the championship at Imola, the team had the pace to challenge for race wins each time out.

Raikkonen was on target for the win at Imola until a driveshaft failure and won the next two races in Spain and Monte Carlo. He was on target to win again at Nurburgring when his flat spotted tyre forced a suspension failure on the final lap. Raikkonen bounced back to win in Canada.

Raikkonen's title rival Fernando Alonso was meanwhile continuing to finish each race and Raikkonen would lose out not in terms of speed, but in terms of reliability. Engine failures in practice for the French, British and Italian races saw him dropping ten positions on the grid as a penalty and the Finn was unable to challenge for wins in those races. In Germany he retired from the race in the lead with another engine failure but dominant wins in Hungary, Turkey, Belgium and Japan moved him a solid second in the standings.

McLaren finished the season with the fastest package but lost out to Renault in the Constructors' race by just nine points. Juan Pablo Montoya meanwhile missed two races with a shoulder injury but took wins in Britain and Brazil on his way to fourth in the standings.

Heading into the 2006 season, the team had lost the design talents of Adrian Newey to Red Bull and while pre-season testing was promising, they would end the season having failed to win a race for the first time in a decade.

Raikkonen was a regular podium contender and finished a firm fifth in the championship but it was a far from easy season for the team. Juan Pablo Montoya was unable to match the pace of Raikkonen and following an incident at the US Grand Prix, in which he ran into the back of his team-mate, Montoya announced he had had enough of Formula One and would be joining Chip Ganassi racing in NASCAR in 2007. This did not go down well with the team and it was therefore little surprise that test driver Pedro de la Rosa took over Montoya's ride with immediate effect.

Raikkonen would pick up six podium positions while de la Rosa would finish second at the Hungarian Grand Prix but generally struggled with his MP4/21 package. The team finished third in the constructors' championship.

For 2007, Fernando Alonso took over Raikkonen's seat while long-time protégé Lewis Hamilton joined the double World Champion in what would become a most difficult partnership.

On track it was a successful campaign, netting four wins each for newcomer Hamilton and Alonso. Off-track however, the season was turbulent, if not the most so in the long history of the team.

It all looked very rosy on paper. Certainly the first race of the year underlined the pre-season testing form of the MP4-22 package with Alonso and Hamilton finishing second and third behind Raikkonen's Ferrari.

A one-two result followed in Malaysia, again with Alonso ahead, and the battle with Ferrari was set with the rest of the field not in contention for race wins. As soon as the fourth round in Spain, indications suggested that the rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton was set to be a one of the highlights of the season.

Things took a serious turn around the streets of Monaco with the team opting to favour Fernando Alonso in terms of his fuel load and strategy. The Spaniard would go on to win the event from the disgruntled Hamilton who stated post-race that he had a number two on the nose of his McLaren for a reason. The team stated that it was a one-off situation as a result of the unique demands of the tight and twisty circuit.

Alonso had a poor showing at the Canadian Grand Prix while Hamilton secured his first Grand Prix victory. On to Indianapolis and Hamilton again emerged on top, this time with Alonso the unhappy McLaren star. The swerve towards the pit wall and the shake of the fist at the team - or tyre warming as the team claimed - underlined Alonso's perception that his team-mate was holding him up, and in his view, the call should have been made to allow him through to take the win.

Ferrari led the way in France and Britain, while Alonso returned to the top step of the podium at the rain-hit European Grand Prix as Hamilton went off and then messed up on strategy on his way to ninth position.

Hungary was the event where tensions within the team boiled over. It all began with Hamilton refusing to allow Alonso to pass him during qualifying. It ended up with Alonso idling in the pits with Hamilton waiting behind as the clock counted down to the end of the session. Alonso claimed he was discussing tyres with the team which is very much open to debate. Alonso went back out and qualified on the pole, while Hamilton was out of time and did not manage a final qualifying lap.

Naturally there was something of an uproar and after an investigation; Alonso found himself demoted five positions on the grid. Hamilton would win the race with Alonso struggling to fourth.

By now the industrial espionage scandal was in full swing with McLaren designer Mike Coughlan and Ferrari's Nigel Stepney at the centre of the drama. The upshot was that the team were found guilty of breaching the rules after receiving confidential Ferrari information, thrown out of the constructors' championship and fined a record 100 million US dollars.

Back on track and Hamilton was enjoying a small advantage at the top of the championship standings. A tyre failure in Turkey did not help his cause with Ferrari dominating and Alonso coming home in third position. Monza was a McLaren triumph with Alonso getting the upper hand over Hamilton. The start at Spa Francorchamps saw Alonso and Hamilton at it again, but thankfully with no contact as Ferrari scored another one-two result.

The appalling conditions at Fuji Speedway and errors from Hamilton's title rivals played into his hands. Win number four seemed at the time to pretty much wrap up his championship as he enjoyed a 17-point margin with just two races remaining.

McLaren and Hamilton were really caught napping in China with the team - and Hamilton - failing to respond to obvious tyre wear issues. The result was a DNF and all of a sudden the title race was a three-way fight heading to the season finale in Brazil.

Hamilton made a complete mess of his opening lap and to compound the problem a gearbox glitch cost him further time. Needing just a fifth place finish to be champion, it still seemed he was the most likely to be crowned World Champion. However, strategy would again be a major issue as the three-stop strategy and the eternity spent behind Jarno Trulli on a light fuel load and soft tyres ruined Hamilton's chances. Raikkonen won the race and with it the championship. Alonso tied with Hamilton on 109 points, one adrift of winner Raikkonen. It was of no surprise at all when McLaren and Alonso parted ways following the season finale. Despite all the drama, McLaren made a big step forward in 2007.

