2006 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race 1/18
- Thread starter Flibster
- Start date
2005 Formula 1 World
Championship results
2005 Drivers Championship
2005 Constructors Championship
Championship results
2005 Drivers Championship
Code:
[b]Pos Driver Nationality Team Points[/b]
[color=red]1 Fernando Alonso Spanish Renault 133[/color]
2 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish McLaren-Mercedes 112
3 Michael Schumacher German Ferrari 62
4 Juan Pablo Montoya Colombian McLaren-Mercedes 60
5 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Renault 58
6 Ralf Schumacher German Toyota 45
7 Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 43
8 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Ferrari 38
9 Jenson Button British BAR-Honda 37
10 Mark Webber Australian Williams-BMW 36
11 Nick Heidfeld German Williams-BMW 28
12 David Coulthard British RBR-Cosworth 24
13 Felipe Massa Brazilian Sauber-Petronas 11
14 Jacques Villeneuve Canadian Sauber-Petronas 9
15 Christian Klien Austrian RBR-Cosworth 9
16 Tiago Monteiro Portuguese Jordan-Toyota 7
17 Alexander Wurz Austrian McLaren-Mercedes 6
18 Narain Karthikeyan Indian Jordan-Toyota 5
19 Christijan Albers Dutch Minardi-Cosworth 4
20 Pedro de la Rosa Spanish McLaren-Mercedes 4
21 Patrick Friesacher Austrian Minardi-Cosworth 3
22 Antonio Pizzonia Brazilian Williams-BMW 2
23 Takuma Sato Japanese BAR-Honda 1
24 Vitantonio Liuzzi Italian RBR-Cosworth 12005 Constructors Championship
Code:
[b]Pos Constructor Points[/b]
[color=red]1 Renault 191[/color]
2 McLaren-Mercedes 182
3 Ferrari 100
4 Toyota 88
5 Williams-BMW 66
6 BAR-Honda 38
7 RBR-Cosworth 34
8 Sauber-Petronas 20
9 Jordan-Toyota 12
10 Minardi-Cosworth 72006 Formula 1 World
Championship entrants
Race Drivers
Third & Test Drivers
Championship entrants
Race Drivers
Code:
[b]No Driver Nat Team Tyres[/b]
1 Fernando Alonso ESP Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Michelin
2 Giancarlo Fisichella ITA Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Michelin
3 Kimi Raikkonen FIN McLaren Mercedes Michelin
4 Juan Pablo Montoya COL McLaren Mercedes Michelin
5 Michael Schumacher GER Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Bridgestone
6 Filipe Massa BRZ Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Bridgestone
7 Ralf Schumacher GER Panasonic Toyota Racing Bridgestone
8 Jarno Trulli ITA Panasonic Toyota Racing Bridgestone
9 Mark Webber AUS WilliamsF1 Team Bridgestone
10 Nico Rosberg GER WilliamsF1 Team Bridgestone
11 Rubens Barrichello BRZ Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team Michelin
12 Jenson Button GB Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team Michelin
14 David Coulthard GB Red Bull Racing Michelin
15 Christian Klien AUT Red Bull Racing Michelin
16 Nick Heidfeld GER BMW Sauber F1 Team Michelin
17 Jaques Villeneuve CAN BMW Sauber F1 Team Michelin
18 Tiago Monteiro POR MF1 Racing Bridgestone
19 Christijan Albers NED MF1 Racing Bridgestone
20 Vitantonio Liuzzi ITA Scuderia Toro Rosso Michelin
21 Scott Speed USA Scuderia Toro Rosso Michelin
22 Takuma Sato JAP Super Aguri Bridgestone
23 Yuji Ide JAP Super Aguri BridgestoneThird & Test Drivers
Code:
[b]No Driver Nat Team Tyres[/b]
- Hekki Kovalainen FIN Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Michelin
- Pedro de la Rosa ESP McLaren Mercedes Michelin
- Gary Paffett GB McLaren Mercedes Michelin
- Luca Badoer ITA Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Bridgestone
- Marc Gene ESP Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Bridgestone
- Ricardo Zonta BRZ Panasonic Toyota Racing Bridgestone
- Olivier Panis FRA Panasonic Toyota Racing Bridgestone
35 Alex Wurz AUT WilliamsF1 Team Bridgestone
- Narain Karthikeyan IND WilliamsF1 Team Bridgestone
36 Anthony Davidson GB Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team Michelin
37 Robert Doornbos NED Red Bull Racing Michelin
38 Robert Kubica POL BMW Sauber F1 Team Michelin
39 Markus Winkelhock GER MF1 Racing Bridgestone
- Giorgio Mondini SUI MF1 Racing Bridgestone
- Adrian Sutil GER MF1 Racing Bridgestone
- Roman Rushinov RUS MF1 Racing Bridgestone
40 Neel Jani CH Scuderia Toro Rosso Michelin
41 Franck Montagny FRA Super Aguri Bridgestone
Team HQ
Based in: Viry-Chatillon
Founded: 1898 (active 1977-1985, 2001-...)
Renault SPort
Whiteways Technical Centre
Enstone
Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire
OX7 4EE
Tel: 01608 678000
Fax: 01608 678800
Website: www.renaultf1.com
Team Structure
President Renault F1 Team: Patrick Faure
Managing Director, Renault F1 UK: Flavio Briatore
Deputy Managing Director, Renault F1 France : Bernard Dudot
Chassis Technical Director: Bob Bell
Deputy Managing Director (Engine): Rob White
Deputy Managing Director (Support Operations): André Lainé
Executive Director of Engineering: Pat Symonds
Head of Engine Operations: Denis Chevrier
Chief Designer: Tim Densham
RS26 Project Manager: Léon Taillieu
Team Biography
The 'all new' Renault Formula One team was born from the purchase of Benetton in 2000, and a combined effort in the series in 2001. The Regie, however, has its own proud grand prix tradition.
The Renault name was among the pioneers of the sport, contesting the Paris-Rouen and other 'inter-city' trials that were classed as the races of the 19th Century. It wasn't until 1902, and the Paris-Vienna section of the Gordon Bennett Trophy that the company came home in front, however.
Despite one of the two Renault brothers, driver and designer Marcel, dying young and the other, Louis, quitting the sport as a result, the name lived on and set the tradition for Renault to keep making comebacks.
Sporadic success followed in the first decade of the new century, but Renault would gradually fade from the scene during the course of two world wars, before making another return in 1977 - some 69 years after its last appearance.
The yellow paintwork that is now associated with the marque was born here, with a single entry for Jean-Pierre Jabouille debuting at Silverstone. The company's re-appearance was all the more notable because of the powerplant in the back of the RS01, however, for the turbo-charged era of F1 was about to arrive.
Intially derided by its rivals, Renault stuck to its guns, developing the phenomenally-powerful unit to overcome the 'lag' that characterised the early years and become the benchmark for F1 - another Renault trademark in future years.
That 1977 season brought nothing but misery, and Renault took over a year to reach the chequered flag, let alone score a point. Distracted by its other desire - to win Le Mans - it was not until 1979 that the company really made its mark on the grand prix scene.
Now running a two-car RS10 operation, with Rene Arnoux partnering Jabouille, the team finally notched its first win in a thrilling French GP at Dijon. Although Jabouille's win was somewhat overshadowed by 'that' battle between Arnoux and Gilles Villeneuve, the turbo point had been proved, and several others soon began to follow the trend.
No further wins followed in 1979, but six pole positions testified to the power of the engine, before 1980's RS20 took three wins.
The 1981 version, in the hands of Arnoux and promising youngster Alain Prost, continued the success, but faced growing competition from the likes of Ferrari, Alfa, Porsche, Honda and BMW. Renault's management structure also made it slow to respond to changes in the sport, and it had to watch as Nelson Piquet, Brabham and BMW took the first world championship for a turbo-charged car.
In spite of 15 wins since its debut, the cost of the programme eventually became to much for Renault bosses, and the team was abandoned at the end of 1985. Its engines lived on, however, with Ligier, Tyrrell and, most successfully, Lotus, which took another prodigy - Ayrton Senna - to his first win, at Estoril in 1985.
A two-year break from F1 followed, but Renault could not stay away for long. With turbos now on the verge of being banned, the company announced its intention to return - with a normally-aspirated V10.
Again, F1 laughed at the notion of trying something new, but, again, Renault's tenacity proved it right.
Learning years with Williams in 1989, '90 and '91 produced trophies and tension in equal measure as the money issue was again debated back in Paris, but eventually led to Nigel Mansell's glorious championship campaign in 1992.
The burly Brit took nine wins that year - equalling the total achieved in tandem with Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese in previous seasons - while Patrese took advantage of his team leader's generosity to add a tenth for the Williams FW14B and the RS3 and RS4 engines.
That season paved the way for what would become the Renault era, as championships followed in 1993 for Mansell's successor, former Renault man Prost, Michael Schumacher (with Benetton) in 1995, and both Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve with Williams in '96 and '97. Despite Schumacher snatching the drivers' crown for Ford in '94, Renault also made it six constructors' title from six years.
With 75 race wins, 85 poles, 105 podium finishes, 250 podium visits and 2016 points, however, Renault decided that it was time for another sojourn, although the Mecachrome and Supertec names ensured that its technology lived on for several more years...
The Benetton team was formed following the takeover of the existing Toleman outfit in 1986. Benetton had previously sponsored several teams in Formula One - including Tyrrell, Alfa Romeo and Toleman - before deciding it would benefit greatly from running its own team.
The first Benetton-badged cars benefited from BMW turbo engines, allowing them to feature at the front of both qualifying and races. Teo Fabi took pole position for the Austrian and Italian races, but it was his young team-mate Gerhard Berger who gave Benetton its maiden win, coming home first in the Mexican GP.
The team continued to pick up the occasional win against the might of Williams, McLaren and Ferrari through the late 80s and early 90s. Notably, Benetton won consecutive Japanese GPs, first when Ayrton Senna was disqualified for cutting across the chicane and then, in 1990, when Senna and Prost tangled at the first corner.
The start of the change in Benetton's fortunes came with the appointment of Tom Walkinshaw and Flavio Briatore in 1989. An inspired Nelson Piquet and promising rookie Michael Schumacher - poached from Jordan mid-season - capitalised on the team's recent Constructors' championship finishes to establish Benetton as a regular member of the 'big four' in 1991.
Schumacher took his first win at Spa-Francorchamps in 1992, before going on to win the team's first drivers' titles in 1994 and 1995. The latter coincided with Benetton's only Constructors' championship crown, as Schumacher and team-mate Johnny Herbert racked up 11 wins between them.
Schumacher left in 1996 to join Ferrari, but Benetton expected to maintain its winning tradition by signing Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger from the Italian team. Sadly neither could take victory that season, although Berger did win in Germany in 1997.
Both drivers left the team at the end of their second year - Alesi to move to Sauber and Berger to retire - along with several members of the design team. Benetton - now headed by Prodrive rally boss David Richards - signed two young drivers in their place and hoped to return to the front with a car designed by former Simtek man Nick Wirth. Giancarlo Fisichella and Alex Wurz both impressed in the first half of the year - the latter battling mightily with Michael Schumacher in Monaco - but the challenge for wins fell apart later on.
The driver pairing remained untouched for 1999, but team boss Richards left after a short tenure of the position. The reasons behind his departure varied according to source, but he was replaced by the young - for F1 - Rocco Benetton. The B199 chassis featured several radical innovations as the team strove to regain its position in the top four, but only served to confuse both team and drivers as a difficult year wore on.
Little changed on the surface over the winter of 1999-2000, with Fisichella and Wurz remaining despite the problems of the previous season, and both Benetton and technical director Pat Symonds also staying put. Designer Nick Wirth and team boss Joan Villadelprat both departed, however, with former Honda man Tim Densham arriving in place of the former and helping to create a much simpler B200.
However simple was not the answer the team needed and, once again, Benetton started strongly only to tail off dramatically. Fisichella came home second in Brazil, and third at Monaco and Canada, but did not score a point after Montreal, while Wurz' only points of a disastrous year came with a fifth place at Monza.
For 2001 Wurz was replaced by Jenson Button but, despite speculation that Fisichella would have a real job to maintain his status as team leader, the Roman managed it quite easily. Whether Button was distracted by his new lifestyle remains open to question, but it was Fisi who responded better to the problematic B201.
In contrast to previous years, Benetton started badly and got better in 2001. Having tied up the sale of its operation to Renault for 2002, the team employed the Regie's radical wide-angle 111-degree V10 in the back of its new car, but both components failed to set the world alight until a re-think mid-season. Even a switch to Michelin tyres could not help the team until the overhaul, and it often found itself in the company of Arrows, Prost and Minardi at the back of the grid.
With Button's job on the line, and that of technical director Mike Gascoyne also under threat, the team worked hard to drag itself out of the mire. The Briton overcame a shoulder problem to finally find some semblance of the pace he had shown at Williams in 2000, and Fisichella built on the handling of the car to take advantage of the engine upgrades produced by Renault from Magny-Cours onwards.
The second half of the season saw the team add to Fisi's single, and fortunate, point from Brazil, by taking two top-six finishes in Germany, before Fisichella delivered a remarkable podium in Belgium. The team eventually finished the year seventh overall with ten points.
For 2002, Renault returned to Formula One full-time, although the R202 beared the legacy of the Benetton years by combining Regie yellow with the pale blue of principal backer Mild Seven.
Button, despite a lot of speculation, stayed on board, but Fisichella went, returning to Jordan in a swap deal for Jarno Trulli. The team also landed Fernando Alonso, so promising at Minardi in 2001, as test driver, courtesy of his links with team boss Flavio Briatore.
Renault started their first season back well, and in the opening first four races scored points on three occasions - a fourth place in Brazil and Malaysia and a fifth in Italy at the San Marino GP.
However the performance of the R202 soon started to tail off, and while at the season start, their was talk the team might overhaul McLaren for third in the Constructors', by the Japanese GP, such hopes looked ridiculous. Fourth though wasn't bad and 23 points was a big improvement on 2001.
In 2003 Briatore dispensed with the services of Button, promoting test driver Alonso to a race role alongside Trulli. The team also signed two new test drivers, namely Franck Montagny and 2002 Toyota driver, Allan McNish.
Furthermore Renault were one of only four teams - the others being Jaguar, Jordan and Minardi - to take advantage of the new testing rules and thus opted for extra running on a Friday prior to a GP, in exchange for limiting testing outside this to just 10 days between March and October. The move proved a good one, allowing them more track time and therefore at many circuits an added advantage.
To say the year was successful, would be stating the obvious, by the end of the season, talk of a 'big three' had been replaced by a 'big four', Renault striving forward easily securing fourth in the Constructors' and on occasions showing up Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.
The season yielded 88 points in total, the main highlight coming in Hungary, when Alonso took the teams first win since their official F1 return. Add to this four more podiums and a further 16 points scoring positions and you can see why the year was considered a success. Two pole positions were just the icing on the cake!
2004 though was not so jolly, and before the season started, there were two significant changes behind the scenes.
Most noticeably technical director, Mike Gascoyne left the team to join rivals Toyota.
The outfit was also forced to redesign their V10 engine - binning the radically-wide 110-degree V-angle, due to new regulations which meant an engine must last an entire weekend. They therefore opted for a more conventional angle, the latest creation based on the old Supertec, hence the exit of Jean-Jacques His in May 2003, the man who championed the 110-degree V-angle.
They overcame these set backs though and ended up scoring points in every race by four, and although they lost out to BAR, towards the end of the season for second in the constructors', they still finished third on 105 points, ahead of both Williams and McLaren.
Trulli's win at the Monaco Grand Prix - along with pole - was undoubtedly the high, it was a shame therefore that boss, Briatore, fell out with him mid-season, leaving to his exit prior to the Chinese Grand Prix, when Jacques Villeneuve was brought in for the final three races to partner Alonso.
In 2005 Alonso was partnered by Giancarlo Fisichella, who returned to the squad, after leaving in 2001 [when it was still known as Benetton].
The year started strongly when Fisichella won the Australian Grand Prix from pole, while Alonso was third. After that their season just went from strength to strength, and while admittedly Fisichella never won again and seemed to be dogged by bad luck, Alonso went on to win seven more races for the Regie, as well as grabbing an addition eight podiums.
Renault ended the season with both titles secured, Alonso taking the drivers' at the Brazilian GP, while the team secured the constructors' at the final race, ending the season with 191 points, eight more than McLaren, who took second. Furthermore while McLaren pushed Renault hard at times and many reckoned the R25 was not as quick as the MP4-20, Renault definitely better balanced reliability and speed and - therefore deservedly took the titles.
This season Renault will again have Alonso and Fisichella, however the team was dealt something of a major blow even before the year began, when their number one driver, Alonso agreed a deal to join McLaren in 2007 - something that was announced in December '05.
Despite this though initial testing with the new R26 looks positive and now the team must defend their position at the top of the sport. Can they do it? That's the big question.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 1
Constructors' Titles: 1
Seasons in F1: 13
Grand Prix: 192
Wins: 25
Points: 719
Poles: 43
Fastest Laps: 22
Best result in 2005: 1st - Alonso (7 times) Fisichella (1 time)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - Alonso (6 times) Fisichella (1 time)
Worst qualifying 2005: 16th - Alonso (Japan)
2005 Average grid position: Alonso (4.05) Fisichella (5.42)
2005: Alonso out-qualified Fisichella 14 times
2005: Fisichella out-qualified Alonso 5 times
2005: Completed: 1976 out of 2214 laps (89.25%)
2005: Finished 36 times from 30 starts (83.33%)
R26 Technical Specifications
Chassis: Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by the Renault F1 Team and designed for maximum strength and stiffness with minimum weight. Engine installed as a fully-stressed member.
Front suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted at the front of the monocoque
Rear suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operating vertically-mounted torsion bars and horizontally-mounted damper units mounted on the top of the gearbox casing.
Transmission: Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with one reverse gear.
Fuel system: Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.
Cooling system: Separate oil and water radiators located in the car's sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car's forward motion
Electrical: Integrated Step 11 chassis/engine electronics and software co-developed by Renault F1 Team and Magneti Marelli.
Braking system: Carbon discs and pads (Hitco); calipers by AP Racing
Cockpit: Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with six-point harness seat belt. Steering wheel integrates gear change and clutch paddles.
Dimensions
Front track: 1450 mm
Rear track: 1400 mm
Wheelbase: 3100 mm
Overall length: 4800 mm
Overall height: 950 mm
Overall width: 1800 mm
Overall weight: 605 kg, with driver, camera and ballast.
Renault RS 26
Capacity: 2400 cc
Architecture: 90° V8
Weight: 95 kg
Spark plugs: Champion
ECU: Magneti Marelli Step 11
Fuel: Elf
Oil: Elf
Battery: Renault F1 Team
Optimum integration in the R26 chassis for improved stiffness and packaging.
Reliability of more than 1200 km for life cycle of two race weekends
Drivers:
No 1 - Fernando Alonso
Date of birth: 29/07/1981
Place of birth: Oviedo, Spain
Lives: Oxford, England
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.71m
Weight: 68kg
Driven for:
European Minardi F1 (2001)
Renault (Test Driver) (2002)
Renault (2003-06)
McLaren (2007) (Deal announced)
Biography
1998 Runner-up in the European Kart Championship.
1999 Dominant performance in the Euro-Open Movistar Nissan single-seater series with nine poles and six wins on his way to Championship victory.
2000 Moves to Formula 3000 with the Astromega team and scores a victory at the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Finishes the Championship in fourth place.
2001 Makes debut with Minardi. Best finish is a tenth place in Germany.
2002 Official test driver for Renault. Puts in thousands of test kilometers.
2003 In Renault race seat quickly hailed as the next Michael Schumacher. Becomes youngest ever pole sitter in Malaysia. Takes pole and victory in Hungary, lapping Schumacher in the process. Sixth in the driver standings.
2004 Strong, if ultimately disappointing season. Dominates team mate Trulli to finish fourth in the standings. Pole at Magny-Cours and four podium placings, including second in France.
2005 Scores seven victories en route to becoming sport's youngest ever champion, aged just 24. Mature and measured performances in later races brings him the crown with two rounds to spare, seeing off Kimi Raikkonen in quicker McLaren.
Fernando Alonso enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks, skipping many of the junior formulae on a turbo-charged climb up the racing ladder to the pinnacle of the sport.
Introduced to motorsport at a young age when his father built the then two-year old Fernando a kart, Alonso quickly established himself as a star of the future between the ages of 13 and 18, as he won wherever he raced - from local festivals on home-made courses to regional and national championships the length and breadth of Spain. He also took his talents overseas, winning the world junior title in 1996 at the age of 15 and finishing second in the senior European Championship two years later. The success, however, prompted him to move into car racing at the earliest opportunity.
Eschewing Formula Ford, Formula Renault and even F3, Alonso jumped straight into the Spanish-based Formula Nissan series, where he was mentored by former Minardi F1 pilot Adrian Campos. Incredibly, he won the title at his first attempt, with six wins, nine poles and eight fastest laps, earning himself the right to try a Minardi F1 car and attracting the attention of renowned driver manager Flavio Briatore.
Despite creating ripples in the grand prix paddock, Alonso moved into the supporting FIA F3000 series for 2000, where he took Telefonica backing to the established Team Astromega. A difficult learning year among more season drivers restricted his scoring opportunities, but Alonso showed how much he had progressed by the final race, dominating at the notorious Spa-Francorchamps circuit to almost overshadow the title showdown between Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian – two drivers who would not get an F1 opportunity - and finish fourth in the standings.
Confirmation of a management contract with Briatore quickly followed, and the Spaniard found himself being farmed out to Minardi, where he began his F1 career the following year.
Now under the guidance of Australian Paul Stoddart, Alonso flourished in impoverished circumstances, easily out-performing team-mates Tarso Marques and Alex Yoong in both qualifying and races. A best finish of tenth at the German Grand Prix, and top qualifying of 17th in the USA did not go unnoticed, and Briatore was quick to take his protégé under his wing at Renault before anyone else could lay claim to him.
A year on the sidelines followed, which would have been difficult to swallow had it not been for the knowledge that Briatore intended to fit him into the team in 2003. Despite a generally lacklustre season from both drivers, Jenson Button was the one to make way for the Spaniard, who teamed up with Jarno Trulli, for his return to F1 action.
With the regie's return to frontrunning form, Alonso was able to take his first pole and podium second time out, in Malaysia, before adding further top three results in Brazil – albeit after trashing the R23 and bringing out the red flag - and, to great acclaim, in his homeland. Second place in Barcelona would have been a highlight in itself, had it not been for the feats of Hungary, where Alonso, still only 22, dominated from pole, lapping champion-elect Michael Schumacher on the way to a crushing maiden win – the youngest driver ever to stand on the top step in grand prix racing. Sixth in the championship with 55 points – 22 more than his more experienced team-mate – underlined the Spanaird's ability, and marked him out as a target for the Scuderia.
Despite the attention from Maranello, Alonso remained with Renault in 2004 and, while unable to add a second victory to his tally, scored points in twelve of the 18 races, including three podiums - in France, Germany and Hungary – as well as pole position at Magny-Cours. Although he had to watch team-mate Trulli win in Monaco, unlike the Italian, Alonso was still on board at the end of the year, with fourth place in the drivers' championship and another 59 points under his belt.
Renault went into the 2005 season having marked itself out as potential title contenders in pre-season testing, and so it proved, with Giancarlo Fisichella claiming victory in the opening round and Alonso following up with a hat-trick in Malaysia, Bahrain and San Marino - as well as two poles - to stretch out an early championship lead.
Alonso never lost his initial lead, and despite coming under pressure from Kimi Raikkonen, added three more wins to his tally - at the Nurburgring, Magny Cours and Hockenheim - on route to securing the drivers' crown at the Brazilian GP, the youngest driver ever to do so.
In total Alonso scored 133 points and took seven wins, taking the victory at the final grand prix in China, after having played it more tactically prior to guaranteeing the title. The Spaniard's only mistake was at the Canadian GP, when he hit the wall, other than that he scored points in every race and was on the podium 15 times.
Alonso will now remain with Renault in 2006 to defend his crown and judging by his form in 2005, he will be hard to beat. However he has already decided not to stay with the regie beyond the end of this year and in a surprise announcement signed a deal to go to McLaren-Mercedes in 2007, a move that was confirmed in December 2005.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 1 (2005)
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 69
Wins: 8
Points: 247
Poles: 9
Fastest Laps: 3
Best result in 2005: 1st (7 times)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (6 times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 16th (Japan)
Average grid position: 4.05
2005: Out-qualified Giancarlo Fisichella 14 times
2005: Completed: 1074 out of 1107 laps (97.02%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 18 starts (94%)
No 2 - Giancarlo Fisichella
Date of birth: 14/01/1973
Place of birth: Rome, Italy
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Engaged to Luna - 1 Daughter, Carlotta and 1 son, Christopher
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 66kg
Driven for:
Minardi (1996)
Jordan(1997)
Bennetton (1998-2001)
Jordan (2002-03)
Sauber (2004)
Renault (2005-06)
Website: http://www.giancarlofisichella.com/
Biography
1994 Italian Formula 3 Champion.
1995 Test driver with Minardi.
1996 After testing with Ferrari he makes debut with Minardi, competing in eight races. Strong performances are enough to win him a contract with Jordan.
1997 Finishes eighth in his first full season and takes second place in the Belgian Grand Prix.
1998 Moves to Benetton, takes two second places and his first career pole. Ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
1999 Still with Benetton. Finishes second in the Canadian Grand Prix. Ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
2000 Best year with Benetton - sixth in the Drivers' Championship.
2001 Third place in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is the highlight of his final season with Benetton.
2002 Moves back to the Jordan team. Finishes the Drivers' Championship in 11th position.
2003 Post-race enquiry into timing mix-up in Brazil sees him awarded his maiden Grand Prix victory with Jordan. Car is uncompetitive elsewhere, prompting him to sign an early deal with Sauber for 2004.
2004 Highly consistent season with Sauber. Takes points on nine occasions and retires just once to finish 11th in the standings.
2005 Dream start to season with pole and victory for Renault in Melbourne, but then dogged by mix of poor luck and inability to match team mate Alonso. Further five podiums prove vital to Renault's constructors' championship. Fifth in the driver standings.
Giancarlo Fisichella came to F1 with much potential - as one of the new breed of young guns to enter the top level, and at the start of his career many people had him marked him down as a future world champion. Of late though his career has stalled, and he enters this latest phase looking to impress with Sauber.
The young Giancarlo had a reputation as a man to watch courtesy of his impressive karting career. A world champion in the best breeding ground of all, he finally decided to graduate to cars in 1992, entering the hotly contested Italian Formula Three series.
He soon became just the third driver to win a race in the Italian series in his maiden season, going on to finish eighth overall at the end of the year. Two further years in the same championship saw him edge his way up the table, finishing second in 1993 before finally clinching the title the following year, alongside 10 wins, 11 pole positions and victory in the prestigious Monaco GP support race.
The championship success attracted the attentions of the Minardi team, which promptly offered him a testing contract for the following season. In order to keep his hand in between the sporadic tests, however, Fisichella accepted a drive in the increasingly popular International Touring car series with Alfa Romeo.
Although the saloon series did not produce any noteworthy success for the Italian, his Minardi links finally bore fruit in 1996, when he was offered the seat originally earmarked for Japanese pay driver Taki Inoue. Eight races were enough to convince observers of his talent, and Fisichella was soon being offered test-drives elsewhere.
Although under a management contract with then Benetton boss Flavio Briatore, Fisichella found himself being offered a seat at Jordan, when Nigel Mansell turned down the chance of driving for the team. Teamed with the German Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo formed one of the youngest driving partnerships in F1. The season was a stormy one, however, as the team-mates clashed on more than one occasion.
Fisichella emerged from the Jordan season with a better reputation than his rival - having taken two podium finishes in Canada and Belgium - and found himself the subject of a contractual dispute between his team and that of his manager. Benetton eventually won custody of F1's hottest young property, although Giancarlo admitted that he would have been happy to stay with Jordan.
While Jordan struggled to finish a race in the first part of 1998, Fisichella and Benetton team-mate Alex Wurz pushed hard to be the closest rivals to McLaren. A first victory was not forthcoming for either driver, although Fisichella took his first F1 pole position in a wet Austrian qualifying session. The Benetton challenge fell away in the second half of the season, however, and the Italian scored just three points between Canada and Japan.
Fisichella stayed with both Benetton and Wurz for 1999, hoping that the team could sustain a prolonged assault on the world championship. Early testing showed the radical B199 to be on the pace, but it proved to be an unpredictable handful as the year wore on. Sporadic points finishes punctuated the Italian's early season, with second in Canada a surprise highlight, but things gradually got worse from there on.
Fisichella decided that, having reached the bottom, Benetton could only go up in 2000 and, consequently, found himself paired with Wurz for a third season. The new B200 looked a definite improvement over its predecessor, and both drivers hoped to see more of the top six, only to be cruelly denied by a mid-season slump in form. Fisi began the year well, inheriting second on Coulthard's DSQ in Brazil, then visiting the podium again in both Monaco and Canada. He ended the year being overshadowed by the erstwhile lacklustre Wurz, however.
Benetton and Fisichella decided to stick with each other into 2001, and the Italian found himself partnered by 2000 season wunderkind Jenson Button, on loan from Williams for two years. If that wasn't enough of an incentive to push harder that year, Fisi also wanted to impress Renault bosses sufficiently to be considered a potential employee for 2002.
As things turned out, it wasn't to be, although Fisichella comprehensively out-performed Button in the first two-thirds of the season, as the British driver struggled to settle into Flavio Briatore's regime. Despite scoring a podium finish against the odds in Belgium, and taking eleventh in points, however, Fisi was already signing papers to take him back to Jordan for 2002.
The Silverstone team provided a more settled environment for the Italian in 2002 and he quickly re-acquainted himself with faces familiar from his debut season in F1. Armed with the latest Honda engine - and ranged against another young upstart in British F3 champion Takuma Sato - Fisi was hopeful that he could score regular points in 2002 and even grab the odd podium.
It was though far from an easy season, the Jordan team struggling financially and in the end Giancarlo was forced to settle for three fifth places - coming one after the other in Austria, Monaco and Canada - and one-sixth place at the Hungarian GP. Other than that it was a pretty dreary year, with eight retirements and little to smile about. He also missed the French Grand Prix following a heavy crash in practice prior to qualifying.
If Fisi hoped that 2003 would be a step forward, and that the Ford powered Jordan would help him to more points finishes, then he was sadly mistaken. More often than not, Fisichella was struggling in the midfield rather than pushing for points. An awful season had only one good point.
Fisichella was in the right place at the right time when Fernando Alonso decided to ignore yellow flags in Brazil and caused the race to be brought to a premature end. He took his maiden F1 win to provide Jordan with a little sunshine on a very grey season. Or did he? Kimi Raikkonen was declared the winner and a dejected Fisi was awarded second place on the podium. However, in the week after the race, stewards admitted they had made an error and that on the count-back rule the Italian had indeed been the leader. Fourteen days later he got his hands on his winners' trophy, although he missed out on spraying the champagne from the top step.
In 2004 Fisichella moved to Sauber and he did enough to impress many people up and down the pitlane. There may have been no major highs, but Fisi was consistently 'there or there abouts', thanks to some good driving and a solid car, in the shape of the C23. His reward was nine points finishes, five in succession towards the end of the year, his best result of the year, a fourth place in Canada. In total the Italian scored 22 points - 10 more than his team-mate, Felipe Massa - to finish eleventh overall in the drivers' standings.
His form was enough to convince both Flavio Briatore and Frank Williams that they wanted him, however Fisi eventually opted to go for Renault, and returned there in 2005, to work alongside the same team he was in from 1998-2001 - when it was known as Benetton.
Fisichella began 2005 in the best possible way, by winning the opening race of the season in Australia. After that though it all went downhill and while his team-mate, Fernando Alonso went on to take the drivers' championship, Fisi could only finish on the podium on two more occasions - when he took a third place finish in Italy and a second in Japan towards the end of the year.
In total he finished in the points on only 11 occasions, ending the year fifth in the drivers' championship with 58 points - 75 less than Alonso. All in all it was a pretty disappointing season, although to be fair he had more than his fair share of bad luck and mechanical woes.
This coming season Fisichella will want to bounce back - and with Alonso having already signed a deal to go to McLaren in 2007 he has every chance to stay with the regie beyond this season, providing Renault remain in F1.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 159
Wins: 2
Points: 174
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 2
Best result in 2005: 1st (Australia)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Australia)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (San Marino)
Average grid position: 5.42
2005: Out-qualified Fernando Alonso 5 times
2005: Completed: 902 out of 1107 laps (81.48%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 18 starts (72%)
No 1 - Fernando Alonso
Date of birth: 29/07/1981
Place of birth: Oviedo, Spain
Lives: Oxford, England
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.71m
Weight: 68kg
Driven for:
European Minardi F1 (2001)
Renault (Test Driver) (2002)
Renault (2003-06)
McLaren (2007) (Deal announced)
Biography
1998 Runner-up in the European Kart Championship.
1999 Dominant performance in the Euro-Open Movistar Nissan single-seater series with nine poles and six wins on his way to Championship victory.
2000 Moves to Formula 3000 with the Astromega team and scores a victory at the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Finishes the Championship in fourth place.
2001 Makes debut with Minardi. Best finish is a tenth place in Germany.
2002 Official test driver for Renault. Puts in thousands of test kilometers.
2003 In Renault race seat quickly hailed as the next Michael Schumacher. Becomes youngest ever pole sitter in Malaysia. Takes pole and victory in Hungary, lapping Schumacher in the process. Sixth in the driver standings.
2004 Strong, if ultimately disappointing season. Dominates team mate Trulli to finish fourth in the standings. Pole at Magny-Cours and four podium placings, including second in France.
2005 Scores seven victories en route to becoming sport's youngest ever champion, aged just 24. Mature and measured performances in later races brings him the crown with two rounds to spare, seeing off Kimi Raikkonen in quicker McLaren.
Fernando Alonso enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks, skipping many of the junior formulae on a turbo-charged climb up the racing ladder to the pinnacle of the sport.
Introduced to motorsport at a young age when his father built the then two-year old Fernando a kart, Alonso quickly established himself as a star of the future between the ages of 13 and 18, as he won wherever he raced - from local festivals on home-made courses to regional and national championships the length and breadth of Spain. He also took his talents overseas, winning the world junior title in 1996 at the age of 15 and finishing second in the senior European Championship two years later. The success, however, prompted him to move into car racing at the earliest opportunity.
Eschewing Formula Ford, Formula Renault and even F3, Alonso jumped straight into the Spanish-based Formula Nissan series, where he was mentored by former Minardi F1 pilot Adrian Campos. Incredibly, he won the title at his first attempt, with six wins, nine poles and eight fastest laps, earning himself the right to try a Minardi F1 car and attracting the attention of renowned driver manager Flavio Briatore.
Despite creating ripples in the grand prix paddock, Alonso moved into the supporting FIA F3000 series for 2000, where he took Telefonica backing to the established Team Astromega. A difficult learning year among more season drivers restricted his scoring opportunities, but Alonso showed how much he had progressed by the final race, dominating at the notorious Spa-Francorchamps circuit to almost overshadow the title showdown between Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian – two drivers who would not get an F1 opportunity - and finish fourth in the standings.
Confirmation of a management contract with Briatore quickly followed, and the Spaniard found himself being farmed out to Minardi, where he began his F1 career the following year.
Now under the guidance of Australian Paul Stoddart, Alonso flourished in impoverished circumstances, easily out-performing team-mates Tarso Marques and Alex Yoong in both qualifying and races. A best finish of tenth at the German Grand Prix, and top qualifying of 17th in the USA did not go unnoticed, and Briatore was quick to take his protégé under his wing at Renault before anyone else could lay claim to him.
A year on the sidelines followed, which would have been difficult to swallow had it not been for the knowledge that Briatore intended to fit him into the team in 2003. Despite a generally lacklustre season from both drivers, Jenson Button was the one to make way for the Spaniard, who teamed up with Jarno Trulli, for his return to F1 action.
With the regie's return to frontrunning form, Alonso was able to take his first pole and podium second time out, in Malaysia, before adding further top three results in Brazil – albeit after trashing the R23 and bringing out the red flag - and, to great acclaim, in his homeland. Second place in Barcelona would have been a highlight in itself, had it not been for the feats of Hungary, where Alonso, still only 22, dominated from pole, lapping champion-elect Michael Schumacher on the way to a crushing maiden win – the youngest driver ever to stand on the top step in grand prix racing. Sixth in the championship with 55 points – 22 more than his more experienced team-mate – underlined the Spanaird's ability, and marked him out as a target for the Scuderia.
Despite the attention from Maranello, Alonso remained with Renault in 2004 and, while unable to add a second victory to his tally, scored points in twelve of the 18 races, including three podiums - in France, Germany and Hungary – as well as pole position at Magny-Cours. Although he had to watch team-mate Trulli win in Monaco, unlike the Italian, Alonso was still on board at the end of the year, with fourth place in the drivers' championship and another 59 points under his belt.
Renault went into the 2005 season having marked itself out as potential title contenders in pre-season testing, and so it proved, with Giancarlo Fisichella claiming victory in the opening round and Alonso following up with a hat-trick in Malaysia, Bahrain and San Marino - as well as two poles - to stretch out an early championship lead.
Alonso never lost his initial lead, and despite coming under pressure from Kimi Raikkonen, added three more wins to his tally - at the Nurburgring, Magny Cours and Hockenheim - on route to securing the drivers' crown at the Brazilian GP, the youngest driver ever to do so.
In total Alonso scored 133 points and took seven wins, taking the victory at the final grand prix in China, after having played it more tactically prior to guaranteeing the title. The Spaniard's only mistake was at the Canadian GP, when he hit the wall, other than that he scored points in every race and was on the podium 15 times.
Alonso will now remain with Renault in 2006 to defend his crown and judging by his form in 2005, he will be hard to beat. However he has already decided not to stay with the regie beyond the end of this year and in a surprise announcement signed a deal to go to McLaren-Mercedes in 2007, a move that was confirmed in December 2005.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 1 (2005)
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 69
Wins: 8
Points: 247
Poles: 9
Fastest Laps: 3
Best result in 2005: 1st (7 times)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (6 times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 16th (Japan)
Average grid position: 4.05
2005: Out-qualified Giancarlo Fisichella 14 times
2005: Completed: 1074 out of 1107 laps (97.02%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 18 starts (94%)
No 2 - Giancarlo Fisichella
Date of birth: 14/01/1973
Place of birth: Rome, Italy
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Engaged to Luna - 1 Daughter, Carlotta and 1 son, Christopher
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 66kg
Driven for:
Minardi (1996)
Jordan(1997)
Bennetton (1998-2001)
Jordan (2002-03)
Sauber (2004)
Renault (2005-06)
Website: http://www.giancarlofisichella.com/
Biography
1994 Italian Formula 3 Champion.
1995 Test driver with Minardi.
1996 After testing with Ferrari he makes debut with Minardi, competing in eight races. Strong performances are enough to win him a contract with Jordan.
1997 Finishes eighth in his first full season and takes second place in the Belgian Grand Prix.
1998 Moves to Benetton, takes two second places and his first career pole. Ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
1999 Still with Benetton. Finishes second in the Canadian Grand Prix. Ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
2000 Best year with Benetton - sixth in the Drivers' Championship.
2001 Third place in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is the highlight of his final season with Benetton.
2002 Moves back to the Jordan team. Finishes the Drivers' Championship in 11th position.
2003 Post-race enquiry into timing mix-up in Brazil sees him awarded his maiden Grand Prix victory with Jordan. Car is uncompetitive elsewhere, prompting him to sign an early deal with Sauber for 2004.
2004 Highly consistent season with Sauber. Takes points on nine occasions and retires just once to finish 11th in the standings.
2005 Dream start to season with pole and victory for Renault in Melbourne, but then dogged by mix of poor luck and inability to match team mate Alonso. Further five podiums prove vital to Renault's constructors' championship. Fifth in the driver standings.
Giancarlo Fisichella came to F1 with much potential - as one of the new breed of young guns to enter the top level, and at the start of his career many people had him marked him down as a future world champion. Of late though his career has stalled, and he enters this latest phase looking to impress with Sauber.
The young Giancarlo had a reputation as a man to watch courtesy of his impressive karting career. A world champion in the best breeding ground of all, he finally decided to graduate to cars in 1992, entering the hotly contested Italian Formula Three series.
He soon became just the third driver to win a race in the Italian series in his maiden season, going on to finish eighth overall at the end of the year. Two further years in the same championship saw him edge his way up the table, finishing second in 1993 before finally clinching the title the following year, alongside 10 wins, 11 pole positions and victory in the prestigious Monaco GP support race.