Hamilton was joined by former Renault racer Heikki Kovalainen for the 2008 season with the former getting his season off to a perfect start in Australia and the latter securing his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary.

Hamilton's championship challenge saw him secure five victories but it was a close battle for top honours. The season finale saw Felipe Massa dominate the event while Hamilton struggled in the conditions. Indeed, with one lap remaining, Hamilton ran in sixth position and only at the final turn was he able to blast ahead of the struggling Timo Glock to secure fifth position and the championship.

With the number 1 on the new MP4-24, Hamilton heads into 2009 full of confidence while long-time Team Principal Ron Dennis has stepped aside with Martin Whitmarsh taking over the role.

Ferrari

History:

Ferrari was racing in the pre-war days of Formula One, and after the World Championship as we know it began in 1950, Enzo Ferrari's team emerged as a major force. The first year in of the Championship proved fruitless, but Alberto Ascari and Jose Froilan Gonzalez fought Alfa Romeo in 1951 with Ascari only losing marginally to Juan Manuel Fangio in the final race of the season. Ferrari was ready when the sport's governing body ran the races to two litre regulations. Ascari dominated in 1952 and 1953, but then fell behind Maserati and Lancia when 2.5 litre regulations were introduced. At the end of 1955, they took over the Lancia's with Fangio using the D50 to score three wins and secure his fourth title. Fangio switched to Maserati in 1957, and unfortunately, Ferrari failed to win a race without the Argentinean ace.

In 1958, the new car, the Tipo146, christened 'Dino' after Enzo's son, put Ferrari back on the F1 map. Many fans believe that Stirling Moss was the rightful champion that year, but the title fell to Mike Hawthorn and Ferrari in the finale of the season. The next two years saw the Cooper team dominate but Ferrari returned with vengeance in 1961 with the new 1.5 litre Tipo 156 'shark nose'. Tragedy struck as their driver, the great Wolfgang von Trips was killed in the Italian Grand Prix. The teams other driver, Phil Hill, went on to clinch victory for the team.

John Surtees was the next driver to win the cup for the Italian marquee, in 1964, making him famous for being the only man to win the championship on both two wheels and four. 1966 saw the introduction of the three litre and Ferrari were once again struggling, this time trying to match Cosworth's superb DFV which was introduced in 1967. For the following 8 years, Ferrari were mid field at best, apart from limited success by Jacky Ickx and a win by his team mate Clay Regazzoni at the Italian Grand Prix in 1970.

A quick, but inexperienced Niki Lauda joined the team in 1974 and although he lost out to Emerson Fittipaldi and McLaren that year, he made amends by winning the title for the team in 1975 and he would have won again if not for his near fatal accident at the Nurburgring, losing to his team mate, James Hunt by a solitary point. He won for Ferrari again in 1977. Jody Scheckter won the title for them in 1979 beating team-mate Gilles Villeneuve that year, despite only winning two races to the Canadian's three.

In the latter part of that season their 312T4's were outshone by the Williams of Alan Jones and the following season, their T5 was a disaster. The 1.5 litre turbo charged engines were beginning to appear at this stage, and Ferrari produced the agricultural 126C. Villeneuve did have some remarkable wins with it though, in both Monaco and Jarama. The team employed a British designer by the name of Harvey Postlethwaite and their 1982 design, the 126C2 was the class of the field. Once again tragedy struck the Italian outfit as Giles Villeneuve was killed in practice at Zolder and Didier Pironi was injured at Hockenheim while leading the championship. Although Ferrari won the Constructors' title that year and the next, the drivers' title was awarded to another team.

After a dip in fortunes Michele Alboreto was competitive with the team in 1985, but 1988 saw the death of the beloved Enzo at the ripe age of 90. Enzo wasn't present to witness the undignified barging between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in 1990 as Prost won five races in the season, yet lost to the Brazilian in controversial circumstances in Japan.

When Michael Schumacher joined the team in 1996, the Tifosi didn't initially greet him with delight. However, many believe that he has galvanized the team and with the support of Jean Todt, turned the then failing team around and put them back on the pace by the end of the year. Five wins in 1997 saw Schumacher in contention for the title, but he lost out when he drove into Jacques Villeneuve in the year's finale.

1998 saw the Tifosi's hopes for a driver's title in 19 years revamped, but once again, at the finale of the season, Schumacher saw his chance of victory fall away as he stalled the F300 on the grid. McLaren Mercedes was still dominant the following season and Schumacher was fighting hard until an accident at the British Grand Prix saw the German sidelined with a broken leg for all bar the final two races of the season. Team-mate Eddie Irvine carried the team flag but was unable to pip Mika Hakkinen to the title but the team did take the Constructors' title.

The 2000 season saw their dreams finally realized when after a very dominating start to the season in Australia, Schumacher went on to take the drivers crown for the team in the second last race of the year. This was followed by the constructor's title in the following race, making it a double victory for the Italian team. 2001 produced a dominating championship victory with Michael Schumacher taking his fourth drivers crown, his second successive with the team and the first since 1953, in the 13th round of the season. This victory also saw the teams' third consecutive constructors' trophy.

2002 was a dominating season by Schumacher and the Italian marque by anyone's standards. The German driver clinched his fifth driver's title by the eleventh round of the season and together with Barrichello's efforts, the team wrapped up their fourth consecutive constructors crown soon afterwards. Record after record fell during the season as they took 15 of the possible 17 victories.