The championship success attracted the attentions of the Minardi team, which promptly offered him a testing contract for the following season. In order to keep his hand in between the sporadic tests, however, Fisichella accepted a drive in the increasingly popular International Touring car series with Alfa Romeo.
Although the saloon series did not produce any noteworthy success for the Italian, his Minardi links finally bore fruit in 1996, when he was offered the seat originally earmarked for Japanese pay driver Taki Inoue. Eight races were enough to convince observers of his talent, and Fisichella was soon being offered test-drives elsewhere.
Although under a management contract with then Benetton boss Flavio Briatore, Fisichella found himself being offered a seat at Jordan, when Nigel Mansell turned down the chance of driving for the team. Teamed with the German Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo formed one of the youngest driving partnerships in F1. The season was a stormy one, however, as the team-mates clashed on more than one occasion.
Fisichella emerged from the Jordan season with a better reputation than his rival - having taken two podium finishes in Canada and Belgium - and found himself the subject of a contractual dispute between his team and that of his manager. Benetton eventually won custody of F1's hottest young property, although Giancarlo admitted that he would have been happy to stay with Jordan.
While Jordan struggled to finish a race in the first part of 1998, Fisichella and Benetton team-mate Alex Wurz pushed hard to be the closest rivals to McLaren. A first victory was not forthcoming for either driver, although Fisichella took his first F1 pole position in a wet Austrian qualifying session. The Benetton challenge fell away in the second half of the season, however, and the Italian scored just three points between Canada and Japan.
Fisichella stayed with both Benetton and Wurz for 1999, hoping that the team could sustain a prolonged assault on the world championship. Early testing showed the radical B199 to be on the pace, but it proved to be an unpredictable handful as the year wore on. Sporadic points finishes punctuated the Italian's early season, with second in Canada a surprise highlight, but things gradually got worse from there on.
Fisichella decided that, having reached the bottom, Benetton could only go up in 2000 and, consequently, found himself paired with Wurz for a third season. The new B200 looked a definite improvement over its predecessor, and both drivers hoped to see more of the top six, only to be cruelly denied by a mid-season slump in form. Fisi began the year well, inheriting second on Coulthard's DSQ in Brazil, then visiting the podium again in both Monaco and Canada. He ended the year being overshadowed by the erstwhile lacklustre Wurz, however.
Benetton and Fisichella decided to stick with each other into 2001, and the Italian found himself partnered by 2000 season wunderkind Jenson Button, on loan from Williams for two years. If that wasn't enough of an incentive to push harder that year, Fisi also wanted to impress Renault bosses sufficiently to be considered a potential employee for 2002.
As things turned out, it wasn't to be, although Fisichella comprehensively out-performed Button in the first two-thirds of the season, as the British driver struggled to settle into Flavio Briatore's regime. Despite scoring a podium finish against the odds in Belgium, and taking eleventh in points, however, Fisi was already signing papers to take him back to Jordan for 2002.
The Silverstone team provided a more settled environment for the Italian in 2002 and he quickly re-acquainted himself with faces familiar from his debut season in F1. Armed with the latest Honda engine - and ranged against another young upstart in British F3 champion Takuma Sato - Fisi was hopeful that he could score regular points in 2002 and even grab the odd podium.
It was though far from an easy season, the Jordan team struggling financially and in the end Giancarlo was forced to settle for three fifth places - coming one after the other in Austria, Monaco and Canada - and one-sixth place at the Hungarian GP. Other than that it was a pretty dreary year, with eight retirements and little to smile about. He also missed the French Grand Prix following a heavy crash in practice prior to qualifying.
If Fisi hoped that 2003 would be a step forward, and that the Ford powered Jordan would help him to more points finishes, then he was sadly mistaken. More often than not, Fisichella was struggling in the midfield rather than pushing for points. An awful season had only one good point.
Fisichella was in the right place at the right time when Fernando Alonso decided to ignore yellow flags in Brazil and caused the race to be brought to a premature end. He took his maiden F1 win to provide Jordan with a little sunshine on a very grey season. Or did he? Kimi Raikkonen was declared the winner and a dejected Fisi was awarded second place on the podium. However, in the week after the race, stewards admitted they had made an error and that on the count-back rule the Italian had indeed been the leader. Fourteen days later he got his hands on his winners' trophy, although he missed out on spraying the champagne from the top step.
In 2004 Fisichella moved to Sauber and he did enough to impress many people up and down the pitlane. There may have been no major highs, but Fisi was consistently 'there or there abouts', thanks to some good driving and a solid car, in the shape of the C23. His reward was nine points finishes, five in succession towards the end of the year, his best result of the year, a fourth place in Canada. In total the Italian scored 22 points - 10 more than his team-mate, Felipe Massa - to finish eleventh overall in the drivers' standings.
His form was enough to convince both Flavio Briatore and Frank Williams that they wanted him, however Fisi eventually opted to go for Renault, and returned there in 2005, to work alongside the same team he was in from 1998-2001 - when it was known as Benetton.
Fisichella began 2005 in the best possible way, by winning the opening race of the season in Australia. After that though it all went downhill and while his team-mate, Fernando Alonso went on to take the drivers' championship, Fisi could only finish on the podium on two more occasions - when he took a third place finish in Italy and a second in Japan towards the end of the year.
In total he finished in the points on only 11 occasions, ending the year fifth in the drivers' championship with 58 points - 75 less than Alonso. All in all it was a pretty disappointing season, although to be fair he had more than his fair share of bad luck and mechanical woes.
This coming season Fisichella will want to bounce back - and with Alonso having already signed a deal to go to McLaren in 2007 he has every chance to stay with the regie beyond this season, providing Renault remain in F1.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 159
Wins: 2
Points: 174
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 2
Best result in 2005: 1st (Australia)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Australia)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (San Marino)
Average grid position: 5.42
2005: Out-qualified Fernando Alonso 5 times
2005: Completed: 902 out of 1107 laps (81.48%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 18 starts (72%)
Renault Test/Reserve Driver - Hekki Kovalainen
Date of birth: 19/10/1981
Place of birth: Suomussai, Finland
Marital Status: Single
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 66kg
Driven for:
Renault (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.heikkikovalainen.com/
Biography
1999 Karting: Finnish Karting Formula A, Runner-up. Also 3rd place in the European Championship Round 1.
2000 Karting: Karting Formula Super A, 3rd place in the World Championship Race, 3rd place in the Monaco Kart Cup, Scandinavian Champion, Finnish Vice-Champion, Paris Bercy Elf Masters Champion, Kart Driver of the Year in Finland.
2001 Formula Renault: British Championship. 4th place in the Championship (2 wins, 2 poles, 3 fastest laps, best rookie) Formula 3: 8th in Macau F3 Grand Prix - first F3 race.
2002 Formula 3: British F3 Championship. 3rd overall (5 wins, 3 poles, 3 fastest laps, best rookie). Winner of the British Grand Prix Support Race. 2nd place in Macau Grand Prix, 4th place in Marlboro Masters
2003 World Series by Nissan: 2nd place in the Championship (1 win, 2 poles). Formula One: Tested for Renault at Barcelona on December 3 and 4 and then drove for Minardi at Vallelunga on December 11.
2004 World Series by Nissan: Champion. 6 wins, 9 poles and 10 fastest laps. Formula One: Second test driver for the Renault F1 team. ROC: Winner of the Race of Champions at Stade De France (opposition included Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Loeb).
2005 GP2 Series: Runner-up. Scored 105 points with Arden. Formula One: Second test driver for the Renault F1 team.
2006 Formula One: Official third/test driver for the Renault F1 team.
Heikki Kovalainen is a race car driver born in Suomussalmi, Finland on October 19, 1981. Kovalainen's career, like many drivers, started in karting competitions in 1999. He stayed in karting for two years, winning some major championships along the way, including the 2001 Elf Masters. In 2001 he drove in British Formula Renault, driving the number four car, before moving to British Formula Three with the Fortec team in 2002.
2003 brought another move of series, Kovalainen heading to the Formula Nissan World Series. After a good first season with the Gabord team, he jumped ship to Pons and won the championship.
His success in the series resulted in interest from the Formula 3000 champions Arden International, and they as a result snapped him up as their first driver for the inaugurual GP2 season. His team-mate was Nicolas Lapierre, a former winner of the Macau Formula Three GP. He lead the championship right form the start but with one round remaining, lost the lead to ART's Nico Rosberg, the eventual winner.
He attracted international attention after winning the title Champion of Champions in the 2004 Race of Champions. To attain the title he had to beat both 2004 WRC Champion Sébastien Loeb and seven times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.
He will be Renault's third and test driver for the 2006 Formula 1 Season.
Date of birth: 19/10/1981
Place of birth: Suomussai, Finland
Marital Status: Single
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 66kg
Driven for:
Renault (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.heikkikovalainen.com/
Biography
1999 Karting: Finnish Karting Formula A, Runner-up. Also 3rd place in the European Championship Round 1.
2000 Karting: Karting Formula Super A, 3rd place in the World Championship Race, 3rd place in the Monaco Kart Cup, Scandinavian Champion, Finnish Vice-Champion, Paris Bercy Elf Masters Champion, Kart Driver of the Year in Finland.
2001 Formula Renault: British Championship. 4th place in the Championship (2 wins, 2 poles, 3 fastest laps, best rookie) Formula 3: 8th in Macau F3 Grand Prix - first F3 race.
2002 Formula 3: British F3 Championship. 3rd overall (5 wins, 3 poles, 3 fastest laps, best rookie). Winner of the British Grand Prix Support Race. 2nd place in Macau Grand Prix, 4th place in Marlboro Masters
2003 World Series by Nissan: 2nd place in the Championship (1 win, 2 poles). Formula One: Tested for Renault at Barcelona on December 3 and 4 and then drove for Minardi at Vallelunga on December 11.
2004 World Series by Nissan: Champion. 6 wins, 9 poles and 10 fastest laps. Formula One: Second test driver for the Renault F1 team. ROC: Winner of the Race of Champions at Stade De France (opposition included Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Loeb).
2005 GP2 Series: Runner-up. Scored 105 points with Arden. Formula One: Second test driver for the Renault F1 team.
2006 Formula One: Official third/test driver for the Renault F1 team.
Heikki Kovalainen is a race car driver born in Suomussalmi, Finland on October 19, 1981. Kovalainen's career, like many drivers, started in karting competitions in 1999. He stayed in karting for two years, winning some major championships along the way, including the 2001 Elf Masters. In 2001 he drove in British Formula Renault, driving the number four car, before moving to British Formula Three with the Fortec team in 2002.
2003 brought another move of series, Kovalainen heading to the Formula Nissan World Series. After a good first season with the Gabord team, he jumped ship to Pons and won the championship.
His success in the series resulted in interest from the Formula 3000 champions Arden International, and they as a result snapped him up as their first driver for the inaugurual GP2 season. His team-mate was Nicolas Lapierre, a former winner of the Macau Formula Three GP. He lead the championship right form the start but with one round remaining, lost the lead to ART's Nico Rosberg, the eventual winner.
He attracted international attention after winning the title Champion of Champions in the 2004 Race of Champions. To attain the title he had to beat both 2004 WRC Champion Sébastien Loeb and seven times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.
He will be Renault's third and test driver for the 2006 Formula 1 Season.
Team HQ
Based in: Woking, Surrey
Founded: 1963 (active since 1966)
McLaren International Ltd
Woking Business Park
Albert Drive
Woking
Surrey
England
GU21 5RW
Tel: 01483 261900
Tax: 01483 261963
Website: www.mclaren.com
Team Structure
Team Principal, Team McLaren Mercedes Chairman and CEO, TAG McLaren Group: Ron Dennis
Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsort: Norbert Haug
Managing Director: Martin Whitmarsh
Technical Director: Adrian Newey
Operations Director:Jonathan Neale
Managing Director Mercedes-Ilmor: Hans-Ulrich Maik
Technical Director Mercedes-Ilmor: Mario Illien
Executive Director of Engineering: Neil Oatley
Chief Designer: Mike Coughlan
Head of Aerodynamics: Peter Prodromou
Head of Simulation: Dick Glover
Head of Race Engineering: Steve Hallam
Engineering Programme Manager: Phil Adey
Chief Engineer Race Development Pat Fry
Chief Engineer Power Train: Tim Goss
Chief Engineer Systems Development: Paddy Lowe
Chief Engineer Vehicle Development: Mark Williams
Race Team Manager: Dave Ryan
Test Team Manager: Indy Lall
Team Biography
Inspired by the achievements of fellow antipodean Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren began constructing his grand prix cars in 1966. Although never quite good enough to win the world championship in their creator's lifetime, the McLarens proved competitive, taking both McLaren himself, and team-mate Denny Hulme, to race wins - a legacy continued through to the current day.
The company also built sportscars, which proved altogether more successful, winning the Can-Am series in America before McLaren lost his life in a testing accident in 1970. Control of the company passed to McLaren's partner Teddy Mayer, but it took a couple of years before the team would challenge for the title again.
The M23 chassis proved to be the first McLaren capable of winning the Drivers' and Constructors' titles. In the hands of Hulme and new team-mate Peter Revson, the car had shown promise in 1973, but it took the youthful genius of Emerson Fittipaldi to finally take the crown the following year. This success also marked the first year of a long-standing relationship with Marlboro.
Fittipaldi ran Niki Lauda's Ferrari close in 1975, before the Brazilian left the team. His replacement James Hunt promptly retook the crown for McLaren in 1976, but was fortunate to benefit from Lauda's fiery Nurburgring accident.
Although Hunt battled gamely against Lauda in 1977, the golden McLaren era of the mid-70s was waning. Several barren years followed before the team merged with Ron Dennis' Project Four outfit in 1980, and was renamed McLaren International. From this point on, all McLaren chassis would bear the MP4 prefix.
The partnership's first race win came the following season, when John Watson dominated at Silverstone. Always at the front of technical innovation, this McLaren victory was the first for an all carbon-fibre chassis.
From this successful start, McLaren continued to dominate much of the 1980s. Niki Lauda took the first McLaren-Project Four championship title in 1984, and was followed by Alain Prost in both 1985, '86 and '89, and Ayrton Senna in 1988, '90 and '91. The highlight of the Prost-Senna years was the complete domination of the 1988 season, in which the team was only denied a clean sweep by Senna's Monza accident with Jean-Louis Schlesser.
Powered by TAG-Porsche and Honda engines for much of its triumphant period, McLaren struggled when the Japanese company pulled out at the end of 1992. Although Senna continued to take unlikely victories with customer Ford units, championship success was a distant dream. Nevertheless, McLaren continued to duel with Ferrari as the most successful team in terms of race wins during this period.
With Peugeot engines proving a disappointment in 1994, McLaren switched to Mercedes power for 1995. Nigel Mansell signed for the team, but contested just two races before turning his back on F1 for good.
Although the first McLaren-Mercedes car was poor, the combination grew in strength. Despite the end of its association with Marlboro, the team finally broke back into the winner's circle at the first event of 1997 in Australia. Two further wins - at Monza and Jerez - provided much optimism after a difficult season.
The 1998 evolution chassis proved to be the best of the year. The driver combination of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard lapped the entire field en route to a controversial, staged victory in Australia, and continued to dominate most races. The team eventually captured its first championship for seven years, as Hakkinen held off the challenge of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, the Finn producing a Schumacher-esque performance at the Luxembourg GP to turn the title tide his way.
It was more of the same for McLaren in 1999, with the same driver, car and engine combination being retained. The team promised radical advances on the MP4-14 and it appeared likely to continue the pace set by its predecessor. The team, however, counted without Michael Schumacher's Ferrari and a number of errors from both itself and its drivers en route to taking the championship to the wire. In the end, Hakkinen won a second crown, but not before twice throwing his car off the road while unchallenged. Coulthard suffered more bad luck, and bowed out of the title race two events early.
Despite the struggle of 1999, McLaren was happy to keep another unchanged line-up in 2000. Mercedes produced another new, lighter engine, and the MP4-15 proved fast in testing.
Simply put though, there were few occasions when the MP4-15 had the number of the Ferrari F2000 and Michael Schumacher rarely let either of the Silver Arrows have a clear run. Hakkinen performed one of the most daring overtaking moves ever seen en-route to victory in Belgium but there would be only three other victories for the Flying Finn who was not able to secure a hat-trick of driver's titles. Coulthard survived a plane crash in the week prior to the Spanish Grand Prix although both pilots were killed. Despite an emotional victory at Silverstone and further triumphs in Monaco and Magny Cours, the Scotsman once again failed to threaten for the World title and found himself playing back-up to Hakkinen before the year was out.
The 2001 McLaren arrived relatively late and both drivers expressed their concerns over reliability in the run-up to Melbourne. Any chance of beating Ferrari and Schumacher would require a strong, reliable car - and neither Hakkinen nor Coulthard got it.
The Scot proved to be Schumacher's chief rival, and looked to be on course to give the German a run for his money prior to Monaco. He even out-qualified the master in the Principality, but was then let down on the grid and spent much of his race struggling to pass a stubborn - but entirely justified - Enrique Bernoldi. Two points were valuable - but not enough to save the championship.
From that point on, the McLaren championship challenge slipped, and Schumacher was able to take the crown by Hungary in August, while the Woking team was also not helped by rumours and wrangles surrounding an alleged move to Jaguar for technical director Adrian Newey.
Hakkinen took two wins in 2001 - the same as Coulthard - but was never asked to back up the Scot as Coulthard would have been told to do in aid of the Finn.
Not that Hakkinen was often in a position to help his team-mate, for a lacklustre year prompted speculation of retirement. A last-lap exhaust failure in Spain further knocked the Finn's motivation and, despite romping to victory in both Britain and the USA, Hakkinen duly announced that he was to take a year out in 2002, a decision that eventually led to his retirement.
Taking on board Hakkinen's belief that 'to win, you gotta get the Finn', Ron Dennis promptly snatched rising star Kimi Raikkonen from under the nose of Ferrari, and also took the courageous decision to move to Michelin rubber for 2002.
The year though by McLaren's high standards was not good, third in the Constructors' behind both Ferrari and Williams was disappointing, and what was worse, the team never looked to have the legs of the F2002. Coulthard took the outfit's only win, triumphing at the Monaco GP and Raikkonen would have won in France, if it wasn't for oil dumped on the track 5 laps from the end, that caused the Finn to go wide and allow Michael Schumacher to take the chequered flag first.
All-in-all the MP4-17 was not a bad car, it was more let down by the Mercedes engine, and Michelin tyres, which were compromised as they had to be developed with both McLaren and Williams in mind. By the season end though, Dennis' squad were considered to be at least back on terms with Williams, and many thought they had pulled ahead.
For 2003, McLaren had a much more successful season, despite the fact they ended up using the MP4-17D throughout the year - the ill-fated MP4-18 never raced.
Kimi Raikkonen took the battle for the drivers' crown down to the final round in Japan, so despite their car difficulties they still showed strongly. In total the Finn scored 91 points - two less than eventual champion, Michael Schumacher, winning in Malaysia and adding a further nine podiums to his tally by the season end.
David Coulthard in contrast though struggled, the Scot never really got to grips with the new one-lap qualifying format, and he slumped to seventh in the drivers' series, notching up 51 points - 40 less than his team-mate. His best result came in the first round, when he won, but only two other podiums came his way, and before the year was out, it was revealed that Juan Pablo Montoya would take his drive in 2005.
McLaren again ended the year third best in the constructors' on 142 points, compared to Williams' 144 and Ferrari's 158.
The following season saw little change at the Woking squad, both Raikkonen and DC remained, as did third driver, Alexander Wurz, and test driver, Pedro de la Rosa - who was signed by Ron Dennis' squad back in April 2003.
The new MP4-19 was launched early, the first 2004 car to make its track debut as its shakedown came in November, when DC gave it its first run at Valencia. Testing though was not good and, on the whole, the car was off the pace compared to its rivals.
Few would have predicted though that 2004 would be so bad for the Woking team and, in the first half of the season, it scored just 17 points. It wasn't until the MP4-19B was introduced at the French Grand Prix that things turned around, the highlight of the year without doubt the Belgian Grand Prix, when Raikkonen triumphed.
In total, the team scored 69 points during the season, but still ended up fifth in the constructors' table behind Williams, Renault, BAR and Ferrari - the latter scoring 193 more points.
Montoya duly arrived to partner Raikkonen for 2005, with Dennis claiming to have the strongest pairing in F1. Coulthard departed for Red Bull Racing, where he enjoyed greater personal freedom, leaving the 'fire and ice' partnership to try and restore McLaren's position at the top of the table.
While the MP4-20 made a solid start to the season, it wasn't until Bahrain that it recorded a podium, and its engine looking frail when halting a runaway Raikkonen at Imola.
Further failures blighted the Finn's qualifying efforts, regularly costing him ten grid places as the result of revised engine rules stipulating that powerplants had to last for two whole meetings, and contributed to the growing gap between the McLaren man and eventual champion Fernando Alonso. The Finn had to settle for second place overall three races from the end of the year, while Montoya, who missed races at the start of the year with a 'tennis-induced' shoulder injury, placed fourth.
Despite that, the MP4-20 eventually showed that it was the fastest in the field, and allowed Raikkonen and Montoya to rack up ten race wins, although that was only good enough to give McLaren second in the teams' table after its slow start to the year.
The same race line-up remains in place for 2006, but Dennis has already caused a stir in Woking by announcing that Alonso is arriving in 2007, along with Ferrari sponsor Vodafone. With the pressure on - although Raikkonen remains tipped for Ferrari in 2007 - the two main drivers will be trying harder than ever to win favour in the team, which aims to go one better in both championships.
The MP4-21 has already run in testing, but queries still surround the frailty of the mandatory 2006 V8, which ran only briefly in the interim MP4-20, before being replaced again by the V10. McLaren will be hoping that history doesn't repeat itself in what could be the most competitive F1 campaign in several years.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 11
Constructors' Titles: 8
Seasons in F1: 40
Grand Prix: 595
Wins: 148
Points: 3041.5
Poles: 122
Fastest Laps: 127
Best result in 2005: 1st - Raikkonen (7 times) Montoya (3 times)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - Raikkonen (6 times) Montoya (1 time)
Worst qualifying 2005: 18th - Montoya (Monaco and Japan)
2005 Average grid position: Raikkonen (4.1) Montoya (7.7)
2005: Raikkonen out-qualified Montoya 12 times
2005: Raikkonen out-qualified Wurz 1 time
2005: Montoya out-qualified Raikkonen 5 times
2005: de la Rosa out-qualified Raikkonen 1 time
2005: Completed: 1967 out of 2214 laps (88.84%)
2005: Finished 29 times from 36 starts (80.56%)
MP4-21 Technical Specifications
Chassis: McLaren moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures. Contains integral safety fuel cell.
Front Suspension: Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement.
Rear Suspension: Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement.
Suspension dampers: McLaren.
Electronics: McLaren Electronic Systems control units incorporating electronics for chassis, engine and data acquisition. McLaren Electronic Systems also supplies the electronic dash board, alternator voltage control, sensors, data analysis and telemetry systems.
Bodywork Construction: One-piece sidepod and engine cover. Separate floor section, structural nose with integral front wing.
Gearbox Speeds: Seven forward and one reverse
Semi-auto: Yes
Driveshafts: McLaren
Clutch: Hand-operated
Dimensions
Length: Not Specified
Width: Not Specified
Height: Not Specified
Wheelbase: Not Specified
Front track: Not Specified
Rear track: Not Specified
Weight with water, lubricant and driver: Not Specified
Wheels (front and rear): 13"
Mercedes-Benz FO 108S
No. of cylinders: 8
Fuel: Mobil Unleaded
Lubricants: Mobil 1 products
Weight: 95kg
No 3 - Kimi Räikkönen
Date of birth: 17/10/1979
Place of birth: Espoo, Finland
Lives: Switzerland
Marital status: Married to Jenni
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 63kg
Driven for:
Sauber (2001),
McLaren (2002-06)
Website: http://www.racecar.co.uk/kimi/
Biography
1998 Finnish Karting Champion and shows strong performances in numerous other international karting series.2005 Five poles, seven wins, five podiums, but only second in drivers' championship due to reliability issues, which see him handicapped by several 10-place grid penalties. Greatest victory arguably at Suzuka, where he starts 17th and passes Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella on final lap to win.
2000 British Formula Renault champion. Competes in three rounds of the European Formula Renault Championship and takes two wins, two poles and two fastest laps.
2001 Makes a strong debut season for Sauber. He takes nine points to finish 10th in the Drivers' Championship and manages ten top-ten qualifying performances.
2002 Joins McLaren and takes three third places and a second.
2003 Takes maiden Grand Prix win in Malaysia and a total of ten podium finishes. Emerges as Michael Schumacher's most consistent title challenger. Runner-up in the drivers' championship, just two points behind the German.
2004 Early-season reliability problems put an early end to championship hopes, but proves his resilience with pole position at Silverstone and a superb victory over Schumacher in Belgium.
Following hard on the heels of the 2000 season's rookie sensation Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen entered the 2001 campaign with even fewer car races under his belt than the talented English youngster.
A graduate of the World and European karting scene, Räikkönen had just 23 events in single-seaters under his belt by the time Sauber cemented his signature on an F1 contract, causing some concern among the establishment and governing body alike over his alleged inexperience. Like Button, however, the Finn points to an extensive kart career as providing the basis for his rapid escalation to the top flight.
Beginning his motorsport odyssey at the tender age of eleven in 1991, the Espoo resident initially contested national events in his native Finland, before moving onwards and upwards to the tightly-fought international scene. Although titles may not have come his way, Räikkönen proved that he had the calibre to run at the front, and took race wins at several championship rounds before making the move into cars. First in the 1997 and 1998 Finnish and Nordic series in Formula ICA and A championships respectively, Räikkönen had already won his maiden international FA race two years previously.
Eschewing the more traditional Formula Ford route into single-seaters, Räikkönen plumped for the slicks-and-wings category run by Renault for his debut - and made the move to the junior formulae hotbed of Britain for his education. Joining FFord team Haywood Racing - which had powered Button to the 1998 British FFord title - the Finn took a podium finish on his maiden outing, but was later forced to quit the series after technical problems thwarted a championship challenge.
Preferring to save his small financial budget for a concerted assault on another title, Räikkönen teamed up with the crack Manor Motorsport squad for the FRenault UK Winter Series, having proven his ability on sporadic outings in both the FFord Zetec EuroCup and Festival events at the end of 1999. The decision to move to Manor paid off handsomely, as a 100 per cent record secured the Winter Series title, and set the Finn up for an equally successful season in the main series the following year.
It was Räikkönen's prowess in landing the 2000 season British FRenault Sport title that first attracted the attention of the Formula One teams, as he took seven wins, ten podiums, seven pole positions and six fastest laps from the ten races. Further impressive performances in the category's EuroCup - where he took two wins, two poles and two fastest laps from three events (and retired from the lead of the other) - finally persuaded Peter Sauber to offer Räikkönen a maiden F1 test, as much to prevent other teams getting their hands on him first!
With just those 23 races under his belt, there were naturally serious concerns that Räikkönen may be biting off more than he could chew in jumping straight from FRenault to F1, but the confident Kimi quickly dispelled any doubts by completing in excess of 100 testing kilometres at Mugello in Italy. Further impressive outings at Jerez and Barcelona in December - where he bettered the lap times of many more established rivals - only served to confirm his potential, and Sauber moved quickly to secure his name on a contract.
He set about proving his point in 2001 and, along with equally young team-mate Nick Heidfeld, rattled the cage of the opposition with a string of points finishes, including sixth place on debut in Melbourne. High points of fourth in both Austria and Canada helped elevate the Finn to a championship ranking of tenth - and attracted the attention of others.
Before the end of the season, Räikkönen was a McLaren man - the Woking team having acted quickly to replace the retiring Mika Hakkinen and stolen his younger countryman from under the noses of Ferrari. The move also left Heidfeld's nose somewhat out of joint, but the German had the last laugh as Räikkönen's end-of-season form dipped after the announcement was made, and he ended his year with a big shunt at the Japanese GP.
Undaunted by either that, or the pressure he faced at McLaren, Räikkönen performed well in 2002. Partnered by veteran David Coulthard, the Finn soon showed he had the upper hand in qualifying, beating DC 10 times, to the Scot's 7 by the season end.
He also went well in the races although reliability problems from Brazil did see him notch up six successive retirements. Mostly though these were due to circumstances outside his control and the Finn eventually ended the season with 24 points.
All in all he would finish on the podium four times, three times in third and once in second, the latter in France was almost certainly nearly the scene of his maiden win. He was robbed though when Allan McNish's Toyota engine dumped its oil on the track. Kimi went off line and Michael Schumacher grabbed the lead, leaving the Finn to come home second best. If this was the biggest disappointment though, he used it to his advantage in 2003.
Kimi had a storming year, taking his maiden F1 win in Malaysia, and taking the battle for the title with Michael Schumacher right down to the wire - the Finn losing out in the end by just two points.
To say he was aided by the new points system, which meant the gap between first and second was worth only two points now and not four, cannot be denied, but neither too can his form. Yes, there was 'lows' - most noticeably in the new single lap qualifying, when in Spain and Canada he was forced to start right from the back after going off on his 'flyer'. This though is not to do the 'Ice-man' any injustice, because despite these few errors, he consistently outperformed his team-mate, Coulthard, and by the season end to say he was considered the number one, went without saying.
Ten podium finishes - and another three points finishes (i.e. only three retirements), were a mark of his consistency, and with a little more luck, he might so easily have been the champion - all this too and in the MP17-D [a development of the 2002 car], after the MP4-18 flopped and was never raced.
Kimi's third season with McLaren was bitterly disappointing, especially considering his form in 2003. It wasn't his fault though. The MP4-19 was never up to the job, and in the early part of the season, both he and team-mate, Coulthard, struggled to achieve any creditable results - Kimi managing just 10 points prior to the introduction of the MP4-19B at the French GP.
The MP4-19B though saved his [and McLaren's] year, and following a second place finish at the British GP, Kimi went on to win in Belgium - and in style, beating Michael Schumacher fair and square. By the end of the year, a third in China, a sixth in Japan and a second in Brazil, raised his points tally to 45, the 'Iceman' ending up classified seventh in the drivers' championship.
After a season which was nothing short of a disaster, Räikkönen was keen to return to winning ways in 2005 – and that was exactly what the Finn did. Putting stories about his private life during the off season to one side, Räikkönen started the season in inauspicious style, picking up a single point from the opening two races before a first podium arrived in Bahrain.
Retirement in San Marino – where he was clearly the quickest driver - left Räikkönen with just seven points from the opening four races (compared to 36 for Alonso) but it was in Spain where the McLaren man finally started to make an impression on the points table, taking pole position and the race win. He repeated the feat in Monaco and was only prevented from making it a hat-trick of victories when a tyre failed on the final lap at the Nurburgring. Unfortunately for Räikkönen, it wasn't to be the last time that luck wouldn't be on his side...
As team-mate Montoya hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in Canada, Räikkönen took win number three of the season but – after the US GP fiasco – came two races that summed up Räikkönen's year. France and Britain saw the McLaren suffer problems in qualifying that left the Finn with a ten place grid penalty that would prove crucial as it left Räikkönen to battle through the midfield while his title rival was clear at the front. That he was able to secure a strong podium in both – and be less than 15 seconds from victory – was an clear sign of how strong the Räikkönen/McLaren package was.
Germany would be the only race in the second half of the season in which he would fail to finish inside the top four, with wins in Hungary, Turkey, Belgium and Japan – where he came from the rear of the field to only take the lead at the start of the final lap – but the gap to Alonso was simply too big and Räikkönen had to settle for the runner-up slot for the second time in his career.
With seven victories over the course of the season, Räikkönen heads into 2006 as many peoples tip for the title and is sure to be in the thick of the battle for the championship. The prospect of a Räikkönen/Alonso partnership is in store for 2007 should Räikkönen stay with the team, although rumours of a move to Ferrari or Toyota persist.
Wherever he ends up plying his trade, Räikkönens stock is only likely to keep rising over the coming year.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 5
Grand Prix: 86
Wins: 9
Points: 281
Poles: 9
Fastest Laps: 16
Best result in 2005: 1st (7 times)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (6 times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 17th (Japan)
Average grid position: 4.10
2005: Out-qualified Juan Pablo Montoya 12 times
2005: Out-qualified Alexander Wurz 1 time
2005: Completed: 1021 out of 1107 laps (92.23%)
2005: Finished 16 times from 18 starts (89%)
No 4 - Juan Pablo Montoya
Date of birth: 20/09/1975
Place of birth: Bogota, Colombia
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Connie, 1 son, Sebastian
Height: 1.68m
Weight: 72kg
Driven for:
WilliamsF1 (2001-2004)
McLaren (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.jpmontoya.com/
Biography
1995 Third place in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship.
1997 Runner-up in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship. Becomes Williams test driver.
1998 Takes the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship.
1999 He becomes the youngest CART FedEx Series Champion ever, winning the title after seven wins and seven pole positions.
2000 Competes in CART with the Chip Ganassi team. Takes three victories and six poles. Wins the Indianapolis 500 at his first attempt.
2001 Moves to Formula One motor racing with the Williams team. Starts the season badly with several big accidents but takes his first victory in Italy.
2002 A strong season with Williams sees him finish third in the Drivers' Championship. Outstanding qualifying performance sees him grab seven pole positions and the record for all time fastest lap.
2003 A strong second half to the season with wins for Williams in Monaco and Germany makes him a favourite for the title with two rounds to go. Championship hopes end when he collides with Barrichello at Indianapolis. Third in the standings.
2004 Final year with Williams following pre-season announcement of planned move to McLaren in 2005. Largely unremarkable results but leaves team on a high with victory in Brazil, beating future team mate Raikkonen.
2005 Mixed first year with McLaren. Misses Bahrain and San Marino due to shoulder injury; disqualified in Canada for ignoring pit-lane red light; comes back to win in Britain, Italy and Brazil. Controversial clashes with backmarkers in later races hinder team's title hopes and leave him fourth in driver standings.
Juan Pablo Montoya breathed Latin fire into Formula One on his belated entrance in 2001 but, having made his mark on the Champcar scene prior to joining Williams, has yet to ignite the flames of battle with Michael Schumacher as many had hoped.
Ironically, the Colombian might not have achieved his US success had it not been for Williams signing Alex Zanardi from Chip Ganassi and sending Montoya over to America as a replacement. While Zanardi struggled to re-adjust to F1, Montoya made hay in the USA.
Montoya began his racing career at the tender age of five, competing in the Colombian Komet karting class, and winning both local and national titles. As he grew older, Montoya progressed to higher classes, eventually contesting the 1990 and 1991 world championships.
His first step in to the car racing arena came with the renowned Skip Barber school in America, before moving onto a Swift GTi the following year. Success came quickly, too, with seven poles and seven wins in the latter series.
A return to Skip Barber in 1994 landed Montoya third place in the then Saab Pro Series, all the while competing in both karting and car racing in South America.
The following year continued in much the same vein, with the Colombian transferring to Britain to race in the Formula Vauxhall series with Paul Stewart Racing. Four wins, four poles and two lap records finally netted another third overall, and set Juan up for a crack at the prestigious British F3 championship.
Montoya, ever keen to reach the top, spent just one year in F3, notching two wins, one pole position and five fastest laps, before moving on again, this time to the International F3000 series.
Running with Marko RSM, the Colombian made a strong start, taking two wins in his rookie season, and landing himself a drive with the crack Super Nova outfit for 1998.
Champions in the past, the team was just the backing Montoya needed, and he duly took the title on the back of four wins and seven pole positions, edging out the likes of Nick Heidfeld, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Jason Watt in the process.
His title campaign was supplemented by test driving duties for the crack Williams GP squad, and it was performances in both cars that drew him to the attention of the racing world. Many expected Montoya to step into the shoes of either Jacques Villeneuve or Heinz-Harald Frentzen when they both departed the Williams team for 1999, but eventually lost out to Ralf Schumacher and the returning Zanardi.
Not content to be confined to testing, Montoya scouted for other outlets for his talent, and was happy to take the offer of a drive in the CART series when Williams mooted an exchange deal for Zanardi. The rest, as they say, is history, with the young Colombian going on to dominate his rookie season. Consecutive wins in Long Beach, Nazareth and Rio de Janeiro provided an early season hat-trick, and a further four wins - accompanied by seven pole positions - were enough to seal his double success. It was also Ganassi's fourth straight title, and marked Montoya out as a special talent.
Despite rumours that he might transfer back across the Atlantic for 2000 - as replacement for the struggling Zanardi - Montoya stayed with the Chip Ganassi operation for a second season in Champcars. Again partnered by Jimmy Vasser, the Colombian was many people's favourite for back-to-back titles, but had to turn the all-new Lola-Toyota combination into a winner to do so. In the end, the task defeated him. Taking a lowly ninth in the series, Montoya was, nevertheless, voted as top driver in the series by the fans for his never say die attitude and sheer racing ability.
It was this that subsequently returned him to F1, as Williams decided he had seen enough and, shipping another rookie - Jenson Button - off to Benetton for two years, exercised his option on Montoya for 2001.
The Colombian had already shown commendable pace in testing, alongside established Williams driver Ralf Schumacher, and was being tipped as a potential race winner before the year got underway in anger.
There was little love lost between the two 'team-mates', and it proved interesting to watch who got the upper hand on and off the track.
Schumacher struck first, by making the most of Montoya's acclimatisation from Champcars and winning in San Marino. This was not before the Colombian had frightened the German's brother in Brazil, however, where he deserved to win before being assaulted by Jos Verstappen's lapped Arrows.
Williams, despite its results, suffered a poor year reliability-wise - and Montoya seemed to bear the brunt of it. Although there were a few accidents on behalf of both drivers, the Colombian was thwarted on more than one occasion by mechanical problems, and it was not until round five in Spain - where he finished second - that he opened his F1 account.
From then on, great drives were interspersed with unreliability, until victory number one finally arrived at Monza. By this time - and in spite of having notched up three wins of his own - Schumacher was looking the more frail of the pair, and Montoya went on to end the year strongly with an inspired second place in Japan.
At the start of 2002 Ralf appeared to have recovered and it was the German who took BMW WilliamsF1's only win of the year, at the Malaysian GP in March. In qualifying though, Juan stunned the F1 paddock, not only did he take five consecutive poles - beginning at the Monte Carlo GP in May - but also at the Italy GP, when he again took pole (his seventh of the season), he also broke the F1 lap record for the fastest ever lap. Furthermore by the season end the Colombian was arguably going better than his team-mate (just) and in the final tally of points, Montoya took 50 and third place in the drivers' championship while Ralf was fourth on 41.
The 2003 season saw Montoya really come to the fore, joining a three way battle with Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher for the drivers' title. In the opening Grand Prix of the season, the Colombian threw away the chance of victory when he spun while leading, handing victory on a plate to David Coulthard. The next five races saw him pick up just seven more points until the F1 boys rolled into Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix. Victory in the rich mans playground saw Montoya start a run of eight consecutive podium finishes, including a stunning win at Hockeheim when he finished over a minute clear of the field. Going into the final two races of the season, Montoya was in with a shot at his first F1 title, but it all fell apart at the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Firstly he was hit with a drive through penalty for an incident with Barrichello, then was unlucky with the timing of his pit stops when the race was hit by rain. With his title chances over, Montoya surged away at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix before retiring with hydraulic problems. Despite finishing third in the title race, Montoya was left disappointed, believing that the stewards' decision to penalise him in America had cost him his title chance.
Before the 2004 season even started, Montoya decided he would leave Williams in 2005, and as such he opted to sign a deal with Team McLaren-Mercedes.
2004 itself though was a big disappointment following the previous year. The Williams-BMW FW26, wasn't as competitive as both he and the team had hoped, and although it improved during the year, he was made to wait until the final race in Brazil, to take his first and only win of the year. This followed twelve other points' finishes - two of which were on the podium, second in Malaysia and third at Imola - leaving him fifth overall in the drivers' championship with 58 points.
2005 saw Montoya move to pastures new as he made his move to McLaren to join forces with Kimi Raikkonen in a driver line-up to strike fear into the rest of the grid. The season started with points in both Australia and Malaysia before a well documented 'tennis injury' forced him to miss both the Bahrain and Spanish Grand Prix.
Although he was scoring points, Montoya hadn't managed to get on the podium as the teams headed to Canada where the Colombian was running at the front until a mix-up during the pit stops led to him being disqualified and he then retired in both America – as part of the Michelin fiasco – and in France. However the British Grand Prix finally saw Montoya come good as he took a dominant maiden victory to emerge from the shadows of Raikkonen and secure his first win of the season.
Wins in Italy and Brazil followed, but bad luck saw a win disappear in Turkey and also prevented him scoring points in Belgium – collisions with backmarkers in both races proving to be crucial. However it was a failure to score in seven races – on top of the two races he missed through injury – that would ultimately cost Montoya his chance to join Raikkonen in fighting for the title and retirements in the final two races of the season saw him just lose out to Michael Schumacher for third in the standings.