The 2003 season, though, was not another record-breaking season as a host of new regulations were introduced by the FIA aimed at slowing down Ferrari and Schumacher. Although the battle was taken down to the wire at the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix both the team and the German succeeded in retaining their titles.

There are probably not enough superlatives left to praise Ferrari enough following the 2004 season. 15 wins from the 18 races, 29 podium positions, 32 points paying finishes and just two failures to finish. The Ferrari F2004 was a stunning chassis, so much so that it kept on winning long after development shifted away from the car to the 2005 design.

The season got off to a perfect start with Michael Schumacher taking a relatively easy win from Rubens Barrichello. Schumacher went on to win the next four Grand Prix before a coming together with Juan Pablo Montoya in the Monaco tunnel ended his run of wins. The next seven races all fell to Schumacher and heading to Spa Francorchamps, another solid result would secure him his seventh World Championship. Second position behind Kimi Raikkonen did the job for the German star and he was Champion again.

The run could only continue so long and after six years Ferrari string of Constructors' Championships came to an end as did Michael Schumacher's five successive Drivers' titles. It was a poor season from the defending champions, never able to challenge main rivals Renault and McLaren for race pace. Ferrari's long-term relationship with Bridgestone hit trouble as the Japanese tyre giant was firmly beaten by rival Michelin. As a result, Schumacher would score just one race victory in a race where only the Bridgestone runners took part. The US Grand Prix fiasco, Ferrari struggled through the season and would end up third in the standings.

Ferrari bounced back strongly in 2006 with Schumacher putting in back-to-back wins at Imola and Nurburgring. Wins would follow at Indianapolis, Magny Cours and Hockenheim putting both Schumacher and the team in contention for more championship glory.

Felipe Massa took his first Pole Position and victory for the team in Turkey while Schumacher rattled off wins at Monza and China. The Japanese Grand Prix saw Schumacher's engine fail as he led the race. In one cloud of smoke, his chances of an eighth Championship were over. Massa would dominate his home race in Brazil to finish off his first season with Ferrari in style, while Schumacher drove a stunning race to finish fourth after problems in qualifying and a puncture early in the race.

Ferrari now had to face life after Schumacher with the German star retiring from the sport. The team recruited Kimi Raikkonen to join Massa while behind the scenes Technical Director Ross Brawn has ended his time at the team with his position being taken by Mario Almondo. Stefano Domenicali took over as Sporting Director.

Despite the changes, Ferrari had a strong season making best use of its extensive Bridgestone knowledge as the series moved to a single tyre supplier. Raikkonen kicked off his Ferrari career in style by winning on his debut in Melbourne and then taking further victories in France, Britain and Belgium. The title still seemed a long shot but with back to back wins in China and Brazil as rivals Lewis Hamilton slipped up, handed Raikkonen his first world championship.

The F2007 proved ultra competitive on the longer sweeping circuits, but not as nimble as its rival McLaren on the shorter more technically demanding circuits. Felipe Massa won three Grand Prix on his way to fourth in the championship while the team won the constructors' championship after McLaren were thrown out following the espionage scandal involving Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney.

Back on top with Raikkonen, the team remained largely unchanged heading into the 2008 season but it was Massa and not Raikkonen who led the charge on this occasion. Massa started the season with two failures to score but victory in Bahrain while title rival Lewis Hamilton struck problems launched the Brazilian back into the title fight. Wins followed in Turkey, France, Germany, Belgium and finally in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. Massa also dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix before an engine failure robbed him of ten valuable points. While Massa won the final race of the season, Hamilton took the championship by one championship point, courtesy of his fifth place finish.

Raikkonen had a low-key season after taking two wins from the first four races and finished the season third in the standings while Ferrari claimed the constructors' championship once again.

Armed with the new F60 package, few doubt that Ferrari will be back and challenging for the title in 2009.

BMW Sauber

History:

BMW Sauber headed into the 2006 season as a constructor in its own right after purchasing the Swiss-based Sauber Petronas team. BMW supplied its V10 engines to Williams in what was a technical partnership between the two parties and under the BMW Williams banner, would secure ten race wins with the squad over five years.

Perhaps restless at not being able to gain Championship glory, the Board at BMW announced mid-way through the 2005 season that they would take control of Sauber Petronas.

Nick Heidfeld joined the BMW Sauber team from Williams while Jacques Villeneuve was retained from the Sauber contract to partner the German. Mario Theissen remained in charge of BMW's motorsport activities, increasing staffing levels and investing heavily in the engineering side of the team led by Willi Rampf.

Rampf worked with BMW South Africa between 1989 and 1993 and invited to attend Peter Sauber's first Formula One race at Kyalami in '93, Rampf jumped at the chance to join the team as a race engineer before returning to BMW in 1997 to run the Paris-Dakar programme. Two years later he was back to Sauber as Technical Director and with BMW taking over the squad, it was little surprise that the Bavarian would oversee the F1.06 for BMW's debut season.

As far as debut seasons go in Formula One, the team were content with its 36 points and fifth position in the championship standings ahead of Toyota.

The season started well with Villeneuve and Heidfeld proving fairly evenly matched with the duo picking up points on a regular basis. The German Grand Prix would prove to be Villeneuve's final race for the team as he and the team management fell out over a first lap collision that eliminated the former champion and team-mate Heidfeld.