With a season with McLaren now behind him, Montoya should be stronger in 2006 and the team will be relying on him to try and secure the constructors' title. The man himself will be focused firmly on trying to take the drivers' title from the grasp of Fernando Alonso and, should he succeed, it would certainly put him in a strong position to stay with the team for 2007 when the Spaniard makes his move from Renault.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 5
Grand Prix: 84
Wins: 7
Points: 281
Poles: 12
Fastest Laps: 12
Best result in 2005: 1st (Britain, Italy and Brazil)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Belgium)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th (Germany)
Average grid position: 7.76
2005: Out-qualified Kimi Raikkonen 5 times
2005: Completed: 827 out of 988 laps (83.7%)
2005: Finished 11 times from 16 starts (69%)
Date of birth: 17/10/1979
Place of birth: Espoo, Finland
Lives: Switzerland
Marital status: Married to Jenni
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 63kg
Driven for:
Sauber (2001),
McLaren (2002-06)
Website: http://www.racecar.co.uk/kimi/
Biography
1998 Finnish Karting Champion and shows strong performances in numerous other international karting series.2005 Five poles, seven wins, five podiums, but only second in drivers' championship due to reliability issues, which see him handicapped by several 10-place grid penalties. Greatest victory arguably at Suzuka, where he starts 17th and passes Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella on final lap to win.
2000 British Formula Renault champion. Competes in three rounds of the European Formula Renault Championship and takes two wins, two poles and two fastest laps.
2001 Makes a strong debut season for Sauber. He takes nine points to finish 10th in the Drivers' Championship and manages ten top-ten qualifying performances.
2002 Joins McLaren and takes three third places and a second.
2003 Takes maiden Grand Prix win in Malaysia and a total of ten podium finishes. Emerges as Michael Schumacher's most consistent title challenger. Runner-up in the drivers' championship, just two points behind the German.
2004 Early-season reliability problems put an early end to championship hopes, but proves his resilience with pole position at Silverstone and a superb victory over Schumacher in Belgium.
Following hard on the heels of the 2000 season's rookie sensation Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen entered the 2001 campaign with even fewer car races under his belt than the talented English youngster.
A graduate of the World and European karting scene, Räikkönen had just 23 events in single-seaters under his belt by the time Sauber cemented his signature on an F1 contract, causing some concern among the establishment and governing body alike over his alleged inexperience. Like Button, however, the Finn points to an extensive kart career as providing the basis for his rapid escalation to the top flight.
Beginning his motorsport odyssey at the tender age of eleven in 1991, the Espoo resident initially contested national events in his native Finland, before moving onwards and upwards to the tightly-fought international scene. Although titles may not have come his way, Räikkönen proved that he had the calibre to run at the front, and took race wins at several championship rounds before making the move into cars. First in the 1997 and 1998 Finnish and Nordic series in Formula ICA and A championships respectively, Räikkönen had already won his maiden international FA race two years previously.
Eschewing the more traditional Formula Ford route into single-seaters, Räikkönen plumped for the slicks-and-wings category run by Renault for his debut - and made the move to the junior formulae hotbed of Britain for his education. Joining FFord team Haywood Racing - which had powered Button to the 1998 British FFord title - the Finn took a podium finish on his maiden outing, but was later forced to quit the series after technical problems thwarted a championship challenge.
Preferring to save his small financial budget for a concerted assault on another title, Räikkönen teamed up with the crack Manor Motorsport squad for the FRenault UK Winter Series, having proven his ability on sporadic outings in both the FFord Zetec EuroCup and Festival events at the end of 1999. The decision to move to Manor paid off handsomely, as a 100 per cent record secured the Winter Series title, and set the Finn up for an equally successful season in the main series the following year.
It was Räikkönen's prowess in landing the 2000 season British FRenault Sport title that first attracted the attention of the Formula One teams, as he took seven wins, ten podiums, seven pole positions and six fastest laps from the ten races. Further impressive performances in the category's EuroCup - where he took two wins, two poles and two fastest laps from three events (and retired from the lead of the other) - finally persuaded Peter Sauber to offer Räikkönen a maiden F1 test, as much to prevent other teams getting their hands on him first!
With just those 23 races under his belt, there were naturally serious concerns that Räikkönen may be biting off more than he could chew in jumping straight from FRenault to F1, but the confident Kimi quickly dispelled any doubts by completing in excess of 100 testing kilometres at Mugello in Italy. Further impressive outings at Jerez and Barcelona in December - where he bettered the lap times of many more established rivals - only served to confirm his potential, and Sauber moved quickly to secure his name on a contract.
He set about proving his point in 2001 and, along with equally young team-mate Nick Heidfeld, rattled the cage of the opposition with a string of points finishes, including sixth place on debut in Melbourne. High points of fourth in both Austria and Canada helped elevate the Finn to a championship ranking of tenth - and attracted the attention of others.
Before the end of the season, Räikkönen was a McLaren man - the Woking team having acted quickly to replace the retiring Mika Hakkinen and stolen his younger countryman from under the noses of Ferrari. The move also left Heidfeld's nose somewhat out of joint, but the German had the last laugh as Räikkönen's end-of-season form dipped after the announcement was made, and he ended his year with a big shunt at the Japanese GP.
Undaunted by either that, or the pressure he faced at McLaren, Räikkönen performed well in 2002. Partnered by veteran David Coulthard, the Finn soon showed he had the upper hand in qualifying, beating DC 10 times, to the Scot's 7 by the season end.
He also went well in the races although reliability problems from Brazil did see him notch up six successive retirements. Mostly though these were due to circumstances outside his control and the Finn eventually ended the season with 24 points.
All in all he would finish on the podium four times, three times in third and once in second, the latter in France was almost certainly nearly the scene of his maiden win. He was robbed though when Allan McNish's Toyota engine dumped its oil on the track. Kimi went off line and Michael Schumacher grabbed the lead, leaving the Finn to come home second best. If this was the biggest disappointment though, he used it to his advantage in 2003.
Kimi had a storming year, taking his maiden F1 win in Malaysia, and taking the battle for the title with Michael Schumacher right down to the wire - the Finn losing out in the end by just two points.
To say he was aided by the new points system, which meant the gap between first and second was worth only two points now and not four, cannot be denied, but neither too can his form. Yes, there was 'lows' - most noticeably in the new single lap qualifying, when in Spain and Canada he was forced to start right from the back after going off on his 'flyer'. This though is not to do the 'Ice-man' any injustice, because despite these few errors, he consistently outperformed his team-mate, Coulthard, and by the season end to say he was considered the number one, went without saying.
Ten podium finishes - and another three points finishes (i.e. only three retirements), were a mark of his consistency, and with a little more luck, he might so easily have been the champion - all this too and in the MP17-D [a development of the 2002 car], after the MP4-18 flopped and was never raced.
Kimi's third season with McLaren was bitterly disappointing, especially considering his form in 2003. It wasn't his fault though. The MP4-19 was never up to the job, and in the early part of the season, both he and team-mate, Coulthard, struggled to achieve any creditable results - Kimi managing just 10 points prior to the introduction of the MP4-19B at the French GP.
The MP4-19B though saved his [and McLaren's] year, and following a second place finish at the British GP, Kimi went on to win in Belgium - and in style, beating Michael Schumacher fair and square. By the end of the year, a third in China, a sixth in Japan and a second in Brazil, raised his points tally to 45, the 'Iceman' ending up classified seventh in the drivers' championship.
After a season which was nothing short of a disaster, Räikkönen was keen to return to winning ways in 2005 – and that was exactly what the Finn did. Putting stories about his private life during the off season to one side, Räikkönen started the season in inauspicious style, picking up a single point from the opening two races before a first podium arrived in Bahrain.
Retirement in San Marino – where he was clearly the quickest driver - left Räikkönen with just seven points from the opening four races (compared to 36 for Alonso) but it was in Spain where the McLaren man finally started to make an impression on the points table, taking pole position and the race win. He repeated the feat in Monaco and was only prevented from making it a hat-trick of victories when a tyre failed on the final lap at the Nurburgring. Unfortunately for Räikkönen, it wasn't to be the last time that luck wouldn't be on his side...
As team-mate Montoya hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in Canada, Räikkönen took win number three of the season but – after the US GP fiasco – came two races that summed up Räikkönen's year. France and Britain saw the McLaren suffer problems in qualifying that left the Finn with a ten place grid penalty that would prove crucial as it left Räikkönen to battle through the midfield while his title rival was clear at the front. That he was able to secure a strong podium in both – and be less than 15 seconds from victory – was an clear sign of how strong the Räikkönen/McLaren package was.
Germany would be the only race in the second half of the season in which he would fail to finish inside the top four, with wins in Hungary, Turkey, Belgium and Japan – where he came from the rear of the field to only take the lead at the start of the final lap – but the gap to Alonso was simply too big and Räikkönen had to settle for the runner-up slot for the second time in his career.
With seven victories over the course of the season, Räikkönen heads into 2006 as many peoples tip for the title and is sure to be in the thick of the battle for the championship. The prospect of a Räikkönen/Alonso partnership is in store for 2007 should Räikkönen stay with the team, although rumours of a move to Ferrari or Toyota persist.
Wherever he ends up plying his trade, Räikkönens stock is only likely to keep rising over the coming year.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 5
Grand Prix: 86
Wins: 9
Points: 281
Poles: 9
Fastest Laps: 16
Best result in 2005: 1st (7 times)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (6 times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 17th (Japan)
Average grid position: 4.10
2005: Out-qualified Juan Pablo Montoya 12 times
2005: Out-qualified Alexander Wurz 1 time
2005: Completed: 1021 out of 1107 laps (92.23%)
2005: Finished 16 times from 18 starts (89%)
No 4 - Juan Pablo Montoya
Date of birth: 20/09/1975
Place of birth: Bogota, Colombia
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Connie, 1 son, Sebastian
Height: 1.68m
Weight: 72kg
Driven for:
WilliamsF1 (2001-2004)
McLaren (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.jpmontoya.com/
Biography
1995 Third place in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship.
1997 Runner-up in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship. Becomes Williams test driver.
1998 Takes the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship.
1999 He becomes the youngest CART FedEx Series Champion ever, winning the title after seven wins and seven pole positions.
2000 Competes in CART with the Chip Ganassi team. Takes three victories and six poles. Wins the Indianapolis 500 at his first attempt.
2001 Moves to Formula One motor racing with the Williams team. Starts the season badly with several big accidents but takes his first victory in Italy.
2002 A strong season with Williams sees him finish third in the Drivers' Championship. Outstanding qualifying performance sees him grab seven pole positions and the record for all time fastest lap.
2003 A strong second half to the season with wins for Williams in Monaco and Germany makes him a favourite for the title with two rounds to go. Championship hopes end when he collides with Barrichello at Indianapolis. Third in the standings.
2004 Final year with Williams following pre-season announcement of planned move to McLaren in 2005. Largely unremarkable results but leaves team on a high with victory in Brazil, beating future team mate Raikkonen.
2005 Mixed first year with McLaren. Misses Bahrain and San Marino due to shoulder injury; disqualified in Canada for ignoring pit-lane red light; comes back to win in Britain, Italy and Brazil. Controversial clashes with backmarkers in later races hinder team's title hopes and leave him fourth in driver standings.
Juan Pablo Montoya breathed Latin fire into Formula One on his belated entrance in 2001 but, having made his mark on the Champcar scene prior to joining Williams, has yet to ignite the flames of battle with Michael Schumacher as many had hoped.
Ironically, the Colombian might not have achieved his US success had it not been for Williams signing Alex Zanardi from Chip Ganassi and sending Montoya over to America as a replacement. While Zanardi struggled to re-adjust to F1, Montoya made hay in the USA.
Montoya began his racing career at the tender age of five, competing in the Colombian Komet karting class, and winning both local and national titles. As he grew older, Montoya progressed to higher classes, eventually contesting the 1990 and 1991 world championships.
His first step in to the car racing arena came with the renowned Skip Barber school in America, before moving onto a Swift GTi the following year. Success came quickly, too, with seven poles and seven wins in the latter series.
A return to Skip Barber in 1994 landed Montoya third place in the then Saab Pro Series, all the while competing in both karting and car racing in South America.
The following year continued in much the same vein, with the Colombian transferring to Britain to race in the Formula Vauxhall series with Paul Stewart Racing. Four wins, four poles and two lap records finally netted another third overall, and set Juan up for a crack at the prestigious British F3 championship.
Montoya, ever keen to reach the top, spent just one year in F3, notching two wins, one pole position and five fastest laps, before moving on again, this time to the International F3000 series.
Running with Marko RSM, the Colombian made a strong start, taking two wins in his rookie season, and landing himself a drive with the crack Super Nova outfit for 1998.
Champions in the past, the team was just the backing Montoya needed, and he duly took the title on the back of four wins and seven pole positions, edging out the likes of Nick Heidfeld, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Jason Watt in the process.
His title campaign was supplemented by test driving duties for the crack Williams GP squad, and it was performances in both cars that drew him to the attention of the racing world. Many expected Montoya to step into the shoes of either Jacques Villeneuve or Heinz-Harald Frentzen when they both departed the Williams team for 1999, but eventually lost out to Ralf Schumacher and the returning Zanardi.
Not content to be confined to testing, Montoya scouted for other outlets for his talent, and was happy to take the offer of a drive in the CART series when Williams mooted an exchange deal for Zanardi. The rest, as they say, is history, with the young Colombian going on to dominate his rookie season. Consecutive wins in Long Beach, Nazareth and Rio de Janeiro provided an early season hat-trick, and a further four wins - accompanied by seven pole positions - were enough to seal his double success. It was also Ganassi's fourth straight title, and marked Montoya out as a special talent.
Despite rumours that he might transfer back across the Atlantic for 2000 - as replacement for the struggling Zanardi - Montoya stayed with the Chip Ganassi operation for a second season in Champcars. Again partnered by Jimmy Vasser, the Colombian was many people's favourite for back-to-back titles, but had to turn the all-new Lola-Toyota combination into a winner to do so. In the end, the task defeated him. Taking a lowly ninth in the series, Montoya was, nevertheless, voted as top driver in the series by the fans for his never say die attitude and sheer racing ability.
It was this that subsequently returned him to F1, as Williams decided he had seen enough and, shipping another rookie - Jenson Button - off to Benetton for two years, exercised his option on Montoya for 2001.
The Colombian had already shown commendable pace in testing, alongside established Williams driver Ralf Schumacher, and was being tipped as a potential race winner before the year got underway in anger.
There was little love lost between the two 'team-mates', and it proved interesting to watch who got the upper hand on and off the track.
Schumacher struck first, by making the most of Montoya's acclimatisation from Champcars and winning in San Marino. This was not before the Colombian had frightened the German's brother in Brazil, however, where he deserved to win before being assaulted by Jos Verstappen's lapped Arrows.
Williams, despite its results, suffered a poor year reliability-wise - and Montoya seemed to bear the brunt of it. Although there were a few accidents on behalf of both drivers, the Colombian was thwarted on more than one occasion by mechanical problems, and it was not until round five in Spain - where he finished second - that he opened his F1 account.
From then on, great drives were interspersed with unreliability, until victory number one finally arrived at Monza. By this time - and in spite of having notched up three wins of his own - Schumacher was looking the more frail of the pair, and Montoya went on to end the year strongly with an inspired second place in Japan.
At the start of 2002 Ralf appeared to have recovered and it was the German who took BMW WilliamsF1's only win of the year, at the Malaysian GP in March. In qualifying though, Juan stunned the F1 paddock, not only did he take five consecutive poles - beginning at the Monte Carlo GP in May - but also at the Italy GP, when he again took pole (his seventh of the season), he also broke the F1 lap record for the fastest ever lap. Furthermore by the season end the Colombian was arguably going better than his team-mate (just) and in the final tally of points, Montoya took 50 and third place in the drivers' championship while Ralf was fourth on 41.
The 2003 season saw Montoya really come to the fore, joining a three way battle with Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher for the drivers' title. In the opening Grand Prix of the season, the Colombian threw away the chance of victory when he spun while leading, handing victory on a plate to David Coulthard. The next five races saw him pick up just seven more points until the F1 boys rolled into Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix. Victory in the rich mans playground saw Montoya start a run of eight consecutive podium finishes, including a stunning win at Hockeheim when he finished over a minute clear of the field. Going into the final two races of the season, Montoya was in with a shot at his first F1 title, but it all fell apart at the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Firstly he was hit with a drive through penalty for an incident with Barrichello, then was unlucky with the timing of his pit stops when the race was hit by rain. With his title chances over, Montoya surged away at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix before retiring with hydraulic problems. Despite finishing third in the title race, Montoya was left disappointed, believing that the stewards' decision to penalise him in America had cost him his title chance.
Before the 2004 season even started, Montoya decided he would leave Williams in 2005, and as such he opted to sign a deal with Team McLaren-Mercedes.
2004 itself though was a big disappointment following the previous year. The Williams-BMW FW26, wasn't as competitive as both he and the team had hoped, and although it improved during the year, he was made to wait until the final race in Brazil, to take his first and only win of the year. This followed twelve other points' finishes - two of which were on the podium, second in Malaysia and third at Imola - leaving him fifth overall in the drivers' championship with 58 points.
2005 saw Montoya move to pastures new as he made his move to McLaren to join forces with Kimi Raikkonen in a driver line-up to strike fear into the rest of the grid. The season started with points in both Australia and Malaysia before a well documented 'tennis injury' forced him to miss both the Bahrain and Spanish Grand Prix.
Although he was scoring points, Montoya hadn't managed to get on the podium as the teams headed to Canada where the Colombian was running at the front until a mix-up during the pit stops led to him being disqualified and he then retired in both America – as part of the Michelin fiasco – and in France. However the British Grand Prix finally saw Montoya come good as he took a dominant maiden victory to emerge from the shadows of Raikkonen and secure his first win of the season.
Wins in Italy and Brazil followed, but bad luck saw a win disappear in Turkey and also prevented him scoring points in Belgium – collisions with backmarkers in both races proving to be crucial. However it was a failure to score in seven races – on top of the two races he missed through injury – that would ultimately cost Montoya his chance to join Raikkonen in fighting for the title and retirements in the final two races of the season saw him just lose out to Michael Schumacher for third in the standings.
With a season with McLaren now behind him, Montoya should be stronger in 2006 and the team will be relying on him to try and secure the constructors' title. The man himself will be focused firmly on trying to take the drivers' title from the grasp of Fernando Alonso and, should he succeed, it would certainly put him in a strong position to stay with the team for 2007 when the Spaniard makes his move from Renault.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 5
Grand Prix: 84
Wins: 7
Points: 281
Poles: 12
Fastest Laps: 12
Best result in 2005: 1st (Britain, Italy and Brazil)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Belgium)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th (Germany)
Average grid position: 7.76
2005: Out-qualified Kimi Raikkonen 5 times
2005: Completed: 827 out of 988 laps (83.7%)
2005: Finished 11 times from 16 starts (69%)
Team HQ
Based in: Maranello, Italy
Founded: 1946 (active since 1950)
Via A Ascari 55-57
41053 Maranello
(MO) Italy
Tel: (39) 536 949111
Fax: (39) 536 946488
www.ferrariworld.com
Team Structure
Chairman: Luca Di Montezemolo
Managing director: Jean Todt
Technical director: Ross Brawn
Chief designer: Aldo Costa (2005-...)
Team manager: Stefano Domenicali
Team Biography
The first cars run by Ferrari were Alfa Romeos, fielded by team patron Enzo Ferrari in the pre-championship years. From 1950 on, however, there have generally been true Ferraris on the grid - making it the oldest and best known of all grand prix teams.
Deprived of a title in the first two years of the world championship, ironically by Alfa Romeo, Ferrari bounced back to take the Drivers' title with Alberto Ascari in both 1952 and 1953. Another barren few years followed, but Ferrari took over the moderately successful Lancia entries and returned to the winner's circle in 1956, this time with Juan Manuel Fangio.
Further success came two years later, when Mike Hawthorn was crowned as Britain's first world champion. Driving the Tipo 146 - named Dino after Ferrari's son - Hawthorn pipped Stirling Moss to the title, despite having won fewer races than his compatriot and rival.
Again, however, innovation overtook Ferrari and, having seen the rear-engined Coopers win titles in 1959 and 1960, the Italian team was forced to follow suit. The first car - the Tipo 156 - was both beautiful and fast. The German Wolfgang von Trips was poised to win the championship title, only to be killed in an accident before the end of the season. His team-mate Phil Hill took up the challenge and eventually triumphed in his team-mate's memory.
Just one title came in the next 15 years, with former motorcycle champ John Surtees becoming the first man to win world championships on two and four wheels, by triumphing in 1964. Despite running an impressive list of drivers, it took the arrival of the young Austrian Niki Lauda to revive Ferrari's flagging fortunes.
Although he missed out in his first season, Lauda took the 1975 title, beating reigning champion Emerson Fittipaldi by almost 20 points. A second crown would have followed in 1976, but Lauda suffered an appalling accident at the Nurburgring in Germany. Despite receiving severe burns - and having been given the Last Rites - Lauda returned to racing just a few races later. He eventually lost the title to James Hunt by a single point, but returned to claim it back in 1977.
Jody Scheckter took the world drivers' championships in 1979 for Ferrari, following a hard fought season with his team-mate Gilles Villeneuve. The team then had to wait 21 years before they took the drivers crown again. This wasn't due to a lack of good drivers though - and despite losing great hopes Villeneuve and Didier Pironi to accidents - signings such as Alain Prost, Jean Alesi and Nigel Mansell all failed to bring the drivers crown back to Italy.
In 1988 team founder Enzo Ferrari died, and the team suffered several years in the wilderness before former team manager Luca di Montezemolo was appointed to turn things around. Di Montezemolo and manager Jean Todt then went on to form a promising team, with Michael Schumacher being backed up by former Benetton design duo Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne.
Schumacher almost took the title in 1997, but a controversial collision with Jacques Villeneuve's Williams in the last round at Jerez put the Ferrari out of the race and the title chase.
The 1998 campaign was supposed to be the one where Ferrari returned to the top, but was hijacked by the resurgent McLaren team. Schumacher continued to be the greatest threat to the Woking team, matching eventual champion Mika Hakkinen blow-for-blow in the second half of the season, but the world title was made to wait.
The team decided that continuity was its best policy going into 1999, retaining Schumacher and Eddie Irvine for a fourth consecutive season. The new F399 chassis was an evolution of the '98-vintage F300 - despite the confusing numbering - and the engine further developed to make it among the most powerful in the field. For once, however, no-one at Maranello predicted that "this was the year" which, in hindsight proved to be a good idea. Schumacher looked set to take the battle to Hakkinen and McLaren, but broke his leg at Silverstone, leaving Irvine to continue the job. The Irishman came close, but failed to prevent the Finn from taking back-to-back titles.
Irvine, frustrated at not being able to compete with the returning Schumacher despite helping Ferrari to the constructors' title, departed for Jaguar over the winter, to be replaced by Rubens Barrichello.
The 2000 season was when everything finally fell back into place for 'The Prancing Horse' and, after a 21-year wait, Michael Schumacher finally won the drivers' title again for Ferrari in a year that yielded nine victories and twelve podium finishes in total. Barrichello provided more than able back-up and took an emotional first GP victory with a superb dry/wet drive in Germany at Hockenheim.
The car built to defend the title - the F2001 - came complete with a lowered nose and improved aerodynamics and, despite Badoer's massive testing crash in Barcelona, quickly obliterated the existing Mugello lap record.
The Scuderia entered the year as favourites to retain both the drivers' and constructors' championships, and duly did so as Schumacher took full advantage of a lacklustre year for expected rivals McLaren.
Not that the German had it all his own way, for David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen and the Williams pair of Juan Montoya and brother Ralf all took turns at winning races. But it was Schumacher's solid start to the year - and nine race wins - that finally secured back-to-back crowns.
Success in Australia and Malaysia set the standard, while second spot in Brazil kept the scoreboard ticking over and, when Coulthard's challenge in particular was thwarted by unusual McLaren problems, Schumi was there to pick up the pieces. Only twice did he have to retire, and his nine wins were complemented by five-second places. It was no surprise, therefore, when the German finally toppled Alain Prost's marks for wins and career points.
Team-mate Barrichello briefly threatened Coulthard for second overall, but endured poor luck in the final few races to negate the effects of ten podium finishes in the year.
2002 was all about Ferrari domination, despite the fact the Prancing horse started the year with the F2001. The new car - the F2002 - finally made it's debut in Brazil, and what a debut! - Schumacher qualified on the front row and then went onto take victory, his second in the first three races.
All in all Schumacher would win on eleven occasions - a new record for the most in any one season - and he would also take his fifth drivers crown (Ferraris' twelfth) and thus equal the record set by Fangio in the 1950's. The German's worst finish all year was a third place in Malaysia and he wrapped up the title in record-breaking time, at the French GP on July 21st.
Team-mate Barrichello didn't have it quite so good, retiring on five occasions however, he still scored 77 points and finished runner-up in the drivers' championship. Rubens also tasted the victory champagne again, taking Ferraris' combined total in 2002 to 15 wins, 27 podiums and 221 points.
It wasn't all highs though the 'Austria-gate' affair was a big blemish on the team's year. The decision by Ferrari to order Barrichello to give Michael the win went down like a lead balloon. The crowd reacted angrily and booed the German on the podium. The media also went mad and this was without a doubt the worst moment of the year for the Scuderia.
Indeed it went down so badly that the FIA later introduced a rule banning team orders. Whether this will ever stop them is highly unlikely, but it will stop such blatant use, such as that seen at the A1-Ring. Something the fans didn't like one little bit.
2003 saw a 'four-peat' for Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, but unlike in the previous season, both were made to work for it, and didn't tie up their respective crowns until the final race of the year in Japan.
The new points structure - whereby the top eight scored points, and the gap between finishing first and second, was reduced from a four point advantage to two, didn't help, but the biggest problem for the Scuderia was the strength of their rivals [although granted all the new rules and regulations did in many ways throw a 'joker' into the pack].
Both Williams and McLaren pushed them all the way, and Renault too, were on occasions a thorn in their side. One of the biggest problems though, was the fact these three teams used Michelin tyres, while Ferrari had Bridgestone's. More often than not Michelin seemed to have the edge, and it was perhaps only a 're-interpretation' of the tyre regulations prior to the Italian GP - something instigated by the Maranello team and highly controversial - that helped them, by forcing their rivals to take appropriate actions to ensure their legality.
All in all, Ferrari scored 158 points - 14 more than nearest rivals, Williams, while Schumi took his title [a record sixth, Ferrari's 13th] by just two points, 93 to Kimi Raikkonen's 91. Barrichello meanwhile finished fourth in the drivers' table on 65 - the Brazilian and his German team-mate combining to add eight more wins to the Scuderia's total - six courtesy of Michael, while Rubens made-do with two.
The next year was virtually a repeat of 2002, with Ferrari dominating the field with the evolutionary F2004.
Schumacher started the season with five wins in succession, and although he failed to finish at Monaco, following that he took another seven consecutive wins, before finishing second in Belgium to sow up the drivers' championship - his 7th and Ferrari's 14th. Although Schumacher was less than convincing in China, he won in Japan, before coming home seventh in Brazil, the final race of the season, to end the year with 17 finishes out of 18 races, 16 of which were all in the points.
Barrichello also went well in the sister F2004 and, although he was never as good as Schumacher, 14 podiums during the season - including two races wins - said everything about Ferrari's dominance, and the Brazilian not only helped Ferrari to the constructors' title, but also finished second in the drivers' table, giving Ferrari a near perfect year.
In total, the Scuderia scored 262 points, more than double that of BAR, which finished second in the constructors' standings, while winning 15 of the 18 races.
Although Ferrari entered 2005 as the team to beat, history will relate that the Italian giant struggled to make a mark in a year that was dominated by Michelin-shod rivals Renault and McLaren.
Changes to the tyre rules - prohibiting mid-race changes - caught both Ferrari and Bridgestone on the hop, with the result that the Scuderia managed just one win all year - and that a controversial success as Schumacher and Barrichello headed a six-car procession at the Michelin-boycotted USGP at Indianapolis.
Although seven-time champion Schumacher turned in the odd inspired drive - notably at Imola, where he pushed Fernando Alonso to the line - podiums were few and far between, with just Canada, Hungary (both seconds) and France (third) producing silverware.
The red cars invariably qualified well down the field as Bridgestone attempted to find a compound that would last the race distance, leaving Schumacher and Barrichello, who finished third and eighth in the title race, with too much to do on Sunday.
A return to more familiar rules for 2006 has improved morale, but Barrichello has departed, tired of playing second fiddle to team leader Schumacher, who continues to defy retirement rumours. The German will be joined by former Sauber racer and Ferrari tester Felipe Massa as he attempts to get the Scuderia back on track.
The first V8-powered Ferrari of the modern era has reverted to the team's tried and trusted identification system, and will race as the 248 - reflecting 2.4-litre and eight cylinders - while the team remains on Bridgestone rubber.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 14
Constructors' Titles: 14
Seasons in F1: 56
Grand Prix: 723
Wins: 183
Points: 3444.5
Poles: 179
Fastest Laps: 184
Best result in 2005: 1st - M Schumacher (USA)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - M Schumacher (Hungary)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th - Barrichello (Canada)
2005 Average grid position: M Schumacher (8.3) Barrichello (10.6)
2005: M Schumacher out-qualified Barrichello 12 times
2005: Barrichello out-qualified M Schumacher 7 times
2005: Completed: 2131 out of 2360 laps (90.30%)
2005: Finished 30 times from 38 starts (78.95%)
248 F1 Technical Specifications
Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox limited-slip differential
Semiautomatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox
Number of gears 7 + reverse
Ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Dimensions
Length: 4545 mm
Width: 1796 mm
Height: 959 mm
Wheelbase: 3050 mm
Front track: 1470 mm
Rear track: 1405 mm
Weight with water, lubricant and driver: 600 kg
Wheels (front and rear): 13"
Ferrari Type 056
Number of cylinders: 8
Cylinder block in cast aluminium V90 degrees
Number of valves: 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement: 2398 cm3
Magneti Marelli digital electronic injection
Magneti Marelli static electronic ignition
Fuel Shell V-Power ULG 59
Lubricant Shell SL-0932
No 5 - Michael Schumacher
Date of birth: 03/01/1969
Place of birth: Hurth-Hermulheim, Germany
Lives: Vufflens-le-Chateau, Switzerland
Marital status: Married to Corrina, 1 daughter, Gina-Marie, 1 son, Mick
Height: 1.74m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1991)
Benetton (1991-95)
Ferrari (1996-2006)
Website: http://www.michael-schumacher.de/
Biography
1990 Wins German Formula 3 Championship.
1991 Formula One debut for Jordan, but moves to Benetton after one race. Takes four Drivers' Championship points.
1992 Wins the Belgian Grand Prix and finishes third in the Drivers' Championship driving for Benetton.
1994 Wins his first Drivers' Championship amidst controversy - colliding with nearest rival Damon Hill in the last race of the season.
1995 Wins his second Drivers' title with Benetton.
1996 Joins Ferrari and starts on the long process of turning the team's fortunes around. Finishes third in the Drivers' Championship.
1997 Finishes second in the Drivers' Championship - but is disqualified after a collision with eventual champion Villeneuve at the final race of the season.
1998 Takes the Drivers' title to the last race of the season but then stalls on the grid at Suzuka, losing the Championship to Mika Hakkinen.
1999 Crashes at the British Grand Prix and breaks his leg. Returns for the Malaysian Grand Prix and helps Ferrari to its first Constructors' Championship since 1983.
2000-2002 Wins a hat-trick of Drivers' titles, rewriting the record books of the sport in the process. Draws level with Juan Manuel Fangio on five World Championships and helps Ferrari to take the Constructors' crown in each season as well.
2003 Pushed hard by the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen after a poor start to the season, but fights back to clinch a record sixth drivers' title at the final round in Japan.
2004 Wins his seventh drivers' championship in style with an amazing 13 victories from 18 races. Retires just once, in Monaco, following controversial collision with Montoya under the safety car.
2005 Finally loses his crown as F2005 and Bridgestone tyres prove no match for Renault and McLaren rivals. Sole victory comes in depleted US race after Michelin withdrawal. Continues to dominate team mate Rubens Barrichello, finishing third in driver standings, helping Ferrari to same place in constructors' championship.
Michael Schumacher existed as motor racing's best-kept secret prior to his explosive debut season in 1991. Since then he has seldom been away from the front of the grid, displaying fantastic car control and electrifying speed. A quiet man away from the track, Michael has been involved in more than his fair share of controversy on it, but remains among the best exponents of wet-weather driving.
After a successful karting career - aided by the fact that the Schumacher family operated the local Kerpen circuit - Michael moved into the German Formula Konig series. En route to securing the 1988 title, Schumacher also dabbled with the national and European Formula Ford championships. He finished 6th in his homeland, but one win and a string of solid finishes allowed him to take 2nd overall behind Mika Salo in the Euro series.
The success of his first season in cars allowed Schumacher to move up to Formula Three in 1989, finishing runner-up in the German series, with two wins. He also took a heat win in Macau but, in spite of opportunities to progress, Michael decided to make a second attempt on the German F3 championship. He took the crown courtesy of five wins, and the Macau title also came his way, following a heated battle with Mika Hakkinen.
Instead of graduating to the F3000 series, Michael opted for a second season of World Sports Cars in 1991. Along with 1989 F3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, Schumacher had been selected to represent the Mercedes Junior Team in the 1990 WSC series, and rewarded his employers with victory in Mexico. The second year in the championship was equally successful with a win at the Autopolis circuit in Japan en route to ninth place in the standings.
Whilst in Japan, Schumacher took advantage of the chance to sample F3000. Racing in the Japanese national series, he finished second in his sole outing, but this, combined with his sportscar performances, was enough to convince Eddie Jordan that Schumacher was worth a run in Formula One.
The German's incredible 1991 season culminated in six F1 races - but with two teams. After his Belgian debut, in which he qualified seventh but retired on the opening lap, Schumacher was poached from under Jordan's nose by the Benetton team. Five races with the Anglo-Italian squad resulted in three points finishes and began a relationship, which would put Schumacher on top of the world.
Exactly one year after his F1 debut, Schumacher topped the podium, winning the 1992 Belgian GP, en route to third in the championship. A second victory took slightly longer to arrive, however, coming in Portugal the following year, as Schumacher finished the season fourth overall.
Benetton were looking increasingly stronger, however, and the pairing eventually won a championship in 1994. Nevertheless, several controversial incidents prevented Michael from clinching the crown until the final race. A two-race ban for overtaking on the warm-up lap at the British GP, and disqualification from the Belgian race, saw Schumacher's series lead eroded by Damon Hill and the pair arrived in Australia separated by a single point. In the first of their celebrated collisions, Schumacher and Hill were both forced out of the race, handing the title to the German.
A second title the following year was slightly easier to come by, as Schumacher equalled Nigel Mansell's record tally of nine wins in a season and dominated proceedings. He did not have things all his own way, however, and two further collisions with Hill (at Silverstone and Monza) tainted the celebrations.
A massive salary rise and the chance to put Ferrari back on the map enticed Schumacher to Maranello for the 1996 season. Although the car he was given was both unreliable and ill-handling, Schumacher wrestled it to three wins and third place overall.
The following year saw him improve to second in the championship as he took the title fight to favourite Jacques Villeneuve. Five wins with the inconsistent F310B allowed Michael to remain in the championship hunt until the final round at Jerez, but another contentious collision, this time with Villeneuve himself, saw the Ferrari retire, handing the title to the Canadian. Schumacher was later removed from the championship standings for his part in the incident.
The German remained at Ferrari for 1998 but, despite confident predictions that the team would be ready to win the title, Schumacher once again lost out, this time to the markedly improved McLarens. Nevertheless, he remained the only real challenger to their supremacy and race wins in the latter half of the season continued to push the title race all the way to the final round.
Controversy once again came Michael's way as he collided with McLaren's David Coulthard in Belgium despite seemingly having the race in his pocket. The German returned to the pits on three wheels before storming into the McLaren pit and accusing Coulthard of trying to kill him.
Having learned the lessons of previous seasons, Schumacher began 1999 by refusing to say that Ferrari would win the title. He was, however, quietly optimistic that this may have, indeed, been the year of the Prancing Horse but was ultimately frustrated by a leg-breaking shunt at the British GP. Returning for the season's final two races in order to lend a hand to team-mate Irvine's title challenge, Schumacher promptly took pole and dominated the race in Malaysia.
The 2000 campaign saw the German partnered by Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari, and was the year in which it all went right for the Scuderia. A record-equaling nine wins, including three straight at the beginning of the year and another four in a row at the end, clinched Ferrari's first drivers' title since 1979, and Schumacher's third since his impactful entry to F1. In all, the German scored 108 points to nearest challenger Mika Hakkinen's 89 and, had it not been for two successive mid-season accidents - on the startline in both Germany and Austria - the gap could have been even greater.
For 2001, Ferrari managed to retain the line-up that brought it that success. Despite rumours that several key technical members may have been tempted to pastures new, Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Paolo Martinelli and Rory Byrne all remained on board, determined to give Schumacher a fourth crown and Ferrari back-to-back triumphs.
Their decision paid off and Schumacher dominated the season. The new F2001 looked full of potential right from Melbourne onwards and, as his challengers self-destructed, Schumacher was again the man to beat.
Nine wins in the season equalled the record the German already shared with Nigel Mansell, but the title was sewn up by Hungary mid-summer and further successes saw the now four-time champion surpass Alain Prost's records for career wins and total points.
Sadly for the rest of the field, much the same occurred in 2002. Indeed, 2002 was the year Michael romped to his fifth world title, equally the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio, who also won five world titles, in 1951, '54, '55, '56, and '57.
Schumacher won the title in record breaking time, clinching the crown at the French GP on July 21st. Indeed the German would win on 11 occasions - a new record for the most in a season - and just for good measure he also finished second five times and third once. In total he scored 144 points, compared to the 77 notched up by his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello and, yes, you guessed it, this was another record. Not only for the number of points scored but also his winning margin was the greatest to date.
Granted the relationship with Bridgestone gave Ferrari a massive advantage, but the Scuderia used this to full effect, and Michael did the rest on the track, and even starting with the revamped 2001 car didn't slow him down.
It wasn't all good though, the 'Austria-gate' affair was a big blemish on his year. The decision by Ferrari to order Rubens Barrichello to give Michael the win went down like a lead balloon. The crowd reacted angrily and booed him on the podium. The media also went mad and this was without a doubt one of the most difficult moments of his career. Indeed it went down so badly that the FIA later introduced a rule banning team orders. Whether this will stop them is highly unlikely, but it will stop such blatant use, such as that seen at the A1-Ring. Something the fans didn't like one little bit.
A similar situation occurred at the US GP, this time Michael tried for a formation finish, unfortunately it back-fired and his team-mate, Barrichello took the win. It may not have been as controversial as Austria, but again it was disappointing after such a good 'race'.
2003 was another Michael-Ferrari-Bridgestone year, although only just, with all three parties having to fight every step of the way. Schumacher though eventually triumphed, winning a record breaking sixth drivers' title at the final race of the season. It was by no means an easy year though, and despite scooping six more wins, the new points system meant that Kimi Raikkonen was in with a chance right to the death. Michael though eventually took the title with 93 points, two more than his Finnish rival.
At the end of 2003, there was much speculation that Michael might retire, however this proved to be wide of the mark.
2004 was again all about Michael and Ferrari - no surprise there - and in many ways it was similar to 2002, in that the German and his team stormed to both titles, with little or no opposition. Michael eventually took his seventh title at Spa at the end of August, and in total he won 13 of the 18 races, scoring 148 points. Only on two occasions did he fail to finish in the points, retiring at Monte Carlo and having a rare off day in Shanghai.
As the benchmark by which the rest of the F1 field was judged, many expected Schumacher to continue his domination of the sport into 2005, but anyone taking that view couldn't have been further from the truth.
Starting the season with a modified version of the F2004 that had carried him to his seventh title, it soon became apparent that Ferrari had been left behind by rivals Renault and McLaren as Schumacher only picked up two points from the opening two races before the F2005 was rushed out early for Bahrain. The new car helped him qualify on the front row in the Middle East before a retirement but it was in San Marino where Schumcher really shone – only missing out on victory thanks to an inspired drive by Fernando Alonso who did all he could to keep the Ferrari behind despite intense pressure in the closing laps of the race.
Having taken 13 wins during 2004, it was a bizarre sight to see Schumacher struggling to make it on the podium on a regular basis, with only four more top-three finishes over the course of the year and a solitary win in America – although that win was down more to the fact that only six cars took the start of the race rather than the speed of the Ferrari.