This promoted test driver Robert Kubica up to the race seat and allowed the squad to draft in the little known F3 racer Sebastian Vettel. The combination worked well from the outset with Vettel impressing in his Friday practice role while Kubica proved to be something of a star in the making.

Heidfeld took a solid third in the Hungarian Grand Prix but more impressively, Kubica took his first podium in just his third Grand Prix at Monza. Were it not for an incorrect call for dry tyres in China, Kubica would undoubtedly have taken another podium the very next time out in China.

After an impressive debut season, the team remained largely unchanged for 2007 and would go on to score 101 points and finish second to Ferrari in the constructors' championship. The highlight of this most successful season was Heidfeld's second position in the Canadian Grand Prix, but it was a disaster for Kubica who was fortunate to escape serious injury after a massive accident. The Pole would not score a podium, with his best result being fourth position.

While the team scored solid points all season, they could not challenge Ferrari or McLaren for pure pace. The team were aiming to close the gap on the top two teams in 2008 with Heidfeld and Kubica again charged with the driving duties.

The season started strongly with Kubica taking a front row start in Australia but the team lost ground in the latter stages of the season as it shifted focus towards the 2009 challenger. In between, Kubica had a strong season and claimed the team's first win with a strong drive in Montreal. Kubica would go on to finish the season in fourth position, tied with 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen. Heidfeld had a more troubled season but did enough to help the team to third position in the constructors' championship.

Having focused a great deal of resources throughout the 2008 season, the team head into 2009 with an unchanged driver line-up and confident that they can become regular race winners.

Renault

History:

After supplying engines to the Benetton team for a number of years, Renault were given the green light by its board to purchase the team and in 2002, Renault hit the track for the first time under their own name since 1985.

Renault's first foray into Formula One came in 1977 and with it came the introduction of the turbo charged engine. Making its debut in the official championship (Renault raced prior to the inception of the championship in 1950) the yellow 1.5 litre turbo powered RS01 qualified 21st at Silverstone with Jean-Pierre Jabouille behind the wheel. The Renault team failed to finish at Silverstone and would retire from the other four races contested that year, but with the new turbo engine, Renault had kicked off a whole new era in the sport.

The team persisted with the then unreliable turbo engine and at Dijon in 1979; Jabouille took Renault's first victory in the RS11 on the way to sixth position in the championship. Three victories would follow in the 1980 with Alain Prost joining the team in 1981 from McLaren and helping scoring two of Renault's three wins.

Renault finished second in the championship in 1983 with Prost missing out on the title by just two points from Nelson Piquet in the Brabham BMW. Prost would move on to McLaren the following season and Renault began to slide.

After finishing fifth and seventh in the championship in 1984 and 1985, Renault had competed in 123 Grand Prix, recording an impressive tally of 31 Pole Positions and 15 race wins. Pulling out of the sport for the time being the team had not won the title and would have to wait until 2005 to achieve its ultimate goal.

Renault returned as an engine supplier in 1989 with Williams supplying the squad with its fabulous V10 powerplant and would achieve multiple championships with the team and later with Benetton. However, 2002 saw Renault return to Grand Prix racing under its own name having taken over the Benetton team.

Jenson Button continued with the outfit alongside Jarno Trulli. A few strong performances scattered throughout the 17-race calendar saw them move up to fourth place overall, Team principal Flavio Briatore decided to replace Button with rising Spanish star Fernando Alonso for 2003.

Renault would finish the 2003 season fourth in the Constructors' championship once again with Alonso taking his first victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The driver line up remained unchanged for the start of the 2004 season with Trulli taking a textbook victory around the streets of Monte Carlo.

It would be a bitter-sweet season for Trulli as he recorded the team's single win of the season but he and Briatore fell out and by the end of the season, the Italian was racing with Toyota. Jacques Villeneuve was drafted in for the final races of the year but made little impact while the team went one better than the previous two years by finishing third in the title race.

2005 was the season that Briatore's plans all came together. Armed with the effective R25 chassis and teamed up with Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso secured seven wins and claimed the Drivers' title from Kimi Raikkonen. The season finale in China also saw Renault beat season-long rivals McLaren Mercedes to the Constructors' Championship. It had been a while in the making, but Renault had finally achieved its ultimate ambition. Renault had retained all of its key players and started the 2006 in dominant style.

Three straight wins at the start of the season indicated the raw pace of the R26 package. The rule changed and the move to 2.4 litre V8 engines seemed to do little to slow Renault down and at mid-season it seemed the titles were all but done and dusted. However, some controversial re-evaluation of the rule saw Renault loss its Mass Damper system that they had first introduced at the end of 2005. This technical change combined with a strong challenge from Ferrari ensured that the title went right down to the wire.

Alonso's first half of the season was stunning, winning six of the first nine races. However, some bad luck and errors ensured that he would win just one more round and a critical race that was too. Heading to Suzuka for the penultimate race of the season, Alonso was tied with Schumacher in the championship standings but the Ferrari V8 failure at Suzuka took the pressure off and next time out in Brazil, Alonso took the drivers' title and Renault the constructors' title.

Alonso quit Renault for McLaren in 2007. Giancarlo Fisichella had not proven to be a regular race winner and with rookie team-mate Heikki Kovalainen being promoted from test to race driver, it was not surprising that the team struggled in 2007. Renault had enjoyed a close relationship with tyre supplier Michelin, but with the series moving to spec-Bridgestone rubber, the team scored just one podium over the whole season.