After a tough finish to the year, when he scored just seven points in the final six races of the year, Schumacher will be keen to try and regain in his title in a season many believe could be his final one in the sport. With Bridgestone taking on more teams for the 2006 season, Ferrari will have more support in developing tyres – something which undoubtedly worked against the team in 2005 – and only a fool would bet against the German driver being involved in the title battle over the coming year.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Seasons in F1: 14
Grand Prix: 232
Wins: 84
Points: 1248
Poles: 64
Fastest Laps: 69
Best result in 2005: 1st (USA)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Hungary)
Worst qualifying 2005: 18th (Australia)
Average grid position: 8.3
2005: Out-qualified Barrichello 12 times
2005: Completed: 1009 out of 1180 laps (85.51%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 19 starts (68%)
No 6 - Felipe Massa
Date of birth: 25/05/1981
Place of birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.66m
Weight: 59kg
Driven for:
Sauber (2002)
Ferrari (Test Driver) (2003)
Sauber (2004-05)
Ferrari (2006)
Website: http://www.felipemassa.com/
Biography
1998 Finishes fifth in the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship.
1999 Wins the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship.
2000 Finishes first in the both the Italian and European Formula Renault Series.
2001 Wins the Formula 3000 Euro-Series with six wins from eight races, six pole positions and five fastest laps.
2002 First Formula One season with Sauber. Finishes 13th in the drivers' championship, with a best result of fifth in Spain.
2003 Formula One test driver with Ferrari.
2004 Returns to race seat with Sauber. Inconsistent season, scoring 12 points with a best finish of fourth in Belgium.
2005 Out-performs Sauber team mate and former champion Jacques Villeneuve to finish 13th in standings. Matches career-best result with fourth place in Canada. Signs as Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team mate for 2006.
Like his fellow countrymen who preceded him, Felipe Massa began his racing career in the competitive Brazilian karting scene. Making his debut at the age of nine, he finished fourth in the Sao Paulo junior series, before gaining similar results as he worked his way through the various age groups.
In all, he remained in karts until the age of 17, when he made the switch to single-seaters in the equally-competitive Formula Chevrolet category in 1998.
A fifth place finish in the Brazilian equivalent of the successful Formula Opel championship was his initial reward, before a return the following season saw him clinch the title.
Having gone almost as high as possible in the South American single-seater ladder - only Formula Three remained above Formula Chevrolet - Massa opted to head for Europe for the 2000 season. Opting for a relatively low-key entrance, he contested the Italian and European Formula Renault series, before making the unusual jump into F3000 for 2001.
That moved proved to be a valuable one, however, as Massa dominated the secondary Euro F3000 category with the Draco Racing team, clinching the title with one round remaining.
His performances attracted the attention of noted talent scout Peter Sauber and, despite misgivings from other quarters, Massa was invited to test the Swiss team's F1 machine. Impressing with his pace - and the car control that was needed to tame his excesses behind the wheel - Massa was duly signed for the 2002 season.
Still only 20 years of age, the Brazilian made his grand prix debut at the Australian Grand Prix - and bounced back from retirement in Melbourne to score his first F1 points second time out at engine supplier Petronas' home race in Malaysia. Points finishes continued to come throughout the season, but were more often than not interspersed with accidents as Massa's exciting driving style frequently got the better of him. He was also dropped for the USGP as the result of having earned a ten-place grid penalty at Monza. As a result, Sauber decided not to renew his race contract for the following year, but accepted Ferrari's offer to take him on as a test driver, hoping that the driver would develop as much during 2003 as the Scuderia's car would.
Against some expectations, Massa returned to the Sauber fold for 2004, signing a two-year deal to partner the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella. The Brazilian showed that he had lost little of his raw pace, but some of the rough edges had definitely been knocked off during his time at Maranello, and the Sauber pair were able to challenge for points at just about every race.
Massa recorded best finishes of fourth in Belgium and fifth in Monaco on his way to twelfth overall, while Sauber initially made a mockery of McLaren's better resources to run in the top half of the constructors' championship. The Swiss team eventually slipped back to sixth overall as the Woking team upped its game, but both Massa and Fisichella were looked on in a new light.
The Italian departed for an emotional reunion with Renault in 2005, while Massa remained at Hinwil for a third season, where he was partnered by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Massa though more than maintained his own alongside Villeneuve and early on in the season definitely had the edge. Although things evened out as the year went on, Massa ended the year with more two more points, 13th in the drivers' championship. He finished in the top eight on four occasions - seventh in Bahrain, fourth in Canada, eighth in Germany and sixth in China - and in total he managed to score 11 points.
Massa's big break though came in August '05, when Ferrari confirmed that Rubens Barrichello would be leaving the team - and that Massa would get the second seat alongside Michael Schumacher in 2006.
The new season now promises much for the Brazilian and Massa will be keen to exploit the opportunity and grab his first F1 podium - maybe even his F1 first win, if Ferrari return to form after dropping behind Renault and McLaren in 2005.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 3
Grand Prix: 52
Wins: 0
Points: 27
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 4th (Canada)
Best qualifying 2005: 8th (3 Times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Australia)
Average grid position: 11.6
2005: Out-qualified Villeneuve 13 times
2005: Completed: 1019 out of 1107 laps (92.05%)
2005: Finished 16 times from 18 starts (89%)
Date of birth: 03/01/1969
Place of birth: Hurth-Hermulheim, Germany
Lives: Vufflens-le-Chateau, Switzerland
Marital status: Married to Corrina, 1 daughter, Gina-Marie, 1 son, Mick
Height: 1.74m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1991)
Benetton (1991-95)
Ferrari (1996-2006)
Website: http://www.michael-schumacher.de/
Biography
1990 Wins German Formula 3 Championship.
1991 Formula One debut for Jordan, but moves to Benetton after one race. Takes four Drivers' Championship points.
1992 Wins the Belgian Grand Prix and finishes third in the Drivers' Championship driving for Benetton.
1994 Wins his first Drivers' Championship amidst controversy - colliding with nearest rival Damon Hill in the last race of the season.
1995 Wins his second Drivers' title with Benetton.
1996 Joins Ferrari and starts on the long process of turning the team's fortunes around. Finishes third in the Drivers' Championship.
1997 Finishes second in the Drivers' Championship - but is disqualified after a collision with eventual champion Villeneuve at the final race of the season.
1998 Takes the Drivers' title to the last race of the season but then stalls on the grid at Suzuka, losing the Championship to Mika Hakkinen.
1999 Crashes at the British Grand Prix and breaks his leg. Returns for the Malaysian Grand Prix and helps Ferrari to its first Constructors' Championship since 1983.
2000-2002 Wins a hat-trick of Drivers' titles, rewriting the record books of the sport in the process. Draws level with Juan Manuel Fangio on five World Championships and helps Ferrari to take the Constructors' crown in each season as well.
2003 Pushed hard by the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen after a poor start to the season, but fights back to clinch a record sixth drivers' title at the final round in Japan.
2004 Wins his seventh drivers' championship in style with an amazing 13 victories from 18 races. Retires just once, in Monaco, following controversial collision with Montoya under the safety car.
2005 Finally loses his crown as F2005 and Bridgestone tyres prove no match for Renault and McLaren rivals. Sole victory comes in depleted US race after Michelin withdrawal. Continues to dominate team mate Rubens Barrichello, finishing third in driver standings, helping Ferrari to same place in constructors' championship.
Michael Schumacher existed as motor racing's best-kept secret prior to his explosive debut season in 1991. Since then he has seldom been away from the front of the grid, displaying fantastic car control and electrifying speed. A quiet man away from the track, Michael has been involved in more than his fair share of controversy on it, but remains among the best exponents of wet-weather driving.
After a successful karting career - aided by the fact that the Schumacher family operated the local Kerpen circuit - Michael moved into the German Formula Konig series. En route to securing the 1988 title, Schumacher also dabbled with the national and European Formula Ford championships. He finished 6th in his homeland, but one win and a string of solid finishes allowed him to take 2nd overall behind Mika Salo in the Euro series.
The success of his first season in cars allowed Schumacher to move up to Formula Three in 1989, finishing runner-up in the German series, with two wins. He also took a heat win in Macau but, in spite of opportunities to progress, Michael decided to make a second attempt on the German F3 championship. He took the crown courtesy of five wins, and the Macau title also came his way, following a heated battle with Mika Hakkinen.
Instead of graduating to the F3000 series, Michael opted for a second season of World Sports Cars in 1991. Along with 1989 F3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, Schumacher had been selected to represent the Mercedes Junior Team in the 1990 WSC series, and rewarded his employers with victory in Mexico. The second year in the championship was equally successful with a win at the Autopolis circuit in Japan en route to ninth place in the standings.
Whilst in Japan, Schumacher took advantage of the chance to sample F3000. Racing in the Japanese national series, he finished second in his sole outing, but this, combined with his sportscar performances, was enough to convince Eddie Jordan that Schumacher was worth a run in Formula One.
The German's incredible 1991 season culminated in six F1 races - but with two teams. After his Belgian debut, in which he qualified seventh but retired on the opening lap, Schumacher was poached from under Jordan's nose by the Benetton team. Five races with the Anglo-Italian squad resulted in three points finishes and began a relationship, which would put Schumacher on top of the world.
Exactly one year after his F1 debut, Schumacher topped the podium, winning the 1992 Belgian GP, en route to third in the championship. A second victory took slightly longer to arrive, however, coming in Portugal the following year, as Schumacher finished the season fourth overall.
Benetton were looking increasingly stronger, however, and the pairing eventually won a championship in 1994. Nevertheless, several controversial incidents prevented Michael from clinching the crown until the final race. A two-race ban for overtaking on the warm-up lap at the British GP, and disqualification from the Belgian race, saw Schumacher's series lead eroded by Damon Hill and the pair arrived in Australia separated by a single point. In the first of their celebrated collisions, Schumacher and Hill were both forced out of the race, handing the title to the German.
A second title the following year was slightly easier to come by, as Schumacher equalled Nigel Mansell's record tally of nine wins in a season and dominated proceedings. He did not have things all his own way, however, and two further collisions with Hill (at Silverstone and Monza) tainted the celebrations.
A massive salary rise and the chance to put Ferrari back on the map enticed Schumacher to Maranello for the 1996 season. Although the car he was given was both unreliable and ill-handling, Schumacher wrestled it to three wins and third place overall.
The following year saw him improve to second in the championship as he took the title fight to favourite Jacques Villeneuve. Five wins with the inconsistent F310B allowed Michael to remain in the championship hunt until the final round at Jerez, but another contentious collision, this time with Villeneuve himself, saw the Ferrari retire, handing the title to the Canadian. Schumacher was later removed from the championship standings for his part in the incident.
The German remained at Ferrari for 1998 but, despite confident predictions that the team would be ready to win the title, Schumacher once again lost out, this time to the markedly improved McLarens. Nevertheless, he remained the only real challenger to their supremacy and race wins in the latter half of the season continued to push the title race all the way to the final round.
Controversy once again came Michael's way as he collided with McLaren's David Coulthard in Belgium despite seemingly having the race in his pocket. The German returned to the pits on three wheels before storming into the McLaren pit and accusing Coulthard of trying to kill him.
Having learned the lessons of previous seasons, Schumacher began 1999 by refusing to say that Ferrari would win the title. He was, however, quietly optimistic that this may have, indeed, been the year of the Prancing Horse but was ultimately frustrated by a leg-breaking shunt at the British GP. Returning for the season's final two races in order to lend a hand to team-mate Irvine's title challenge, Schumacher promptly took pole and dominated the race in Malaysia.
The 2000 campaign saw the German partnered by Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari, and was the year in which it all went right for the Scuderia. A record-equaling nine wins, including three straight at the beginning of the year and another four in a row at the end, clinched Ferrari's first drivers' title since 1979, and Schumacher's third since his impactful entry to F1. In all, the German scored 108 points to nearest challenger Mika Hakkinen's 89 and, had it not been for two successive mid-season accidents - on the startline in both Germany and Austria - the gap could have been even greater.
For 2001, Ferrari managed to retain the line-up that brought it that success. Despite rumours that several key technical members may have been tempted to pastures new, Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Paolo Martinelli and Rory Byrne all remained on board, determined to give Schumacher a fourth crown and Ferrari back-to-back triumphs.
Their decision paid off and Schumacher dominated the season. The new F2001 looked full of potential right from Melbourne onwards and, as his challengers self-destructed, Schumacher was again the man to beat.
Nine wins in the season equalled the record the German already shared with Nigel Mansell, but the title was sewn up by Hungary mid-summer and further successes saw the now four-time champion surpass Alain Prost's records for career wins and total points.
Sadly for the rest of the field, much the same occurred in 2002. Indeed, 2002 was the year Michael romped to his fifth world title, equally the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio, who also won five world titles, in 1951, '54, '55, '56, and '57.
Schumacher won the title in record breaking time, clinching the crown at the French GP on July 21st. Indeed the German would win on 11 occasions - a new record for the most in a season - and just for good measure he also finished second five times and third once. In total he scored 144 points, compared to the 77 notched up by his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello and, yes, you guessed it, this was another record. Not only for the number of points scored but also his winning margin was the greatest to date.
Granted the relationship with Bridgestone gave Ferrari a massive advantage, but the Scuderia used this to full effect, and Michael did the rest on the track, and even starting with the revamped 2001 car didn't slow him down.
It wasn't all good though, the 'Austria-gate' affair was a big blemish on his year. The decision by Ferrari to order Rubens Barrichello to give Michael the win went down like a lead balloon. The crowd reacted angrily and booed him on the podium. The media also went mad and this was without a doubt one of the most difficult moments of his career. Indeed it went down so badly that the FIA later introduced a rule banning team orders. Whether this will stop them is highly unlikely, but it will stop such blatant use, such as that seen at the A1-Ring. Something the fans didn't like one little bit.
A similar situation occurred at the US GP, this time Michael tried for a formation finish, unfortunately it back-fired and his team-mate, Barrichello took the win. It may not have been as controversial as Austria, but again it was disappointing after such a good 'race'.
2003 was another Michael-Ferrari-Bridgestone year, although only just, with all three parties having to fight every step of the way. Schumacher though eventually triumphed, winning a record breaking sixth drivers' title at the final race of the season. It was by no means an easy year though, and despite scooping six more wins, the new points system meant that Kimi Raikkonen was in with a chance right to the death. Michael though eventually took the title with 93 points, two more than his Finnish rival.
At the end of 2003, there was much speculation that Michael might retire, however this proved to be wide of the mark.
2004 was again all about Michael and Ferrari - no surprise there - and in many ways it was similar to 2002, in that the German and his team stormed to both titles, with little or no opposition. Michael eventually took his seventh title at Spa at the end of August, and in total he won 13 of the 18 races, scoring 148 points. Only on two occasions did he fail to finish in the points, retiring at Monte Carlo and having a rare off day in Shanghai.
As the benchmark by which the rest of the F1 field was judged, many expected Schumacher to continue his domination of the sport into 2005, but anyone taking that view couldn't have been further from the truth.
Starting the season with a modified version of the F2004 that had carried him to his seventh title, it soon became apparent that Ferrari had been left behind by rivals Renault and McLaren as Schumacher only picked up two points from the opening two races before the F2005 was rushed out early for Bahrain. The new car helped him qualify on the front row in the Middle East before a retirement but it was in San Marino where Schumcher really shone – only missing out on victory thanks to an inspired drive by Fernando Alonso who did all he could to keep the Ferrari behind despite intense pressure in the closing laps of the race.
Having taken 13 wins during 2004, it was a bizarre sight to see Schumacher struggling to make it on the podium on a regular basis, with only four more top-three finishes over the course of the year and a solitary win in America – although that win was down more to the fact that only six cars took the start of the race rather than the speed of the Ferrari.
After a tough finish to the year, when he scored just seven points in the final six races of the year, Schumacher will be keen to try and regain in his title in a season many believe could be his final one in the sport. With Bridgestone taking on more teams for the 2006 season, Ferrari will have more support in developing tyres – something which undoubtedly worked against the team in 2005 – and only a fool would bet against the German driver being involved in the title battle over the coming year.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Seasons in F1: 14
Grand Prix: 232
Wins: 84
Points: 1248
Poles: 64
Fastest Laps: 69
Best result in 2005: 1st (USA)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Hungary)
Worst qualifying 2005: 18th (Australia)
Average grid position: 8.3
2005: Out-qualified Barrichello 12 times
2005: Completed: 1009 out of 1180 laps (85.51%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 19 starts (68%)
No 6 - Felipe Massa
Date of birth: 25/05/1981
Place of birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.66m
Weight: 59kg
Driven for:
Sauber (2002)
Ferrari (Test Driver) (2003)
Sauber (2004-05)
Ferrari (2006)
Website: http://www.felipemassa.com/
Biography
1998 Finishes fifth in the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship.
1999 Wins the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship.
2000 Finishes first in the both the Italian and European Formula Renault Series.
2001 Wins the Formula 3000 Euro-Series with six wins from eight races, six pole positions and five fastest laps.
2002 First Formula One season with Sauber. Finishes 13th in the drivers' championship, with a best result of fifth in Spain.
2003 Formula One test driver with Ferrari.
2004 Returns to race seat with Sauber. Inconsistent season, scoring 12 points with a best finish of fourth in Belgium.
2005 Out-performs Sauber team mate and former champion Jacques Villeneuve to finish 13th in standings. Matches career-best result with fourth place in Canada. Signs as Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team mate for 2006.
Like his fellow countrymen who preceded him, Felipe Massa began his racing career in the competitive Brazilian karting scene. Making his debut at the age of nine, he finished fourth in the Sao Paulo junior series, before gaining similar results as he worked his way through the various age groups.
In all, he remained in karts until the age of 17, when he made the switch to single-seaters in the equally-competitive Formula Chevrolet category in 1998.
A fifth place finish in the Brazilian equivalent of the successful Formula Opel championship was his initial reward, before a return the following season saw him clinch the title.
Having gone almost as high as possible in the South American single-seater ladder - only Formula Three remained above Formula Chevrolet - Massa opted to head for Europe for the 2000 season. Opting for a relatively low-key entrance, he contested the Italian and European Formula Renault series, before making the unusual jump into F3000 for 2001.
That moved proved to be a valuable one, however, as Massa dominated the secondary Euro F3000 category with the Draco Racing team, clinching the title with one round remaining.
His performances attracted the attention of noted talent scout Peter Sauber and, despite misgivings from other quarters, Massa was invited to test the Swiss team's F1 machine. Impressing with his pace - and the car control that was needed to tame his excesses behind the wheel - Massa was duly signed for the 2002 season.
Still only 20 years of age, the Brazilian made his grand prix debut at the Australian Grand Prix - and bounced back from retirement in Melbourne to score his first F1 points second time out at engine supplier Petronas' home race in Malaysia. Points finishes continued to come throughout the season, but were more often than not interspersed with accidents as Massa's exciting driving style frequently got the better of him. He was also dropped for the USGP as the result of having earned a ten-place grid penalty at Monza. As a result, Sauber decided not to renew his race contract for the following year, but accepted Ferrari's offer to take him on as a test driver, hoping that the driver would develop as much during 2003 as the Scuderia's car would.
Against some expectations, Massa returned to the Sauber fold for 2004, signing a two-year deal to partner the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella. The Brazilian showed that he had lost little of his raw pace, but some of the rough edges had definitely been knocked off during his time at Maranello, and the Sauber pair were able to challenge for points at just about every race.
Massa recorded best finishes of fourth in Belgium and fifth in Monaco on his way to twelfth overall, while Sauber initially made a mockery of McLaren's better resources to run in the top half of the constructors' championship. The Swiss team eventually slipped back to sixth overall as the Woking team upped its game, but both Massa and Fisichella were looked on in a new light.
The Italian departed for an emotional reunion with Renault in 2005, while Massa remained at Hinwil for a third season, where he was partnered by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Massa though more than maintained his own alongside Villeneuve and early on in the season definitely had the edge. Although things evened out as the year went on, Massa ended the year with more two more points, 13th in the drivers' championship. He finished in the top eight on four occasions - seventh in Bahrain, fourth in Canada, eighth in Germany and sixth in China - and in total he managed to score 11 points.
Massa's big break though came in August '05, when Ferrari confirmed that Rubens Barrichello would be leaving the team - and that Massa would get the second seat alongside Michael Schumacher in 2006.
The new season now promises much for the Brazilian and Massa will be keen to exploit the opportunity and grab his first F1 podium - maybe even his F1 first win, if Ferrari return to form after dropping behind Renault and McLaren in 2005.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 3
Grand Prix: 52
Wins: 0
Points: 27
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 4th (Canada)
Best qualifying 2005: 8th (3 Times)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Australia)
Average grid position: 11.6
2005: Out-qualified Villeneuve 13 times
2005: Completed: 1019 out of 1107 laps (92.05%)
2005: Finished 16 times from 18 starts (89%)
Ferrari Test/Reserve Driver - Luca Badoer
Date of birth: 28/01/1977
Place of birth: Montebelluna, Italy
Marital status: Single
Driven for:
BMS Scuderia Italia (1993)
Minardi (1995)
Forti (1996)
Minardi (1999)
Ferrari (Test driver) (1997-2006)
Website: http://www.lucabadoer.com/
Biography
1992 F3000: Champion, 46 points (4 wins, 5 podiums, 5 pole positions, 3 fastest laps)
1993 F1: Lola BMS Scuderia Italia
1995 F1: Minardi Scuderia Italia
1996 F1: Forti Grand Prix, 6 races
1999 F1: Fondmetal Minardi Ford
2000 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2001 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2002 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2003 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2004 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2005 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2006 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
One of the great undiscovered talents of modern F1, Luca Badoer has made a habit of returning to the sport just when many people had marked him down as a solid test driver.
Like many Italians before him, the young Luca spent many formative years on the national - and, latterly, international - karting scene, finally racking up his first title by taking the Italian championship in 1998.
This was the precursor to a move onto the car racing scene in 1990 and, as is the Italian way, Badoer jumped straight into the national Formula Three series. Running with the respected MDR team, he racked up one win in his first season, but failed to make a championship challenge.
A more concerted effort followed in 1991 when, driving with the successful Supercars outfit, Badoer managed to add four wins to his tally. Again, he missed out on championship honours, however.
Nevertheless, his performances were enough to propel him into the burgeoning International F3000 series, where he found a car and team able to meet his talents. Driving for the recently formed Crypton Engineering team, Luca stormed to five pole positions, four wins and, eventually, the championship title, comfortably beating Andrea Montermini and Rubens Barrichello in the final reckoning.
The success of 1992 was enough to guarantee Badoer passage into F1 for the following season. As had become the norm for the F3000 titleist, however, he was not guaranteed a seat with a top team, and signed with the mid-grid BMS Scuderia Italia outfit. Twelve starts yielded more retirements than finishes, and left Badoer scoreless at the end of the year.
When the Scuderia and Minardi merged for 1994, the under-financed Badoer found himself on the sidelines, with just a testing contract to keep him in touch with the top flight. His performances away from the glare of race day were enough to convince the team to give him another go, however, and the Italian duly contested the 1995 season with the team. Once again, though, it was to be a pointless effort.
If anything, the following season was worse. Moving from Minardi to the fledgling Forti Corse outfit looked promising as the latter appeared better funded, but the drive turned into a nightmare and, after a part-season plagued with problems, Badoer once again took leave of F1.
His testing talents had not gone unnoticed, however, and, after racing GTs for Lotus in 1997, Badoer was snapped up by Ferrari as official test driver for the following season. The Ferrari role continued into 1999, but Badoer was also seconded to Minardi in a show of Italian entente cordiale over the off-season.
The Faenza team was so impressed with his pace that it agreed a deal with its more famous neighbour to borrow Badoer for race days. Thus the Italian returned to one of his former teams for a fourth crack at the big time, but failed to move far from the back of the grid as the year wore on, and was frequently out-performed by rookie partner Marc Gene.
Badoer returned to Ferrari as full-time test driver for 2000, where he played a vital part in bringing the Scuderia its first drivers' title for 21 years.
The role continued into 2001, and Ferrari were again champions, Badoer's work at the test track again a vital part of the behind the scenes labour.
2002 saw more of the same, and in came Luciano Burti to help with the testing. More wins, more points and more titles followed and Badoer stayed with Ferrari again in 2003, as lead test driver, a role that continued for the fifth year running in 2004.
In 2005 Ferrari did not enjoy the same level of success as they did between 2000-2004. Despite that though Badoer remains as committed to Ferrari as ever and will remain with the Scuderia for the seventh year running in 2006.
Ferrari Test/Reserve Driver - Marc Gene
Date of birth: 29/03/1974
Place of birth: Sabadell, Spain
Marital status: Single
Driven for:
Minardi (1999-2000)
Williams (Test driver) (2001-2004)
Ferrari (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.marcgene.com/
Biography
1987 Catalan Kart champion (iniciaciòn class)
1988 Spanish Kart champion (national class). Catalan Kart champion (national class)
1989 10th in the European Kart championship (junior class). World Karting championship (junior class)
1990 Spanish Kart championship (youngest ever kart champion of senior class)
1991 Catalan Kart champion (senior class). World Kart championship (Formula A)
1992 5th in the Spanish Formula Ford championship (1 win, 2 pole positions)
1993 Runner up in the Formula Ford Festival (World Cup). Runner up in the European Formula Ford championship (1 win, 3 top-three finishes)
1994 British F3: best rookie
1995 British F3
1996 II Fisa Golden Cup Superformula champion
1997 F3000: (1 fastest lap)
1998 Open Fortuna by Nissan: Champion (6 wins, 3 pole positions)
1999 F1: Fondmetal Minardi Ford, 18th, 1 points
2000 F1: Telefonica Minardi Fondmetal, 19th, 0 points
2001 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2002 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2003 F1: BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 1 race, 17th, 4 points,
2003 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2004 F1: BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 2 races, 23th, 0 points
2004 F1 Tests: BMW WilliamsF1 Team
2005 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2006 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Like so many Spanish drivers, it appeared that Formula One may have passed Marc Gene by, only for him to have been rescued from a life in business by the Minardi team.
Beginning his racing career, like so many others, in karting, Gene soon proved that he had what it took to be a race driver. At the tender age of 13, he won the Catalan Kart championship (iniciacion class), before going on to take Spanish and Catalan honours in the national class twelve months later. A difficult season in European and World competition followed but, in 1990, Gene bounced back to become the youngest ever winner of the senior Spanish title.
Further national crowns came his way in 1991, before Marc decided to make the move into car racing. Fifth place in his domestic Formula Ford series - with a win and two pole positions - in 1992 set him up to take runners-up positions in both the Formula Ford Festival and European championships (one win, three podium finishes) the following year, running with Britain's Manor Motorsport.
Like his brother Jordi before him, Marc's next move was into the British F3 series. Although he won unofficial rookie of the year honours in 1994, the young Spaniard was never consistently able to show his best, and failed to feature among the regular point scorers in either this or his second season, despite two podiums and two fastest laps in 1995.
Part of Gene's problem was due to the fact that he was trying to combine full-time studies with his racing career. Keen to have something to fall back on should his driving ambitions come to nought, Marc worked towards a degree in Economics at the University of Buckingham, near Silverstone, eventually graduating with honours.
By now, however, his racing future in Britain looked bleak, and Gene returned to southern Europe to contest the Italian Superformula series. Proving that he still had what it took, the Spaniard took the title at his first attempt, racking up one win, four podiums and as many pole positions along the way.
The championship paved the way for Gene to move into the International F3000 series, initially with Pacific Racing and then with Nordic Racing, but the season proved to be another filled with disappointment. Six races failed to produce a single point, and Gene looked destined never to reach the pinnacle of his chosen sport.
He was rescued, however, by the launch of the improbably named Open Fortuna by Nissan series. Returning to his native Spain, Gene knew that it was win-or-bust in 1998, and lined up a job with accountancy firm Price Waterhouse should everything not go to plan. As it happened, six wins and three pole positions in 14 races were enough to seal the crown - and the Minardi test drive which accompanied it.
Outpacing regular test pilot Laurent Redon proved to be the first step in launching Gene's F1 career and, with the surprise retirement of teenage driver Esteban Tuero, the Spaniard found himself offered a contract with the small Italian team. After impressing in testing, Gene hoped to help Minardi move away from its usual basement position and, belying his rookie status, eventually scored its first point for several seasons, taking sixth - ahead of Eddie Irvine - at the European GP in September.
Gene's promising debut season, and his links with part-Minardi owner Telefonica, secured his place in the team for 2000. Partnered by another rookie, Gaston Mazzacane, and powered by outdated Ford V10s, the Spaniard was always likely to have his work cut out to reach the heights of '99, and so it proved, as Minardi received as much TV coverage while being lapped as some of the midfield runners did for avoiding the ignominy.
With Telefonica pulling out of F1 at the end of 2000, and a proposed buy-out deal involving media company PSN also falling through, Minardi appeared to be on the brink of closure. Not wanting to wait too long and possibly being taken down with the team, Gene opted to jump to Williams where he acted as back-up to Ralf Schumacher and Juan Montoya for 2001.
During 2002 he continued to act as the teams official test driver, notching up miles at Mugello, Barcelona, and Silverstone amongst others.
Gene spent most of his 2003 season continuing to test for the Williams team, as well as competing in the Nissan World Series. Solid performances in testing meant that Gene was on the ball when he got an unexpected chance to race for the team when Ralf Schumacher was ruled out of the Italian GP. Gene didn't let them down, finishing a career best fifth.
Gene carried on with his testing duties for Williams in 2004 while acting as back up for Montoya and Schumacher. Following Ralf's crash at the US Grand Prix, Gene was drafted into the fold again, however this time he failed to do the business, in either France or Britain, and as such was dropped in favour of fellow Williams' tester, Antonio Pizzonia, who got the nod to race in Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Italy, before Ralf returned for the final three grand prix.
Seemingly upset by this, Gene decided it was time to move on, a decision no doubt hastened by the fact that while Williams had a race seat for 2005 alongside Mark Webber, he was not even on the list as one of the drivers to be considered.
Gene thus jumped ship and headed to arch rivals Ferrari, where he linked up with Luca Badoer, as one of their test drivers. The Spaniard will continue to test for the Scuderia in 2006.
Date of birth: 28/01/1977
Place of birth: Montebelluna, Italy
Marital status: Single
Driven for:
BMS Scuderia Italia (1993)
Minardi (1995)
Forti (1996)
Minardi (1999)
Ferrari (Test driver) (1997-2006)
Website: http://www.lucabadoer.com/
Biography
1992 F3000: Champion, 46 points (4 wins, 5 podiums, 5 pole positions, 3 fastest laps)
1993 F1: Lola BMS Scuderia Italia
1995 F1: Minardi Scuderia Italia
1996 F1: Forti Grand Prix, 6 races
1999 F1: Fondmetal Minardi Ford
2000 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2001 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2002 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2003 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2004 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2005 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2006 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
One of the great undiscovered talents of modern F1, Luca Badoer has made a habit of returning to the sport just when many people had marked him down as a solid test driver.
Like many Italians before him, the young Luca spent many formative years on the national - and, latterly, international - karting scene, finally racking up his first title by taking the Italian championship in 1998.
This was the precursor to a move onto the car racing scene in 1990 and, as is the Italian way, Badoer jumped straight into the national Formula Three series. Running with the respected MDR team, he racked up one win in his first season, but failed to make a championship challenge.
A more concerted effort followed in 1991 when, driving with the successful Supercars outfit, Badoer managed to add four wins to his tally. Again, he missed out on championship honours, however.
Nevertheless, his performances were enough to propel him into the burgeoning International F3000 series, where he found a car and team able to meet his talents. Driving for the recently formed Crypton Engineering team, Luca stormed to five pole positions, four wins and, eventually, the championship title, comfortably beating Andrea Montermini and Rubens Barrichello in the final reckoning.
The success of 1992 was enough to guarantee Badoer passage into F1 for the following season. As had become the norm for the F3000 titleist, however, he was not guaranteed a seat with a top team, and signed with the mid-grid BMS Scuderia Italia outfit. Twelve starts yielded more retirements than finishes, and left Badoer scoreless at the end of the year.
When the Scuderia and Minardi merged for 1994, the under-financed Badoer found himself on the sidelines, with just a testing contract to keep him in touch with the top flight. His performances away from the glare of race day were enough to convince the team to give him another go, however, and the Italian duly contested the 1995 season with the team. Once again, though, it was to be a pointless effort.
If anything, the following season was worse. Moving from Minardi to the fledgling Forti Corse outfit looked promising as the latter appeared better funded, but the drive turned into a nightmare and, after a part-season plagued with problems, Badoer once again took leave of F1.
His testing talents had not gone unnoticed, however, and, after racing GTs for Lotus in 1997, Badoer was snapped up by Ferrari as official test driver for the following season. The Ferrari role continued into 1999, but Badoer was also seconded to Minardi in a show of Italian entente cordiale over the off-season.
The Faenza team was so impressed with his pace that it agreed a deal with its more famous neighbour to borrow Badoer for race days. Thus the Italian returned to one of his former teams for a fourth crack at the big time, but failed to move far from the back of the grid as the year wore on, and was frequently out-performed by rookie partner Marc Gene.
Badoer returned to Ferrari as full-time test driver for 2000, where he played a vital part in bringing the Scuderia its first drivers' title for 21 years.
The role continued into 2001, and Ferrari were again champions, Badoer's work at the test track again a vital part of the behind the scenes labour.
2002 saw more of the same, and in came Luciano Burti to help with the testing. More wins, more points and more titles followed and Badoer stayed with Ferrari again in 2003, as lead test driver, a role that continued for the fifth year running in 2004.
In 2005 Ferrari did not enjoy the same level of success as they did between 2000-2004. Despite that though Badoer remains as committed to Ferrari as ever and will remain with the Scuderia for the seventh year running in 2006.
Ferrari Test/Reserve Driver - Marc Gene
Date of birth: 29/03/1974
Place of birth: Sabadell, Spain
Marital status: Single
Driven for:
Minardi (1999-2000)
Williams (Test driver) (2001-2004)
Ferrari (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.marcgene.com/
Biography
1987 Catalan Kart champion (iniciaciòn class)
1988 Spanish Kart champion (national class). Catalan Kart champion (national class)
1989 10th in the European Kart championship (junior class). World Karting championship (junior class)
1990 Spanish Kart championship (youngest ever kart champion of senior class)
1991 Catalan Kart champion (senior class). World Kart championship (Formula A)
1992 5th in the Spanish Formula Ford championship (1 win, 2 pole positions)
1993 Runner up in the Formula Ford Festival (World Cup). Runner up in the European Formula Ford championship (1 win, 3 top-three finishes)
1994 British F3: best rookie
1995 British F3
1996 II Fisa Golden Cup Superformula champion
1997 F3000: (1 fastest lap)
1998 Open Fortuna by Nissan: Champion (6 wins, 3 pole positions)
1999 F1: Fondmetal Minardi Ford, 18th, 1 points
2000 F1: Telefonica Minardi Fondmetal, 19th, 0 points
2001 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2002 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2003 F1: BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 1 race, 17th, 4 points,
2003 F1 Tests: BMW Williams F1 Team
2004 F1: BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 2 races, 23th, 0 points
2004 F1 Tests: BMW WilliamsF1 Team
2005 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
2006 F1 Tests: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Like so many Spanish drivers, it appeared that Formula One may have passed Marc Gene by, only for him to have been rescued from a life in business by the Minardi team.
Beginning his racing career, like so many others, in karting, Gene soon proved that he had what it took to be a race driver. At the tender age of 13, he won the Catalan Kart championship (iniciacion class), before going on to take Spanish and Catalan honours in the national class twelve months later. A difficult season in European and World competition followed but, in 1990, Gene bounced back to become the youngest ever winner of the senior Spanish title.
Further national crowns came his way in 1991, before Marc decided to make the move into car racing. Fifth place in his domestic Formula Ford series - with a win and two pole positions - in 1992 set him up to take runners-up positions in both the Formula Ford Festival and European championships (one win, three podium finishes) the following year, running with Britain's Manor Motorsport.
Like his brother Jordi before him, Marc's next move was into the British F3 series. Although he won unofficial rookie of the year honours in 1994, the young Spaniard was never consistently able to show his best, and failed to feature among the regular point scorers in either this or his second season, despite two podiums and two fastest laps in 1995.
Part of Gene's problem was due to the fact that he was trying to combine full-time studies with his racing career. Keen to have something to fall back on should his driving ambitions come to nought, Marc worked towards a degree in Economics at the University of Buckingham, near Silverstone, eventually graduating with honours.
By now, however, his racing future in Britain looked bleak, and Gene returned to southern Europe to contest the Italian Superformula series. Proving that he still had what it took, the Spaniard took the title at his first attempt, racking up one win, four podiums and as many pole positions along the way.
The championship paved the way for Gene to move into the International F3000 series, initially with Pacific Racing and then with Nordic Racing, but the season proved to be another filled with disappointment. Six races failed to produce a single point, and Gene looked destined never to reach the pinnacle of his chosen sport.
He was rescued, however, by the launch of the improbably named Open Fortuna by Nissan series. Returning to his native Spain, Gene knew that it was win-or-bust in 1998, and lined up a job with accountancy firm Price Waterhouse should everything not go to plan. As it happened, six wins and three pole positions in 14 races were enough to seal the crown - and the Minardi test drive which accompanied it.
Outpacing regular test pilot Laurent Redon proved to be the first step in launching Gene's F1 career and, with the surprise retirement of teenage driver Esteban Tuero, the Spaniard found himself offered a contract with the small Italian team. After impressing in testing, Gene hoped to help Minardi move away from its usual basement position and, belying his rookie status, eventually scored its first point for several seasons, taking sixth - ahead of Eddie Irvine - at the European GP in September.
Gene's promising debut season, and his links with part-Minardi owner Telefonica, secured his place in the team for 2000. Partnered by another rookie, Gaston Mazzacane, and powered by outdated Ford V10s, the Spaniard was always likely to have his work cut out to reach the heights of '99, and so it proved, as Minardi received as much TV coverage while being lapped as some of the midfield runners did for avoiding the ignominy.
With Telefonica pulling out of F1 at the end of 2000, and a proposed buy-out deal involving media company PSN also falling through, Minardi appeared to be on the brink of closure. Not wanting to wait too long and possibly being taken down with the team, Gene opted to jump to Williams where he acted as back-up to Ralf Schumacher and Juan Montoya for 2001.
During 2002 he continued to act as the teams official test driver, notching up miles at Mugello, Barcelona, and Silverstone amongst others.
Gene spent most of his 2003 season continuing to test for the Williams team, as well as competing in the Nissan World Series. Solid performances in testing meant that Gene was on the ball when he got an unexpected chance to race for the team when Ralf Schumacher was ruled out of the Italian GP. Gene didn't let them down, finishing a career best fifth.
Gene carried on with his testing duties for Williams in 2004 while acting as back up for Montoya and Schumacher. Following Ralf's crash at the US Grand Prix, Gene was drafted into the fold again, however this time he failed to do the business, in either France or Britain, and as such was dropped in favour of fellow Williams' tester, Antonio Pizzonia, who got the nod to race in Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Italy, before Ralf returned for the final three grand prix.
Seemingly upset by this, Gene decided it was time to move on, a decision no doubt hastened by the fact that while Williams had a race seat for 2005 alongside Mark Webber, he was not even on the list as one of the drivers to be considered.
Gene thus jumped ship and headed to arch rivals Ferrari, where he linked up with Luca Badoer, as one of their test drivers. The Spaniard will continue to test for the Scuderia in 2006.
Team HQ
Based in: Cologne, Germany
Founded: 1999 (active since 2002)
Toyota Motorsport GMBH
Toyota Allee 7
50858 Koln-Marsdorf
Germany
Tel: (49) 2234 18230
Fax: (49) 2234 18237
Website: http://www.toyota-f1.com/
Team Structure
Chairman and Team Principal - Tsutomu Tomita
President - John Howett
Executive Vice-President - Yoshiaki Kinoshita
Technical Director Engine - Luca Marmorini
Technical Director Chassis - Mike Gascoyne
Director Technical Co-Ordination - Noritoshi Arai
General Managaer Car Design and Development - Pascal Vasselon
Team Manager - Richard Cregan
Chief Race and Test Engineer - Dieter Gass
Team Biography
Toyota's road to Formula One is a long and varied one, with both rallying and sportscars having provided success since TMG was founded in 1973.
Former F1 team boss, Ove Andersson started his fruitful association with Toyota a year earlier, in 1972, as a rally driver.
Since that time, he has gone on to develop his partnership with the Toyota Corporation and helped it achieve some of the highest honours in the motorsport world.
In 1975, under the Toyota Team Europe banner, Andersson Motorsport took its first world rally championship win, paving the way for success that would become the norm for Toyota some years down the line.
Competing against the likes of Lancia, Peugeot, Fiat and Audi in the 1970s and '80s did not leave much room for Toyotas to take the world title, but the advent of the Celica GT4 in the late '80s changed all that.
With drivers the calibre of Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankunnen and Didier Auriol on board, Toyota was almost unstoppable in the early 1990s, leading to four world drivers' titles and two manufacturers' cups. A third manufacturers' trophy followed when the marque made a comeback with the Corolla model later in the same decade, again with Sainz, following a period on the sidelines courtesy of a controversial technical infringement.
Along the way, the giant Japanese Toyota corporation made a full acquisition of TMG in 1993 and, in 1997, entrusted the team with the design, build and operation of an entry in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
It was the first time Toyota had given full responsibility for such a two-year programme to any non-Japanese based team, but the rallying success - some 43 wins in all - proved that the company could handle it.
A hand-picked team of engineers, technicians and designers from the highest level of the sport and industry came together to create the Toyota GT-One and, in 1998, the car led the likes of Mercedes, Porsche, Nissan and BMW for much of the race, before retiring.
The following year, the Toyota gained a second position after setting both pole position and fastest lap of the race, but this wasn't good enough for the parent company, which promptly set its sights on Formula One.
Unveiled to the press in 2000, the project began with the inauguration of new, purpose-built factory in Cologne, while the first ever Toyota Formula One V10 engine was fired up later that same year.
With a tentative entry date of 2002 recorded with the FIA, the first pukka F1 car rolled out of the factory in 2001, with the aim of gaining sufficient data at tracks across Europe and Japan to ease entry the following year.
Former GT-One driver Allan McNish was recalled from Audi ALMS duty to test the car - dubbed TF101 - and Mika Salo tempted away from his Sauber contract to sign as the first of the team's two race pilots.
McNish's role in the team was confined to testing until he had proven himself against the Finn, but the Scot was later confirmed for a full season in 2002.
Initial testing of the TF101 proved disappointing, as the car was both too heavy and too slow to worry its rivals. Designer Andrea de Cortanze duly made way for the more F1 savvy Gustav Brunner - tempted away from Minardi amid much controversy - and improvements followed slowly.
The 2002 'championship contender' evolved from the refined TF101, and TF102 became the first car of the season unveiled to the public and media, at a ceremony in Cologne in December 2001.
The outfit's debut season was largely seen as a success, they achieved their aims of qualifying for every race and also notched up two points finishes, one on their debut in Australia and another in Brazil, both courtesy of Mika Salo.
However a series of mid-season reliability problems led to some dissatisfaction and by the end of their debut year it had been announced that both Salo and McNish would not be required for the following season.
The team thus opted for a completely new driver line-up for 2003, signing Monaco GP winner Olivier Panis and 2002 CART champion, Cristiano da Matta.
The TF103 was launched on January 8th the outfit stating that they wanted 'regular points finishes' during 2003 and while that was not achieved the team continued to grow, notching up 16 points in total by the season end - finishing in the top eight [i.e. in the points] on seven occasions.
The end result was eighth in the Constructors' ahead of only Jordan and Minardi, and while granted this wasn't very good considering the outfit's budget, it should be remember this was only their second season in F1, and one that did have a number of positives - not least running one-two at the rain affected British GP, and qualifying third and fourth in Japan, and third in the US GP.
For 2004 there was no change on the driver front - Panis, da Matta and third driver, Ricardo Zonta all staying put.
Behind the scenes though there was two significant developments, namely the signing of Mike Gascoyne - Renault's former technical director, to bolster the design team and news that Tsutomu Tomita was to take over as team principal, replacing Ove Andersson, who is now an 'advisor' to the company.
The TF104 was on track extensively during winter testing and the aims for the year were simple - namely to see 'improved race results' and 'if conditions are favourable, score that first ever podium position'. Neither was achieved however, Toyota scored points in only three races, their best finish, when Panis came home fifth at the US Grand Prix. In total they only managed 9 points and were again eighth in the constructors', despite introducing a B-spec car at the German GP.
As a result of their lack of form, da Matta was dropped for the final six races, initially replaced by Zonta, before Jarno Trulli, who was signed for the following season, stepped in for Japan and Brazil, where incidentally Panis stood aside so Zonta could race in front of his home crowd.
In 2005, Toyota opted for Trulli and ex-Williams driver, Ralf Schumacher, while Panis, despite retiring from racing, remained at the team as a test driver, working alongside Zonta.
The year finally saw Toyota 'come of age', as they claimed their first ever F1 podium finish at the Malaysian GP, courtesy of Trulli, who then followed it up with two more in Bahrain and in Spain. Ralf also got in on the act, finishing in the top three in Hungary and China, Toyota ending the season with five podiums in total.
The Cologne based squad managed 88 points during 2005, scoring points in every race they contested, bar the opening Australian GP and the farcical US GP. They also nearly took third place in the Constructors', before eventually having to settle for fourth place, 12 points behind Ferrari.
All in all, it was a promising season, and one that gives them a very good platform to build on in 2006.
Toyota's '06 challenger - the TF106, was launched early, in December '05 and the squad are hopeful this will give them an advantage this season, when Ralf and Trulli will be gunning to give Toyota their first F1 victory. Toyota have also switched to Bridgestone tyres during the off-season, something they hope will aid their cause.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Constructors' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 69
Wins: 0
Points: 115
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 1
Best result in 2005: 2nd - Trulli (Malaysia and Bahrain)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - Trulli (USA) R Schumacher (Japan)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th - Trulli (Japan)
2005 Average grid position: Trulli (5.7) R Schumacher (8.8)
2005: Trulli out-qualified R Schumacher 15 times
2005: R Schumacher out-qualified Trulli 3 times
2005: Completed: 2113 out of 2214 laps (95.44%)
2005: Finished 32 times from 36 starts (91.43%)
TF106 Technical Specifications
Monocoque construction: Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb construction
Fuel tank: ATL safety cell
Front suspension: Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with carbon fibre trackrod and pushrod. Pushrod activates rocker, torsion bar, damper and anti-roll bar assy
Rear suspension: Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with carbon fibre toelink and pushrod. Pushrod activates rocker, torsion bar, damper and anti-roll bar assy
Dampers: Penske
Wheels: BBS forged magnesium
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza
Brakes callipers: Brembo
Brakes master cylinders: Brembo
Braking material: Hitco (carbon/carbon)
Steering: Toyota power-assisted steering
Steering wheel display: Toyota carbon fibre wheel with Toyota / Magneti Marelli instrument
Driver seat: Carbon fibre construction, moulded to driver's shape
Driver restraints: Takata
Driver HANS device: Toyota design
Electronic systems: Toyota / Magneti Marelli
Transmission: 7-speed unit plus reverse Toyota-designed maincase with Toyota / Xtrac internals Gear selection is sequential via driver-controlled electro-hydraulic actuation
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 3090mm
Overall length: 4530mm
Overall height: 950mm
Overall width: 1800mm
Overall weight: 600kg including driver and camera
Toyota RVX-06
Number of cylinders: 8
Capacity: 2398cc
Horsepower: Approximately 740bhp
Revolutions: Around 19,000rpm
Valve actuation: Pneumatic
Throttle actuation: Hydraulic
Spark Plugs: DENSO
Fuel: Esso
Lubricants: Esso
No 7 - Ralf Schumacher
Date of birth: 30/06/1975
Place of birth: Hurth-Hermulheim, Germany
Lives: Salzburg, Austria
Marital status: Marries to Cora, 1 son, David
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 73kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1997-1998)
Williams (1999-2004)
TOyota (2005-2007
Website: http://www.ralf-schumacher.de/
Biography
1996 Wins the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship.
1997 Makes debut in Australia with Jordan. He is involved in a series of crashes but finishes third in Argentina.
1998 Still driving with Jordan, takes second place at Spa and third place at Monza.
1999 Moves to Williams. Scores 35 championship points, takes three podiums.
2000 Finishes fifth in the Drivers' Championship.
2001 Still with Williams. Takes first victory of his career at the San Marino Grand Prix, follows this with wins in Canada and Germany. 49 points puts him fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
2002 Wins the Malaysian Grand Prix. Finishes fourth in the Drivers' Championship behind Williams team mate Montoya.
2003 An inconsistent campaign with Williams, the highlights being three poles and back-to-back wins in Europe and France. Replaced by Marc Gene for Italian race following testing shunt. Fifth in the drivers' championship.
2004 Suffers two spinal fractures in a heavy accident with Williams during US Grand Prix. Misses the following six races before returning for China. Signs for Toyota for 2005.
2005 Often outpaced by team mate Jarno Trulli, but more consistent, particularly in the latter half of the season. Pole in Japan and podiums in Hungary and China help him to sixth in final standings, one place above Trulli. Misses US race after practice accident.
Although always likely to remain in his elder brother's shadow, Ralf Schumacher has earned his place in Formula One thanks to a handful of junior formulae titles. His career bears marked similarities to that of brother Michael, courtesy of the same management team, and his driving, too, has shown flashes of the same speed.
Two karting championship successes in his first season, and the runner-up spot in the national series in his second, allowed Ralf to move into Formula Ford with a strong reputation. This was supported by a strong second overall in the national ADAC FF1600 series, and Ralf soon found himself in the German Formula Three championship.
Driving for the same team, which had provided Michael with so much success, Ralf followed his F3 debut in 1993 with a top three championship place the next year. He improved this placing to fill the runner-up spot in 1995, but added a second place at Monaco and overall victory in Macau to his resume.
For 1996, he eschewed the European F3000 series for a season in its Japanese counterpart. Although not a strong as in previous years, Ralf took the title at his first attempt and, combined with second overall in the national GT series, brought himself firmly to the attentions of Formula One team bosses.
Although McLaren offered him a testing contract, it was Jordan, which gave Ralf his F1 break, just as it had with Michael in 1991. A full season with the team in 1997 resulted in 11th place overall and one podium but the comparisons with Michael didn't stop there. Ralf's podium appearance in Argentina was notable for a controversial collision with team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella which soured relationships for some time!
A poor finish to the season saw Schumacher's stock fall slightly but, as Fisichella left for Benetton, the German remained at Jordan for 1998. Paired with former world champion Damon Hill, the team looked strong on paper, but failed to produce any tangible results before the British GP. Schumacher was first on the board, taking sixth at Silverstone, before going on to follow Hill home at Spa, and take another podium finish in Italy.
For 1999, Ralf swapped seats with fellow German, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, by moving to Williams. The team orders at Spa had frustrated Schumacher enough that he sought legal action to leave Jordan, and eventually found himself in an inexperienced partnership with Alex Zanardi at the rebuilding Grove outfit. Equipped only with an ageing Supertec engine, Ralf nevertheless put in a string of stunning performances, and was unlucky not to win the European GP in September. Team-mate Zanardi failed to score a point in comparison to the German's total of 35.
Unsurprisingly, it was Zanardi who departed at the end of the year, leaving Schumacher as undisputed team leader and partnered by young Briton Jenson Button. Williams now had BMW power and, although not expected to set the world alight on its debut, this was enough to allow Schumacher to shine again in 2000.
It was not all plain sailing for the German though, because despite taking a podium finish in the opening race down under, fifth place in the championship was slightly flattering, as it belied the struggle he had had on occasion to quell the Button uprising. As the Briton gained in confidence, experience and points, so Schumacher's demeanour changed, and the already quiet German became even more withdrawn.
With Button gone, replaced with the mercurial Juan Montoya for 2001, interest centred on how the German would fare against, if anything, an even more unpredictable talent.
Neither Schumacher nor Montoya made any secret of the fact that they weren't the best of buddies before the season started - precipitated by an alleged exchange of opinions in the international media - and this certainly did not prevent the German from taking advantage of Montoya's learning curve, winning his first grand prix at Imola in April.
A second win - in Canada, following a head-to-head with his brother - overshadowed Montoya's rapid acclimatisation to F1, and pre-empted an increasingly close scrap between the team-mates. Schumacher inherited victory in his homeland when Montoya again fell foul of mechanical troubles but, as the stoic Colombian began to get the breaks, so Ralf's game became shaky.
By the time Montoya won in Italy, Schumacher was looking like the Williams number two, and went into 2002 with much to prove.
As was the case twelve months earlier, however, Ralf was back on form by the time of the Australian GP taking third on the grid in qualifying prior to getting caught up in a massive crash at the start, which claimed nearly half the field. The next race, the Malaysian GP, was one of the biggest highlights of the year for the German, as he notched up his (and BMW WilliamsF1's) only win of 2002. Ralf followed this up with two more strong finishes in the next two races, coming home second in Brazil and third at the San Marino GP.
Thereafter though his season was overshadowed by the performance of his team-mate, Montoya, who in qualifying took five consecutive pole positions starting at the Monaco GP in May. Indeed by the season end Ralf appeared again to be on the backburner, JPM scoring 50 points and finishing third in the driver's championship, while Ralf took 42 and was fourth overall.
In 2003 Ralf was a contender for the championship, at least it looked that way at the mid-way point of the season. His final championship position of fifth then, could and should have been have been higher.
Like Montoya, his season started slowly and, although he was scoring at every race, he didn't manage to get onto the podium until the eighth round of the year in Montreal. By now though, Williams had found a turn of speed in the car and Schumacher followed his second place in Canada with back to back wins in the European and French races to head right into contention for the drivers' crown. But then it all went wrong for the German.
The final six races of the season yielded one points finish, a fourth place finish in Hungary, as he fell away badly. His cause wasn't helped by an accident during testing at Monza that led to him missing the Italian GP, Marc Gene stepping in to replace him.
The following year was his final with Williams and although initial tests in the FW26 in January were positive, its performance during the season was less so. Indeed Ralf's relationship with the team, especially bosses Frank Williams and Patrick Head, became troubled to say the least. Talks to renew his contract came to nought and both parties seemed to be getting more and more frustrated. Rumour had it that Ralf was demanding too much money.
Ralf's season though, will be best remembered for his high-speed crash at the US Grand Prix. The incident, which left the German suffering from two broken vertebrae - although admittedly could have been much worse - meant he missed six of the 18 races.
In all he finished in the points on only six occasions, his best result, a second place finish in Japan, after returning from his crash at Indianapolis for the Chinese GP on September 26. Ralf scored 24 points in total, to finish joint ninth in the drivers' championship.
With the Williams relationship having turned soured, and no agreement concluded for 2005, Ralf opted to join Toyota on a three-year deal announced in July.
Ralf's first season with the Cologne based squad, was solid if not spectacular. Initially Ralf's team-mate, Jarno Trulli took much of the limelight, after securing three podiums early on. Trulli was also far more superior in qualifying, something that Ralf had to learn to accept, until the introduction of the TF105B at the season end, which seemed to suit him better.
Overall Ralf probably ended the season just ahead, as he was generally more consistent in the races, scoring points on 13 occasions - while Trulli only did so in nine grand's prix. Ralf scored 45 points to Trulli's 43 and he ended the year on a high, with a third place finish in China, something that moved him ahead of his team-mate in the drivers' championship and secured him sixth place overall.
Ralf will now be keen to maintain this momentum into 2006 and firmly establish himself as the team number one. It will not be easy though, and Ralf's toughest challenge will be matching Trulli's lightning pace in qualifying.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 9
Grand Prix: 145
Wins: 6
Points: 304
Poles: 6
Fastest Laps: 8
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Hungary and China)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Japan)
Worst qualifying 2005: 17th (Monaco)
Average grid position: 8.8
2005: Out-qualified Jarno Trulli 3 times
2005: Completed: 1076 out of 1107 laps (97.20%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 18 starts (94%)
No 8 - Jarno Trulli
Date of birth: 13/07/1974
Place of birth: Pescara, Italy
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Barbara, 1 Son, Enzo
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 60kg
Driven for:
Minardi (1997)
Prost (1997-1999)
Jordan (2000-2001)
Renault (2002-2004)
Toyota (2004-2006)
Website: http://www.jarnotrulli.com/
Biography
1996 Wins the German Formula 3 Championship and becomes a test driver for Benetton.
1997 Makes debut with Minardi, and then transfers to Prost after Olivier Panis is injured. Finishes ninth in the Drivers' Championship having won three points at the German Grand Prix for his new team.
1999 Second in the European Grand Prix with Prost, his first podium finish. Finishes ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
2000 Moves to Jordan. Finishes Championship in 10th position.
2002 Moves to Renault to partner Jenson Button. Scores nine points to finish the Drivers' Championship in eighth position.
2003 Five retirements, but scores points at every other race bar one, with a podium in Germany. Finishes eighth in the drivers' championship with Renault.
2004 Strong first half of the season with Renault, with two pole positions and first victory at Monaco. However, performance drops off in the latter half and parts company with the team with three races to go. Makes an early debut for his 2005 team, Toyota, at the last two.
2005 Superb qualifying performances - one pole and further 13 top-five grid slots - means rival teams have to start factoring the 'Trulli train' into their race strategy. Scores Toyota's best-ever results with second places in Malaysia and Bahrain, but slightly lacklustre form in later races drops him to seventh below team mate Ralf Schumacher in final standings.
Jarno Trulli came to Formula One with an impeccable career in junior classes behind him. He has since impressed the F1 circus with some mature and fighting displays in machinery, which does not always flatter his ability.
A contemporary of Giancarlo Fisichella in the highly rated kart scene of the early 1990s, Trulli is one of only a few to have progressed into a successful car racing career. Like Fisichella, he racked up many titles, including both World and European crowns, in his time in karts, before graduating straight into Formula Three.
Partnered by Fisichella in the RC Motorsport team, Trulli made his debut at the high profile British GP support race in 1994, but car problems forced him into a charging drive from the back of the field. His performance stood him in good stead, however, and a recommendation to the KMS team saw him driving in Germany the following season.
Initially competing in Class B of the competitive German F3 series, Trulli dominated proceedings, securing the title before moving into a Class A machine for selected end-of-season races. Again, he proved his natural ability by beating the regulars in one outing and going on to take second overall in the Macau F3 GP.
The 1996 German F3 title was something of a formality, and Trulli took six wins en route to his first major car racing crown. A heat win in Macau proved that the previous year had been no fluke, and attracted further attention from an already eager Formula One audience.
His first competitive Formula One outing came in a car park at the Bologna Motor Show, but he displayed enough talent behind the wheel of a Benetton for Minardi boss Giancarlo Minardi to sign him for the 1997 season ahead of the financially more attractive Tarso Marques.
Although Trulli suffered mixed fortunes at the back of the grid with Minardi, he emerged as a genuine front-running prospect when he replaced the injured Olivier Panis at Prost. Inconsistent performances in his first few races were forgotten as he confidently led the Austrian GP following the demise of both McLarens and, despite having to return the seat to Panis, before the year was over, Trulli signed to contest the 1998 season with the team.
Despite 1998 not providing the best Prost chassis, Trulli continued to attract attention from the leading teams. He was often mentioned in the same breath as a seat at Williams, but remained focused on improving Prost's season. This was only achieved when he took a single point at the sodden Belgian GP, as the team struggled with unreliability.
Trulli remained with the French team for 1999, but like the highly-rated Panis, was stymied by reliability problems. The Prost technical team delivered a less complex machine for the year, but a solitary second place at the Nurburgring was all Trulli had to show for his efforts.
Despite Prost's hopes of keeping the Italian for another year, Trulli jumped at the chance to replace Damon Hill at Jordan for 2000.
Paired with a resurgent Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the youngster had his work cut out dealing with the less than successful EJ10, but featured at the front on several occasions when the car allowed, including an appearance on the front row at Monaco after an inspired qualifying lap. Tenth in the championship was poor reward for his efforts, however, and Trulli could not better the fourth-place finish he achieved at round two in Brazil.
The Italian remained at Jordan for 2001, convinced that the now Honda-powered EJ11 could only be an improvement over the 2000 car. Testing times showed both car and driver to be close to the leading midfield pace, but Trulli was to be frustrated once again when the season started in earnest.
Still an occasional flyer in qualifying, the Italian seemed to lose his momentum in races, clocking a best finish of fourth on two occasions (Spain and USA), but again failing to break onto the podium. Good for top six finishes when he wasn't retiring, however, Trulli ended the season in ninth overall, and was still a target for envious eyes.
This led to an end-of-season 'struggle' for his services, after manager Flavio Briatore exercised an option on the Italian on behalf of Renault. Although Trulli was initially reluctant to leave Jordan for what, on 2001 form, was a lower ranking team, he appeared in a different set of yellow overalls for 2002.
Given Renault's pedigree in F1 - and the rate at which the company is known to develop its programmes in the formula - the move proved to be a good one. While the Jordan team struggled, Renault finished the 2002 season with 23 points (compared to Jordan's 9), Trulli's best performances - two fourth places (at Monaco and Monza), one fifth (at Indy) and one sixth place (at Montreal).
His true form though was again in qualifying and it was here that he consistently outperformed his team-mate, Jenson Button. Indeed the Italian beat the Brit 12-5, and was within the top ten 13 times in 17 attempts, his best sixth on the grid in Brazil and at Hungary.
For 2003 he had a new team-mate in the form of Fernando Alonso, and although both got on well, it was Trulli who was overshadowed - Alonso scoring the team's first win since reforming and also consequently taking much of the glory. Trulli in contrast notched up just 33 points in total, 22 less than Alonso, his best finish a third place at the German GP, to add to nine other points finishes - three of which were fifth places in Australia, Malaysia and Japan. Eighth place in the drivers' championship overall then was a disappointing result, especially as Alonso achieved so much more.
Trulli continued with Renault in 2004, initally doing well, notching up lots of points before eventually taking his first pole and race win at Monte Carlo. After that his season went down hill, and team boss, Braitore became increasingly frustrated with the Italian, the result - the two went their seperate ways with three grand's prix still to go.
Shortly afterwards Trulli signed a deal with Toyota for 2005, and later it was revealed that he would step into the hot seat early, replacing Ricardo Zonta in Japan and Olivier Panis in Brazil. Having got to grips with the team early, he was hoping to hit the ground running in 2005 - and indeed he did.
His first season with Toyota was more than successful and he started off the year very strongly, taking Toyota's first ever F1 podium finish in Malaysia, when he came home in second place. He followed that up with another podium in Bahrain and a third in Spain. In total Trulli scored 43 points during the year, finishing in the top eight on nine occasions.
Trulli shined most though in qualifying and he frequently put the TF105 in places it really didn't deserve to be, including 13 places in the top 5. In total, he beat Ralf, his team-mate more often than not, out-qualifying him 15-4.
Towards the end of the year though Trulli's star waned somewhat, and he struggled to get to grips with the TF105B, which was introduced for the final two races. The result was that Ralf just piped Trulli in terms of points earned by the season end - the German scoring 2 points more to take sixth place in the drivers' championship.
Trulli now remains at Toyota for a second year in 2006 and he will be eager to maintain his qualifying form, while continuing to build on some very solid race results.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 9
Grand Prix: 148
Wins: 1
Points: 160
Poles: 3
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 2nd (Malaysia and Bahrain)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (USA)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th (Japan)
Average grid position: 5.7
2005: Out-qualified Ralf Schumacher 15 times
2005: Out-qualified Ricardo Zonta 1 time
2005: Completed: 1037 out of 1107 laps (93.68%)
2005: Finished 15 times from 18 starts (83%)
Date of birth: 30/06/1975
Place of birth: Hurth-Hermulheim, Germany
Lives: Salzburg, Austria
Marital status: Marries to Cora, 1 son, David
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 73kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1997-1998)
Williams (1999-2004)
TOyota (2005-2007
Website: http://www.ralf-schumacher.de/
Biography
1996 Wins the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship.
1997 Makes debut in Australia with Jordan. He is involved in a series of crashes but finishes third in Argentina.
1998 Still driving with Jordan, takes second place at Spa and third place at Monza.
1999 Moves to Williams. Scores 35 championship points, takes three podiums.
2000 Finishes fifth in the Drivers' Championship.
2001 Still with Williams. Takes first victory of his career at the San Marino Grand Prix, follows this with wins in Canada and Germany. 49 points puts him fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
2002 Wins the Malaysian Grand Prix. Finishes fourth in the Drivers' Championship behind Williams team mate Montoya.
2003 An inconsistent campaign with Williams, the highlights being three poles and back-to-back wins in Europe and France. Replaced by Marc Gene for Italian race following testing shunt. Fifth in the drivers' championship.
2004 Suffers two spinal fractures in a heavy accident with Williams during US Grand Prix. Misses the following six races before returning for China. Signs for Toyota for 2005.
2005 Often outpaced by team mate Jarno Trulli, but more consistent, particularly in the latter half of the season. Pole in Japan and podiums in Hungary and China help him to sixth in final standings, one place above Trulli. Misses US race after practice accident.
Although always likely to remain in his elder brother's shadow, Ralf Schumacher has earned his place in Formula One thanks to a handful of junior formulae titles. His career bears marked similarities to that of brother Michael, courtesy of the same management team, and his driving, too, has shown flashes of the same speed.
Two karting championship successes in his first season, and the runner-up spot in the national series in his second, allowed Ralf to move into Formula Ford with a strong reputation. This was supported by a strong second overall in the national ADAC FF1600 series, and Ralf soon found himself in the German Formula Three championship.
Driving for the same team, which had provided Michael with so much success, Ralf followed his F3 debut in 1993 with a top three championship place the next year. He improved this placing to fill the runner-up spot in 1995, but added a second place at Monaco and overall victory in Macau to his resume.
For 1996, he eschewed the European F3000 series for a season in its Japanese counterpart. Although not a strong as in previous years, Ralf took the title at his first attempt and, combined with second overall in the national GT series, brought himself firmly to the attentions of Formula One team bosses.
Although McLaren offered him a testing contract, it was Jordan, which gave Ralf his F1 break, just as it had with Michael in 1991. A full season with the team in 1997 resulted in 11th place overall and one podium but the comparisons with Michael didn't stop there. Ralf's podium appearance in Argentina was notable for a controversial collision with team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella which soured relationships for some time!
A poor finish to the season saw Schumacher's stock fall slightly but, as Fisichella left for Benetton, the German remained at Jordan for 1998. Paired with former world champion Damon Hill, the team looked strong on paper, but failed to produce any tangible results before the British GP. Schumacher was first on the board, taking sixth at Silverstone, before going on to follow Hill home at Spa, and take another podium finish in Italy.
For 1999, Ralf swapped seats with fellow German, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, by moving to Williams. The team orders at Spa had frustrated Schumacher enough that he sought legal action to leave Jordan, and eventually found himself in an inexperienced partnership with Alex Zanardi at the rebuilding Grove outfit. Equipped only with an ageing Supertec engine, Ralf nevertheless put in a string of stunning performances, and was unlucky not to win the European GP in September. Team-mate Zanardi failed to score a point in comparison to the German's total of 35.
Unsurprisingly, it was Zanardi who departed at the end of the year, leaving Schumacher as undisputed team leader and partnered by young Briton Jenson Button. Williams now had BMW power and, although not expected to set the world alight on its debut, this was enough to allow Schumacher to shine again in 2000.
It was not all plain sailing for the German though, because despite taking a podium finish in the opening race down under, fifth place in the championship was slightly flattering, as it belied the struggle he had had on occasion to quell the Button uprising. As the Briton gained in confidence, experience and points, so Schumacher's demeanour changed, and the already quiet German became even more withdrawn.
With Button gone, replaced with the mercurial Juan Montoya for 2001, interest centred on how the German would fare against, if anything, an even more unpredictable talent.
Neither Schumacher nor Montoya made any secret of the fact that they weren't the best of buddies before the season started - precipitated by an alleged exchange of opinions in the international media - and this certainly did not prevent the German from taking advantage of Montoya's learning curve, winning his first grand prix at Imola in April.
A second win - in Canada, following a head-to-head with his brother - overshadowed Montoya's rapid acclimatisation to F1, and pre-empted an increasingly close scrap between the team-mates. Schumacher inherited victory in his homeland when Montoya again fell foul of mechanical troubles but, as the stoic Colombian began to get the breaks, so Ralf's game became shaky.
By the time Montoya won in Italy, Schumacher was looking like the Williams number two, and went into 2002 with much to prove.
As was the case twelve months earlier, however, Ralf was back on form by the time of the Australian GP taking third on the grid in qualifying prior to getting caught up in a massive crash at the start, which claimed nearly half the field. The next race, the Malaysian GP, was one of the biggest highlights of the year for the German, as he notched up his (and BMW WilliamsF1's) only win of 2002. Ralf followed this up with two more strong finishes in the next two races, coming home second in Brazil and third at the San Marino GP.
Thereafter though his season was overshadowed by the performance of his team-mate, Montoya, who in qualifying took five consecutive pole positions starting at the Monaco GP in May. Indeed by the season end Ralf appeared again to be on the backburner, JPM scoring 50 points and finishing third in the driver's championship, while Ralf took 42 and was fourth overall.
In 2003 Ralf was a contender for the championship, at least it looked that way at the mid-way point of the season. His final championship position of fifth then, could and should have been have been higher.
Like Montoya, his season started slowly and, although he was scoring at every race, he didn't manage to get onto the podium until the eighth round of the year in Montreal. By now though, Williams had found a turn of speed in the car and Schumacher followed his second place in Canada with back to back wins in the European and French races to head right into contention for the drivers' crown. But then it all went wrong for the German.
The final six races of the season yielded one points finish, a fourth place finish in Hungary, as he fell away badly. His cause wasn't helped by an accident during testing at Monza that led to him missing the Italian GP, Marc Gene stepping in to replace him.
The following year was his final with Williams and although initial tests in the FW26 in January were positive, its performance during the season was less so. Indeed Ralf's relationship with the team, especially bosses Frank Williams and Patrick Head, became troubled to say the least. Talks to renew his contract came to nought and both parties seemed to be getting more and more frustrated. Rumour had it that Ralf was demanding too much money.
Ralf's season though, will be best remembered for his high-speed crash at the US Grand Prix. The incident, which left the German suffering from two broken vertebrae - although admittedly could have been much worse - meant he missed six of the 18 races.
In all he finished in the points on only six occasions, his best result, a second place finish in Japan, after returning from his crash at Indianapolis for the Chinese GP on September 26. Ralf scored 24 points in total, to finish joint ninth in the drivers' championship.
With the Williams relationship having turned soured, and no agreement concluded for 2005, Ralf opted to join Toyota on a three-year deal announced in July.
Ralf's first season with the Cologne based squad, was solid if not spectacular. Initially Ralf's team-mate, Jarno Trulli took much of the limelight, after securing three podiums early on. Trulli was also far more superior in qualifying, something that Ralf had to learn to accept, until the introduction of the TF105B at the season end, which seemed to suit him better.
Overall Ralf probably ended the season just ahead, as he was generally more consistent in the races, scoring points on 13 occasions - while Trulli only did so in nine grand's prix. Ralf scored 45 points to Trulli's 43 and he ended the year on a high, with a third place finish in China, something that moved him ahead of his team-mate in the drivers' championship and secured him sixth place overall.
Ralf will now be keen to maintain this momentum into 2006 and firmly establish himself as the team number one. It will not be easy though, and Ralf's toughest challenge will be matching Trulli's lightning pace in qualifying.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 9
Grand Prix: 145
Wins: 6
Points: 304
Poles: 6
Fastest Laps: 8
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Hungary and China)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Japan)
Worst qualifying 2005: 17th (Monaco)
Average grid position: 8.8
2005: Out-qualified Jarno Trulli 3 times
2005: Completed: 1076 out of 1107 laps (97.20%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 18 starts (94%)
No 8 - Jarno Trulli
Date of birth: 13/07/1974
Place of birth: Pescara, Italy
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Barbara, 1 Son, Enzo
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 60kg
Driven for:
Minardi (1997)
Prost (1997-1999)
Jordan (2000-2001)
Renault (2002-2004)
Toyota (2004-2006)
Website: http://www.jarnotrulli.com/
Biography
1996 Wins the German Formula 3 Championship and becomes a test driver for Benetton.
1997 Makes debut with Minardi, and then transfers to Prost after Olivier Panis is injured. Finishes ninth in the Drivers' Championship having won three points at the German Grand Prix for his new team.
1999 Second in the European Grand Prix with Prost, his first podium finish. Finishes ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
2000 Moves to Jordan. Finishes Championship in 10th position.
2002 Moves to Renault to partner Jenson Button. Scores nine points to finish the Drivers' Championship in eighth position.
2003 Five retirements, but scores points at every other race bar one, with a podium in Germany. Finishes eighth in the drivers' championship with Renault.
2004 Strong first half of the season with Renault, with two pole positions and first victory at Monaco. However, performance drops off in the latter half and parts company with the team with three races to go. Makes an early debut for his 2005 team, Toyota, at the last two.
2005 Superb qualifying performances - one pole and further 13 top-five grid slots - means rival teams have to start factoring the 'Trulli train' into their race strategy. Scores Toyota's best-ever results with second places in Malaysia and Bahrain, but slightly lacklustre form in later races drops him to seventh below team mate Ralf Schumacher in final standings.
Jarno Trulli came to Formula One with an impeccable career in junior classes behind him. He has since impressed the F1 circus with some mature and fighting displays in machinery, which does not always flatter his ability.
A contemporary of Giancarlo Fisichella in the highly rated kart scene of the early 1990s, Trulli is one of only a few to have progressed into a successful car racing career. Like Fisichella, he racked up many titles, including both World and European crowns, in his time in karts, before graduating straight into Formula Three.
Partnered by Fisichella in the RC Motorsport team, Trulli made his debut at the high profile British GP support race in 1994, but car problems forced him into a charging drive from the back of the field. His performance stood him in good stead, however, and a recommendation to the KMS team saw him driving in Germany the following season.
Initially competing in Class B of the competitive German F3 series, Trulli dominated proceedings, securing the title before moving into a Class A machine for selected end-of-season races. Again, he proved his natural ability by beating the regulars in one outing and going on to take second overall in the Macau F3 GP.
The 1996 German F3 title was something of a formality, and Trulli took six wins en route to his first major car racing crown. A heat win in Macau proved that the previous year had been no fluke, and attracted further attention from an already eager Formula One audience.
His first competitive Formula One outing came in a car park at the Bologna Motor Show, but he displayed enough talent behind the wheel of a Benetton for Minardi boss Giancarlo Minardi to sign him for the 1997 season ahead of the financially more attractive Tarso Marques.
Although Trulli suffered mixed fortunes at the back of the grid with Minardi, he emerged as a genuine front-running prospect when he replaced the injured Olivier Panis at Prost. Inconsistent performances in his first few races were forgotten as he confidently led the Austrian GP following the demise of both McLarens and, despite having to return the seat to Panis, before the year was over, Trulli signed to contest the 1998 season with the team.
Despite 1998 not providing the best Prost chassis, Trulli continued to attract attention from the leading teams. He was often mentioned in the same breath as a seat at Williams, but remained focused on improving Prost's season. This was only achieved when he took a single point at the sodden Belgian GP, as the team struggled with unreliability.
Trulli remained with the French team for 1999, but like the highly-rated Panis, was stymied by reliability problems. The Prost technical team delivered a less complex machine for the year, but a solitary second place at the Nurburgring was all Trulli had to show for his efforts.
Despite Prost's hopes of keeping the Italian for another year, Trulli jumped at the chance to replace Damon Hill at Jordan for 2000.
Paired with a resurgent Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the youngster had his work cut out dealing with the less than successful EJ10, but featured at the front on several occasions when the car allowed, including an appearance on the front row at Monaco after an inspired qualifying lap. Tenth in the championship was poor reward for his efforts, however, and Trulli could not better the fourth-place finish he achieved at round two in Brazil.
The Italian remained at Jordan for 2001, convinced that the now Honda-powered EJ11 could only be an improvement over the 2000 car. Testing times showed both car and driver to be close to the leading midfield pace, but Trulli was to be frustrated once again when the season started in earnest.
Still an occasional flyer in qualifying, the Italian seemed to lose his momentum in races, clocking a best finish of fourth on two occasions (Spain and USA), but again failing to break onto the podium. Good for top six finishes when he wasn't retiring, however, Trulli ended the season in ninth overall, and was still a target for envious eyes.
This led to an end-of-season 'struggle' for his services, after manager Flavio Briatore exercised an option on the Italian on behalf of Renault. Although Trulli was initially reluctant to leave Jordan for what, on 2001 form, was a lower ranking team, he appeared in a different set of yellow overalls for 2002.
Given Renault's pedigree in F1 - and the rate at which the company is known to develop its programmes in the formula - the move proved to be a good one. While the Jordan team struggled, Renault finished the 2002 season with 23 points (compared to Jordan's 9), Trulli's best performances - two fourth places (at Monaco and Monza), one fifth (at Indy) and one sixth place (at Montreal).
His true form though was again in qualifying and it was here that he consistently outperformed his team-mate, Jenson Button. Indeed the Italian beat the Brit 12-5, and was within the top ten 13 times in 17 attempts, his best sixth on the grid in Brazil and at Hungary.
For 2003 he had a new team-mate in the form of Fernando Alonso, and although both got on well, it was Trulli who was overshadowed - Alonso scoring the team's first win since reforming and also consequently taking much of the glory. Trulli in contrast notched up just 33 points in total, 22 less than Alonso, his best finish a third place at the German GP, to add to nine other points finishes - three of which were fifth places in Australia, Malaysia and Japan. Eighth place in the drivers' championship overall then was a disappointing result, especially as Alonso achieved so much more.
Trulli continued with Renault in 2004, initally doing well, notching up lots of points before eventually taking his first pole and race win at Monte Carlo. After that his season went down hill, and team boss, Braitore became increasingly frustrated with the Italian, the result - the two went their seperate ways with three grand's prix still to go.
Shortly afterwards Trulli signed a deal with Toyota for 2005, and later it was revealed that he would step into the hot seat early, replacing Ricardo Zonta in Japan and Olivier Panis in Brazil. Having got to grips with the team early, he was hoping to hit the ground running in 2005 - and indeed he did.
His first season with Toyota was more than successful and he started off the year very strongly, taking Toyota's first ever F1 podium finish in Malaysia, when he came home in second place. He followed that up with another podium in Bahrain and a third in Spain. In total Trulli scored 43 points during the year, finishing in the top eight on nine occasions.
Trulli shined most though in qualifying and he frequently put the TF105 in places it really didn't deserve to be, including 13 places in the top 5. In total, he beat Ralf, his team-mate more often than not, out-qualifying him 15-4.
Towards the end of the year though Trulli's star waned somewhat, and he struggled to get to grips with the TF105B, which was introduced for the final two races. The result was that Ralf just piped Trulli in terms of points earned by the season end - the German scoring 2 points more to take sixth place in the drivers' championship.
Trulli now remains at Toyota for a second year in 2006 and he will be eager to maintain his qualifying form, while continuing to build on some very solid race results.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 9
Grand Prix: 148
Wins: 1
Points: 160
Poles: 3
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 2nd (Malaysia and Bahrain)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (USA)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th (Japan)
Average grid position: 5.7
2005: Out-qualified Ralf Schumacher 15 times
2005: Out-qualified Ricardo Zonta 1 time
2005: Completed: 1037 out of 1107 laps (93.68%)
2005: Finished 15 times from 18 starts (83%)
Toyota Test/Reserve Driver - Ricardo Zonta
Date of birth: 23/03/1976
Place of birth: Curitiba, Brazil
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 64kg
Driven for:
BAR (1999-2000)
Jordan (Test driver) (2001)
Toyota (Test driver) (2003-2006)
Website: http://www.ricardozonta.com.br/
Biography
1987 - First kart race at 11 years old with victory in his first race
1988 - Runner-up in the Curitiba Karting Championship
1991 - Winner of the Parana Karting Championship
1992 - 4th place in the Sao Paulo Karting Championship
1993 - 6th place in the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship
1994 - 5th place in the Brazilian Formula 3 Championship
1995 - Brazilian Formula 3 Champion. South American Formula 3 Champion. Records of victories, best laps and pole positions
1996 - 4th place in the European Formula 3000 Championship. Two victories, two best laps and one pole position. First Brazilian to race in an ITC race; invited by Mercedes-Benz
1997 - European Formula 3000 Champion with three victories (Nurburgring, Hockenheim, Mugello). Official tests for Jordan Grand Prix
1998 - FIA GT Champion with AMG Mercedes. Formula 1 test driver for McLaren-Mercedes
1999 - First year in Formula 1 for British American Racing team
2000 - Second year in Formula 1 for British American Racing team. 6th place in Australia, Monza and Indianapolis
2003 - Quit F1 racing
2004 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing
Arriving in Formula One in 1999, Ricardo Zonta found himself in an enviable position. Running with the ambitious British American Racing outfit, the Brazilian viewed as a rookie, could boast two FIA titles in the seasons preceding his F1 debut. His time though with BAR was not easy and in 2001 he left to become test driver at Jordan. From there he seemed to slip out of the F1 arena, before springing a surprise by becoming Toyota's test driver in 2003.