Fisichella's season started relatively strongly but tailed off mid-season while Kovalainen had a tough start to his Formula One career but put in a strong second half of the year culminating in a fine second position at the rain hit Japanese Grand Prix.

The team regrouped for the 2008 season and regained the talents of Alonso following his turbulent single season at McLaren. Nelson Piquet joined the team replacing Kovalainen and the team went on to have a very strong second half to 2008. The R28 proved difficult in the early stages of the year but the final six races of the year saw a dramatic upturn in fortune. While Piquet generally struggled during his debut season, Alonso claimed victory in Singapore and Japan. In fact, over the final races of the season Renault out-scored all of its rivals.

The team finished the year fourth in the standings and head into 2009 with an unchanged driver line-up.

Toyota

History:

The announcement of Toyota's decision to enter Formula One was made in January 1999 with an ambitious long-term vision of being able to challenge for championship glory at the pinnacle of motorsport.

By deciding to design and build both engine and chassis from scratch, Toyota made a huge commitment to its F1 programme. Their first ever Formula One car was launched on the 23rd of March 2001 at Paul Ricard. This momentous event preceded an extensive test programme with drivers Mika Salo and Allan McNish, which lasted throughout the 2001 season. During the course of their extensive testing programme, Toyota travelled to eleven different Grand Prix circuits worldwide as well as carrying out numerous sessions at Paul Ricard in order to not only develop the car, but to also build itself up as a team.

In 2002 Allan McNish and Mika Salo remained with the team. It was a development season for the German-based outfit as they finished in last place with two points to their credit. Before the year was over, it was announced that both drivers were to be replaced and they would start 2003 with French veteran Olivier Panis and 2002 Champ Car champion, Cristiano da Matta. The duo went on to score 16 points for the team securing eighth place.

2004 was meant to be the season that Toyota made some serious progress towards the front of the field and with the signing of Technical Director Mike Gascoyne from Renault. It was a tough season for the team as they scored just nine points. Da Matta was dropped from the team mid-season with test driver Ricardo Zonta and then Jarno Trulli taking over the role.

Panis took on a testing role with Toyota in 2005 with the team signing a long-term deal with Ralf Schumacher and Trulli. The season was a massive step in the right direction as the TF105 was effective right from the first race of the season. Trulli would score three podium positions in the first five races while Schumacher would score two podium results in the second half of the season. 88 points on the board brought Toyota fourth in the Constructors' standings in what was by far their most competitive season in the sport.

While the team made huge gains in '05, the following season would prove to be a big disappointment with the squad slumping to sixth in the standings. The TF106 did not make the best use of Bridgestone runner in the early part of the season and come the third round of the championship Technical Director Mike Gascoyne left the team with Luca Marmorini and Pascal Vasselon taking the engine and chassis responsibilities. With an internal restructure complete, the team battled on to tally up 35 points by the end of the season, 53 less than in 2005.

Jarno Trulli had a mixed season failing to score any points in the first eight races of the season before a handful of lower points finishes in the second half of the season. Ralf Schumacher proved altogether more consistent with the highlight of his season being a sole podium at the Australian Grand Prix. The team would put on a show in qualifying in the Japanese race again and qualified a strong third and fourth, but it was a false dawn as the duo pitted before its rivals with Trulli emerging ahead of Schumacher and holding him up to the flag. This fairly typified a disappointing fifth season in Formula One for Toyota.

Under the leadership of Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita, Vice Chairman Tadashi Yamashina and President John Howett, on the surface, there's was not a lot of change for 2007. The team had agreed a new three-year deal with Trulli, while Ralf Schumacher prepared to start his final year of his three year stint with the squad.

2007 was nothing but a disappointment. The team lost its way with the TF107 package and were only able to pick up the final points paying positions on occasion. Ralf Schumacher seemed pretty disinterested in the whole season while Trulli was inconsistent. The team finished sixth in the championship with 13 points, but with the resources it has at its disposal, the squad continued to under-perform.

Things improved in 2008 with GP2 champion Timo Glock joining Jarno Trulli on the driving front. The team are still chasing its first victory heading into the 2009 season, but 56 points and fifth position in the constructors' championship showed progress. With mutterings that the Japanese car giant could be considering its position in Formula One, 2009 will be a critical season for the German-based team.

Toro Rosso

History:

Owned by Austrian drinks firm Red Bull, Scuderia Toro Rosso hit the circuit in 2006 as a new team formed from what was the Minardi team. Under the ownership of first Giancarlo Minardi and then later Paul Stoddart, Minardi competed in F1 for 21 years and was never a contender for race wins or titles, but did attain almost cult status amongst its many fans.

Red Bull announced at the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix that it was to purchase the Minardi team and duly took control of the team on November 1st. Franz Tost arrived from BMW to run the team while Red Bull made clear that the team was to remain Italian-based and is to be run independently of its Red Bull Racing team.

On the driving front American racer Scott Speed and former F3000 Champion Tonio Liuzzi were announced as the teams race drivers GP2 racer Neel Jani graduating to the test role.

The first Toro Rosso design was a remarkable resemblance to the 2005 Red Bull designed RB1. With a rev-restricted 3.0 litre Cosworth V10, the team put in a solid season and late in the season managed to out-race and out-qualify the Red Bull Ferrari team.

With little experience on the driving front, there were plenty of spins which cost the team throughout the season, but both Speed and Liuzzi did a solid job. Speed looked all set to score the team its first championship point in Australia, only to lose his eighth position after being found guilty of passing David Coulthard under yellow flags.