Five years competing in karts in his native Brazil were preceded by races on dirt tracks in the ''Hot Dodge'' category, and both gave Zonta the necessary grounding for a future in motorsport - and provided ample proof of his natural talent. It didn't take long for him to achieve his first win - in his first season, aged 11 - or first title - season five, aged 15 - before moving into cars at the tender age of 17.
Running in the domestic version of Formula Vauxhall, Zonta endured a trying 1993 campaign, before taking the plunge and moving up to the hotly contested Formula Three scene. A learning year in 1994 paved the way for Zonta to take both the Brazilian and South American crowns the following year, with six wins, and make team managers in Europe take notice.
Coming from the country which had produced such notables as Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, Zonta arrived to favourable opinion, and immediately set about the International F3000 series. Although the move surprised many who expected him to tackle one of the national F3 series first, the Brazilian proved his point by taking two end-of-season wins for Draco Engineering, and adding two fastest laps and a pole position to his tally.
The success of his first season in truly international competition made Zonta hot property for 1997, and he was courted by several teams before settling for championship-winning outfit Super Nova. Predictably, the pair added another title to their already impressive records, as three-times race winner Zonta held off Juan Pablo Montoya, although the season proved to be far from straightforward for the Brazilian.
Expected to vault straight into Formula One on the back of his success, Zonta tested extensively for the Jordan team - winding up second only to world champion elect, Mika Hakkinen, on one occasion - but decided to sign a long-term contract with McLaren and Mercedes.
The deal precluded him from racing in F1 for 1998, but saw him join the German manufacturer's GT team for the FIA series. Paired with sportscar veteran Klaus Ludwig, Zonta set about proving himself in the ''tin-top'' arena, and was soon causing Mercedes number one and reigning GT champion Bernd Schneider problems.
As the season drew to a close, both Mercedes pairings were in with a shout of the title and, contrary to popular opinion, it was the Zonta/Ludwig team which snatched the crown. Four consecutive pole positions confirmed the Brazilian's speed and potential and, coupled with greater experience of F1 courtesy of his McLaren test role, made him ever more likely to break into F1 in 1999.
Waiting an extra year came up trumps for Zonta and, although not finding the opening at McLaren that may well have guaranteed a title in his first year, allowed the Brazilian to sign with a potentially front-running team.
British American Racing were the new kids on the block for 1999 but, despite their brash pronouncements pre-season and sufficient ambition to seek wins immediately, suffered a humiliating debut season. Zonta's cause was not helped, either, by a foot-injuring shunt at only the second round in Brazil, which forced him onto the sidelines until mid-season.
His return yielded no points - like team-mate Jacques Villeneuve - but things looked up at the start of 2000, when he inherited sixth spot in Melbourne when Mika Salo's Sauber was disqualified for an infringement. Similar finishes in Italy and the USA followed to put Zonta 14th overall in the 2000 championship but, ultimately, weren't enough to keep his seat safe.
Replaced by Olivier Panis in the Brackley line-up, the Brazilian was connected with a couple of lowlier race seats, as well as testing deals with two former employers - Jordan and McLaren. Eschewing the race option and taking the former testing role, Zonta hoped to create a similar impression to that of Panis in 2000 in order to find a way back into racing for 2002.
His time with Jordan though didn't go well and despite standing in for Heinz-Harald Frentzen, first when the German was unwell at the Canadian GP and then replacing him for the German GP after the three times GP winner was fired, he didn't impress and so Zonta found himself outside in the F1 wilderness in 2002.
During that time he decided to enter a new phase and started competing in a new championship - the Telefonica World Series by Nissan. The result was impressive, Zonta winning the series against the likes of Justin Wilson, Franck Montagny, and Bas Leinders.
The announcement by Toyota in January 2003 that he would become their official test driver was something of a surprise though and it now appears he hasn't given up on F1.
His testing role with the team continued in 2004 - the Brazilian again classed as the third/reserve driver, running during the Friday practice sessions. He did enough during these sessions to impress the team, and from the Hungarian GP was drafted in to replace Cristiano da Matta. Despite his five race appearances (he missed Japan - following the teams signing of Jarno Trulli) he failed though to really make his mark, and in 2005, remained at Toyota in a testing capacity.
Zonta signed a one-year extension with Toyota in November and as such will again be their third/reserve driver in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 36
Wins: 0
Points: 3
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best qualifying 2005: 13th (USA)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (USA)
Average grid position: 13
Toyota Test/Reserve Driver - Olivier Panis
Date of birth: 02/09/1966
Place of birth: Lyon, France
Marital status: Married to Anne, 3 daughters, Aurelien, Caroline, Laurene
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 72kg
Driven for:
Ligier (1994-1996)
Prost (1997-1999)
McLaren (Test driver) (2000)
BAR (2001-2002)
Toyota (2003-2004)
Toyota (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.olivier-panis.com/
Biography
1980 - 1987 Karting
1987 - Winner of Elf Driving Scholarship award at Paul Ricard
1988 - French Formula Renault Championship, 4th (5 podiums)
1989 - French Formula Renault Championship, Champion (5 wins)
1990 - French Formula Three Championship, 4th (4 podiums)
1991 - French Formula Three Championship, 2nd (5 wins)
1992 - International F3000 Championship, 10th (2 podiums)
1993 - International F3000 Championship, Champion (3 wins)
1994 - Ligier: 1 podium finish; nine points, 11th in drivers' championship. - Second in German Grand Prix
1995 - Ligier: 1 podium; 16pts, eighth in drivers' championship. - Second in Australian Grand Prix
1996 - Ligier: 13pts, ninth in drivers' championship. - First Grand Prix win in Monaco
1997 - Prost: 2 podiums; 16pts, 10th in drivers' championship. Second in Spain and third in Brazil. Missed part of season owing to injury.
1998 - Prost: 0 points
1999 - Prost: 2 points;
2000 - Joins West McLaren Mercedes as third driver
2001 - Joins BAR
2003 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing
2004 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing, 6 points
Promising displays throughout his career marked Olivier Panis out as a man to watch when he finally broke into Formula One. Despite entering with a midfield team, he has shown flashes of brilliance, notably in taking victory at the 1996 Monaco GP.
A product of the famous Elf Winfield scholarship system, Panis spent his early racing days going wherever Elf dictated. Thus, he spent two years pursuing the French Formula Renault title, which finally came his way on the back of five wins in 1989.
Graduation to the national Formula Three series followed, and again Panis spent two years chasing the championship. This time, however, he could only manage the runner-up spot, behind Christophe Bouchut, despite taking five wins.
His success in the lower formulae - and the continued support of Elf - saw Panis move up to F3000 in 1992. Repeating the pattern of his earlier career, he had to endure a less than successful debut year, before taking the title in his second season. Two future F1 graduates - Pedro Lamy and David Coulthard - finished behind him in 1993, highlighting Olivier's potential.
This talent was noticed by the Ligier team, who were looking to hire a French driver to maintain their national links, and signed Panis for the 1994 campaign. Right from the start, Panis impressed both his peers and team bosses in the top echelon. Several solid performances in his first season culminated in a fine - if fortuitous - second place in Germany, and this placing was repeated in the 1995 season finale in Australia.
Panis' proudest moment came in his third season with Ligier, however, when he won the Monaco Grand Prix. Run in wet conditions, the race saw many of the favourites drop out. Panis managed to preserve his car while those around him fell by the wayside, and went on to take an historic ''home'' win.
Ligier became Prost immediately before the 1997 season, but new team boss Alain Prost had no hesitation in retaining Panis to lead his squad. Two podium finishes in the first five races showed the potential of the combination, with second place in Spain almost yielding a second victory. Unfortunately, the progress was cut short by Panis' accident in Canada, which left him in hospital with two broken legs. A return to the cockpit later in the season confirmed that the Frenchman had lost none of his speed, and he managed to score more points at the Luxembourg Grand Prix.
Prost retained the services of Panis to lead the team in 1998 but the new car - Prost's first under his own name - proved woefully unreliable. Several possible point scoring finishes were squandered as the team persevered with a radical gearbox, among other things, but Panis continued to show flashes of real ability. Only at the end of the year - having had the final pieces of medical metalwork removed from his legs - did the Frenchman reveal that he had felt unable to drive on the limit for fear of ending his career once-and-for-all.
The Panis-Jarno Trulli combination remained in situ at Prost for 1999, with the team ensuring the new AP02 chassis was more conservative than its immediate predecessor. Panis, restored to full health, was determined to return both the team and himself to the glory of previous years, but found himself frustrated by a lack of reliability with both car and engine.
Forced out of the team by its desire to combine youth and experience for 2000, Panis suddenly found himself with the dilemma of having to choose between a race seat at Williams and a testing berth with McLaren. Reasoning that, on current form, the latter would be the better bet for his career, the Frenchman found himself sitting on the sidelines for the season.
It proved to be a wise move, however, as he regularly topped the testing times, both in the winter and throughout the 2000 campaign - frequently heading team-mates David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen into the bargain. Interest amongst the race ranks was rekindled and Panis was again a name to feature on shopping lists.
In the end, it was British American Racing, which moved first and signed the Frenchman, replacing the lacklustre Ricardo Zonta alongside Jacques Villeneuve for 2001. Quickly on the pace in testing - where Villeneuve was surprisingly slow - Panis looked an early threat for points, but could do no better than the occasional top six finish, and a share of 14th place in the championship.
Despite Panis vowing not to be fazed by his Canadian team-mate's notorious mind games, it was Villeneuve who took the team's first podiums, and who held the upper hand going into the 2002 campaign already marked by the departure of former CEO Craig Pollock.
The Frenchman though under new BAR boss David Richards soon bounced back and both he and JV were remarkably evenly matched throughout the 2002 season. The team itself though had big problems and during the opening few races, reliability woes plagued Olivier. He retired seven times on the trot and it wasn't until Canada, eight races into the season that the Frenchman finally notched up a finish, eighth place was little cause for celebration either.
The BAR team had to wait until Silverstone to score their first points, JV coming home fourth while Panis took fifth. It would be one of only two points finishes during the whole of 2002 for the Frenchman, the other, a sixth place finish coming at the Italy GP in September. All in all Olivier would retire a further four times, bringing his total retirement score to 12 races in 17 events - 10 of which were down to mechanical failures outside his control.
Despite this though, Panis was initially keen to stay with BAR in 2003 and Richards hoped to pair the Frenchman with Brit Jenson Button. Villeneuve though had a contract and despite attempts to off-load the Canadian, it was Panis who eventually left, signing for new boys Toyota.
If you saw a Toyota parked at the side of the track during 2003, then it probably belonged to Panis. After his disastrous season BAR before his switch, you wouldn't have thought it could have got worse for the Frenchman but he had a wretched season, retiring nine times, six of them down to problems with the car. He qualified in the top six on four occasions but never really got the chance to build on these strong performances on race day, ending the season with six points and 15th in the title race, still ahead of ex-team-mate Villeneuve however.
The following year, didn't get much better, and again he ended the season with just six points. His best result a fifth place finish at the US Grand Prix. The Frenchman also ended the year one race early, so that the team could run Jarno Trulli and get him up to speed for 2005.
Despite having elected to retire, Panis stayed on with Toyota in 2005 as a test driver, a role he will continue to perform in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 158
Wins: 1
Points: 76
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Date of birth: 23/03/1976
Place of birth: Curitiba, Brazil
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 64kg
Driven for:
BAR (1999-2000)
Jordan (Test driver) (2001)
Toyota (Test driver) (2003-2006)
Website: http://www.ricardozonta.com.br/
Biography
1987 - First kart race at 11 years old with victory in his first race
1988 - Runner-up in the Curitiba Karting Championship
1991 - Winner of the Parana Karting Championship
1992 - 4th place in the Sao Paulo Karting Championship
1993 - 6th place in the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship
1994 - 5th place in the Brazilian Formula 3 Championship
1995 - Brazilian Formula 3 Champion. South American Formula 3 Champion. Records of victories, best laps and pole positions
1996 - 4th place in the European Formula 3000 Championship. Two victories, two best laps and one pole position. First Brazilian to race in an ITC race; invited by Mercedes-Benz
1997 - European Formula 3000 Champion with three victories (Nurburgring, Hockenheim, Mugello). Official tests for Jordan Grand Prix
1998 - FIA GT Champion with AMG Mercedes. Formula 1 test driver for McLaren-Mercedes
1999 - First year in Formula 1 for British American Racing team
2000 - Second year in Formula 1 for British American Racing team. 6th place in Australia, Monza and Indianapolis
2003 - Quit F1 racing
2004 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing
Arriving in Formula One in 1999, Ricardo Zonta found himself in an enviable position. Running with the ambitious British American Racing outfit, the Brazilian viewed as a rookie, could boast two FIA titles in the seasons preceding his F1 debut. His time though with BAR was not easy and in 2001 he left to become test driver at Jordan. From there he seemed to slip out of the F1 arena, before springing a surprise by becoming Toyota's test driver in 2003.
Five years competing in karts in his native Brazil were preceded by races on dirt tracks in the ''Hot Dodge'' category, and both gave Zonta the necessary grounding for a future in motorsport - and provided ample proof of his natural talent. It didn't take long for him to achieve his first win - in his first season, aged 11 - or first title - season five, aged 15 - before moving into cars at the tender age of 17.
Running in the domestic version of Formula Vauxhall, Zonta endured a trying 1993 campaign, before taking the plunge and moving up to the hotly contested Formula Three scene. A learning year in 1994 paved the way for Zonta to take both the Brazilian and South American crowns the following year, with six wins, and make team managers in Europe take notice.
Coming from the country which had produced such notables as Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, Zonta arrived to favourable opinion, and immediately set about the International F3000 series. Although the move surprised many who expected him to tackle one of the national F3 series first, the Brazilian proved his point by taking two end-of-season wins for Draco Engineering, and adding two fastest laps and a pole position to his tally.
The success of his first season in truly international competition made Zonta hot property for 1997, and he was courted by several teams before settling for championship-winning outfit Super Nova. Predictably, the pair added another title to their already impressive records, as three-times race winner Zonta held off Juan Pablo Montoya, although the season proved to be far from straightforward for the Brazilian.
Expected to vault straight into Formula One on the back of his success, Zonta tested extensively for the Jordan team - winding up second only to world champion elect, Mika Hakkinen, on one occasion - but decided to sign a long-term contract with McLaren and Mercedes.
The deal precluded him from racing in F1 for 1998, but saw him join the German manufacturer's GT team for the FIA series. Paired with sportscar veteran Klaus Ludwig, Zonta set about proving himself in the ''tin-top'' arena, and was soon causing Mercedes number one and reigning GT champion Bernd Schneider problems.
As the season drew to a close, both Mercedes pairings were in with a shout of the title and, contrary to popular opinion, it was the Zonta/Ludwig team which snatched the crown. Four consecutive pole positions confirmed the Brazilian's speed and potential and, coupled with greater experience of F1 courtesy of his McLaren test role, made him ever more likely to break into F1 in 1999.
Waiting an extra year came up trumps for Zonta and, although not finding the opening at McLaren that may well have guaranteed a title in his first year, allowed the Brazilian to sign with a potentially front-running team.
British American Racing were the new kids on the block for 1999 but, despite their brash pronouncements pre-season and sufficient ambition to seek wins immediately, suffered a humiliating debut season. Zonta's cause was not helped, either, by a foot-injuring shunt at only the second round in Brazil, which forced him onto the sidelines until mid-season.
His return yielded no points - like team-mate Jacques Villeneuve - but things looked up at the start of 2000, when he inherited sixth spot in Melbourne when Mika Salo's Sauber was disqualified for an infringement. Similar finishes in Italy and the USA followed to put Zonta 14th overall in the 2000 championship but, ultimately, weren't enough to keep his seat safe.
Replaced by Olivier Panis in the Brackley line-up, the Brazilian was connected with a couple of lowlier race seats, as well as testing deals with two former employers - Jordan and McLaren. Eschewing the race option and taking the former testing role, Zonta hoped to create a similar impression to that of Panis in 2000 in order to find a way back into racing for 2002.
His time with Jordan though didn't go well and despite standing in for Heinz-Harald Frentzen, first when the German was unwell at the Canadian GP and then replacing him for the German GP after the three times GP winner was fired, he didn't impress and so Zonta found himself outside in the F1 wilderness in 2002.
During that time he decided to enter a new phase and started competing in a new championship - the Telefonica World Series by Nissan. The result was impressive, Zonta winning the series against the likes of Justin Wilson, Franck Montagny, and Bas Leinders.
The announcement by Toyota in January 2003 that he would become their official test driver was something of a surprise though and it now appears he hasn't given up on F1.
His testing role with the team continued in 2004 - the Brazilian again classed as the third/reserve driver, running during the Friday practice sessions. He did enough during these sessions to impress the team, and from the Hungarian GP was drafted in to replace Cristiano da Matta. Despite his five race appearances (he missed Japan - following the teams signing of Jarno Trulli) he failed though to really make his mark, and in 2005, remained at Toyota in a testing capacity.
Zonta signed a one-year extension with Toyota in November and as such will again be their third/reserve driver in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 36
Wins: 0
Points: 3
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best qualifying 2005: 13th (USA)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (USA)
Average grid position: 13
Toyota Test/Reserve Driver - Olivier Panis
Date of birth: 02/09/1966
Place of birth: Lyon, France
Marital status: Married to Anne, 3 daughters, Aurelien, Caroline, Laurene
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 72kg
Driven for:
Ligier (1994-1996)
Prost (1997-1999)
McLaren (Test driver) (2000)
BAR (2001-2002)
Toyota (2003-2004)
Toyota (Test driver) (2005-2006)
Website: http://www.olivier-panis.com/
Biography
1980 - 1987 Karting
1987 - Winner of Elf Driving Scholarship award at Paul Ricard
1988 - French Formula Renault Championship, 4th (5 podiums)
1989 - French Formula Renault Championship, Champion (5 wins)
1990 - French Formula Three Championship, 4th (4 podiums)
1991 - French Formula Three Championship, 2nd (5 wins)
1992 - International F3000 Championship, 10th (2 podiums)
1993 - International F3000 Championship, Champion (3 wins)
1994 - Ligier: 1 podium finish; nine points, 11th in drivers' championship. - Second in German Grand Prix
1995 - Ligier: 1 podium; 16pts, eighth in drivers' championship. - Second in Australian Grand Prix
1996 - Ligier: 13pts, ninth in drivers' championship. - First Grand Prix win in Monaco
1997 - Prost: 2 podiums; 16pts, 10th in drivers' championship. Second in Spain and third in Brazil. Missed part of season owing to injury.
1998 - Prost: 0 points
1999 - Prost: 2 points;
2000 - Joins West McLaren Mercedes as third driver
2001 - Joins BAR
2003 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing
2004 - Formula 1: Panasonic Toyota Racing, 6 points
Promising displays throughout his career marked Olivier Panis out as a man to watch when he finally broke into Formula One. Despite entering with a midfield team, he has shown flashes of brilliance, notably in taking victory at the 1996 Monaco GP.
A product of the famous Elf Winfield scholarship system, Panis spent his early racing days going wherever Elf dictated. Thus, he spent two years pursuing the French Formula Renault title, which finally came his way on the back of five wins in 1989.
Graduation to the national Formula Three series followed, and again Panis spent two years chasing the championship. This time, however, he could only manage the runner-up spot, behind Christophe Bouchut, despite taking five wins.
His success in the lower formulae - and the continued support of Elf - saw Panis move up to F3000 in 1992. Repeating the pattern of his earlier career, he had to endure a less than successful debut year, before taking the title in his second season. Two future F1 graduates - Pedro Lamy and David Coulthard - finished behind him in 1993, highlighting Olivier's potential.
This talent was noticed by the Ligier team, who were looking to hire a French driver to maintain their national links, and signed Panis for the 1994 campaign. Right from the start, Panis impressed both his peers and team bosses in the top echelon. Several solid performances in his first season culminated in a fine - if fortuitous - second place in Germany, and this placing was repeated in the 1995 season finale in Australia.
Panis' proudest moment came in his third season with Ligier, however, when he won the Monaco Grand Prix. Run in wet conditions, the race saw many of the favourites drop out. Panis managed to preserve his car while those around him fell by the wayside, and went on to take an historic ''home'' win.
Ligier became Prost immediately before the 1997 season, but new team boss Alain Prost had no hesitation in retaining Panis to lead his squad. Two podium finishes in the first five races showed the potential of the combination, with second place in Spain almost yielding a second victory. Unfortunately, the progress was cut short by Panis' accident in Canada, which left him in hospital with two broken legs. A return to the cockpit later in the season confirmed that the Frenchman had lost none of his speed, and he managed to score more points at the Luxembourg Grand Prix.
Prost retained the services of Panis to lead the team in 1998 but the new car - Prost's first under his own name - proved woefully unreliable. Several possible point scoring finishes were squandered as the team persevered with a radical gearbox, among other things, but Panis continued to show flashes of real ability. Only at the end of the year - having had the final pieces of medical metalwork removed from his legs - did the Frenchman reveal that he had felt unable to drive on the limit for fear of ending his career once-and-for-all.
The Panis-Jarno Trulli combination remained in situ at Prost for 1999, with the team ensuring the new AP02 chassis was more conservative than its immediate predecessor. Panis, restored to full health, was determined to return both the team and himself to the glory of previous years, but found himself frustrated by a lack of reliability with both car and engine.
Forced out of the team by its desire to combine youth and experience for 2000, Panis suddenly found himself with the dilemma of having to choose between a race seat at Williams and a testing berth with McLaren. Reasoning that, on current form, the latter would be the better bet for his career, the Frenchman found himself sitting on the sidelines for the season.
It proved to be a wise move, however, as he regularly topped the testing times, both in the winter and throughout the 2000 campaign - frequently heading team-mates David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen into the bargain. Interest amongst the race ranks was rekindled and Panis was again a name to feature on shopping lists.
In the end, it was British American Racing, which moved first and signed the Frenchman, replacing the lacklustre Ricardo Zonta alongside Jacques Villeneuve for 2001. Quickly on the pace in testing - where Villeneuve was surprisingly slow - Panis looked an early threat for points, but could do no better than the occasional top six finish, and a share of 14th place in the championship.
Despite Panis vowing not to be fazed by his Canadian team-mate's notorious mind games, it was Villeneuve who took the team's first podiums, and who held the upper hand going into the 2002 campaign already marked by the departure of former CEO Craig Pollock.
The Frenchman though under new BAR boss David Richards soon bounced back and both he and JV were remarkably evenly matched throughout the 2002 season. The team itself though had big problems and during the opening few races, reliability woes plagued Olivier. He retired seven times on the trot and it wasn't until Canada, eight races into the season that the Frenchman finally notched up a finish, eighth place was little cause for celebration either.
The BAR team had to wait until Silverstone to score their first points, JV coming home fourth while Panis took fifth. It would be one of only two points finishes during the whole of 2002 for the Frenchman, the other, a sixth place finish coming at the Italy GP in September. All in all Olivier would retire a further four times, bringing his total retirement score to 12 races in 17 events - 10 of which were down to mechanical failures outside his control.
Despite this though, Panis was initially keen to stay with BAR in 2003 and Richards hoped to pair the Frenchman with Brit Jenson Button. Villeneuve though had a contract and despite attempts to off-load the Canadian, it was Panis who eventually left, signing for new boys Toyota.
If you saw a Toyota parked at the side of the track during 2003, then it probably belonged to Panis. After his disastrous season BAR before his switch, you wouldn't have thought it could have got worse for the Frenchman but he had a wretched season, retiring nine times, six of them down to problems with the car. He qualified in the top six on four occasions but never really got the chance to build on these strong performances on race day, ending the season with six points and 15th in the title race, still ahead of ex-team-mate Villeneuve however.
The following year, didn't get much better, and again he ended the season with just six points. His best result a fifth place finish at the US Grand Prix. The Frenchman also ended the year one race early, so that the team could run Jarno Trulli and get him up to speed for 2005.
Despite having elected to retire, Panis stayed on with Toyota in 2005 as a test driver, a role he will continue to perform in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 158
Wins: 1
Points: 76
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Team HQ
Based in: Grove, Oxfordshire
Founded: 1968 (active since 1973)
WilliamsF1
Station Road
Grove
Wantage
Oxfordshire
OX12 8DQ
Tel: 01235 777700
Fax: 01235 777739
Website: http://www.williamsf1.com/
Team Structure
Team Principal: Frank Williams
Director of Engineering: Patrick Head
Chief Executive Officer: Chris Chapple
Chief Operating Officer: Alex Burns
Head of Marketing: Jim Wright
Head of Legal Affairs: John Healey
Technical Director: Sam Michael
Chief Designer: Jorg Zander
Chief Aerodynamisist: Loïc Bigois
Race Team Manager: Tim Newton
Team Biography
Williams are the masters of motor racing technology. For seven straight years the Williams car was regarded as the fastest in the business. Four drivers' and five constructors' titles have come their way since 1991, but fortunes were not always so good.
Frank Williams entered Formula 1 as a private entrant in 1969 but it was not until 1977 that the current team began to take shape. Things really got moving when Frank joined forces with talented designer Patrick Head and managed to secure major backing from Saudia airlines. The duo set up a factory in Didcot where Head penned the stunning Williams FW07. Clay Regazzoni scored the teams first win, fittingly on home soil. Four further wins from Australian Alan Jones completed a successful year that left the team second in the constructors' championship.
Jones clinched the top spot in 1980 and then in 1982 Keke Rosberg gave the team a second driver's title. This was the dying days of the kit car operation where most teams simply bought a Ford Cosworth and plugged it into the back of a car. Stakes were being raised and to give his team the best chance in the forthcoming turbo age Frank opted for Honda power. The relationship took some time to gel, but in 1986 Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet dominated until tyre problems allowed McLaren's Alain Prost to slip through at the final round. The team's supremacy was doubly surprising after Frank was paralysed in a road accident while at a test session at the Paul Ricard circuit in March 1986. The {Honda} partnership ended in 1987, but in their final year together, Nelson Piquet clinched the drivers' championship and the team took their fourth constructors' cup. 1988 was a difficult year, the team failing to win a race with their normally-aspirated Judds in a final year of turbo domination.
Renault re-entered Formula One in 1989, and opted for Williams. Theirs was to be a partnership made in heaven as Williams began a period of total domination of the racing scene. Williams challenged strongly for the championship in 1991, but had to wait for 1992 for a dominant double. Three-times world champion Alain Prost took Mansell's seat for 1993, and added a fourth title to his tally. With the assistance of test-graduate Damon Hill, the team took their sixth constructors' title. When Prost retired at the end of the season, Ayrton Senna took the lead seat and was expected to dominate. A tragic accident at Imola for the Brazilian left Hill in charge, and the Englishman helped carry the team to its seventh constructors' championship.
Despite a superb handling car for 1995 the team failed to clinch either championship, but 1996 and 1997 saw them back at the top with another pair of titles for Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Despite the twin victories many observers began to see cracks in the teams ability to contain the rapidly improving opposition.
When Renault out of Formula 1 at the end of the '97 season, the team's dominance was left seriously in doubt. Despite setting some impressive times in testing, both Villeneuve and Frentzen struggled to match the pace of the McLarens and as a result they spent 1998 battling to get into the points. As a result the team suffered from their most uncompetitive season for a decade and failed to win a single race. For champion Villeneuve, this was a very bitter pill to swallow - scoring just 20 championship points and two podium placings. By the end of the season, both drivers had had enough and announced their departure from the team.
The next year wasn't much of an improvement to 1998. The dominant red on the car and a woodpecker on the nose did not help the team much further. Ralf Schumacher who came over from Jordan practically saved the season for Williams as CART champion Alessandro Zanardi had a hard time adopting to F1.
In year 2000 the Williams Team changed to the blue and white colours of BMW and used the new BMW engine. While the first year was a little bit too early to shine for Ralf Schmacher and younster Jenson Button, it only went better and better with extremely powerful BMW engines. The team hired Juan Pablo Montoya as a replacement for Jenson Button and saw the Columbian CART champion do by far much better than Zanardi in 1999. 2003 was the highpoint of the BMW alliance. Montoya had the upper hand in the team and drove from one pole position to another while proving the BMW engine's strenght by driving the (at that time) fastest lap ever in F1 during Monza qualifying.
One year after the successes, the Williams team hired Antonia Terzi from Ferrari as head of aerodynamics and came up with the tusk nosed Williams FW26. The car proved to be a trouble child and the team fired Terzi and reverted to a conventional nose. More and more problems arose between the management and BMW for not allowing BMW to buy a majority stake in the team. Montoya on the other hand was unsatisfied by the treatment he got at the team and decided to leave for McLaren in 2005. Although he managed to win the last race of 2004, the next season, McLaren proved to be the right choice for Juan Pablo.
As also Ralf Schumacher left to Toyota, Frank Williams hired the services of Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld, only to drive halfway the pack during 2005. The only really good result came in Monaco where the two Williams F1 cars finished on the podium behind winner Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren MP4-20.
2006 introduces a new era for Williams as BMW decided to start their own team by buying the Swiss Sauber team. Williams runs 2006 with a V8 Cosworth engine driven by Webber and GP2 winner Nico Rosberg, son of Keke Rosberg who won the championship with Williams in 1982.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 7
Constructors' Titles: 9
Seasons in F1: 31 (And 2 as Iso)
Grand Prix: 514
Wins: 113
Points: 2501.5
Poles: 125
Fastest Laps: 127
Best result in 2005: 2nd - Heidfeld (Monaco and Europe)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - Heidfeld (Europe)
Worst qualifying 2005: 18th - Heidfeld (Spain)
2005 Average grid position: Webber (8.2) Heidfeld (9.7) Pizzonia (14.2)
2005: Webber out-qualified Heidfeld 9 times
2005: Webber out-qualified Pizzonia 5 times
2005: Heidfeld out-qualified Webber 5 times
2005: Completed: 1823 out of 2214 laps (82.34%)
2005: Finished 25 times from 36 starts (69.44%)
FW28 Technical Specifications
Chassis construction: Monocoque construction fabricated from carbon aramid epoxy and honeycomb composite structure, surpassing FIA impact and strength requirements
Front suspension: Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod activated torsion springs
Rear suspension: Wishbone and pushrod activated torsion springs and rockers
Transmission: WilliamsF1 seven speed seamless sequential semi-automatic shift plus reverse gear in a aluminium maincase with Xtrac internals, gear selection electro-hydraulically actuated
Clutch: Carbon plate
Dampers: WilliamsF1
Wheels: OZ forged magnesium
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza, F 350mm wide, R 375mm wide
Brake system: 6 piston AP calipers all round, Carbon Industrie carbon discs and pads
Steering: WilliamsF1 power assisted rack and pinion
Fuel system: ATL Kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
Electronic systems: Integrated chassis & engine electronic systems developed by WilliamsF1 & Cosworth
Fuel & lubricants: Fuel by Petrobras, lubricants by Castrol
Cooling system: Marston oil, water, hydraulic and gearbox radiators
Cockpit: Driver six point safety harness with 75mm shoulder straps & HANS system, removable anatomically formed carbon fibre seat covered in Alcantara. Safety Devices extinguisher systems
Dimensions
Weight: 605kg with driver, camera and ballast
Wheelbase: 3100mm
Overall length: 4500mm
Overall height:950mm
Overall width: 1800mm
Cosworth CA2006
Configuration: V8 Vee Angle: 90deg
Number of valves: 32
Capacity: 2398cc
Power Output: Not disclosed
Maximum Engine Speed: Not disclosed
Construction: Aluminium cylinder block and heads, cast at Cosworth’s foundry. Aluminium alloy pistons, steel crankshaft
Engine Electronics: Pi/Cosworth
Spark Plugs: Champion
Weight: 95kg Minimum (FIA defined Centre of Gravity)
No 9 - Mark Webber
Date of birth: 27/08/1976
Place of birth: Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Lives: Buckinghamshire, England
Marital status: Lives with Girlfriend
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 76kg
Driven for:
Arrows (Test Driver) (1999-2000)
Benetton (Test Driver) (2001)
Minardi (2002)
Jaguar (2003-04)
WilliamsF1 (2005-06)
Website: http://www.markwebber.com/
Biography
1996 Runner-up in the British Formula Ford Championship.
1998 Partners Bernd Schneider in the FIA GT Championship, runner-up with five wins.
1999 Races at Le Mans with Mercedes AMG. The team is withdrawn from the event after aerodynamic problems are discovered.
2000 Third in the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship with the Eurobet Arrows team.
2001 Second overall in the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship having taken three wins. Becomes a Benetton test driver.
2002 Debut with Minardi. Dream start as he scores fifth place in his first ever race. Puts in impressive performances through the rest of the season.
2003 Cements his reputation as one of the sport's rising stars. Takes third on the grid in Brazil and Hungary and scores all bar one of Jaguar's 18 points. Tenth in the drivers' championship.
2004 Difficult final season with Jaguar. Scores seven of the team's ten points. Highlight a second on the grid in Malaysia. Signs for Williams for 2005.
2005 Lack of Williams competitiveness blunts debut season with British team. Shines in qualifying with seven top-five grid slots, but race performances less consistent, a third in Monaco his sole podium appearance. Beats team mate Nick Heidfeld to tenth in the final standings after the German misses last five rounds.
Australian Mark Webber can claim to truly be one of those drivers to have reached Formula One on the strength of his driving ability as, like many of his countrymen before him, he received little financial support for his career at any stage.
Being born in the country outside Canberra, Webber's first attraction was to motorbikes – a hobby helped by his father's position as the local dealer – before he turned his attention to four wheels with a spell in karting. It wasn't for a few years, however, that the bug began to strike. Then, having won the state kart title, he moved immediately into Formula Ford, taking fourth overall in a strong category in Australia, before taking the big step to Europe.
Having proved good enough to be offered a works Van Dieman for the annual FFord Festival in 1995, he was then retained by the manufacturer to spearhead its challenge for the full 1996 championship. The likes of Kristian Kolby and Darren Malkin provided stiff opposition in the regular season, but Webber, second overall in the championship, came good on his return to the Festival event, taking the title in front of a competitive field. He then returned to Australia for a brief crack at Formula Holden before flying back to Britain for the following season.
Skipping Formula Renault, the Australian teamed up with compatriot Alan Docking in Formula Three but, without the Duckhams backing that the Van Dieman team had enjoyed, the year proved to be a financial struggle. Webber soldiered on, however, letting his driving do the talking and eventually winning a round of the series at Brands Hatch before going on to take fourth overall. He recorded a similar result in the end-of-year Macau Grand Prix.
His results had not gone unnoticed, and Webber was approached by Mercedes-Benz to join its band of young guns in the 1998 FIA GT Sportscar Championship. Not having to provide sponsorship to land the seat, Webber agreed, and was paired with Germany's Bernd Schneider in the CLK GT machine. The first season past off without incident – and included five race wins - but returning to Mercedes fold for 1999 almost proved Webber's undoing as he endured two harrowing moments during the build-up to the annual Le Mans 24 Hours after the car's aerodynamics caused it to flip on the flat-out Mulsanne Straight. He decided there and then that sportscars was not where his immediate future lay.
By this stage, however, he had already picked up the occasional test outing with the Arrows team in Formula One and attracted the backing of wealthy ex-pat Paul Stoddart, who was looking to break into motorsport on the back of his lucrative airline parts business.
The pair hit it off immediately, with Webber becoming a key part of Stoddart's fledgling FIA F3000 team for 2000. Despite the general inexperience, Webber managed to finish third overall that year, winning at Silverstone but losing out to Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian in the final reckoning.
His performance was enough for him to be snapped up by the crack Super Nova team for 2001, although all of David Sears previous championship winning form could not prevent Webber being beaten to the title by Justin Wilson, despite wins at Imola and Magny-Cours.
His Formula One experience had also grown by season's end, having been snapped up by Flavio Briatore and the Benetton team to add to its testing strength, and his performances there made him an obvious target for Stoddart who, by now, had taken charge of the Minardi team for 2002.
The pair made an emotional debut together in Melbourne, with Webber - the first Australian in F1 since David Brabham in 1994 - benefiting from a mass pile-up at the start to bring his car home in fifth place, scoring rare points for Minardi and joining an elite band of drivers to have scored on their F1 debut. There was never any chance of repeating the result, eighth in France being the closest Webber got, but his ability had been noticed by others further up the pit-lane.
With Eddie Irvine announcing his retirement from the sport, Webber was snapped up by the Ford-owned Jaguar Racing team for 2003, partnered initially by rising Brazilian star Antonio Pizzonia, who had made his mark in testing with Williams-BMW. Despite a largely frustrating season, a revised scoring system allowed Webber to rack up 17 points for tenth in the championship – and a reputation for seeing off talented team-mates as Pizzonia was replaced mid-season by former F3000 rival Wilson, who fared little better against the more settled Aussie.
Webber continued with Jaguar in 2004, now ranged against unproven rookie Christian Klien. Again, the campaign proved to be a frustrating one as, despite the might of Ford being behind the team, the Blue Oval's budget was being strangled. Webber managed seven points all year, good enough for 13th overall, but his fighting displays – and a front row start in Malaysia – were sufficient to mark him out to a team used to tough Aussie battlers.
With the future of Jaguar Racing uncertain beyond the end of the season, Webber gratefully accepted an offer to join Williams, which had taken another bluff Australian, Alan Jones, to the world title in 1980.
Webber joined Williams though at a time when their relationship with engine partner, BMW hit an all time low, Williams and BMW opting to go their separate ways at the end of the season.
Webber had hoped he would be able to fight for wins during '05 but that never happened, although he did manage his first F1 podium finish at the Monaco GP, when he came home third behind team-mate, Nick Heidfeld. Webber finished the year tenth in the drivers' championship, having scored 36 points.
Webber and Williams remain together for 2006, and without BMW, the Grove based squad, will have to make do with Cosworth engines. Williams have also switched to Bridgestone tyres and with Nick Heidfeld joining BMW Sauber, Nico Rosberg comes in to drive the second car.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 68
Wins: 0
Points: 62
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Monaco)
Best qualifying 2005: 2nd (Spain)
Worst qualifying 2005: 16th (Hungary)
Average grid position: 8.2
2005: Out-qualified Nick Heidfeld 9 times
2005: Out-qualified Antonio Pizzonia 5 times
2005: Completed: 947 out of 1107 laps (85.55%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 18 starts (72%)
No 10 - Nico Rosberg
Date of birth: 27/06/1985
Place of birth: Wiesbaden, Germany
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 78kg
Driven for:
Williams (2006)
Website: http://www.nicorosberg.com/
Biography
2002 Spectacular single-seater debut, winning Formula ADAC Championship with nine victories. Earns him a Williams test and at 17 becomes youngest person to drive a Formula One car.
2003 Graduates to Formula 3 Euro Series with Team Rosberg. Claims one race win and finishes eighth overall in the championship.
2004 Takes a further three victories in the Formula 3 Euro Series.
2005 Wins inaugural GP2 championship, the replacement series for Formula 3000. Signed as Williams test driver in May, before winning race contract with the team for 2006.
Unlike his father, 1982 Formula One World Champion, Keke Rosberg, who is a Finn, Nico was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and races under a German licence.
Being the son of a World Champion will have certainly opened doors for Nico, but that doesn't detract from his undoubted talent.
As is so often the case, the youngster started off in Karts, winning the Regional Côte d'Azur mini-kart Championship in 1996, aged 11, and followed this up with the French mini-kart (1997) and North American ICA Junior Karting (1998) titles.
In the years that followed, Nico finished runner-up in the Italian ICA Junior Karting Championship and fourth in the ICA Junior European Karting Championship (1999). He was runner-up in the 2000 Formula A European Karting Championship and in 2001 contested the Super A World Karting Championship, before switching to single-seaters for 2002.
At the very first attempt, the youngster won the Formula BMW ADAC Championship with 9 wins, a victory that secured the bond with BMW and also earned him a test drive with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team.
To prove that his Formula BMW victory was no 'flash in the pan', the youngster followed up with a strong performance in the 2003 F3 Euro-series, finishing runner-up in the 'rookie' class, and then finishing a strong fourth in the 2004 championship with 4 wins.
Following his F1 test in December 2002, when he declared that he found the car "easy to drive", Nico enjoyed further outings with the WilliamsF1 team in December 2003 and January 2004.
In 2005, having already secured a seat with Nicolas Todt's ART Grand Prix team in the inaugural GP2 Championship, Nico was named as second test driver, alongside Antonio Pizzonia, at WilliamsF1.
"We are delighted to have another talented Rosberg in the team," said team boss Sir Frank Williams at the time.
On only his second day with the Grove outfit, during testing at Silverstone, Nico posted the fastest time of the day, out-pacing Pizzonia and posting the second fastest lap of the year at the Northamptonshire track.
Back in GP2, Rosberg took the inaugural title in a series, which, despite some initial hiccups, turned out to be genuinely thrilling. The title fight went all the way to the wire, with Nico holding off Heikki Kovalainen.