The outspoken American then got himself into trouble with the Stewards after he and Coulthard had a heated post race disagreement. The first point came at the US Grand Prix courtesy of Liuzzi who took the chequered flag in eighth position. That one point was enough to move the team eighth in the constructors' standings at the end of their debut season.

The team took Ferrari V8 power for 2007 and initially retained both Liuzzi and Speed. However, it was not a happy season for the squad.

Speed's confirmation came just weeks before the start of the new season and from the outset it was clear that tensions between the American, Berger and team boss Franz Tost were at best cordial. Speed would compete in the first ten Grand Prix of the year, culminating in an early exit from the rain-hit European Grand Prix. Details of the aftermath have never been properly verified, but Tost and Speed had words and perhaps more and that was the end of Red Bull's protégé in Formula One.

Liuzzi had a solid season with the team, but he too was out of favour with the squad. The Italian finished sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix, but it was Speed's replacement Sebastian Vettel who shined in the second half of the season.

Prior to crashing into the back of Mark Webber's Red Bull whilst behind the safety car in Japan, Vettel was on target for a stunning podium position. Following the heartbreak at Fuji Speedway, Vettel scored a fourth position in China, very much undoing his error in the previous round.

Vettel was retained for the 2008 season and was joined by Champ Car star Sebastien Bourdais. Vettel had a poor start to the season with four straight failures to finish, but from Monte Carlo onwards made great progress with the STR3 package. The highlight of the year was Vettel's stunning pole position to victory at Monza, but he also managed eight top eight finishes and ended the season with 35 points.

Bourdais had a tougher time but did score four points to help the Italian team to a stunning sixth in the championship. Vettel moves on to Red Bull in 2009 and Bourdais is joined by rookie Sebastien Buemi.

Red Bull

History:

The 2004 season marked the end of an era with Ford announcing in September that the car-maker would cease all Formula One activities. Austrian energy drink Red Bull purchased the Jaguar Racing team as well as the Milton Keynes factory.

The team quickly brought in a new management structure with Christian Horner taking over as Sporting Director with former Jaguar employee Gunther Steiner returning on the design side of the company.

On the driving front the team recruited veteran David Coulthard and signed 'identical' contracts with both Christian Klien and Tonio Liuzzi. The RB1 chassis was effectively Jaguar Racing's 2005 design but with the addition of Mark Smith to the technical team, Red Bull Cosworth was one of the surprised of the season.

Coulthard got his season off to a solid start as he claimed fourth position in Melbourne and followed this up with another five finishes in the points in the first half of the season. The team would end up with an impressive tally of 24 points firmly placing Red Bull Cosworth ahead of Sauber, Jordan and Minardi.

Klien competed in all but four races in 2005 scoring nine points in what was a solid second season in the sport for the Austrian driver. Liuzzi meanwhile competed in the remaining four rounds scoring his sole points at the San Marino Grand Prix.

Off track, Red Bull announced at San Marino that they will be running Ferrari V8 power in 2006 while at the end of the season the team confirmed that Adrian Newey is to join the team from McLaren. Steiner left the F1 programme to join Red Bull's new NASCAR programme in the US. Coulthard and Klien remained with the team in 2006 with Robert Doornbos taking the test role. It all seemed so promising.

2006 was however a big step backwards for Red Bull Ferrari. The engine was fine but the RB2 chassis did not seem to the step forward the team had hoped for. As the season continued, the team opted to halt development of the chassis and focus on the first 'proper' Newey design, the 2007 RB3.

On track the results were disappointing. With just one point on the board, Monaco would bring a six point haul for Coulthard as he put in a strong drive to third position, but just three more points paying positions would follow over the remainder of the season.

Christian Klien scored just two points in the sister machine and fell out with the Red Bull management over plans to move the Austrian racer to the Champ Car World Series in 2007. Klien was dropped from the team and replaced for the final three events by Robert Doornbos but by then the team had slipped back and Doornbos was unable to finish better than 12th.

16 points from 18 races gave Red Bull Ferrari seventh position in the championship standings. Red Bull had hired a lot of very talented engineering staff and a huge step in the performance was expected for 2007.

With Mark Webber joining Coulthard on the driving front and a move from Ferrari to Renault power, all the ingredients were in place for a strong season. However, ongoing hydraulic issues plagued the team throughout the season with Webber and Coulthard retiring no less than 14 times between them.

The RB3 proved pretty rapid when it was running with Webber finishing on the podium at the European Grand Prix. The team would end the season with 24 points and fifth in the championship, but much more had been expected from the Newey-led package.

The recruitment of former Honda Technical Director Geoff Willis added to the team's design strengths but continuity was the key for what was a disappointing 2008 season. Webber was a regular points scorer early in the season but the team lost ground to rivals Renault, Toyota and sister squad Toro Rosso.

The team finished the season seventh in the standings having been caught and passed by Toro Rosso late in the year. Sebastien Vettel joins the squad alongside Webber in 2009 as the team has made clear, results are expected.

Williams

History:

Frank Williams is living proof that one can overcome adversity. Only a driver of amateur talent, Williams developed a firm friendship with Piers Courage and together they teamed up in 1969. The following season Williams ran Courage in a de Tomaso, but it was nowhere up to the standard of the Brabham he had raced in 69.

Piers Courage was tragically killed in a fiery accident in the Dutch Grand Prix later that year and Williams was devastated. He struggled financially, running a selection of pay driver. He teamed up with Walter Wolf in 1976, but that turned sour, so the decision was made, he founded Williams Grand Prix Engineering with Patrick Head.

While Williams was spending many hours trying to attract Saudi Arabian backing, Head's FW06 allowed Alan Jones to put in some decent performances in 1978. The first Grand Prix victory came in 1979 when Clay Regazzoni won in the FW07 at Silverstone, then Alan Jones went on to finish the season with some great drives.

In 1980, Alan Jones had a new team-mate, Carlos Reutemann and that year Jones won the title and Williams first Constructors' title. The team won again the following year, although Jones lost out to Nelson Piquet in the drivers fight and quit the sport. Turbos began to appear, but Keke Rosberg won the drivers title still in the Ford Cosworth powered Williams, although the team didn't celebrate victory that season, Ferrari did. A deal was struck with Honda, and although the V6 turbo was heavy and brutal, with development and time, the team once again saw victory in 86 although the drivers title went to Alain Prost due to a tyre failure on Nigel Mansell's car in Adelaide with only 18 laps to go.

Although the team saw victory with the Constructors title again that year, they also saw tragedy as Frank Williams was involved in a car accident on his way back from testing at Paul Ricard and was paralysed.

In 1987 with Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell in his cars, Williams watched as his drivers once again won both championships in the FW11. Piquet left for Lotus the following year and as well as losing a driver, the team lost the Honda engines, which proved dreadful for the 1988 season.

After struggling through the year season with Judd V8 power, 1989 saw them team up with Renault and although the cars were fast, they didn't have a top-line driver line up until 1991 when Mansell returned after his two year spell with Ferrari. Although the new FW14 was a superb machine, Mansell lost out to Ayrton Senna due to gearbox reliability problems, but the following year, Mansell was unbeatable, winning nine straight races to win both titles for Williams once again.

After a battle over contracts, Mansell left for Indy Car and Alain Prost took his seat, delivering Williams second back-to-back double victory.

Frank Williams was the first team owner to give Senna an F1 test and wanted the then rising Brazilian star on his team. He eventually signed Senna for the 1994 season, but tragically, Senna was killed in only his third race for the team. David Coulthard rose from the test driver to fill Senna's' seat while Damon Hill saved the terribly sad year by challenging Michael Schumacher for the crown. Although the Englishman lost out on the drivers' crown, he did secure another Constructors' title for the team.

In 1995, Benetton also had use of the dominant Renault engines, as well as the superb driving of Michael Schumacher. Williams scored five wins that year, four for Hill and one for Coulthard. 1996 was by far a better year, with Jacques Villeneuve, fresh from Indy Cars and Hill won all bar four races between them. Hill won the drivers' crown with Villeneuve a close second, and between them, they delivered Williams' eighth Constructors' trophy. Hill left the team at the end of that season, and Villeneuve, partnered now by Heinz-Harald Frentzen went on to win the third back-to-back double victory in what was a ninth victory, the last to date.

Unfortunately for the team, a combination of things made the 1998 and 1999 nothing short of disasters - relatively speaking. Renault quit the F1 scene and they were left with the under powered Supertec engines and McLaren reclaimed its dominance.

At the end of the 1997 season Villeneuve left for the new revamped Tyrrell team, renamed BAR while Heinz-Harald Frentzen joined Jordan. For 1999, Williams signed the then CART champion, Alex Zanardi, hoping for a repeat of Villeneuve's winning drives. Alongside him was Ralf Schumacher. Zanardi struggled badly on his return to F1 and finished the season pointless. Ralf Schumacher secured a few podium finishes in what was a disappointing season.

Zanardi didn't start the 2000 season with the team, after his contract was terminated in January. Williams opted to go for the raw young talent of 20-year-old English driver, Jenson Button in the hope that he could deliver what Zanardi couldn't. The season was a lot better with the arrival of BMW as engine supplier and technical partner. The team managed to secure third place in the constructors' fight.

Button moved on to Renault at the end of the season and Williams brought in Juan Pablo Montoya. Stunning the Formula One world in his rookie season, the Colombian driver was plagued by reliability issues throughout the year but after securing several Pole Positions and podium finishes, he took his maiden victory at the Italian Grand Prix. Together with team-mate Ralf Schumacher the team laid claim to four victories and were hot on the gearbox of rivals at McLaren in the Constructors' championship, but were forced to settle for third place overall.

2002 saw them move ahead of McLaren and claim second in the Constructor's championship with Montoya securing third and Ralf fourth place in the drivers' campaign. The driver pairing continued together in 2003 and while they were able to close the gap to Ferrari and momentarily led the Constructors' championship come Japan they had to once again settle for second place. The 2004 season was remembered for the tusk nose design that was abandoned mid-season. Sam Michael took over as Technical Director with Patrick Head taking a less hands on role back at the Williams factory. Montoya won the final race of the season, capping off what had been a difficult season, in style. With four podium appearances, the squad finished fourth in the Constructors' championship 17-points behind Renault.

It was all change on the driver line-up for 2005 with Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld taking the race seats and Antonio Pizzonia taking the testing role. It was another tough season with Sam Michael and his staff throwing all sorts of aero modifications to the FW27 throughout the season. Heidfeld finished second at Monaco just ahead of Webber, but fifth position in the standings was not what the team had hoped for.

BMW announced mid-way through the 2005 season that they had purchased the Sauber team and shortly afterwards, the divorce between the Williams and BMW was confirmed as the team announced Cosworth power for 2006. Some predicted that the Williams Cosworth FW28 package could be the 'dark horse' of the 2006 season. On paper the Cosworth V8 was right up there with the very best engines in Formula One. The team signed up GP2 champion and then rising star Nico Rosberg while retaining the steady hand of Mark Webber.