With several sons of famous racers slowly rising through the ranks, not least Nelson Piquet Jr, son of another former Williams World Champion, it is said that Nico is the best of the lot.
Following the break up of the BMW WilliamsF1 partnership, it was thought that Nico might follow fellow-German, Nick Heidfeld, to the new BMW team, but instead the youngster opted to remain with the team that gave his father his title.
In 2006, Nico makes his F1 race debut, partnering the highly-rated Mark Webber. It will be a season of learning not just for the German, but also for his team, which now has a new, albeit temporary - if the rumours are true - engine partner in Cosworth.
Race fans of a certain age will remember the stunning 160 mph qualifying lap that his father ran during qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix, a lap which for many years was the fastest ever recorded by any F1 car at any circuit.
Whether Nico has the ability to emulate, if not surpass, his father's achievements, remains to be seen.
Date of birth: 27/08/1976
Place of birth: Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Lives: Buckinghamshire, England
Marital status: Lives with Girlfriend
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 76kg
Driven for:
Arrows (Test Driver) (1999-2000)
Benetton (Test Driver) (2001)
Minardi (2002)
Jaguar (2003-04)
WilliamsF1 (2005-06)
Website: http://www.markwebber.com/
Biography
1996 Runner-up in the British Formula Ford Championship.
1998 Partners Bernd Schneider in the FIA GT Championship, runner-up with five wins.
1999 Races at Le Mans with Mercedes AMG. The team is withdrawn from the event after aerodynamic problems are discovered.
2000 Third in the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship with the Eurobet Arrows team.
2001 Second overall in the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship having taken three wins. Becomes a Benetton test driver.
2002 Debut with Minardi. Dream start as he scores fifth place in his first ever race. Puts in impressive performances through the rest of the season.
2003 Cements his reputation as one of the sport's rising stars. Takes third on the grid in Brazil and Hungary and scores all bar one of Jaguar's 18 points. Tenth in the drivers' championship.
2004 Difficult final season with Jaguar. Scores seven of the team's ten points. Highlight a second on the grid in Malaysia. Signs for Williams for 2005.
2005 Lack of Williams competitiveness blunts debut season with British team. Shines in qualifying with seven top-five grid slots, but race performances less consistent, a third in Monaco his sole podium appearance. Beats team mate Nick Heidfeld to tenth in the final standings after the German misses last five rounds.
Australian Mark Webber can claim to truly be one of those drivers to have reached Formula One on the strength of his driving ability as, like many of his countrymen before him, he received little financial support for his career at any stage.
Being born in the country outside Canberra, Webber's first attraction was to motorbikes – a hobby helped by his father's position as the local dealer – before he turned his attention to four wheels with a spell in karting. It wasn't for a few years, however, that the bug began to strike. Then, having won the state kart title, he moved immediately into Formula Ford, taking fourth overall in a strong category in Australia, before taking the big step to Europe.
Having proved good enough to be offered a works Van Dieman for the annual FFord Festival in 1995, he was then retained by the manufacturer to spearhead its challenge for the full 1996 championship. The likes of Kristian Kolby and Darren Malkin provided stiff opposition in the regular season, but Webber, second overall in the championship, came good on his return to the Festival event, taking the title in front of a competitive field. He then returned to Australia for a brief crack at Formula Holden before flying back to Britain for the following season.
Skipping Formula Renault, the Australian teamed up with compatriot Alan Docking in Formula Three but, without the Duckhams backing that the Van Dieman team had enjoyed, the year proved to be a financial struggle. Webber soldiered on, however, letting his driving do the talking and eventually winning a round of the series at Brands Hatch before going on to take fourth overall. He recorded a similar result in the end-of-year Macau Grand Prix.
His results had not gone unnoticed, and Webber was approached by Mercedes-Benz to join its band of young guns in the 1998 FIA GT Sportscar Championship. Not having to provide sponsorship to land the seat, Webber agreed, and was paired with Germany's Bernd Schneider in the CLK GT machine. The first season past off without incident – and included five race wins - but returning to Mercedes fold for 1999 almost proved Webber's undoing as he endured two harrowing moments during the build-up to the annual Le Mans 24 Hours after the car's aerodynamics caused it to flip on the flat-out Mulsanne Straight. He decided there and then that sportscars was not where his immediate future lay.
By this stage, however, he had already picked up the occasional test outing with the Arrows team in Formula One and attracted the backing of wealthy ex-pat Paul Stoddart, who was looking to break into motorsport on the back of his lucrative airline parts business.
The pair hit it off immediately, with Webber becoming a key part of Stoddart's fledgling FIA F3000 team for 2000. Despite the general inexperience, Webber managed to finish third overall that year, winning at Silverstone but losing out to Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian in the final reckoning.
His performance was enough for him to be snapped up by the crack Super Nova team for 2001, although all of David Sears previous championship winning form could not prevent Webber being beaten to the title by Justin Wilson, despite wins at Imola and Magny-Cours.
His Formula One experience had also grown by season's end, having been snapped up by Flavio Briatore and the Benetton team to add to its testing strength, and his performances there made him an obvious target for Stoddart who, by now, had taken charge of the Minardi team for 2002.
The pair made an emotional debut together in Melbourne, with Webber - the first Australian in F1 since David Brabham in 1994 - benefiting from a mass pile-up at the start to bring his car home in fifth place, scoring rare points for Minardi and joining an elite band of drivers to have scored on their F1 debut. There was never any chance of repeating the result, eighth in France being the closest Webber got, but his ability had been noticed by others further up the pit-lane.
With Eddie Irvine announcing his retirement from the sport, Webber was snapped up by the Ford-owned Jaguar Racing team for 2003, partnered initially by rising Brazilian star Antonio Pizzonia, who had made his mark in testing with Williams-BMW. Despite a largely frustrating season, a revised scoring system allowed Webber to rack up 17 points for tenth in the championship – and a reputation for seeing off talented team-mates as Pizzonia was replaced mid-season by former F3000 rival Wilson, who fared little better against the more settled Aussie.
Webber continued with Jaguar in 2004, now ranged against unproven rookie Christian Klien. Again, the campaign proved to be a frustrating one as, despite the might of Ford being behind the team, the Blue Oval's budget was being strangled. Webber managed seven points all year, good enough for 13th overall, but his fighting displays – and a front row start in Malaysia – were sufficient to mark him out to a team used to tough Aussie battlers.
With the future of Jaguar Racing uncertain beyond the end of the season, Webber gratefully accepted an offer to join Williams, which had taken another bluff Australian, Alan Jones, to the world title in 1980.
Webber joined Williams though at a time when their relationship with engine partner, BMW hit an all time low, Williams and BMW opting to go their separate ways at the end of the season.
Webber had hoped he would be able to fight for wins during '05 but that never happened, although he did manage his first F1 podium finish at the Monaco GP, when he came home third behind team-mate, Nick Heidfeld. Webber finished the year tenth in the drivers' championship, having scored 36 points.
Webber and Williams remain together for 2006, and without BMW, the Grove based squad, will have to make do with Cosworth engines. Williams have also switched to Bridgestone tyres and with Nick Heidfeld joining BMW Sauber, Nico Rosberg comes in to drive the second car.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 4
Grand Prix: 68
Wins: 0
Points: 62
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Monaco)
Best qualifying 2005: 2nd (Spain)
Worst qualifying 2005: 16th (Hungary)
Average grid position: 8.2
2005: Out-qualified Nick Heidfeld 9 times
2005: Out-qualified Antonio Pizzonia 5 times
2005: Completed: 947 out of 1107 laps (85.55%)
2005: Finished 13 times from 18 starts (72%)
No 10 - Nico Rosberg
Date of birth: 27/06/1985
Place of birth: Wiesbaden, Germany
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 78kg
Driven for:
Williams (2006)
Website: http://www.nicorosberg.com/
Biography
2002 Spectacular single-seater debut, winning Formula ADAC Championship with nine victories. Earns him a Williams test and at 17 becomes youngest person to drive a Formula One car.
2003 Graduates to Formula 3 Euro Series with Team Rosberg. Claims one race win and finishes eighth overall in the championship.
2004 Takes a further three victories in the Formula 3 Euro Series.
2005 Wins inaugural GP2 championship, the replacement series for Formula 3000. Signed as Williams test driver in May, before winning race contract with the team for 2006.
Unlike his father, 1982 Formula One World Champion, Keke Rosberg, who is a Finn, Nico was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and races under a German licence.
Being the son of a World Champion will have certainly opened doors for Nico, but that doesn't detract from his undoubted talent.
As is so often the case, the youngster started off in Karts, winning the Regional Côte d'Azur mini-kart Championship in 1996, aged 11, and followed this up with the French mini-kart (1997) and North American ICA Junior Karting (1998) titles.
In the years that followed, Nico finished runner-up in the Italian ICA Junior Karting Championship and fourth in the ICA Junior European Karting Championship (1999). He was runner-up in the 2000 Formula A European Karting Championship and in 2001 contested the Super A World Karting Championship, before switching to single-seaters for 2002.
At the very first attempt, the youngster won the Formula BMW ADAC Championship with 9 wins, a victory that secured the bond with BMW and also earned him a test drive with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team.
To prove that his Formula BMW victory was no 'flash in the pan', the youngster followed up with a strong performance in the 2003 F3 Euro-series, finishing runner-up in the 'rookie' class, and then finishing a strong fourth in the 2004 championship with 4 wins.
Following his F1 test in December 2002, when he declared that he found the car "easy to drive", Nico enjoyed further outings with the WilliamsF1 team in December 2003 and January 2004.
In 2005, having already secured a seat with Nicolas Todt's ART Grand Prix team in the inaugural GP2 Championship, Nico was named as second test driver, alongside Antonio Pizzonia, at WilliamsF1.
"We are delighted to have another talented Rosberg in the team," said team boss Sir Frank Williams at the time.
On only his second day with the Grove outfit, during testing at Silverstone, Nico posted the fastest time of the day, out-pacing Pizzonia and posting the second fastest lap of the year at the Northamptonshire track.
Back in GP2, Rosberg took the inaugural title in a series, which, despite some initial hiccups, turned out to be genuinely thrilling. The title fight went all the way to the wire, with Nico holding off Heikki Kovalainen.
With several sons of famous racers slowly rising through the ranks, not least Nelson Piquet Jr, son of another former Williams World Champion, it is said that Nico is the best of the lot.
Following the break up of the BMW WilliamsF1 partnership, it was thought that Nico might follow fellow-German, Nick Heidfeld, to the new BMW team, but instead the youngster opted to remain with the team that gave his father his title.
In 2006, Nico makes his F1 race debut, partnering the highly-rated Mark Webber. It will be a season of learning not just for the German, but also for his team, which now has a new, albeit temporary - if the rumours are true - engine partner in Cosworth.
Race fans of a certain age will remember the stunning 160 mph qualifying lap that his father ran during qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix, a lap which for many years was the fastest ever recorded by any F1 car at any circuit.
Whether Nico has the ability to emulate, if not surpass, his father's achievements, remains to be seen.
WilliamsF1 Test/Reserve Driver - Alex Wurz
Date of birth: 29/03/1974
Place of birth: Waidhofen Thaya, Austria
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Julia, 1 don, Felix
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Benetton (1997-2000)
McLaren (Test driver) (2001-2005)
Williams (Test driver) (2006)
Website: http://www.wurz.com/
Biography
1986 - BMX World Champion and runner-up to European Champion
1988 - Austrian BMX Champion
1989 - Runner-up Austrian Champion Kart series
1990 - 3rd place, Austrian Championship2nd place, Austrian Cart Trophy4th place, Middle East Kart Championship Kuwait
1991 - 1st place, Austrian Juniors Evaluation, Formula Ford2nd place, Austrian Championship, Formula Ford2nd place, International Formula Ford Cup
1992 - 4th place, New Zealand Championship 1st place, German Championship1st place, Austrian Championship1st place, International Formula Ford Cup1st place, German FF Championship4th place, Austrian Championship (half season), Formula Opel9th place, Nation Cup, Formula Opel1st place, Group B (in Porsche 911), 7th place in overall evaluationN?rburgring 24-hour RaceDesignation as Austrian Driver of the Year
1993 - 1st place, Austrian Championship, Formula 3
1994 - 2nd place, German Championship, Formula 31st place, Topic F3 Cup, Formula 31st place, Sebring Cup, Formula 3
1995 - 6th place, German Championship, Formula 36th place, Monte Carlo, Formula 3
1996 - 16th place, Opel factory drivers (not all races), Rookie of the year, ITC-series1st place with Joest-Porsche team, Youngest winner until nowLe Mans 24-hour raceTest runs with Sauber at A1 RingTest runs with Benetton at A1 Ring
1997 - Mercedes factory driver, 1st place in Donington, FIA GT ChampionshipTest driver for Benetton team, first F1 Race in Canada/Montreal, started in French GP (Only 60 laps completed), 3rd place British GP-Silverstone, 14th in the worldchampionship (with 3 races).
1998 - First season for the Benetton team, 8th place in final standings
1999 - Second season for the Benetton team, 13th place in final standings
2000 - Benetton, two points
2001 - Test driver for McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team
Promising displays throughout his career marked Olivier Panis out as a man to watch when he finally broke into Formula One. Despite entering with a midfield team, he has shown flashes of brilliance, notably in taking victory at the 1996 Monaco GP.
A product of the famous Elf Winfield scholarship system, Panis spent his early racing days going wherever Elf dictated. Thus, he spent two years pursuing the French Formula Renault title, which finally came his way on the back of five wins in 1989.
Graduation to the national Formula Three series followed, and again Panis spent two years chasing the championship. This time, however, he could only manage the runner-up spot, behind Christophe Bouchut, despite taking five wins.
His success in the lower formulae - and the continued support of Elf - saw Panis move up to F3000 in 1992. Repeating the pattern of his earlier career, he had to endure a less than successful debut year, before taking the title in his second season. Two future F1 graduates - Pedro Lamy and David Coulthard - finished behind him in 1993, highlighting Olivier's potential.
This talent was noticed by the Ligier team, who were looking to hire a French driver to maintain their national links, and signed Panis for the 1994 campaign. Right from the start, Panis impressed both his peers and team bosses in the top echelon. Several solid performances in his first season culminated in a fine - if fortuitous - second place in Germany, and this placing was repeated in the 1995 season finale in Australia.
Panis' proudest moment came in his third season with Ligier, however, when he won the Monaco Grand Prix. Run in wet conditions, the race saw many of the favourites drop out. Panis managed to preserve his car while those around him fell by the wayside, and went on to take an historic ''home'' win.
Ligier became Prost immediately before the 1997 season, but new team boss Alain Prost had no hesitation in retaining Panis to lead his squad. Two podium finishes in the first five races showed the potential of the combination, with second place in Spain almost yielding a second victory. Unfortunately, the progress was cut short by Panis' accident in Canada, which left him in hospital with two broken legs. A return to the cockpit later in the season confirmed that the Frenchman had lost none of his speed, and he managed to score more points at the Luxembourg Grand Prix.
Prost retained the services of Panis to lead the team in 1998 but the new car - Prost's first under his own name - proved woefully unreliable. Several possible point scoring finishes were squandered as the team persevered with a radical gearbox, among other things, but Panis continued to show flashes of real ability. Only at the end of the year - having had the final pieces of medical metalwork removed from his legs - did the Frenchman reveal that he had felt unable to drive on the limit for fear of ending his career once-and-for-all.
The Panis-Jarno Trulli combination remained in situ at Prost for 1999, with the team ensuring the new AP02 chassis was more conservative than its immediate predecessor. Panis, restored to full health, was determined to return both the team and himself to the glory of previous years, but found himself frustrated by a lack of reliability with both car and engine.
Forced out of the team by its desire to combine youth and experience for 2000, Panis suddenly found himself with the dilemma of having to choose between a race seat at Williams and a testing berth with McLaren. Reasoning that, on current form, the latter would be the better bet for his career, the Frenchman found himself sitting on the sidelines for the season.
It proved to be a wise move, however, as he regularly topped the testing times, both in the winter and throughout the 2000 campaign - frequently heading team-mates David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen into the bargain. Interest amongst the race ranks was rekindled and Panis was again a name to feature on shopping lists.
In the end, it was British American Racing, which moved first and signed the Frenchman, replacing the lacklustre Ricardo Zonta alongside Jacques Villeneuve for 2001. Quickly on the pace in testing - where Villeneuve was surprisingly slow - Panis looked an early threat for points, but could do no better than the occasional top six finish, and a share of 14th place in the championship.
Despite Panis vowing not to be fazed by his Canadian team-mate's notorious mind games, it was Villeneuve who took the team's first podiums, and who held the upper hand going into the 2002 campaign already marked by the departure of former CEO Craig Pollock.
The Frenchman though under new BAR boss David Richards soon bounced back and both he and JV were remarkably evenly matched throughout the 2002 season. The team itself though had big problems and during the opening few races, reliability woes plagued Olivier. He retired seven times on the trot and it wasn't until Canada, eight races into the season that the Frenchman finally notched up a finish, eighth place was little cause for celebration either.
The BAR team had to wait until Silverstone to score their first points, JV coming home fourth while Panis took fifth. It would be one of only two points finishes during the whole of 2002 for the Frenchman, the other, a sixth place finish coming at the Italy GP in September. All in all Olivier would retire a further four times, bringing his total retirement score to 12 races in 17 events - 10 of which were down to mechanical failures outside his control.
Despite this though, Panis was initially keen to stay with BAR in 2003 and Richards hoped to pair the Frenchman with Brit Jenson Button. Villeneuve though had a contract and despite attempts to off-load the Canadian, it was Panis who eventually left, signing for new boys Toyota.
If you saw a Toyota parked at the side of the track during 2003, then it probably belonged to Panis. After his disastrous season BAR before his switch, you wouldn't have thought it could have got worse for the Frenchman but he had a wretched season, retiring nine times, six of them down to problems with the car. He qualified in the top six on four occasions but never really got the chance to build on these strong performances on race day, ending the season with six points and 15th in the title race, still ahead of ex-team-mate Villeneuve however.
The following year, didn't get much better, and again he ended the season with just six points. His best result a fifth place finish at the US Grand Prix. The Frenchman also ended the year one race early, so that the team could run Jarno Trulli and get him up to speed for 2005.
Despite having elected to retire, Panis stayed on with Toyota in 2005 as a test driver, a role he will continue to perform in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 158
Wins: 1
Points: 76
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
WilliamsF1 Test/Reserve Driver - Narian Karthikeyan
Date of birth: 14/01/1977
Place of birth: Chennai, india
Marital status: Married
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 60kg
Driven for:
Benetton (1997-2000)
McLaren (Test driver) (2001-2005)
Williams (Test driver) (2006)
Website: http://www.narainracing.com/
Biography
1992 - ELF Winfield Racing School, France won debut race Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault.
1993 - Formula Maruti Formula Vauxhall Junior championship
1994 - Formula Ford Zetec. First Indian to win the British Formula Ford Winter series. Podium at Portuguese Grand Prix support race at Estoril.
1995 - Formula Asia. Four races, second at Shah Alam in Malaysia
1996 - Won Formula Asia championship with a host of records. The only Indian and only Asian to win the Formula Asia International series.
1997 - Sixth in the British Formula Opel Championship
1998 - British Formula 3 (Carlin Motorsport) - eight races, two 3rd place finishes at Spa-Francochamps and Silverstone
1999 - Autosport British Formula 3 Championship (Carlin Motorsport), 5 podiums, 2 wins at Brands Hatch, 2 pole positions, 3 fastest laps, 2 lap records. 6th in the championship among 30 drivers Qualified sixth and finished the second leg of the Macau Grand Prix in 6th place.
2000 - British F3 Championship - fourth place overall. 1 lap record, pole at Macau Grand Prix, wins in Spa and the Korea F3 Super Prix
2001 - First Indian to test a Formula One car, with Jaguar at Silverstone. Additional F1 tests with Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda at Silverstone and Mugello. Formula Nippon Championship
2002 - Formula Nissan World Series (Team Tata RC Motorsport)
2003 - Formula Nissan World Series (Carlin Motorsport) F1 test with Minardi
2004 - Formula Nissan World Series (Team Tata RC Motorsport), FIA GT Championship
2005 - FIA F1 World Championship (Jordan Grand Prix) Race Driver
Karthikeyan was born in Coimbatore,Tamilnadu and belongs to the PSG group,coimbatore which hails a lot of Racing people.Karthikeyan's interest in motorsport began at an early age, as his father was a former Indian national rally champion. With the ambition of becoming India's first Formula One driver, Karthikeyan finished on the podium in his first ever race, at Sriperumpudur. He then went onto the Elf Winfield Racing School in France, showing his talent by becoming a semi-finalist in the Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault cars in 1992. He returned to India to race in Formula Maruti for the 1993 season, and in the same year, he also competed in the Formula Vauxhall Junior championship in Great Britain. This gave him valuable experience in European racing, and he was keen to return for the following year.
In 1994, he returned to the UK, racing in the Formula Ford Zetec series as the number two works Vector driver for the Foundation Racing team. The highlight of the season was a podium finish in a support race for the Portuguese Grand Prix held at Estoril. Karthikeyan also took part in the British Formula Ford Winter Series, and became the first Indian to win any championship in Europe.
1995 saw Karthikeyan graduate to the Formula Asia Championship for just four races. However, he showed pace immediately and was able to finish second in the race at Shah Alam, Malaysia. In 1996, he had a full season in the series and became the first Indian and the first Asian to win the Formula Asia International series. He moved back to Britain in 1997 to compete in the British Formula Opel Championship, taking a pole position and win at Donington Park and finishing sixth in the overall points standings.
In 1998, Karthikeyan made his debut in the British Formula 3 Championship with the Carlin Motorsport team. Competing in only 10 rounds, he managed two 3rd place finishes in the final two races of the season, at Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, to finish 12th overall. He continued in the championship for 1999, finishing on the podium 5 times, including two wins at Brands Hatch. His season also included two pole positions, three fastest laps and two lap records, helping him to 6th in the championship out of 30 drivers. He also competed in the Macau Grand Prix, qualifying in 6th position and finishing 6th in the second race. Continuing his drive in the British F3 Championship in 2000, he finished 4th overall in the standings, and also took pole position and fastest laps in the Macau Grand Prix. He also won both the International F3 race at Spa-Francorchamps and the Korean Super Prix.
Karthikeyan started 2001 in the Formula Nippon F3000 Championship, finishing the year amongst the top ten. In the same year, he became the first Indian to ever drive an F1 car, testing for the Jaguar Racing team at Silverstone on June 14. Impressed with his performance, he was then offered a test drive in the Jordan-Honda EJ11 at Silverstone in September. Karthikeyan again tested for Jordan, at Mugello in Italy on October 5, finishing just half a second off the pace off Jordan's lead driver Jean Alesi.
In 2002, he moved into the Telefonica World Series with Team Tata RC Motorsport, taking a pole position and setting the fastest non-F1 lap time at the Interlagos Circuit in Brazil. Moving to the World Series by Nissan in 2003, Karthikeyan won two races and took three other podium positions on his way to 4th overall in the championship. These results earned him other Formula One test drive, this time with the Minardi team. He was offered a race drive for the 2004 season, but was unable to raise the necessary sponsorship funds to seal the deal. During the year, he also married his wife Pavarna.
He continued in the Nissan World Series in 2004, taking wins in Valencia, Spain and Magny-Cours, France.
On February 1, 2005, Karthikeyan announced that he has signed the preliminary deal with Jordan Formula One team and said that he will be their main driver for the 2005 Formula One season, thus making him India's first Formula One racing driver. His partner is the Portuguese driver, Tiago Monteiro. Karthikeyan completed the necessary testing distance of 300km in an F1 car in order to gain his superlicense at the Silverstone Circuit on February 10. Both rookies are considered "paying drivers", i.e. drivers selected not necessarily because of their talent.
In his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, Karthikeyan qualified in 12th position, mainly thanks to the changeable weather conditions, but still over 3 seconds faster than Monteiro. After a poor start which saw him drop to 18th place by the end of the first lap, Karthikeyan finished in 15th, two laps behind winner Giancarlo Fisichella, and nearly a full minute ahead of Monteiro. He achieved his first points in the 2005 United States Grand Prix under farcical circumstances as all but three teams pulled out due to an argument over tyre safety. Karthikeyan finished 4th, beating only the drivers in Formula One's traditional backmarker team, Minardi. Besides the controversial USGP, Karthikeyan's highest finish was 11th place.
In an unlucky end to his 2005 season, Karthikeyan crashed his Jordan into a wall at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Fortunately, he escaped unscathed, able to provide an interview right afterwards.
Because the Jordan team was taken over and renamed Midland for the 2006 season, the management change prompted some doubt over Karthikeyan's future at the team. Near the end of 2005, Karthikeyan announced he would not be driving for Midland the following year due to their demand that he pay as much as USD11.7 million to secure his seat on the team. "There is no way I can raise the kind of money," he said. He mentioned that "anyway, being a test driver in a good car will allow me to showcase my skills better." On December 8th, 2005, Karthikeyan tested for Williams at Spain and finished a respectable 5th, outpacing the confirmed Williams second driver, Nico Rosberg in the FW27C chassis, who finished 9th. On January 27th, 2006, Williams confirmed Narain as their fourth driver[1]. He will perform testing duties for the team alongside Alexander Wurz who was confirmed earlier as the team's third driver.
Narain Karthikeyan says he has been blown away with the difference between F1's stragglers and a top flight team.
After spending his rookie year with Midland owned Jordan, the 28-year-old Indian made his test debut for former title winner Williams at Jerez last Tuesday.Karthikeyan told the Indian media that the difference between the two cars was 'huge'.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 1
Grand Prix: 19
Wins: 0
Points: 5
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 4th (USA)
Best qualifying 2005: 11th (Japan)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Germany and Belgium)
Average grid position: 16.94
2005: Out-qualified Tiago Monteiro 10 times
2005: Completed: 909 out of 1180 laps (77.03%)
2005: Finished 14 times from 19 starts (74%)
Date of birth: 29/03/1974
Place of birth: Waidhofen Thaya, Austria
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Married to Julia, 1 don, Felix
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Benetton (1997-2000)
McLaren (Test driver) (2001-2005)
Williams (Test driver) (2006)
Website: http://www.wurz.com/
Biography
1986 - BMX World Champion and runner-up to European Champion
1988 - Austrian BMX Champion
1989 - Runner-up Austrian Champion Kart series
1990 - 3rd place, Austrian Championship2nd place, Austrian Cart Trophy4th place, Middle East Kart Championship Kuwait
1991 - 1st place, Austrian Juniors Evaluation, Formula Ford2nd place, Austrian Championship, Formula Ford2nd place, International Formula Ford Cup
1992 - 4th place, New Zealand Championship 1st place, German Championship1st place, Austrian Championship1st place, International Formula Ford Cup1st place, German FF Championship4th place, Austrian Championship (half season), Formula Opel9th place, Nation Cup, Formula Opel1st place, Group B (in Porsche 911), 7th place in overall evaluationN?rburgring 24-hour RaceDesignation as Austrian Driver of the Year
1993 - 1st place, Austrian Championship, Formula 3
1994 - 2nd place, German Championship, Formula 31st place, Topic F3 Cup, Formula 31st place, Sebring Cup, Formula 3
1995 - 6th place, German Championship, Formula 36th place, Monte Carlo, Formula 3
1996 - 16th place, Opel factory drivers (not all races), Rookie of the year, ITC-series1st place with Joest-Porsche team, Youngest winner until nowLe Mans 24-hour raceTest runs with Sauber at A1 RingTest runs with Benetton at A1 Ring
1997 - Mercedes factory driver, 1st place in Donington, FIA GT ChampionshipTest driver for Benetton team, first F1 Race in Canada/Montreal, started in French GP (Only 60 laps completed), 3rd place British GP-Silverstone, 14th in the worldchampionship (with 3 races).
1998 - First season for the Benetton team, 8th place in final standings
1999 - Second season for the Benetton team, 13th place in final standings
2000 - Benetton, two points
2001 - Test driver for McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team
Promising displays throughout his career marked Olivier Panis out as a man to watch when he finally broke into Formula One. Despite entering with a midfield team, he has shown flashes of brilliance, notably in taking victory at the 1996 Monaco GP.
A product of the famous Elf Winfield scholarship system, Panis spent his early racing days going wherever Elf dictated. Thus, he spent two years pursuing the French Formula Renault title, which finally came his way on the back of five wins in 1989.
Graduation to the national Formula Three series followed, and again Panis spent two years chasing the championship. This time, however, he could only manage the runner-up spot, behind Christophe Bouchut, despite taking five wins.
His success in the lower formulae - and the continued support of Elf - saw Panis move up to F3000 in 1992. Repeating the pattern of his earlier career, he had to endure a less than successful debut year, before taking the title in his second season. Two future F1 graduates - Pedro Lamy and David Coulthard - finished behind him in 1993, highlighting Olivier's potential.
This talent was noticed by the Ligier team, who were looking to hire a French driver to maintain their national links, and signed Panis for the 1994 campaign. Right from the start, Panis impressed both his peers and team bosses in the top echelon. Several solid performances in his first season culminated in a fine - if fortuitous - second place in Germany, and this placing was repeated in the 1995 season finale in Australia.
Panis' proudest moment came in his third season with Ligier, however, when he won the Monaco Grand Prix. Run in wet conditions, the race saw many of the favourites drop out. Panis managed to preserve his car while those around him fell by the wayside, and went on to take an historic ''home'' win.
Ligier became Prost immediately before the 1997 season, but new team boss Alain Prost had no hesitation in retaining Panis to lead his squad. Two podium finishes in the first five races showed the potential of the combination, with second place in Spain almost yielding a second victory. Unfortunately, the progress was cut short by Panis' accident in Canada, which left him in hospital with two broken legs. A return to the cockpit later in the season confirmed that the Frenchman had lost none of his speed, and he managed to score more points at the Luxembourg Grand Prix.
Prost retained the services of Panis to lead the team in 1998 but the new car - Prost's first under his own name - proved woefully unreliable. Several possible point scoring finishes were squandered as the team persevered with a radical gearbox, among other things, but Panis continued to show flashes of real ability. Only at the end of the year - having had the final pieces of medical metalwork removed from his legs - did the Frenchman reveal that he had felt unable to drive on the limit for fear of ending his career once-and-for-all.
The Panis-Jarno Trulli combination remained in situ at Prost for 1999, with the team ensuring the new AP02 chassis was more conservative than its immediate predecessor. Panis, restored to full health, was determined to return both the team and himself to the glory of previous years, but found himself frustrated by a lack of reliability with both car and engine.
Forced out of the team by its desire to combine youth and experience for 2000, Panis suddenly found himself with the dilemma of having to choose between a race seat at Williams and a testing berth with McLaren. Reasoning that, on current form, the latter would be the better bet for his career, the Frenchman found himself sitting on the sidelines for the season.
It proved to be a wise move, however, as he regularly topped the testing times, both in the winter and throughout the 2000 campaign - frequently heading team-mates David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen into the bargain. Interest amongst the race ranks was rekindled and Panis was again a name to feature on shopping lists.
In the end, it was British American Racing, which moved first and signed the Frenchman, replacing the lacklustre Ricardo Zonta alongside Jacques Villeneuve for 2001. Quickly on the pace in testing - where Villeneuve was surprisingly slow - Panis looked an early threat for points, but could do no better than the occasional top six finish, and a share of 14th place in the championship.
Despite Panis vowing not to be fazed by his Canadian team-mate's notorious mind games, it was Villeneuve who took the team's first podiums, and who held the upper hand going into the 2002 campaign already marked by the departure of former CEO Craig Pollock.
The Frenchman though under new BAR boss David Richards soon bounced back and both he and JV were remarkably evenly matched throughout the 2002 season. The team itself though had big problems and during the opening few races, reliability woes plagued Olivier. He retired seven times on the trot and it wasn't until Canada, eight races into the season that the Frenchman finally notched up a finish, eighth place was little cause for celebration either.
The BAR team had to wait until Silverstone to score their first points, JV coming home fourth while Panis took fifth. It would be one of only two points finishes during the whole of 2002 for the Frenchman, the other, a sixth place finish coming at the Italy GP in September. All in all Olivier would retire a further four times, bringing his total retirement score to 12 races in 17 events - 10 of which were down to mechanical failures outside his control.
Despite this though, Panis was initially keen to stay with BAR in 2003 and Richards hoped to pair the Frenchman with Brit Jenson Button. Villeneuve though had a contract and despite attempts to off-load the Canadian, it was Panis who eventually left, signing for new boys Toyota.
If you saw a Toyota parked at the side of the track during 2003, then it probably belonged to Panis. After his disastrous season BAR before his switch, you wouldn't have thought it could have got worse for the Frenchman but he had a wretched season, retiring nine times, six of them down to problems with the car. He qualified in the top six on four occasions but never really got the chance to build on these strong performances on race day, ending the season with six points and 15th in the title race, still ahead of ex-team-mate Villeneuve however.
The following year, didn't get much better, and again he ended the season with just six points. His best result a fifth place finish at the US Grand Prix. The Frenchman also ended the year one race early, so that the team could run Jarno Trulli and get him up to speed for 2005.
Despite having elected to retire, Panis stayed on with Toyota in 2005 as a test driver, a role he will continue to perform in 2006.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 10
Grand Prix: 158
Wins: 1
Points: 76
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
WilliamsF1 Test/Reserve Driver - Narian Karthikeyan
Date of birth: 14/01/1977
Place of birth: Chennai, india
Marital status: Married
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 60kg
Driven for:
Benetton (1997-2000)
McLaren (Test driver) (2001-2005)
Williams (Test driver) (2006)
Website: http://www.narainracing.com/
Biography
1992 - ELF Winfield Racing School, France won debut race Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault.
1993 - Formula Maruti Formula Vauxhall Junior championship
1994 - Formula Ford Zetec. First Indian to win the British Formula Ford Winter series. Podium at Portuguese Grand Prix support race at Estoril.
1995 - Formula Asia. Four races, second at Shah Alam in Malaysia
1996 - Won Formula Asia championship with a host of records. The only Indian and only Asian to win the Formula Asia International series.
1997 - Sixth in the British Formula Opel Championship
1998 - British Formula 3 (Carlin Motorsport) - eight races, two 3rd place finishes at Spa-Francochamps and Silverstone
1999 - Autosport British Formula 3 Championship (Carlin Motorsport), 5 podiums, 2 wins at Brands Hatch, 2 pole positions, 3 fastest laps, 2 lap records. 6th in the championship among 30 drivers Qualified sixth and finished the second leg of the Macau Grand Prix in 6th place.
2000 - British F3 Championship - fourth place overall. 1 lap record, pole at Macau Grand Prix, wins in Spa and the Korea F3 Super Prix
2001 - First Indian to test a Formula One car, with Jaguar at Silverstone. Additional F1 tests with Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda at Silverstone and Mugello. Formula Nippon Championship
2002 - Formula Nissan World Series (Team Tata RC Motorsport)
2003 - Formula Nissan World Series (Carlin Motorsport) F1 test with Minardi
2004 - Formula Nissan World Series (Team Tata RC Motorsport), FIA GT Championship
2005 - FIA F1 World Championship (Jordan Grand Prix) Race Driver
Karthikeyan was born in Coimbatore,Tamilnadu and belongs to the PSG group,coimbatore which hails a lot of Racing people.Karthikeyan's interest in motorsport began at an early age, as his father was a former Indian national rally champion. With the ambition of becoming India's first Formula One driver, Karthikeyan finished on the podium in his first ever race, at Sriperumpudur. He then went onto the Elf Winfield Racing School in France, showing his talent by becoming a semi-finalist in the Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault cars in 1992. He returned to India to race in Formula Maruti for the 1993 season, and in the same year, he also competed in the Formula Vauxhall Junior championship in Great Britain. This gave him valuable experience in European racing, and he was keen to return for the following year.
In 1994, he returned to the UK, racing in the Formula Ford Zetec series as the number two works Vector driver for the Foundation Racing team. The highlight of the season was a podium finish in a support race for the Portuguese Grand Prix held at Estoril. Karthikeyan also took part in the British Formula Ford Winter Series, and became the first Indian to win any championship in Europe.
1995 saw Karthikeyan graduate to the Formula Asia Championship for just four races. However, he showed pace immediately and was able to finish second in the race at Shah Alam, Malaysia. In 1996, he had a full season in the series and became the first Indian and the first Asian to win the Formula Asia International series. He moved back to Britain in 1997 to compete in the British Formula Opel Championship, taking a pole position and win at Donington Park and finishing sixth in the overall points standings.
In 1998, Karthikeyan made his debut in the British Formula 3 Championship with the Carlin Motorsport team. Competing in only 10 rounds, he managed two 3rd place finishes in the final two races of the season, at Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, to finish 12th overall. He continued in the championship for 1999, finishing on the podium 5 times, including two wins at Brands Hatch. His season also included two pole positions, three fastest laps and two lap records, helping him to 6th in the championship out of 30 drivers. He also competed in the Macau Grand Prix, qualifying in 6th position and finishing 6th in the second race. Continuing his drive in the British F3 Championship in 2000, he finished 4th overall in the standings, and also took pole position and fastest laps in the Macau Grand Prix. He also won both the International F3 race at Spa-Francorchamps and the Korean Super Prix.
Karthikeyan started 2001 in the Formula Nippon F3000 Championship, finishing the year amongst the top ten. In the same year, he became the first Indian to ever drive an F1 car, testing for the Jaguar Racing team at Silverstone on June 14. Impressed with his performance, he was then offered a test drive in the Jordan-Honda EJ11 at Silverstone in September. Karthikeyan again tested for Jordan, at Mugello in Italy on October 5, finishing just half a second off the pace off Jordan's lead driver Jean Alesi.
In 2002, he moved into the Telefonica World Series with Team Tata RC Motorsport, taking a pole position and setting the fastest non-F1 lap time at the Interlagos Circuit in Brazil. Moving to the World Series by Nissan in 2003, Karthikeyan won two races and took three other podium positions on his way to 4th overall in the championship. These results earned him other Formula One test drive, this time with the Minardi team. He was offered a race drive for the 2004 season, but was unable to raise the necessary sponsorship funds to seal the deal. During the year, he also married his wife Pavarna.
He continued in the Nissan World Series in 2004, taking wins in Valencia, Spain and Magny-Cours, France.
On February 1, 2005, Karthikeyan announced that he has signed the preliminary deal with Jordan Formula One team and said that he will be their main driver for the 2005 Formula One season, thus making him India's first Formula One racing driver. His partner is the Portuguese driver, Tiago Monteiro. Karthikeyan completed the necessary testing distance of 300km in an F1 car in order to gain his superlicense at the Silverstone Circuit on February 10. Both rookies are considered "paying drivers", i.e. drivers selected not necessarily because of their talent.
In his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, Karthikeyan qualified in 12th position, mainly thanks to the changeable weather conditions, but still over 3 seconds faster than Monteiro. After a poor start which saw him drop to 18th place by the end of the first lap, Karthikeyan finished in 15th, two laps behind winner Giancarlo Fisichella, and nearly a full minute ahead of Monteiro. He achieved his first points in the 2005 United States Grand Prix under farcical circumstances as all but three teams pulled out due to an argument over tyre safety. Karthikeyan finished 4th, beating only the drivers in Formula One's traditional backmarker team, Minardi. Besides the controversial USGP, Karthikeyan's highest finish was 11th place.
In an unlucky end to his 2005 season, Karthikeyan crashed his Jordan into a wall at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Fortunately, he escaped unscathed, able to provide an interview right afterwards.
Because the Jordan team was taken over and renamed Midland for the 2006 season, the management change prompted some doubt over Karthikeyan's future at the team. Near the end of 2005, Karthikeyan announced he would not be driving for Midland the following year due to their demand that he pay as much as USD11.7 million to secure his seat on the team. "There is no way I can raise the kind of money," he said. He mentioned that "anyway, being a test driver in a good car will allow me to showcase my skills better." On December 8th, 2005, Karthikeyan tested for Williams at Spain and finished a respectable 5th, outpacing the confirmed Williams second driver, Nico Rosberg in the FW27C chassis, who finished 9th. On January 27th, 2006, Williams confirmed Narain as their fourth driver[1]. He will perform testing duties for the team alongside Alexander Wurz who was confirmed earlier as the team's third driver.
Narain Karthikeyan says he has been blown away with the difference between F1's stragglers and a top flight team.
After spending his rookie year with Midland owned Jordan, the 28-year-old Indian made his test debut for former title winner Williams at Jerez last Tuesday.Karthikeyan told the Indian media that the difference between the two cars was 'huge'.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 1
Grand Prix: 19
Wins: 0
Points: 5
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 4th (USA)
Best qualifying 2005: 11th (Japan)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Germany and Belgium)
Average grid position: 16.94
2005: Out-qualified Tiago Monteiro 10 times
2005: Completed: 909 out of 1180 laps (77.03%)
2005: Finished 14 times from 19 starts (74%)
Team HQ
Based in: Brackley (since 2006)
Founded: 1948 (active 1964-1968 & since 2006)
F1 Honda Racing Team
Brackley,
Northants
NN13 7BD
Tel: 01280 844000
Fax: 01280 844001
Website: http://www.hondaracingf1.com/
Team Structure
Team Principal: Nick Fry
Technical director: Geoff Willis
Sporting director: Gil De Ferran
Team Biography
BAR [originally British American Racing] was formed from the ashes of the much-loved Tyrrell team at the end of the 1998 season, endured a tumultuous period as a team in its own right, before being acquired by engine supplier Honda at the end of 2005. The Japanese marque thus joined the ranks of manufacturer entrants in the top flight, ready to take the fight to road car rivals such as Renault, Ferrari and BMW.
The fact that a new team appeared with quite the funding of BAT left many F1 insiders and fans waiting with bated breath to see if the team could pull off a shock in its first season, while the fact that Tyrrell - a significant slice of F1 history along with Brabham and Lotus - was lost angered many purists.
Already in its very short history, BAR has managed to make its mark on the sport.
The team was cited for cherry-picking the best available talent from along the pit-lane - and not just in terms of drivers - to form its personnel for 1999, while also caused a stir at the FIA over its controversial attempt to run different liveries on its cars - in contravention of new regulations.
This second issue saw the team unveil cars in the colours of tobacco brands 555 and Lucky Strike in a much publicised launch at its state of the art factory in Brackley, before going on to parade the cars publicly at the Autosport International exhibition in Birmingham. The FIA subsequently won an arbitration hearing over the matter and BAR ran similar colour schemes from its first race in Australia.
The driver line-up for the team's initial season also caused a stir, with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve joining former manager Craig Pollock for what was a risky campaign. The Canadian was partnered by rookie Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, in Reynard chassis powered by the ageing Supertec (nee Mecachrome/Playlife) engines, and his worst nightmares came close to fruition as the much-hyped project failed to finish races let alone score points.
Although he considered jumping ship, Villeneuve stayed put, and continued alongside Zonta for a second season. The 002 chassis was powered by Honda instead of Supertec, with BAR having pulled off a major coup in attracting the Japanese giant back to F1. Despite being off the ultimate pace in testing, the new car showed commendable reliability, and boded well for a more successful 2000.
In many ways, Villeneuve was the star of 2000, regularly challenging for the podium and elevating the team to joint fourth in the constructors standings. The Canadian scored four fourth positions but a podium finish eluded both he and Zonta, who was lucky to survive a monstorous testing crash at Silverstone in which his car somersaulted over the barriers at the end of the Hanger straight.
For 2001, Zonta moved on to test drive for Jordan and Olivier Panis returned to the fold, seemingly revitalised after a year testing for McLaren.
The 003 looked impressive in testing, with Panis regularly matching the pace of Villeneuve, who was then critical of the car's straight-line speed, but again failed to deliver in races.
Admittedly, Villeneuve did notch up the team's first podium finishes - in Spain and Germany - but the car was too often too slow to mix it with the 'big boys', leaving the team out of the points unless the frontrunners retired. Villeneuve generally had the upper hand, although Panis managed to outqualify him five times, and scored twelve of the team's sixth-place, 17-point haul. The total was disappointing, however, given the top four overall placing achieved the year before.
For 2002, the driving team remained intact, but only just, following the departure of founder, CEO and team principal Craig Pollock.
Villeneuve did not hear of his mentor's decision to 'quit' until the night before the team's launch, and only hastily arranged talks with replacement David Richards - of Prodrive fame - persuaded him to stay on board.
The 004 though was far from a great car and new technical director, Geoff Willis described many aspects of it as "frankly awful". The 2002 campaign was thus a difficult year, and it was no surprise that in March, engineering director Malcolm Oastler and chief designer, Andy Green were both axed.
It took the team until the British Grand Prix - over halfway into the season - to score points, then Villeneuve came home fourth and Panis fifth. BAR would net only two more points finishes following the belated result at Silverstone - two sixth places, one coming at the Italian GP and the other at Indianapolis.
BAR thus ended the year only eighth in the constructors with a total of seven points. New team boss, David Richards also tried to off load JV, however when nothing came of it, Panis jumped ship to Toyota, as Richards was keen to sign Jenson Button, a deal that was announced in July.
For 2003 BAR enjoyed sole Honda backing, the Japanese manufacturer having severed their links with Jordan, despite the fact the Silverstone based team scored more points during the 2002 campaign.
Takuma Sato also returned, as test and reserve driver alongside Anthony Davidson and the team launched a 'new identity', the name having been simplified from British American Racing to B.A.R.
The 005 performed reasonably well during the season, the team eventually finishing on a high at the Japanese GP by finishing fourth and sixth, and as such securing fifth place in the constructors' championship.
The year though wasn't all 'easy sailing', with the early season 'war of words' between Villeneuve and Button not particularly helpful, JV also left the team prior to the Japanese GP, after it was announced they would not be requiring his services in 2004. As such, his replacement, Sato, stood in, grabbing three points at his home race. All in all, the team would notch up 26 points - the others courtesy mainly of Button [17], while JV managed only 6.
The following year [2004] marked the first without Villeneuve. Button took over as team leader partnered by third driver, Sato, who had been promoted to race driver, while Davidson, was the third/reserve driver, running during the Friday practice sessions.
In winter testing, the 006 showed well, setting fast lap time and lap records.
This proved no flash in the pan, and BAR had a storming year, scoring points in all but one of the 18 races, and eventually finishing best of the rest in the constructors' championship with 119 points, second only to Ferrari. Podiums also became the norm, with the team coming home second or third on eleven occasions - ten thanks to Button, with the only thing eluding them a first race win.
With Button proving a valuable asset, however, team boss David Richards was made to fight to keep him for 2005, after Jenson signed a deal with Williams. The Contract Recognition Board [CRB] eventually decided in BAR's favour and, although this matter was something the team could have done without, the fact that it didn't really affect their performance was impressive to say the least. Button, too, showed previously hidden depths by no sulking his way through the following season, and giving his all for the BAR cause.
In November 2004, engine partner Honda acquired a 45 per cent stake in the team from BAT and, as a consequence, Richards found himself ousted in much the same way as Pollock had two years earlier.
Richards' right-hand man Nick Fry was left to take over as team boss, but found that he faced a much tougher task than many envisaged, as the new 007 proved to be less competitive than expected.
Aero problems were at the root of the car's malaise and, despite having Michelin tyres, the team was unable to take the fight to Renault and McLaren. Indeed, having been disqualified from a double points finish - and a Button podium - for weight irregularities at Imola - and handed a subsequent two-race ban - it wasn't until the French Grand Prix in July that the team finally opened its account.
From there, Button mounted an almost single-handed push up the points table - team-mate Sato not scoring more than a single point in the Hungarian GP - to put BAr sixth in the constructors' championship and himself ninth in the drivers' chart.
Again, the end of season period was marred by a tug-of-love over the Briton between BAR and Williams, although this time Button wanted to remain at Brackley. He eventually bought himself out of his Williams contract, and landed Rubens Barrichello as his new team-mate for 2006.
In the same period, Honda completed its takeover of the team, rebranding it as Honda Racing F1 and ending the BAR era for good. The manufacturer age in F1 was now in full swing, and the Japanese giant will be keen to make the most of its top-notch line-up to open an account that remains winless.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season (as BAR)
Drivers' Titles: 0
Constructors' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 7
Grand Prix: 117
Wins: 0
Points: 227
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 3rd - Button (Germany and Belgium)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole - Button (Canada)
Worst qualifying 2005: 19th - Sato (Australia and Brazil)
2005 Average grid position: Button (6.1) Sato (10.6)
2005: Button out-qualified Sato 15 times
2005: Button out-qualified Davidson 1 time
2005: Sato out-qualified Button 1 time
2005: Completed: 1656 out of 1926 laps (85.98%)
2005: Finished 21 times from 32 starts (65.63%)
RA106 Technical Specifications
Construction: Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure that surpasses latest FIA impact and strength regulations
Front suspension: Wishbone and pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Wishbone and pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Dampers: Showa
Wheels: BBS forged magnesium
Front: 312mm wide
Rear: 340mm wide
Tyres: Michelin
Brakes: Alcon
Front: 2 x 6-piston calipers
Back: 2 x 6-piston calipers
Brake discs/pads: Carbon/Carbon
Steering: Honda F1 power assisted Rack and Pinion
Steering wheel: Honda F1 carbon fibre construction
Driver’s seat: Anatomically formed carbon composite
Seat belts: Six-point harness (75mm shoulder straps with HANS system)
Fuel cell: ATL kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
Fuel capacity: 150 litre
Battery: 3Ah Lead Acid
Instrumentation: Honda F1 steering wheel dash display
Gearbox: Carbon composite maincase: 7-speed unit, Honda internals
Gear selection: Sequential, semi-automatic, hydraulic activation
Clutch: Carbon plate
Dimensions
Front track: 1460mm
Rear track: 1420mm
Wheel base: 3140mm
Overall length: 4675mm
Overall height: 950mm
Overall width: 1800mm
Honda RA806E
Displacement: 2.4 litres
Configuration: V8, naturally aspirated
Vee angle: 90 degrees
Maximum power: Over 700 ps
Maximum revs: Over 18,500 rpm
Valve train: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Injection system: Honda PGM-FI
Throttle system: Electronic hydraulically-operated system
Ignition system: Honda PGM-IG
No 11 - Rubens Barrichello
Date of birth: 23/05/1972
Place of birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lives: Sao Paulo, Brazil and Monte Carlo
Marital status: Marries to Silvana, 2 sons, Eduardo and Fernando
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 71kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1993-1996)
Stewart (1997-1999)
Ferrari (2000-2005)
Honda (2006)
Website: http://www.barrichello.com.br/
Biography
1993 Signs for the Jordan team and makes his debut at the South African Grand Prix.2005 Second place at season opener in Melbourne strongest result of year, as Ferrari struggle for pace. Scores on seven more occasions, but can only finish eighth in standings, worst placing since joining Ferrari. Announces move to Honda for 2006.
1994 Still with Jordan, finishes sixth in the Drivers' Championship. Scores his first podium finish with a third place at the Pacific Grand Prix at TI Aida.
1997 Signs for Stewart and finishes 13th in the Drivers' Championship after a brilliant second place at Monaco.
1998 Fifth places in Spain and Canada the best performances of the season. 13th in the Drivers' Championship.
1999 Best season with Stewart. Third places in the San Marino, French and European Grands Prix. Seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points.
2000 Goes to Ferrari as second driver, replacing Eddie Irvine. Manages an emotional - and popular - win at the German Grand Prix. Finishes the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 62 points.
2001 Still at Ferrari, third in the Drivers' Championship.
2002 Second in the Drivers' Championship in Ferrari's most dominant season to date. Takes four victories.
2003 Fourth in the driver standings with two race wins. Again plays a vital role in Ferrari's, and Michael Schumacher's, championship success.
2004 Scores four pole positions, two wins and a further 12 podiums on his way to a convincing second place in the driver standings.
One of the many Brazilian drivers to have been hailed as the new Ayrton Senna, Rubens Barrichello has yet to leave a lasting mark on Formula One, despite putting in some fine performances. Now among the most experienced drivers on the grid, he is enjoying his chance at the big time with Ferrari.
A product of the Sao Paulo kart scene, Barrichello came to the attention of many F1 managers in 1990, as a 17-year old competing in the GM Lotus Euroseries. Six victories clinched the title at the first attempt, and Barrichello moved swiftly into Formula 3.
Success followed success as Barrichello won the British F3 series in his first season. Driving for the ultra-successful West Surrey Racing team, he edged out rival David Coulthard courtesy of four wins and nine pole positions.
Continuing his meteoric rise towards Formula 1, Rubens signed for the grandly named Il Barone Rampante team to contest the International F3000 series. Still only 20 years of age, the young Brazilian performed consistently to finish third overall.
His performances in the junior formulae attracted much attention, and Barrichello found himself in the top flight having spent just one season in each of the lower levels. His grand prix debut came at Kyalami after team boss Eddie Jordan gambled on the combination of Barrichello's speed and prodigious talent.
Just three races into his F1 career, Rubens stunned his rivals - and the crowd at a soaking wet Donington Park - by running as high as second in the European GP. Although fuel pressure problems saw him retire from the race, young Barrichello had confirmed Jordan's belief in him.
Senna's death at Imola in 1994 left Barrichello shouldering much of Brazil's expectation. A poor season with Jordan that year - in spite of a wet weather pole at Spa - was followed by more of the same in 1995-96, and Barrichello left to join the new Stewart team for the 1997 campaign. An impressive performance at Monaco - like Donington, in appalling conditions - netted second position, confirming that he had not lost any of the talent, which had propelled him into F1.
Barrichello continued as team leader with Stewart throughout 1998, as the team entered the traditionally difficult second season period. Promising results in both Spain and Canada - where Barrichello took fifth places - failed to lead to anything better and the Brazilian found himself partnering Jos Verstappen as well as original team-mate Jan Magnussen.
Rubens stayed loyal to Stewart for 1999, where he was joined by Sauber refugee Johnny Herbert. The Brazilian hoped, successfully, that Herbert's arrival, and that of former Jordan designer Gary Anderson, would lift the mood in the team, and raise Stewart to new heights. Sadly for Rubens, however, it was Herbert who brought the team its first F1 win, at the Nurburgring in September.
Although he was slightly overshadowed by a resurgent Herbert towards the end of the year, Barrichello was still Ferrari's first choice to replace the departing Eddie Irvine for 2000. Being teamed with Michael Schumacher might not be every driver's cup of tea, but Rubens maintained that it was the best indicator of his own talent. The highlight of his first year with the Scuderia came at the German GP, when he ended his win drought with a well-judged wet-weather success.
Again paired with Schumacher for 2001, Barrichello showed well throughout the season, even if a second career victory didn't come his way. The Brazilian came close, however, being thwarted by problems on more than one occasion, although seldom bad enough to prevent him from finishing in the points en route to third overall in the championship.
2002 finally saw Rubens win again - indeed the Brazilian took victory on four occasions, winning at the European GP, Hungarian GP, Italian GP and at Indianapolis. He also secured second overall in the Drivers' championship notching up 77 points - a good effort considering the team is built around Schumacher and Rubens always has to play second fiddle.
Rubens once again played a supporting role in 2003 - however he managed to knock up two more wins, following impressive drives at the British GP and in Japan. The Brazilian finished the year fourth in the drivers' series with 65 points.
Barrichello's fifth season with the Scuderia in 2004 was again positive, and having signed a contract until the end of 2006, the Brazilian helped ensure that Ferrari won the Constructors' championship for the sixth year running.
Although Michael Schumacher again took much of the limelight, Rubens had a more than solid year, scoring points in 16 of the 18 races, including 14 podiums, two of which saw him on the top step in Italy and China. His reward was second in the drivers' championship, having notched up 114 points, 34 less than Michael, who again took the title, but 29 more than Jenson Button, who was third.
In 2005, Barrichello was expected to again play shotgun as team-mate Schumacher battled for the title, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't to be Ferrari's season.
Although he finished second to Fernando Alonso in the opening race of the season in Australia, it was a result that was proved to be the exception rather than the norm as – despite a run of three podium finishes in the middle of the season – Barrichello was only able to wrack up 38 points to finish the season in a disappointing eighth place, well short of his expectations at the start of the year.
Shortly after the Hungarian Grand Prix it was confirmed that Barrichello would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the year despite having a contract in place for the 2006 season. With Felipe Massa coming into replace him, Barrichello endured a troublesome end to the season, in much the same way as team-mate Schumacher, scoring only seven points in the final eight races of the year.
For the new season, Barrichello will line-up alongside Jenson Button at Honda and the Brazilian will be keen to return to try and return to winning ways in 2006, while proving to any potential doubters of his abilities that he has what it takes to be a winner away from the Scuderia.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 13
Grand Prix: 217
Wins: 9
Points: 489
Poles: 13
Fastest Laps: 15
Best result in 2005: 2nd (Australia and USA)
Best qualifying 2005: 6th (France and Britain)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Canada)
Average grid position: 10.63
2005: Out-qualified Michael Schumacher 7 times
2005: Completed: 1122 out of 1180 laps (95.08%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 19 starts (89%)
No 12 - Jenson Button
Date of birth: 19/01/1980
Place of birth: Frome, England
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Williams (2000)
Benetton (2001)
Renault (2002)
BAR (2003-2005)
Honda (2006)
Website: http://www.jensonbutton.com/
Biography
1989 Karting - 1st in the British Super Prix at the age of nine.
1997 Karting - wins the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup in Suzuka. Also becomes the youngest ever winner of the European Super A Championship.
1998 First in the British Formula Ford Championship and second in the European Formula Ford Championship.
1999 Third in the British Formula 3 Championship.
2000 Debut with Williams Team.
2001 Dropped by Williams, he moves to Benetton.
2002 Benetton is renamed Renault and Button enjoys a successful season taking seventh in the Drivers' Championship.
2003 Moves to BAR and consistently out-performs more experienced team mate Jacques Villeneuve. Briefly leads US and Japanese Grands Prix. Two fourth places on his way to ninth in the standings.
2004 Arguably the driver of the year, beaten only by the Ferrari drivers in the standings. Takes his and BAR's maiden pole at Imola. Scores in every race he finishes, with ten podium placings. Bid to move to Williams for 2005 fails after contract dispute.
2005 Frustrating season in a relatively uncompetitive car. Nevertheless, proves a class act, leading BAR's fightback in second half of season, scoring all but one of their 37 points to finish ninth in driver standings. Buy's himself out of Williams contract for 2006, instead signing new, multi-year deal with Honda.
Nobody would have been as surprised by the announcement of his signing by Williams than Jenson Button himself. Plucked from British Formula Three series to face heroes like Michael Schumacher in the 2000 world championship was something the youngster admitted had been but a dream until it actually happened.
So short was Button's car racing history that he was still racing karts as recently as 1997. His junior career began at the tender age of eight, as Britain introduced the Cadet class, and the young Button quickly established himself as the man to beat with a win first time out. Victory in the 1989 British Cadet Kart Superprix merely confirmed his promise.
Further success followed, with consecutive British Cadet championships in 1990 and 1991 - the latter on the back of a clean sweep of race wins. First place in the concurrent British Open championship then served as a stepping stone as Jenson graduated to the Junior TKM ranks.
Both the National and Open titles fell to the boy from Frome, Somerset in 1992, with the latter being retained in '93, paving the way to a concerted assault on the European series the following year. Two wins overseas in the 1994 JICA series were the precursor to an Italian championship in 1995, before Button rocked the establishment by finishing second overall in the World Championships the same season.
1996 brought a top five championship finish in the European Formula A series, third in the American championship and a similar position in the one-off World Cup in Japan. His performances were now beginning to attract attention from the car racing world, and the following season Jenson cemented opinions by becoming the youngest European Formula Super A champion in history by taking the title at 17. A win in the Ayrton Senna Memorial meeting was simply an added bonus!
A test in an F3 car almost prompted Button to jump straight into the class, but he opted instead for a seat with the crack Haywood Racing squad in FFord. A slow start to the year meant nothing and Jenson stormed through to win both the British championship and the FFord Festival in his first year in cars. Receipt of the prestigious McLaren/Autosport Young Driver Award was a fitting end to the year.
Progression to Formula Three in 1999 was just one of the options open to Britain's hottest property, and it was little surprise when the Renault-backed Promatecme outfit broke with tradition to sign the youngster. Three race wins led to third overall in the championship behind Marc Hynes and Luciano Burti, but Button ended his year by testing for McLaren, Prost and Williams.
Having outpaced F1 veteran Jean Alesi in his Prost test, Button had to endure a tense week-long shoot-out with Williams reserve Bruno Junqueira to see who would replace Alex Zanardi at the Grove outfit. He got the nod just minutes before the team's line-up was revealed to the media, and apparently only after team boss Frank Williams had an overnight change of heart!
Jenson partnered Ralf Schumacher in the Williams team as it sought to regain its place in the top three with the aid of BMW power. The knowledge that Juan Montoya was waiting in the wings barely seemed to faze the yougster - except perhaps when the press began writing his F1 obituary mid-season - and he responded to the pressure with some sterling drives.
A cert for the points before the new BMW V10 died in the closing stages of his debut, Button inherited a maiden point next time out at Interlagos following the disqualification of David Coulthard, then followed it up by taking a fifth place finish in front of his adoring home crowd at Silverstone in round four. No podiums materialised in the course of the year, but Button became a regular threat for points, eventually finishing eighth in the standings with twelve to his name.
Montoya remained an ever-present threat, however, and, despite outcry from press and public alike, Button was despatched to Benetton to continue his F1 learning curve.
Two years now lay between the Briton and a possible return to Grove but, determined to fight his way back into the Williams fold, Button looked to be battling for points in 2001.
It was not to be, however, and the radical Benetton B201, mated to Renault's equally out-of-the ordinary wide-angle V10, prevented him - and team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella - from making an impact. A shoulder injury early in the year, not helped by his car's lack of power steering, also failed to endear the Briton to team boss Flavio Briatore and, amid rumours that he was to be replaced for 2002, it wasn't until the German GP that he opened his account.
Those two points were to be the only ones of a barren campaign, but somehow Button survived to become a fully-fledged Renault works driver.
The 2002 season started brightly, Button seemed to have made up with team boss Briatore and despite several moments with Jarno Trulli the previous year, the Brit and his new Italian team-mate got on reasonably well. The first few races yielded three straight points scoring results, a fourth in Malaysia, was followed by a fourth in Brazil and at the San Marino GP, Button came home fifth. Jenson had scored eight points in four races, while team-mate Trulli had only finished once - ninth at Imola.
At this point the Renault team was on a high and there was even talk the outfit might be able to beat McLaren and finish third in the Constructors'. McLaren though bounced back, while the Renault team went into a lull as the season progressed. Jenson would score more points as the season wore on, fifth at the European GP, sixth in France before finishing with two points finishes in the final three races (fifth in Italy and sixth in Japan). Overall Button scored 14 points to Trulli's 9, and although he compared less favourably in qualifying, the Brit was hopeful he had done enough to stay on with the Regie camp.
It was not to be however, and Briatore favoured promoting test driver Fernando Alonso to partner Trulli - a decision announced at the French GP. Button thus signed with BAR-Honda in late July, a two-year deal, with options for another two.
The Englishman lined-up alongside Jacques Villeneuve in 2003 and while BAR were not a top team, with sole Honda backing, they did enough to finish the year fifth - best of the rest in the Constructors', after the 'big four', Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Renault.
Button had a strong season, scoring 17 points, and at the United States GP he almost secured his first podium finish, mechanical woes though unfortunately let him down. His best finishes were therefore two fourths (in Austria and Japan), during a season when he largely overshadowed team-mate, and 1997 F1 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve.
2004 promised much for the Brit, and following BAR's decision to axe JV, a lot rested on his shoulders, as team leader.
He didn't fail though to rise to the challenge, and Jenson went on to score 85 points during the course of the year, as well as getting his first podium. Indeed the BAR-Honda 006 was a good car, and while not capable of beating Ferrari, Jenson finished third in the drivers' championship, while helping BAR-Honda secure second in the Constructors'. He secured 10 podiums in total, including four second place finishes at Imola, Monaco, Hockenheim and Shanghai.
Off-track though, a failed attempt to try and join Williams, somewhat took the shine of his year, and although initially wanting to return to Frank Williams' squad, BAR boss, David Richards fiercely resisted the challenge and having won the Contract Recognition Board hearing, Button remained with BAR in 2005.
After the success of 2004, much was expected of the Button/BAR package in the new season, but unfortunately for the Brit there was no repeat of the heroics of the past season as the team struggled.
An eleventh place finish in the season opener in Australia was followed by retirements in Malaysia and Bahrain before finally Button picked up his first points of the year in San Marino. However that wasn't to last as the Brit was excluded from the results along with team-mate Takuma Sato for a technical infringement – with the team then banned from the following two events in Spain and Monaco.
Pole position in Canada showed that the pace was still there, but it wasn't until the French Grand Prix in July that Button finally scored his first points of the year. From there he would score points at each of the remaining races – including podiums in Germany and Belgium – but 37 points and ninth in the championship standings was much less than Button had hoped for at the start of the year.
Again Button also made headlines off track as BAR and Williams battled again for his signature, this time with the driver wanting to stay rather than make the move he had been so keen on twelve months earlier.
As it was, BAR won the right to keep its driver, and with Honda having now taken full control of the team, the aim for Button has to be to recapture the form of 2004 and try to secure that elusive maiden victory.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 6
Grand Prix: 100
Wins: 0
Points: 167
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Germany and Belgium)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Canada)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (Europe and Turkey)
Average grid position: 6.17
2005: Out-qualified Takuma Sato 15 times
2005: Out-qualified Anthony Davidson 1 time
2005: Completed: 871 out of 963 laps (90.45%)
2005: Finished 12 times from 16 starts (75%)
Date of birth: 23/05/1972
Place of birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lives: Sao Paulo, Brazil and Monte Carlo
Marital status: Marries to Silvana, 2 sons, Eduardo and Fernando
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 71kg
Driven for:
Jordan (1993-1996)
Stewart (1997-1999)
Ferrari (2000-2005)
Honda (2006)
Website: http://www.barrichello.com.br/
Biography
1993 Signs for the Jordan team and makes his debut at the South African Grand Prix.2005 Second place at season opener in Melbourne strongest result of year, as Ferrari struggle for pace. Scores on seven more occasions, but can only finish eighth in standings, worst placing since joining Ferrari. Announces move to Honda for 2006.
1994 Still with Jordan, finishes sixth in the Drivers' Championship. Scores his first podium finish with a third place at the Pacific Grand Prix at TI Aida.
1997 Signs for Stewart and finishes 13th in the Drivers' Championship after a brilliant second place at Monaco.
1998 Fifth places in Spain and Canada the best performances of the season. 13th in the Drivers' Championship.
1999 Best season with Stewart. Third places in the San Marino, French and European Grands Prix. Seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points.
2000 Goes to Ferrari as second driver, replacing Eddie Irvine. Manages an emotional - and popular - win at the German Grand Prix. Finishes the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 62 points.
2001 Still at Ferrari, third in the Drivers' Championship.
2002 Second in the Drivers' Championship in Ferrari's most dominant season to date. Takes four victories.
2003 Fourth in the driver standings with two race wins. Again plays a vital role in Ferrari's, and Michael Schumacher's, championship success.
2004 Scores four pole positions, two wins and a further 12 podiums on his way to a convincing second place in the driver standings.
One of the many Brazilian drivers to have been hailed as the new Ayrton Senna, Rubens Barrichello has yet to leave a lasting mark on Formula One, despite putting in some fine performances. Now among the most experienced drivers on the grid, he is enjoying his chance at the big time with Ferrari.
A product of the Sao Paulo kart scene, Barrichello came to the attention of many F1 managers in 1990, as a 17-year old competing in the GM Lotus Euroseries. Six victories clinched the title at the first attempt, and Barrichello moved swiftly into Formula 3.
Success followed success as Barrichello won the British F3 series in his first season. Driving for the ultra-successful West Surrey Racing team, he edged out rival David Coulthard courtesy of four wins and nine pole positions.
Continuing his meteoric rise towards Formula 1, Rubens signed for the grandly named Il Barone Rampante team to contest the International F3000 series. Still only 20 years of age, the young Brazilian performed consistently to finish third overall.
His performances in the junior formulae attracted much attention, and Barrichello found himself in the top flight having spent just one season in each of the lower levels. His grand prix debut came at Kyalami after team boss Eddie Jordan gambled on the combination of Barrichello's speed and prodigious talent.
Just three races into his F1 career, Rubens stunned his rivals - and the crowd at a soaking wet Donington Park - by running as high as second in the European GP. Although fuel pressure problems saw him retire from the race, young Barrichello had confirmed Jordan's belief in him.
Senna's death at Imola in 1994 left Barrichello shouldering much of Brazil's expectation. A poor season with Jordan that year - in spite of a wet weather pole at Spa - was followed by more of the same in 1995-96, and Barrichello left to join the new Stewart team for the 1997 campaign. An impressive performance at Monaco - like Donington, in appalling conditions - netted second position, confirming that he had not lost any of the talent, which had propelled him into F1.
Barrichello continued as team leader with Stewart throughout 1998, as the team entered the traditionally difficult second season period. Promising results in both Spain and Canada - where Barrichello took fifth places - failed to lead to anything better and the Brazilian found himself partnering Jos Verstappen as well as original team-mate Jan Magnussen.
Rubens stayed loyal to Stewart for 1999, where he was joined by Sauber refugee Johnny Herbert. The Brazilian hoped, successfully, that Herbert's arrival, and that of former Jordan designer Gary Anderson, would lift the mood in the team, and raise Stewart to new heights. Sadly for Rubens, however, it was Herbert who brought the team its first F1 win, at the Nurburgring in September.
Although he was slightly overshadowed by a resurgent Herbert towards the end of the year, Barrichello was still Ferrari's first choice to replace the departing Eddie Irvine for 2000. Being teamed with Michael Schumacher might not be every driver's cup of tea, but Rubens maintained that it was the best indicator of his own talent. The highlight of his first year with the Scuderia came at the German GP, when he ended his win drought with a well-judged wet-weather success.
Again paired with Schumacher for 2001, Barrichello showed well throughout the season, even if a second career victory didn't come his way. The Brazilian came close, however, being thwarted by problems on more than one occasion, although seldom bad enough to prevent him from finishing in the points en route to third overall in the championship.
2002 finally saw Rubens win again - indeed the Brazilian took victory on four occasions, winning at the European GP, Hungarian GP, Italian GP and at Indianapolis. He also secured second overall in the Drivers' championship notching up 77 points - a good effort considering the team is built around Schumacher and Rubens always has to play second fiddle.
Rubens once again played a supporting role in 2003 - however he managed to knock up two more wins, following impressive drives at the British GP and in Japan. The Brazilian finished the year fourth in the drivers' series with 65 points.
Barrichello's fifth season with the Scuderia in 2004 was again positive, and having signed a contract until the end of 2006, the Brazilian helped ensure that Ferrari won the Constructors' championship for the sixth year running.
Although Michael Schumacher again took much of the limelight, Rubens had a more than solid year, scoring points in 16 of the 18 races, including 14 podiums, two of which saw him on the top step in Italy and China. His reward was second in the drivers' championship, having notched up 114 points, 34 less than Michael, who again took the title, but 29 more than Jenson Button, who was third.
In 2005, Barrichello was expected to again play shotgun as team-mate Schumacher battled for the title, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't to be Ferrari's season.
Although he finished second to Fernando Alonso in the opening race of the season in Australia, it was a result that was proved to be the exception rather than the norm as – despite a run of three podium finishes in the middle of the season – Barrichello was only able to wrack up 38 points to finish the season in a disappointing eighth place, well short of his expectations at the start of the year.
Shortly after the Hungarian Grand Prix it was confirmed that Barrichello would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the year despite having a contract in place for the 2006 season. With Felipe Massa coming into replace him, Barrichello endured a troublesome end to the season, in much the same way as team-mate Schumacher, scoring only seven points in the final eight races of the year.
For the new season, Barrichello will line-up alongside Jenson Button at Honda and the Brazilian will be keen to return to try and return to winning ways in 2006, while proving to any potential doubters of his abilities that he has what it takes to be a winner away from the Scuderia.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 13
Grand Prix: 217
Wins: 9
Points: 489
Poles: 13
Fastest Laps: 15
Best result in 2005: 2nd (Australia and USA)
Best qualifying 2005: 6th (France and Britain)
Worst qualifying 2005: 20th (Canada)
Average grid position: 10.63
2005: Out-qualified Michael Schumacher 7 times
2005: Completed: 1122 out of 1180 laps (95.08%)
2005: Finished 17 times from 19 starts (89%)
No 12 - Jenson Button
Date of birth: 19/01/1980
Place of birth: Frome, England
Lives: Monte Carlo
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 74kg
Driven for:
Williams (2000)
Benetton (2001)
Renault (2002)
BAR (2003-2005)
Honda (2006)
Website: http://www.jensonbutton.com/
Biography
1989 Karting - 1st in the British Super Prix at the age of nine.
1997 Karting - wins the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup in Suzuka. Also becomes the youngest ever winner of the European Super A Championship.
1998 First in the British Formula Ford Championship and second in the European Formula Ford Championship.
1999 Third in the British Formula 3 Championship.
2000 Debut with Williams Team.
2001 Dropped by Williams, he moves to Benetton.
2002 Benetton is renamed Renault and Button enjoys a successful season taking seventh in the Drivers' Championship.
2003 Moves to BAR and consistently out-performs more experienced team mate Jacques Villeneuve. Briefly leads US and Japanese Grands Prix. Two fourth places on his way to ninth in the standings.
2004 Arguably the driver of the year, beaten only by the Ferrari drivers in the standings. Takes his and BAR's maiden pole at Imola. Scores in every race he finishes, with ten podium placings. Bid to move to Williams for 2005 fails after contract dispute.
2005 Frustrating season in a relatively uncompetitive car. Nevertheless, proves a class act, leading BAR's fightback in second half of season, scoring all but one of their 37 points to finish ninth in driver standings. Buy's himself out of Williams contract for 2006, instead signing new, multi-year deal with Honda.
Nobody would have been as surprised by the announcement of his signing by Williams than Jenson Button himself. Plucked from British Formula Three series to face heroes like Michael Schumacher in the 2000 world championship was something the youngster admitted had been but a dream until it actually happened.
So short was Button's car racing history that he was still racing karts as recently as 1997. His junior career began at the tender age of eight, as Britain introduced the Cadet class, and the young Button quickly established himself as the man to beat with a win first time out. Victory in the 1989 British Cadet Kart Superprix merely confirmed his promise.
Further success followed, with consecutive British Cadet championships in 1990 and 1991 - the latter on the back of a clean sweep of race wins. First place in the concurrent British Open championship then served as a stepping stone as Jenson graduated to the Junior TKM ranks.
Both the National and Open titles fell to the boy from Frome, Somerset in 1992, with the latter being retained in '93, paving the way to a concerted assault on the European series the following year. Two wins overseas in the 1994 JICA series were the precursor to an Italian championship in 1995, before Button rocked the establishment by finishing second overall in the World Championships the same season.
1996 brought a top five championship finish in the European Formula A series, third in the American championship and a similar position in the one-off World Cup in Japan. His performances were now beginning to attract attention from the car racing world, and the following season Jenson cemented opinions by becoming the youngest European Formula Super A champion in history by taking the title at 17. A win in the Ayrton Senna Memorial meeting was simply an added bonus!
A test in an F3 car almost prompted Button to jump straight into the class, but he opted instead for a seat with the crack Haywood Racing squad in FFord. A slow start to the year meant nothing and Jenson stormed through to win both the British championship and the FFord Festival in his first year in cars. Receipt of the prestigious McLaren/Autosport Young Driver Award was a fitting end to the year.
Progression to Formula Three in 1999 was just one of the options open to Britain's hottest property, and it was little surprise when the Renault-backed Promatecme outfit broke with tradition to sign the youngster. Three race wins led to third overall in the championship behind Marc Hynes and Luciano Burti, but Button ended his year by testing for McLaren, Prost and Williams.
Having outpaced F1 veteran Jean Alesi in his Prost test, Button had to endure a tense week-long shoot-out with Williams reserve Bruno Junqueira to see who would replace Alex Zanardi at the Grove outfit. He got the nod just minutes before the team's line-up was revealed to the media, and apparently only after team boss Frank Williams had an overnight change of heart!
Jenson partnered Ralf Schumacher in the Williams team as it sought to regain its place in the top three with the aid of BMW power. The knowledge that Juan Montoya was waiting in the wings barely seemed to faze the yougster - except perhaps when the press began writing his F1 obituary mid-season - and he responded to the pressure with some sterling drives.
A cert for the points before the new BMW V10 died in the closing stages of his debut, Button inherited a maiden point next time out at Interlagos following the disqualification of David Coulthard, then followed it up by taking a fifth place finish in front of his adoring home crowd at Silverstone in round four. No podiums materialised in the course of the year, but Button became a regular threat for points, eventually finishing eighth in the standings with twelve to his name.
Montoya remained an ever-present threat, however, and, despite outcry from press and public alike, Button was despatched to Benetton to continue his F1 learning curve.
Two years now lay between the Briton and a possible return to Grove but, determined to fight his way back into the Williams fold, Button looked to be battling for points in 2001.
It was not to be, however, and the radical Benetton B201, mated to Renault's equally out-of-the ordinary wide-angle V10, prevented him - and team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella - from making an impact. A shoulder injury early in the year, not helped by his car's lack of power steering, also failed to endear the Briton to team boss Flavio Briatore and, amid rumours that he was to be replaced for 2002, it wasn't until the German GP that he opened his account.
Those two points were to be the only ones of a barren campaign, but somehow Button survived to become a fully-fledged Renault works driver.
The 2002 season started brightly, Button seemed to have made up with team boss Briatore and despite several moments with Jarno Trulli the previous year, the Brit and his new Italian team-mate got on reasonably well. The first few races yielded three straight points scoring results, a fourth in Malaysia, was followed by a fourth in Brazil and at the San Marino GP, Button came home fifth. Jenson had scored eight points in four races, while team-mate Trulli had only finished once - ninth at Imola.
At this point the Renault team was on a high and there was even talk the outfit might be able to beat McLaren and finish third in the Constructors'. McLaren though bounced back, while the Renault team went into a lull as the season progressed. Jenson would score more points as the season wore on, fifth at the European GP, sixth in France before finishing with two points finishes in the final three races (fifth in Italy and sixth in Japan). Overall Button scored 14 points to Trulli's 9, and although he compared less favourably in qualifying, the Brit was hopeful he had done enough to stay on with the Regie camp.
It was not to be however, and Briatore favoured promoting test driver Fernando Alonso to partner Trulli - a decision announced at the French GP. Button thus signed with BAR-Honda in late July, a two-year deal, with options for another two.
The Englishman lined-up alongside Jacques Villeneuve in 2003 and while BAR were not a top team, with sole Honda backing, they did enough to finish the year fifth - best of the rest in the Constructors', after the 'big four', Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Renault.
Button had a strong season, scoring 17 points, and at the United States GP he almost secured his first podium finish, mechanical woes though unfortunately let him down. His best finishes were therefore two fourths (in Austria and Japan), during a season when he largely overshadowed team-mate, and 1997 F1 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve.
2004 promised much for the Brit, and following BAR's decision to axe JV, a lot rested on his shoulders, as team leader.
He didn't fail though to rise to the challenge, and Jenson went on to score 85 points during the course of the year, as well as getting his first podium. Indeed the BAR-Honda 006 was a good car, and while not capable of beating Ferrari, Jenson finished third in the drivers' championship, while helping BAR-Honda secure second in the Constructors'. He secured 10 podiums in total, including four second place finishes at Imola, Monaco, Hockenheim and Shanghai.
Off-track though, a failed attempt to try and join Williams, somewhat took the shine of his year, and although initially wanting to return to Frank Williams' squad, BAR boss, David Richards fiercely resisted the challenge and having won the Contract Recognition Board hearing, Button remained with BAR in 2005.
After the success of 2004, much was expected of the Button/BAR package in the new season, but unfortunately for the Brit there was no repeat of the heroics of the past season as the team struggled.
An eleventh place finish in the season opener in Australia was followed by retirements in Malaysia and Bahrain before finally Button picked up his first points of the year in San Marino. However that wasn't to last as the Brit was excluded from the results along with team-mate Takuma Sato for a technical infringement – with the team then banned from the following two events in Spain and Monaco.
Pole position in Canada showed that the pace was still there, but it wasn't until the French Grand Prix in July that Button finally scored his first points of the year. From there he would score points at each of the remaining races – including podiums in Germany and Belgium – but 37 points and ninth in the championship standings was much less than Button had hoped for at the start of the year.
Again Button also made headlines off track as BAR and Williams battled again for his signature, this time with the driver wanting to stay rather than make the move he had been so keen on twelve months earlier.
As it was, BAR won the right to keep its driver, and with Honda having now taken full control of the team, the aim for Button has to be to recapture the form of 2004 and try to secure that elusive maiden victory.
Statistics - Prior to 2006 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 6
Grand Prix: 100
Wins: 0
Points: 167
Poles: 2
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2005: 3rd (Germany and Belgium)
Best qualifying 2005: Pole (Canada)
Worst qualifying 2005: 13th (Europe and Turkey)
Average grid position: 6.17
2005: Out-qualified Takuma Sato 15 times
2005: Out-qualified Anthony Davidson 1 time
2005: Completed: 871 out of 963 laps (90.45%)
2005: Finished 12 times from 16 starts (75%)