It was a disastrous season for the team as they scored just 11 points and finished a distant eighth in the constructors' standings with Webber managing seven points and Rosberg four. The season started brightly enough with Rosberg charging through the field in Bahrain to score two points on his Formula One debut whilst also recording the fastest lap of the race, but that was pretty much the highlight of the season. The Williams Cosworth suffered from a myriad of reliability problems and restrictive mileage on the powerplant hurt Rosberg in terms of track time at each event.

Webber had three top-eight finishes but before the season was over, the Australian had announced that he would be leaving for Red Bull in 2007. Patrick Head returned to the paddock for the season finale in Brazil with Sam Michael taking a more active role back at the Williams factory.

Back on track, Rosberg had a roller-coaster of a season with a difficult car and his final race of the year in Brazil saw the German rookie run into the back of team-mate Webber eliminating both from the event on lap one. The only way was up for Williams in 2007. The team had secured a major new sponsor in AT&T and has secured Toyota power for Rosberg and Alex Wurz who had been promoted from test driver to race driver.

It would prove to be a building season for the team with Rosberg and Wurz scoring 33 points and finishing fourth in the championship. Rosberg raced hard all season and was a regular points scorer in the second half of the season and secured a strong fourth position at the season finale in Brazil. While Wurz struggled on his return to competition - especially in qualifying - he did record the team's only podium position of the season in the chaotic Canadian Grand Prix. It was not enough for the Austrian through who was replaced for the season finale by Toyota protégé Kazuki Nakajima.

The jury was still out on Nakajima, but Rosberg remained with the team for the 2008 season.

Rosberg's Singapore podium aside, 2008 was another tough season for the Grove-based squad. Nakajima raised his game and frequently was able to challenge Rosberg but the FW30 was not a contender for race victories. The team finished the season with 26 points and eighth in the standings.

Force India F1

History:

Force India represents the current ownership of the Silverstone-based team originally created by Eddie Jordan. The team has had a turbulent recent history with first the Midland Group and then the Spyker car maker taking ownership. 2008 will mark another big change as the team runs under an Indian licence as Force India.

The Midland Group, headed up by Alex Shnaider, was looking at its investment in Formula One as a way of promoting its brand. The early stages of the Formula One venture were not a perfectly smooth one for Midland who looked to Italian manufacturer Dallara for technical input on the M16.

Under the guidance of Managing Director Colin Kolles, James Key was the team's new Technical Director and the team has signed Dutch racer Christijan Albers to partner Tiago Monteiro and retained Toyota power.

With limited resources, the 2006 season was always going to be a struggle for the Silverstone-based squad. Albers and Monteiro proved closely matched - and on occasion such as at Monaco - too closely matched. Points were never the target for the team but they did want to show the way to rivals Scuderia Toro Rosso and Super Aguri Honda.

The rain hit Hungarian Grand Prix would bring the team its best result with Monteiro finishing in ninth position ahead of Albers. By this time, the team was in deep negotiations with a Dutch consortium led by specialist car builder Spyker.

An announcement at the Italian Grand Prix late in the season confirmed the Spyker purchase, ending Alex Shnaider's brief foray with Formula One. The team signed up Ferrari power for 2007 and recruited former Jordan, Renault and Toyota Technical Director Mike Gascoyne as they hoped to build on a fairly turbulent season in 2007.

As early as the Monaco Grand Prix in May it was rumoured that Spyker cars were looking to get out of Formula One. The costs alone of running a team in modern day Formula One are too much for a small car maker to sustain. However, running under the Spyker banner the team made progress through the season, culminating in its first and sole championship point at the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix.

Christijan Albers struggled against rookie team-mate Adrian Sutil and was dropped from the line-up mid-season. Sutil meanwhile found himself with Marcus Winkelhock as his team-mate for the rain-hit European Grand Prix.

Winkelhock certainly made a name for himself in what was his first Grand Prix start as he and the team gambled on rain tyres just ahead of the start of the race and as a result enjoyed a 15-second lead as the others were all forced to pit for wet rubber. It was a masterstroke of logic from Mike Gascoyne and Winkelhock which sadly went unrewarded as the race progressed.

Sakon Yamamoto, formerly of Super Aguri Honda, joined Sutil for the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards. After a shaky start to his season, the Japanese racer actually put in a pretty impressive performance.

However it is all change again for the 2008 season with Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol forming Orange India Holdings and taking over the team. Mallya has promised an increase in budget to 125 million dollars, a large rise on the estimate 70 million of the 2007 campaign, and retained Sutil to partner veteran Giancarlo Fisichella.

2008 was largely a holding year for Mallya's team. The VJM01 package was based on the 2007 car and was not quick enough to score championship points. The highlight of the season was Adrian Sutil's Monte Carlo Grand Prix that saw him on track for a stunning fourth position in tricky conditions.

However it was not to be as Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari and rammed into the back of Sutil's Force India Ferrari exiting the tunnel. Sutil was understandable devastated but had proved some critics wrong with a fine drive around the toughest circuit on the calendar.

Sutil and Fisichella remain in 2009, but the team fired Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and Team Principal Colin Kolles with the former now taking legal action.

On the brighter side, the team has concluded a new deal with McLaren Mercedes for use of engines, hydraulics and Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems for the new season.

Brawn GP

History: