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After the 2006 season it was widely believed Honda would be Formula One's dark horse for 2007. However, for most of 2007 Honda looked more like the black sheep of the F1 fraternity. In 2006 Honda was competitive, regularly competing with the top teams for the higher championship points. However, in 2007, even the now defunct back-marker team, Spyker, would challenge Honda for positions at the back-end of the field. In fact, for the first half of the season it seemed as though Honda and Spyker were merely a four-car team.
Perhaps the performances were all political. Perhaps Honda was merely trying to make a point. The all-black paint scheme with only the earth painted on it was meant to raise awareness of humanity's need to take action and to take care of the planet. It could have been that Honda's performances were meant to be a metaphor for just how bad things apparently have become here on earth. But whatever the reason was, the fact was Honda was not becoming more competitive like BMW Sauber. The fact was, things went bad and fast. 2008 would not be that year of being on the cusp of being a title contender. 2008 would be, in all respects, a rebuilding year.
It's tough to design a car for the 2008 season though. Some of the parts of the 2007 car were dropped in favor of its older 2006 design. So instead of building upon last year's car, Honda, for all intents and purposes, would basically have to start all over with a totally new design. It becomes even more difficult when the regulations for the 2009 season will require even more all-new designs from each team. So the time Honda has to get the 2008 car up to competitive form is very short, if not impossible.
To be competitive, it all starts with the car. If the car isn't balanced and cannot react well to changing environments then it really doesn't matter who the driver is—the car just won't work. To help provide a balanced car the design team went to work throwing out, adjusting and redesigning aspects on the new car. And when looking at the RA108 there is very little the same between the pokey 2007 chassis.
Affecting many of the changes in the 2008 design besides last year's performance is this year's newest sporting regulations. Gone this year are many driver aids. Traction control is gone. Electronic control of the car has been greatly diminished, and therefore, stability and traction take on a higher priority. What was lost due to traction control had to be made up through downforce and design elements to make the car as stable as possible for the driver. Much of Honda's woes in 2007 were due to stability issues, the car's inability to apply power to the pavement and to efficient control airflow. So Honda had to go to work overcoming their failures with last year's car.
At the team's launch the changes were immediately noticeable. The RA108's nose was substantially different from its 2007 predecessor. The nose itself sits higher. The nose design appears to be a marriage between the higher design that was on the RA106 and the wider pillar placement that was designed into the RA107. Then, when the team tested at Barcelona in April the hood-ornament 'wings' appeared, a design feature that has remained an integral part of the RA108's design much of the season.
Surprisingly, while many of the other teams are implementing full-cascading upper-wing profiles over the nose, Honda has actually simplified its front wing design. Toward the end of last year Honda tried dramatically designed upper wing profiles. Initially, last year's car started out with only partial upper profile wing elements, but this year, the front wing has a simple, rather standard double-deck design that will be contoured and reshaped for each race to maximize downforce and low-drag. The only real addition of 'wing' elements have come out on the endplates.
The zero-keel design remains on the RA108, meaning the front suspension members attach directly to the nose bulkhead instead of some point under the bulkhead. This year's design sees an updated camera/wing profile attached to the nose to help with airflow control. The suspension arms have been furthered refined to help reduce drag by tweaking their design aerodynamically. But also, the suspension arms have been contoured and reshaped to help with all-important airflow to the radiator and bargeboard arrangement.
Speaking of the bargeboards, the arrangement on the RA108 is a rather simple one with no extreme curves or collaboration of many turning vanes. The larger bargeboard element has a similar step design as that created and employed by Ferrari. This step design aids in helping to direct airflow at key points into and around the radiators. The radiators too have been reshaped. The 2008's radiators are more contoured, tighter in at the bottom, whereas, the 2007 car boasted larger radiator inlets. With the tighter radiators airflow is better used providing more adequate cooling, increased stability and greater aerodynamic efficiency. The sidepod 'ears' have been downsized with slits to help further control the airflow around the sidepods.
The mirrors have been changed on this year's car. The head-protection in the cockpit has been raised to meet the new regulations for this year. And gone on this year's design is the small wing attached to the airbox inlet. However, the airbox inlet has remained virtually unchanged from its 2007 predecessor. The engine cover boasts a larger dorsal fin design than the previous year. This helps with stability at the rear of the car. However, the 2008 model has small turning vanes attached to the sides of the engine cowling to aid controlling airflow to the back of the car. Also, during the early part of this season Honda's design team attached McLaren-Mercedes like 'bull-horn' wings to the engine cowling.
The mid-span wing attached to the dorsal fin has been retained on this year's design but incorporated into a totally redesigned rear-wheel flick. On the 2007 model the sidepods used a complicated T-wing and rear-wheel flick arrangement. This year's T-wing design is much simpler and the rear-wheel flick incorporates a much more defined double-deck design. This rear-wheel flick is incorporated with 'shields' to help control airflow around the rear wheels and out the rear of the car. The chimneys have remained rather unchained from the 2007 design. And in this day and age with dramatically contoured rear wings, Honda's rear-wing is more of a throwback. The rear wing on the Honda RA108 boasts a straight leading edge.
The 2008 RA108 boasts a new livery and a new hope for the future. However, given this short timeline it could have been expected Honda would continue to struggle or only improve incrementally upon their brutal 2007 season. In fact, that is exactly what has happened up through the first half of the season. Some times the team qualifies well and then, other times, struggles to get out of the first round. Some races the car works well and the team gets good results and, then, there are some races the team has finished races poorly.
Despite the struggles and the truly humbling experience it would seem Honda found their problems and are quickly overcoming them. With the addition of Ross Brawn as their technical chief, 2008 would appear to be a rebuilding year that will offer Honda the bright future they are looking for, just as they desire for the planet.Jeremy McMullen
Perhaps the performances were all political. Perhaps Honda was merely trying to make a point. The all-black paint scheme with only the earth painted on it was meant to raise awareness of humanity's need to take action and to take care of the planet. It could have been that Honda's performances were meant to be a metaphor for just how bad things apparently have become here on earth. But whatever the reason was, the fact was Honda was not becoming more competitive like BMW Sauber. The fact was, things went bad and fast. 2008 would not be that year of being on the cusp of being a title contender. 2008 would be, in all respects, a rebuilding year.
It's tough to design a car for the 2008 season though. Some of the parts of the 2007 car were dropped in favor of its older 2006 design. So instead of building upon last year's car, Honda, for all intents and purposes, would basically have to start all over with a totally new design. It becomes even more difficult when the regulations for the 2009 season will require even more all-new designs from each team. So the time Honda has to get the 2008 car up to competitive form is very short, if not impossible.
To be competitive, it all starts with the car. If the car isn't balanced and cannot react well to changing environments then it really doesn't matter who the driver is—the car just won't work. To help provide a balanced car the design team went to work throwing out, adjusting and redesigning aspects on the new car. And when looking at the RA108 there is very little the same between the pokey 2007 chassis.
Affecting many of the changes in the 2008 design besides last year's performance is this year's newest sporting regulations. Gone this year are many driver aids. Traction control is gone. Electronic control of the car has been greatly diminished, and therefore, stability and traction take on a higher priority. What was lost due to traction control had to be made up through downforce and design elements to make the car as stable as possible for the driver. Much of Honda's woes in 2007 were due to stability issues, the car's inability to apply power to the pavement and to efficient control airflow. So Honda had to go to work overcoming their failures with last year's car.
At the team's launch the changes were immediately noticeable. The RA108's nose was substantially different from its 2007 predecessor. The nose itself sits higher. The nose design appears to be a marriage between the higher design that was on the RA106 and the wider pillar placement that was designed into the RA107. Then, when the team tested at Barcelona in April the hood-ornament 'wings' appeared, a design feature that has remained an integral part of the RA108's design much of the season.
Surprisingly, while many of the other teams are implementing full-cascading upper-wing profiles over the nose, Honda has actually simplified its front wing design. Toward the end of last year Honda tried dramatically designed upper wing profiles. Initially, last year's car started out with only partial upper profile wing elements, but this year, the front wing has a simple, rather standard double-deck design that will be contoured and reshaped for each race to maximize downforce and low-drag. The only real addition of 'wing' elements have come out on the endplates.
The zero-keel design remains on the RA108, meaning the front suspension members attach directly to the nose bulkhead instead of some point under the bulkhead. This year's design sees an updated camera/wing profile attached to the nose to help with airflow control. The suspension arms have been furthered refined to help reduce drag by tweaking their design aerodynamically. But also, the suspension arms have been contoured and reshaped to help with all-important airflow to the radiator and bargeboard arrangement.
Speaking of the bargeboards, the arrangement on the RA108 is a rather simple one with no extreme curves or collaboration of many turning vanes. The larger bargeboard element has a similar step design as that created and employed by Ferrari. This step design aids in helping to direct airflow at key points into and around the radiators. The radiators too have been reshaped. The 2008's radiators are more contoured, tighter in at the bottom, whereas, the 2007 car boasted larger radiator inlets. With the tighter radiators airflow is better used providing more adequate cooling, increased stability and greater aerodynamic efficiency. The sidepod 'ears' have been downsized with slits to help further control the airflow around the sidepods.
The mirrors have been changed on this year's car. The head-protection in the cockpit has been raised to meet the new regulations for this year. And gone on this year's design is the small wing attached to the airbox inlet. However, the airbox inlet has remained virtually unchanged from its 2007 predecessor. The engine cover boasts a larger dorsal fin design than the previous year. This helps with stability at the rear of the car. However, the 2008 model has small turning vanes attached to the sides of the engine cowling to aid controlling airflow to the back of the car. Also, during the early part of this season Honda's design team attached McLaren-Mercedes like 'bull-horn' wings to the engine cowling.
The mid-span wing attached to the dorsal fin has been retained on this year's design but incorporated into a totally redesigned rear-wheel flick. On the 2007 model the sidepods used a complicated T-wing and rear-wheel flick arrangement. This year's T-wing design is much simpler and the rear-wheel flick incorporates a much more defined double-deck design. This rear-wheel flick is incorporated with 'shields' to help control airflow around the rear wheels and out the rear of the car. The chimneys have remained rather unchained from the 2007 design. And in this day and age with dramatically contoured rear wings, Honda's rear-wing is more of a throwback. The rear wing on the Honda RA108 boasts a straight leading edge.
The 2008 RA108 boasts a new livery and a new hope for the future. However, given this short timeline it could have been expected Honda would continue to struggle or only improve incrementally upon their brutal 2007 season. In fact, that is exactly what has happened up through the first half of the season. Some times the team qualifies well and then, other times, struggles to get out of the first round. Some races the car works well and the team gets good results and, then, there are some races the team has finished races poorly.
Despite the struggles and the truly humbling experience it would seem Honda found their problems and are quickly overcoming them. With the addition of Ross Brawn as their technical chief, 2008 would appear to be a rebuilding year that will offer Honda the bright future they are looking for, just as they desire for the planet.Jeremy McMullen
New car, new challengeThe Honda Racing F1 Team unveils the RA108 and a new-look livery.
The official presentation of the Honda Racing F1 Team's 2008 challenger took place today at the team's operational headquarters in Brackley, UK.
The launch followed an initial shakedown period with the all-new RA108 in Valencia last week, in which the team's race driver line-up of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button put evaluation mileage on the car in preparation for the start of its pre-season testing programme later this week. The role of unveiling the RA108 in the team's 2008 livery today was assigned to new Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz. At the wheel of the car for the very first time, Alex drove the RA108 through the pitlane themed auditorium in front of the assembled crowd of 300 international media and guests.
Honda laid out its plans for 2008 and the longer-term, reaffirming its commitment to the sport and underlining the determination of a revitalised team to realise its ambitions. The team's 2008 challenge sees a substantial evolution in three key areas, the most fundamental of which is a directional step change in the car design philosophy. The entire process from concept to launch has been re-evaluated. The new car is a considered response to the challenges of 2007, benefiting from the combined resources of the Honda Racing F1 Team's three bases in Brackley and Bracknell in the UK and the Honda R&D centre at Tochigi in Japan.
The RA108 is also the product of a strengthened engineering team, combining the depth of experience of the existing resource with new and wide-ranging expertise in key areas under the leadership of new Team Principal Ross Brawn. In turn the team will benefit from the continuity provided by the race driver pairing of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello for a third successive season. Combined with the development talents of Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz, Honda will field the most experienced driver line-up on the Formula One grid.
The launch of the RA108 and its livery also saw the introduction of the team's earthdreams programme. earthdreams is the evolution of the award winning myearthdream concept launched in 2007 and represents the next stage of Honda's long term commitment to harnessing the passion of Formula One and its partners to provide support and investment for good causes through a unique cause related marketing initiative.
Moving the focus from raising environmental awareness to action, the Honda Racing F1 Team and its partners have committed $1.2 million, with $700,000 already allocated. The first of the earthdreams supported projects was also announced today. The team paid particular tribute to its partner Seiko (www.seikowatches.com) who have been generous supporters of the earthdreams initiative.
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
'The RA108 car is a wholly different concept to its predecessors, in terms of its aerodynamic layout and mechanical structure. The design philosophy has been developed to allow greater scope for aerodynamic packaging and exploitation, particularly to facilitate the introduction of performance upgrades through the season.
'The focus has been on attaining a high level of aerodynamic efficiency with stability and this is reflected in the way that the chassis has been revised to interact with the different aerodynamic features and the suspension. This approach should allow more potential for further developments to take place, the first of which will be for Melbourne when we will introduce a substantially revised aerodynamic package compared with the car we have launched today.
'The Honda RA808E engine is subject to the FIA engine homologation regulations and therefore the vast majority of engine components remain unchanged. The exhaust geometry and air box have changed to suit the RA108 aerodynamic package. An additional development is the FIA requirement that the fuel mix should now contain 5.75% biofuel - an initiative that Honda fully supports.
'Two of the most significant regulation changes are in the areas of electronics and gearbox. The implementation of an FIA standard electronic control unit and software has meant hard work during the winter tests to integrate the new system with the RA108's engine, gearbox and chassis systems. With traction control and other driver aids removed from the car there will be a greater emphasis on driver skill.
'The RA108 carbon composite gearbox has been designed to meet the new regulations which require each gearbox to complete four Grands Prix. We have conducted extensive running on a test bed to optimise the gearbox design and ensure that we can be confident of meeting the levels of reliability required.
'The design of the RA108 ensures that all key areas comply with the FIA safety regulations and crash test requirements for the impact structures, such as the nose, monocoque and rear impact structure. We have also increased the protection for the driver around the headrest area.'
'Our target for 2008 is to get back to the position occupied during the second half of the 2006 season when Honda fought for points at every race. Only then will we have a stable base from which to target more ambitious results.
'Since joining Honda my focus has been on evaluating the resources and practices of the operation and understanding how we can progress. I commend the entire team on the effort and commitment they have shown after a disappointing 2007. We will have to wait and see how much of a performance step has been achieved with this car, but in terms of people and resources, all the right ingredients are in place with which to move the Honda Racing F1 Team forward in pursuit of its racing ambitions.'
Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer
'Following a year where we failed to live up to our own expectations, the team has made a number of key appointments in the second half of 2007 to strengthen our existing resource as well as bringing on board new knowledge and different experience. In particular, the arrival of Ross in the position of Team Principal has brought new impetus and confidence to the whole organisation. This time last year saw the beginning of a downward curve for us and there is a determined sense that this year we are back on track. We have done everything possible to honestly address the issues, which we have to view as valuable experiences which have helped to put us in better shape for this year and for the years ahead. Every area, from technical and aerodynamics to marketing, has been strengthened with world class resource. The disappointments of 2007 power our desire to do well in 2008.
'I am very pleased for our whole team that their hard work has resulted in the RA108 meeting all its design targets on paper. We now need to work hard between now and Melbourne to make sure that those translate into good track performance and to discover whether these targets are sufficiently high compared with the achievements of our competitors.
'Today also sees the introduction of earthdreams, a global cause related marketing programme inspired by the Honda Racing F1 Team and evolved from the 2007 'myearthdream' initiative. earthdreams' mission is to harness the power of dreams by supporting, investing in and empowering inspirational projects that have a positive impact on the world around them which will be supported by Honda and its partners. We have already informed projects that have been supported by earthdreams so far and we look forward to working with existing and new partners to contribute to those good causes. In particular I would like to thank Seiko on behalf of the recipients for their generous contributions and support.'
Hiroshi Oshima, Operating Officer, Honda Motor Co., Ltd (Corporate Communications, Motor Sports)
'It gives me great pleasure to see the launch of the Honda RA108 car. We have put a difficult 2007 firmly behind us and, in the spirit of Honda, we are firmly focused on the challenge of 2008 and working hard towards our longer-term championship ambitions. Over the past few months I have been very pleased to see the steps which have been taken to strengthen the engineering side of our operation and gain maximum benefit from our Honda R&D facility to the benefit of the F1 team. The new earthdreams livery represents the fusion of the many years of motor sports heritage that is part of Honda's DNA and the marketing programme we announced last year. Our objective is to reward the great many Honda fans all over the world with an improved performance this season and continue the pursuit of our racing dream.'
Jenson Button, Race Driver, Car No 16
'My motivation is to be with a team that is setting its sights on performing at the highest level and in a car that is competitive and I have faith in Honda for the period that lies ahead. I want to win races and I want to be in contention to be world champion. The past five years have been challenging and last year was disappointing, but the team has recognised this and set about tackling the areas that have prevented us from achieving best performance. Everyone at the Honda Racing F1 Team has worked incredibly hard over the winter to develop the RA108 ready for the launch today. The changes that we have made to the team over the last six months of 2007 were exactly what the team needed to take us forward this year and I am confident that we have the right people, along with great support and resources from Honda, to achieve our targets.'
Rubens Barrichello, Race Driver, Car No 17
'I had the opportunity to drive the RA108 for the first time in Valencia last week and although I ran for just a few laps in the new car, we were able to complete the planned activity. It is too soon to reach any conclusions about the car's handling and performance, but I am looking forward to the Barcelona test this coming weekend and really getting to grips with the development of the RA108. This year will be my 16th season in Formula One and my third season with the Honda Racing F1 Team, but my love of the sport and my enthusiasm is undiminished. In fact, this year I will become the most experienced Grand Prix racer of all time, which is something that I am very proud of. We have a very strong development base this year with Alex Wurz joining the team and I am really pleased that he will be able to input his experience and knowledge into the RA108.'
Alex Wurz, Test & Reserve Driver
'I have enjoyed getting to know the Honda Racing F1 Team over the past few weeks and took part in my first test with the team at Valencia last week with an acclimatisation programme in the RA107. So far I have only driven the RA108 for a few short metres at the launch event today so I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try out the new car later this week in Barcelona, when I will really be able to start contributing to the development programme. All three of my previous teams have been world championship winners and I am very proud that I have the opportunity to play a role in the pursuit of Honda's ambitions.'
The Honda Racing F1 Team Announces the first beneficiaries of the Myearthdream Trust
The Honda Racing F1 team today announces the charities and organisations that will benefit from funds raised by 2007's myearthdream initiative.
Donations from the public at the myearthdream.com website totalled over £98,000. The beneficiaries were chosen by an independent Advisory Board of environmental experts who split the money equally between two international causes:
Marine Stewardship Council www.msc.org
The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes responsible fishing practices around the world.
Forest Stewardship Council www.fsc.org
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests.
Funding was also donated to the myearthdream Trust by Honda and its partners, which brought the total raised so far to over $1.2million including public donations. Beneficiary charities announced so far include:
Green Light Trust www.greenlighttrust.org
An organisation dedicated to forestry protection, working with local communities and using education and learning to grow woodlands.
Lighthouse Foundation www.lighthousefoundation.org.au
The Lighthouse Program is an inspirational project designed to support young people. A strong educational and environmental emphasis, the Foundation is to reduce youth homelessness.
Wiser Earth www.wiserearth.org
An organisation which networks, educates and empowers environmental organisations around the world
Meninos do Morumbi www.meninosdomorumbi.org.br
Creation of an environmental education programme within an inspirational programme working with children in the favelas of Sao Paolo.
Bioregional Development Group www.bioregional.com
An entrepreneurial, independent environmental organisation that develops commercially viable products and services which meet everyday needs from local renewable and waste resources.
Spirit of Soccer www.spiritofsoccer.net
Supporting an inspirational programme dealing with the issue of land-mine clearance in Cambodia using education and sport to tackle one of the most deadly environmental issues.
The Honda Racing F1 Team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has given so generously to the Trust to make these donations possible.
But this is just the start, Honda also announced today that Myearthdream is evolving to earthdreams. Earthdreams' mission is to harness the power of dreams by supporting and empowering inspirational projects that have a positive impact on the world around them.
It is a long term commitment and further announcements about charitable donations will be made throughout 2008.
Honda announces 2008 Young Driver line-up
At the launch of the Honda Racing F1 Team's 2008 racecar today, the team announced that Mike Conway and Luca Filippi will form its Young Driver line-up for the coming season.
As part of the team's commitment to the development of young motorsport talent, the two GP2 drivers were invited to take part in a Young Driver Programme evaluation in November and December last year. Each driver had the opportunity to drive the 2007 Honda race car as the team took a closer look at their potential to assist with future testing requirements.
Under the new sporting regulations for 2008, the team has a number of Young Driver evaluation days which will be used to allow Luca and Mike to develop their skills in the car and assist the team with its testing requirements, in conjunction with their racing activities in the GP2 series.
Luca Filippi, 22, is currently racing with Meritus in the GP2 Asia series and in 2008 will be competing with ART Grand Prix for his third year in GP2. Luca finished in 4th position in the 2007 GP2 championship with Super Nova International. He began his racing career in his home country of Italy, winning the Italian Formula 3000 championship in 2005 before graduating to GP2.
Mike Conway, 24, was Luca's team-mate at Super Nova International last year, and has been part of the Honda Young Driver Programme since March 2007. After his debut season in GP2 last year, Mike will race for Trident Racing this year. Prior to GP2, Mike won the British Formula 3 championship and the Macau Grand Prix in the 2006 season, in addition to winning the Formula Renault UK title in 2004. Mike was also given the opportunity to be evaluated in the all-new RA108 during its initial shakedown in Valencia last week.
To reflect Honda's increasing involvement in motor sport and its commitment to supporting emerging motorsport talent, the Honda Racing F1 Team also confirmed that it will reward the winner of the 2008 Formula Master series with a drive in its RA108 race car in the future. A junior racing formulae, Formula Master runs alongside the FIA World Touring Car Championship for eight European based rounds.
Ron Meadows, Sporting Director for the Honda Racing F1 Team with responsibility for Honda's Young Driver Programme, commented, 'We are very pleased to confirm today that Mike and Luca form our Young Driver line-up in 2008. Both drivers greatly impressed us with their performance and commitment in the tests at the end of last year and, after a thorough evaluation, we have decided to reward them with the opportunity to work closely with the team this season. In addition, we have today announced our new partnership with the Formula Master series and the opportunity for their champion to spend a day with the team. Honda takes its commitment to developing promising young talent in motor sport very seriously and we look forward to working closely with these young drivers and helping them to progress to the very highest levels of our sport.'
Mike Conway commented, 'I am really pleased to be continuing my association with the Honda Racing F1 Team and very much looking forward to this year. I have already learnt so much from working with the team and it will be very rewarding to be able to contribute to the development of the car this year. I drove the RA108 in Valencia last Friday which was fantastic so I'm looking forward to the next opportunity.'
Luca Filippi said, 'It is a great opportunity for me to be a part of the Honda Young Driver Programme and I am really looking forward to working with the team this year. I am hoping to learn a great deal from the team's engineers and drivers, which will help not only in driving the F1 car but also for my racing in the GP2 series. I would like to thank the Honda Racing F1 Team for their faith in me and I'm looking forward to my chance to drive the RA108.'Source - Honda
The official presentation of the Honda Racing F1 Team's 2008 challenger took place today at the team's operational headquarters in Brackley, UK.
The launch followed an initial shakedown period with the all-new RA108 in Valencia last week, in which the team's race driver line-up of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button put evaluation mileage on the car in preparation for the start of its pre-season testing programme later this week. The role of unveiling the RA108 in the team's 2008 livery today was assigned to new Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz. At the wheel of the car for the very first time, Alex drove the RA108 through the pitlane themed auditorium in front of the assembled crowd of 300 international media and guests.
Honda laid out its plans for 2008 and the longer-term, reaffirming its commitment to the sport and underlining the determination of a revitalised team to realise its ambitions. The team's 2008 challenge sees a substantial evolution in three key areas, the most fundamental of which is a directional step change in the car design philosophy. The entire process from concept to launch has been re-evaluated. The new car is a considered response to the challenges of 2007, benefiting from the combined resources of the Honda Racing F1 Team's three bases in Brackley and Bracknell in the UK and the Honda R&D centre at Tochigi in Japan.
The RA108 is also the product of a strengthened engineering team, combining the depth of experience of the existing resource with new and wide-ranging expertise in key areas under the leadership of new Team Principal Ross Brawn. In turn the team will benefit from the continuity provided by the race driver pairing of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello for a third successive season. Combined with the development talents of Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz, Honda will field the most experienced driver line-up on the Formula One grid.
The launch of the RA108 and its livery also saw the introduction of the team's earthdreams programme. earthdreams is the evolution of the award winning myearthdream concept launched in 2007 and represents the next stage of Honda's long term commitment to harnessing the passion of Formula One and its partners to provide support and investment for good causes through a unique cause related marketing initiative.
Moving the focus from raising environmental awareness to action, the Honda Racing F1 Team and its partners have committed $1.2 million, with $700,000 already allocated. The first of the earthdreams supported projects was also announced today. The team paid particular tribute to its partner Seiko (www.seikowatches.com) who have been generous supporters of the earthdreams initiative.
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
'The RA108 car is a wholly different concept to its predecessors, in terms of its aerodynamic layout and mechanical structure. The design philosophy has been developed to allow greater scope for aerodynamic packaging and exploitation, particularly to facilitate the introduction of performance upgrades through the season.
'The focus has been on attaining a high level of aerodynamic efficiency with stability and this is reflected in the way that the chassis has been revised to interact with the different aerodynamic features and the suspension. This approach should allow more potential for further developments to take place, the first of which will be for Melbourne when we will introduce a substantially revised aerodynamic package compared with the car we have launched today.
'The Honda RA808E engine is subject to the FIA engine homologation regulations and therefore the vast majority of engine components remain unchanged. The exhaust geometry and air box have changed to suit the RA108 aerodynamic package. An additional development is the FIA requirement that the fuel mix should now contain 5.75% biofuel - an initiative that Honda fully supports.
'Two of the most significant regulation changes are in the areas of electronics and gearbox. The implementation of an FIA standard electronic control unit and software has meant hard work during the winter tests to integrate the new system with the RA108's engine, gearbox and chassis systems. With traction control and other driver aids removed from the car there will be a greater emphasis on driver skill.
'The RA108 carbon composite gearbox has been designed to meet the new regulations which require each gearbox to complete four Grands Prix. We have conducted extensive running on a test bed to optimise the gearbox design and ensure that we can be confident of meeting the levels of reliability required.
'The design of the RA108 ensures that all key areas comply with the FIA safety regulations and crash test requirements for the impact structures, such as the nose, monocoque and rear impact structure. We have also increased the protection for the driver around the headrest area.'
'Our target for 2008 is to get back to the position occupied during the second half of the 2006 season when Honda fought for points at every race. Only then will we have a stable base from which to target more ambitious results.
'Since joining Honda my focus has been on evaluating the resources and practices of the operation and understanding how we can progress. I commend the entire team on the effort and commitment they have shown after a disappointing 2007. We will have to wait and see how much of a performance step has been achieved with this car, but in terms of people and resources, all the right ingredients are in place with which to move the Honda Racing F1 Team forward in pursuit of its racing ambitions.'
Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer
'Following a year where we failed to live up to our own expectations, the team has made a number of key appointments in the second half of 2007 to strengthen our existing resource as well as bringing on board new knowledge and different experience. In particular, the arrival of Ross in the position of Team Principal has brought new impetus and confidence to the whole organisation. This time last year saw the beginning of a downward curve for us and there is a determined sense that this year we are back on track. We have done everything possible to honestly address the issues, which we have to view as valuable experiences which have helped to put us in better shape for this year and for the years ahead. Every area, from technical and aerodynamics to marketing, has been strengthened with world class resource. The disappointments of 2007 power our desire to do well in 2008.
'I am very pleased for our whole team that their hard work has resulted in the RA108 meeting all its design targets on paper. We now need to work hard between now and Melbourne to make sure that those translate into good track performance and to discover whether these targets are sufficiently high compared with the achievements of our competitors.
'Today also sees the introduction of earthdreams, a global cause related marketing programme inspired by the Honda Racing F1 Team and evolved from the 2007 'myearthdream' initiative. earthdreams' mission is to harness the power of dreams by supporting, investing in and empowering inspirational projects that have a positive impact on the world around them which will be supported by Honda and its partners. We have already informed projects that have been supported by earthdreams so far and we look forward to working with existing and new partners to contribute to those good causes. In particular I would like to thank Seiko on behalf of the recipients for their generous contributions and support.'
Hiroshi Oshima, Operating Officer, Honda Motor Co., Ltd (Corporate Communications, Motor Sports)
'It gives me great pleasure to see the launch of the Honda RA108 car. We have put a difficult 2007 firmly behind us and, in the spirit of Honda, we are firmly focused on the challenge of 2008 and working hard towards our longer-term championship ambitions. Over the past few months I have been very pleased to see the steps which have been taken to strengthen the engineering side of our operation and gain maximum benefit from our Honda R&D facility to the benefit of the F1 team. The new earthdreams livery represents the fusion of the many years of motor sports heritage that is part of Honda's DNA and the marketing programme we announced last year. Our objective is to reward the great many Honda fans all over the world with an improved performance this season and continue the pursuit of our racing dream.'
Jenson Button, Race Driver, Car No 16
'My motivation is to be with a team that is setting its sights on performing at the highest level and in a car that is competitive and I have faith in Honda for the period that lies ahead. I want to win races and I want to be in contention to be world champion. The past five years have been challenging and last year was disappointing, but the team has recognised this and set about tackling the areas that have prevented us from achieving best performance. Everyone at the Honda Racing F1 Team has worked incredibly hard over the winter to develop the RA108 ready for the launch today. The changes that we have made to the team over the last six months of 2007 were exactly what the team needed to take us forward this year and I am confident that we have the right people, along with great support and resources from Honda, to achieve our targets.'
Rubens Barrichello, Race Driver, Car No 17
'I had the opportunity to drive the RA108 for the first time in Valencia last week and although I ran for just a few laps in the new car, we were able to complete the planned activity. It is too soon to reach any conclusions about the car's handling and performance, but I am looking forward to the Barcelona test this coming weekend and really getting to grips with the development of the RA108. This year will be my 16th season in Formula One and my third season with the Honda Racing F1 Team, but my love of the sport and my enthusiasm is undiminished. In fact, this year I will become the most experienced Grand Prix racer of all time, which is something that I am very proud of. We have a very strong development base this year with Alex Wurz joining the team and I am really pleased that he will be able to input his experience and knowledge into the RA108.'
Alex Wurz, Test & Reserve Driver
'I have enjoyed getting to know the Honda Racing F1 Team over the past few weeks and took part in my first test with the team at Valencia last week with an acclimatisation programme in the RA107. So far I have only driven the RA108 for a few short metres at the launch event today so I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try out the new car later this week in Barcelona, when I will really be able to start contributing to the development programme. All three of my previous teams have been world championship winners and I am very proud that I have the opportunity to play a role in the pursuit of Honda's ambitions.'
The Honda Racing F1 Team Announces the first beneficiaries of the Myearthdream Trust
The Honda Racing F1 team today announces the charities and organisations that will benefit from funds raised by 2007's myearthdream initiative.
Donations from the public at the myearthdream.com website totalled over £98,000. The beneficiaries were chosen by an independent Advisory Board of environmental experts who split the money equally between two international causes:
Marine Stewardship Council www.msc.org
The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes responsible fishing practices around the world.
Forest Stewardship Council www.fsc.org
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests.
Funding was also donated to the myearthdream Trust by Honda and its partners, which brought the total raised so far to over $1.2million including public donations. Beneficiary charities announced so far include:
Green Light Trust www.greenlighttrust.org
An organisation dedicated to forestry protection, working with local communities and using education and learning to grow woodlands.
Lighthouse Foundation www.lighthousefoundation.org.au
The Lighthouse Program is an inspirational project designed to support young people. A strong educational and environmental emphasis, the Foundation is to reduce youth homelessness.
Wiser Earth www.wiserearth.org
An organisation which networks, educates and empowers environmental organisations around the world
Meninos do Morumbi www.meninosdomorumbi.org.br
Creation of an environmental education programme within an inspirational programme working with children in the favelas of Sao Paolo.
Bioregional Development Group www.bioregional.com
An entrepreneurial, independent environmental organisation that develops commercially viable products and services which meet everyday needs from local renewable and waste resources.
Spirit of Soccer www.spiritofsoccer.net
Supporting an inspirational programme dealing with the issue of land-mine clearance in Cambodia using education and sport to tackle one of the most deadly environmental issues.
The Honda Racing F1 Team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has given so generously to the Trust to make these donations possible.
But this is just the start, Honda also announced today that Myearthdream is evolving to earthdreams. Earthdreams' mission is to harness the power of dreams by supporting and empowering inspirational projects that have a positive impact on the world around them.
It is a long term commitment and further announcements about charitable donations will be made throughout 2008.
Honda announces 2008 Young Driver line-up
At the launch of the Honda Racing F1 Team's 2008 racecar today, the team announced that Mike Conway and Luca Filippi will form its Young Driver line-up for the coming season.
As part of the team's commitment to the development of young motorsport talent, the two GP2 drivers were invited to take part in a Young Driver Programme evaluation in November and December last year. Each driver had the opportunity to drive the 2007 Honda race car as the team took a closer look at their potential to assist with future testing requirements.
Under the new sporting regulations for 2008, the team has a number of Young Driver evaluation days which will be used to allow Luca and Mike to develop their skills in the car and assist the team with its testing requirements, in conjunction with their racing activities in the GP2 series.
Luca Filippi, 22, is currently racing with Meritus in the GP2 Asia series and in 2008 will be competing with ART Grand Prix for his third year in GP2. Luca finished in 4th position in the 2007 GP2 championship with Super Nova International. He began his racing career in his home country of Italy, winning the Italian Formula 3000 championship in 2005 before graduating to GP2.
Mike Conway, 24, was Luca's team-mate at Super Nova International last year, and has been part of the Honda Young Driver Programme since March 2007. After his debut season in GP2 last year, Mike will race for Trident Racing this year. Prior to GP2, Mike won the British Formula 3 championship and the Macau Grand Prix in the 2006 season, in addition to winning the Formula Renault UK title in 2004. Mike was also given the opportunity to be evaluated in the all-new RA108 during its initial shakedown in Valencia last week.
To reflect Honda's increasing involvement in motor sport and its commitment to supporting emerging motorsport talent, the Honda Racing F1 Team also confirmed that it will reward the winner of the 2008 Formula Master series with a drive in its RA108 race car in the future. A junior racing formulae, Formula Master runs alongside the FIA World Touring Car Championship for eight European based rounds.
Ron Meadows, Sporting Director for the Honda Racing F1 Team with responsibility for Honda's Young Driver Programme, commented, 'We are very pleased to confirm today that Mike and Luca form our Young Driver line-up in 2008. Both drivers greatly impressed us with their performance and commitment in the tests at the end of last year and, after a thorough evaluation, we have decided to reward them with the opportunity to work closely with the team this season. In addition, we have today announced our new partnership with the Formula Master series and the opportunity for their champion to spend a day with the team. Honda takes its commitment to developing promising young talent in motor sport very seriously and we look forward to working closely with these young drivers and helping them to progress to the very highest levels of our sport.'
Mike Conway commented, 'I am really pleased to be continuing my association with the Honda Racing F1 Team and very much looking forward to this year. I have already learnt so much from working with the team and it will be very rewarding to be able to contribute to the development of the car this year. I drove the RA108 in Valencia last Friday which was fantastic so I'm looking forward to the next opportunity.'
Luca Filippi said, 'It is a great opportunity for me to be a part of the Honda Young Driver Programme and I am really looking forward to working with the team this year. I am hoping to learn a great deal from the team's engineers and drivers, which will help not only in driving the F1 car but also for my racing in the GP2 series. I would like to thank the Honda Racing F1 Team for their faith in me and I'm looking forward to my chance to drive the RA108.'Source - Honda
Honda Racing F1 Team signs Will Stevens Karting star to benefit from Honda support through the junior ranks.The Honda Racing F1 Team is delighted to announce that it has signed 16 year old British karting star Will Stevens under a long-term driver support agreement.
Will is firmly established as one of the leading young kart racers in the world. For the 2008 season he is racing with the prestigious TonyKart Racing Team in the KF1 class competing in all the major European races, alongside participation in the WSK International Series and the World Cup in Japan.
In 2007, Will won the FIA-CIK KF2 European and Asia-Pacific Championships, along with the International Open Masters KF2 title. He was the 2006 WSK Junior ICA Champion and the 2005 MSA British Junior Champion, in addition to winning five previous national titles.
As Will seeks to progress through the junior motorsport ranks, Honda will assist him in developing to the level of performance that is required to potentially become part of Honda's Formula One programme in the future.
Will visited the Honda Racing F1 Team's headquarters in Brackley today to meet Team Principal Ross Brawn and Chief Executive Officer Nick Fry, and tour the impressive facilities of the team's UK operational base.
Ron Meadows, Sporting Director for the Honda Racing F1 Team with responsibility for Honda's Young Driver Programme, commented, 'We are delighted to welcome Will to the Honda Racing F1 Team. Will has had a very promising career in karting to date and we very much look forward to assisting his advancement through the ranks of the junior formulae towards achieving his ultimate ambition to race in Formula One. Honda considers the development of emerging motorsport talent to be a key part of our strategy and our commitment to Formula One. We look forward to seeing how Will progresses with our support over the course of the next few years.'
Commenting on today's announcement, Will Stevens said, 'I am extremely proud to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team and this provides me with a great opportunity to progress my career towards my goal of reaching Formula One. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me so far in my career and especially Honda for their commitment and support of my future. I intend to do my very best to ensure that their belief in me is rewarded.'Source - Honda
Will is firmly established as one of the leading young kart racers in the world. For the 2008 season he is racing with the prestigious TonyKart Racing Team in the KF1 class competing in all the major European races, alongside participation in the WSK International Series and the World Cup in Japan.
In 2007, Will won the FIA-CIK KF2 European and Asia-Pacific Championships, along with the International Open Masters KF2 title. He was the 2006 WSK Junior ICA Champion and the 2005 MSA British Junior Champion, in addition to winning five previous national titles.
As Will seeks to progress through the junior motorsport ranks, Honda will assist him in developing to the level of performance that is required to potentially become part of Honda's Formula One programme in the future.
Will visited the Honda Racing F1 Team's headquarters in Brackley today to meet Team Principal Ross Brawn and Chief Executive Officer Nick Fry, and tour the impressive facilities of the team's UK operational base.
Ron Meadows, Sporting Director for the Honda Racing F1 Team with responsibility for Honda's Young Driver Programme, commented, 'We are delighted to welcome Will to the Honda Racing F1 Team. Will has had a very promising career in karting to date and we very much look forward to assisting his advancement through the ranks of the junior formulae towards achieving his ultimate ambition to race in Formula One. Honda considers the development of emerging motorsport talent to be a key part of our strategy and our commitment to Formula One. We look forward to seeing how Will progresses with our support over the course of the next few years.'
Commenting on today's announcement, Will Stevens said, 'I am extremely proud to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team and this provides me with a great opportunity to progress my career towards my goal of reaching Formula One. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me so far in my career and especially Honda for their commitment and support of my future. I intend to do my very best to ensure that their belief in me is rewarded.'Source - Honda
| Formula OneThe history of Formula One is quite an in depth story full of both prestigious triumphs and disastrous failures. Though the modern era of Formula One Grand Prix racing began in 1950, its history goes back even further, tracing back as far as the pioneering road races in France during the 1890's, the German domination of the early 1930's, and the post-war years of Italian supremacy. The foundation of Formula One began in 1946 with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA's) standardisation of rules. Non-championship Formula One races were held for many years, although the world championship has always been the main focus of the category. The last of these occurred in 1983 due to the rising cost of competition. In the 1960s and 1970s National championships existed in South Africa and the UK. At the beginning stages of racing, vehicles were heavy and upright, while the roads they competed on were tarred sand or wood. Drivers were accompanied by mechanics, races were generally performed on public roads in between towns, in a distance that was considered quite long by modern standards. In 1895 the first proper motor race was won by Emile Levassor with his Panhard et Levassor in a 1,200 km road race from Paris to Bordeaux in a total of 48 hours. In 1899 Fernand Charron, one of the most successful drivers of the early racing era, won the Paris-Bordeaux race, also in a Panhard at the impressive average speed of 29.9 mph. At the 1901's French Grand Prix at Le Mans, Ferencz Szisz, driving a Renault, won the first race that used the designation 'Grand Prix' while covering 700 miles at 63 miles per hour. The introduction of 'pits' came about in 1908 at the Targa Florio in Sicily. The 'pits' were shallow emplacements dug by the side of the track so mechanics could work on the detachable rims on early GP car tires. Racing cars of the early years were too heavy and fast for their tires. One such instance of a calamity was at the 1908 French Grand Prix at Dieppe, Christian Lauteschalnger, driving a Mercedes, shredded ten tires during the race. The large 4 1/2 liter Mercedes of Daimler-Benz commanded the French Grand Prix at Lyons in 1914 achieving 20 laps of 23.3 mile circuit, taking the first three places, and by signal from the pits, introducing control of drivers. While racing was halted during World War I in Europe, many drivers flocked to the U.S. Indianapolis 500. The first international road race in France in six year was the 1920 Voiturette race at Le Mans. In 1921, the first Grand Prix victory by an American-built vehicle was captured by Jimmy Murphy at Le Mans whilst driving a Duesenberg. Some of the best of the 1920s manufacturers were Bugati, the Monaco, Fiat (which introduced the supercharger for the first time in 1923) and French and Belgian GPs in 1930. Zapping much of the enthusiasm, money and interest in Grand Prix racing, the Great Depression of the early 1930's hit the world quite hard in its regard for vehicular racing for a time. The Great Depression did see the appearance of the legendary Tazio Nuvolari, whose wins in the Alfa Romeo P3 'Monzo' in the Mille Miglia and other races were in a word, impressive. Following his win in the 1933 Monaco GP was the decision in which staring grid positions were determined by qualifying times. The following year the balance of racing power began to shift from Italy to Germany as the factory teams from Mercedez Benz and Auto Union (today Audi) were financed completely through the Third Reich government on orders from Adolph Hitler. Eye-catching and impressively powerful, these German automobiles introduced aerodynamics into Grand Prix car design. Nuvolari achieved even higher greatness while driving the sleek silver 3-liter V12 Auto Union well-engineered automobile. In 1935 he went on to defeat nine modern German cars in a four-year old Alfa Romeo at the Nürburgring. Following World War II, motor racing initiated a new formula. At the start called Formula A, it soon became known as Formula 1, for cars of 1,500 cc superchanged and 4,500 cc un-supercharged. The minimum amount of race distance was reduced from 311 miles to only 186 miles and allowing the Monaco Grand Prix to be re-introduced following a two-year gap in 1950. In that same year during a meeting, the FIA, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile announced plans for a World Championship. First defined in 1946 by the Commission Sportive Internationale of the FIA, forerunner of FISA, as the premier single seater racing category in worldwide motorsport, the name Formula One was widely used early on and became official in 1950. The first contest to be labeled an 'International Formula One' race, on April 10, 1950, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Paul Grand Prix in a Maserati. The following month the British Grand Prix was hosted by Silverstone and was the first sanctioned championship race for Formula One Grand Prix cars. This was the beginning of the F1 World Championship. The first F1 champion, and the winner at Silverstone in 1950, Giuseppe Farina behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 158 also claimed the Belgium, Swiss and Italian racing in addition to non-championship wins at Bari and Donnington. He is best known for his driving style, which was directly opposite many of his crouched contemporaries and instead was relaxed, in an inclined position with outstretched arms. This style of driving was to influence a whole generation of drivers. Farina left for Ferrari in 1951 and began a personal battle with Alberto Ascari, a battle he would eventually lose to the more competent driver. More precise, and faster, Ascari won the F1 championship in 1952 and 1953 in the Ferrari 500. Ruling the first decade of Formula one would have to be Fangio, from Argentina who claimed five World Championships for five different manufacturers and four consecutively from 1954 through 1957. Following a disastrous multi-car accident which left 85 people dead and came close to claiming Fangio's life at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours, Mercedes withrew from motor racing and Fangio went on to Ferrari. In 1956, Fangio won with five poles, three wins and one 2nd in seven races. In 1957, Fangio raced in the German GP at the Nürburgring, perhaps his greatest race. Behind the wheel of a Maserati 250F, even though he lost 56 seconds in the lead in a pit stop, he returned to win by regaining sped and bettering the track record for the 14.2 mile Nordeschlifer by an impressive 12 seconds on three consecutive laps. Stirling Moss was Fangio's rival and is perhaps the greatest F1 driver never to win a championship, finished second to Fangio at Mercedes in 1955 in the 'Silver Arrows', in 1956 with Maserati and yet again with Vanwall in 1957. In 1955 Moss became the first Briton to win the British Grand Prix, at Aintree in a British car, the 1957 Vanwall VW5. Following an accident during the 1960 Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Moss's career ebbed and he went on to retire. The British Era really began to hit off in 1958 when Mike Hawthorn captured the F1 championship behind the wheel of the Ferrari 246. Hawthorn, the first British World Champion, disgusted by Ferrari politics retired at the end of season, only to be killed months later in a road accident in his Jaguar. Vanwall withdrew from F1, but soon to follow were a series of dominant British Grand Prix teams, that made British racing green the ‘official' color of F1 for more than a decade. This began an ushering in an era of British F1 engineering excellence that still extends today. British F1 teams won 12 World Championships with drivers between 1962 and 1973. This began in 1959 with the Cooper team, using a 2,500 cc Coventry Climax engine and a revolutionary rear-engine design that achieved back-to-back F1 titles for Australian Jack Brabham with a combination of superb weight distribution and handling. Dominating the second decade of Formula One was Colin Chapman's Team Lotus that was pushed by his technical brilliance. Lotus thrived on the extraordinary relationship between Chapman and his driver Jim Clark, who was to make the most of Lotus' technical advances for F1 vehicles. One of the most vital of these was the monocoque chassis which was introduced with the Lotus 25 in 1962, which along with rear engines marked the second largest technological change in Formula One. Clark was involved in an accident at Monza in 1961 that took the life of Wolfgang von Trips, giving the World Championship to American Phil Hill and Ferrari 156. An oil leak caused a DNG while leading the final race at Kyalami and Clark barely lost the 1962 title to Graham Hill. In 1963 he won, and again in 1965, achieving the maximum possible championship points in both seasons. He also competed and became the first Briton to win the Indianapolis 500. Jack Brabham's new Team Brabham won in 1966 and 1977 while Lotus struggled with the new, increased 3.0 liter engine specification for F1. Jimmy Clark won four straight Belgian GPs at the very difficult Spa-Francorchaps circuit. During the 1965 season in the Lotus 33, he led every lap of ever race he finished. During the 1968 season in South Africa, Clark broke the legendary Fangio's record for career victories in the opening race, but unfortunately died just months later at Hockenheim in an F2 race following a crash into the trees in the rain on April 7th. Following Clark's death, the British era remained. In a Lotus 49 fitted with the then-new Ford Cosworth engine, Graham Hill took the 1968 title. Hill was introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix in June 1967, and with the first sponsorship colors and logs seen in F1 racing. Clark's close friend and protégé, Jackie Stewart soon took on the mantle of champion, and eventually surpassed Clark's career record for GP wins and captured three World Championships between 1969 and 1973. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Formula One technology was developed at a fast and furious pace. Midway through the 1968 season, the introduction of wings, or ‘aerofoils' was the introduction of such F1 technology. Wings allowed for the creation of ‘downforce,' pinning cars to the track for greater traction and increased cornering speed. Unfortunately, the original high-mounted, manually adjustable rear wings had a tendency to fall off, which caused tremendous shunts- F1 aerodynamic engineering proceeded in fits and starts. Wings were banned for Monaco and the balance of the championship that year due to Jackie Oliver's practice crash in July 1968, and disastrous accidents for both Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt during the 1969 Spanish GP at Montjuich Pack. Possibly his finest victory, Jackie Stewart won the 1968 German GP at the Nürburgring, where during the mist and torrential rain he outpaced the field to win by just over four minutes from Hill. Steward and his team owner, Ken Tyrrell owned the 1969 season as they dominated F1 with their Matra MS80, winning at Kyalami, Montjuich, Clermont-Ferrand, Zandvoorty, Silverstone and Monza. In 1970 Lotus returned with a vengeance and the season was all about the brilliance of Austrian Jochen Rindt with his new Lotus 72. Unfortunately this was all overshadowed by the horrific death of Rindt in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza's infamous Parabolica corner. By now the Cosworth engine was now ubiquitous in F1 racing, though the Lotus 72 with its distinctive ‘shovel' nose and nose wings was significantly faster. In 1970 Rindt won the championship posthumously. His replacement as number one driver for Lotus was Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi who piloted the 72 to his first F1 as the season-ending U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Fittipaldi and Stewart then split the next four World Championships. Stewart took 1971 and 1973 for the new Team Tyrrell which was sponsored by Elf, while Fittipaldi won with the black 'John Player Special' Lotus in 1972, giving Team McLaren its first F1 title in 1974. One race short of 100 GPs, Stewart retired at Watkins Glen in 1972, withdrawing from the contest following the death in practice of Francois Cevert, his comrade and protégé at Tyrrell. Following Stewart's retirement, Ferrari resumed its place in the forefront of F1 in 1975 with the flat-12 powered 312T and drivers Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda. The season was rife with protests and concerns regarding driver safety. Fittipaldi refused to drive in the Spanish GP, which was halted following 29 laps when a car launched into the crown and claimed the lives of four spectators. Lauda won five races and took nine poles to capture his first of three F1 crowns. To increase air flow to the engine, Formula One cars now sported huge airboxes behind the cockpits, leading the way to the next major technological advancement in F1: ground effects. Following his championship win, Niki Lauda battled with James Hunt to win six of the first nine races of the 1976 season. Unfortunately Lauda crashed his Ferrari at Bergwerk, a 150 mph section of the Nürburgring, at the German Grand Prix on August 1st. It was a devastating accident that left severe facial burns and the inhalation of toxic fumes from the car's burning bodywork. Lauda was expected to die and received his Last Rites in the hospital, but in an amazing display of sheer determination, he made a miraculous recovery and returned to the cockpit in just six weeks, in time for the Italian GP, where he finished 4th. Following several victories by Hunt at Mosport and Watkins Glen, the '76 Formula One season went down to the final race at Fuji in Japan. Lauda led the World Championship by three points before withdrawing from the race following three laps of torrential rain. He gave the championship to ‘Master James', Britain's last F1 champion for 16 years. Not knowing whether he had placed or whether he had won the title, he nursed his rain tires until a late-race pit stop and finished the race, unable to even see the track. In 1977 Lauda re-captured the title with Ferrari, but stepped down from the team with two races still to go, following a calculated 4th place championship-clincher at the U.S. Grand Prix, to join Berne Ecclestone's Parmalat Brabham team, and eventually be replaced in the Ferrari by Gilles Villeneuve. Now referred to as ‘designers', Formula one engineers had been continuously working on aerodynamics for more than ten years. The art may have been reached in 1978 with the ‘ground effects' Lotus 78/79. Using side skirts and underbody design to literally glue the car to the circuit, ground effects turned the entire vehicle into a large, inverted wing. Taking the Lotus to the championship in 1978, Mario Andretti described the road effects as making the car ‘feel like it's painted to the road'. As Lotus won nice of the 15 races in the 1978 season, Colin Chapman's careful developments of the ground-effect car principle had reduced conventional GP machines basically uncompetitive in little over 12 months. Unfortunately Andretti's own championship winning race was scarred by the death of team mate Ronnie Peterson at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. In 1978 it would be the final time a Lotus driver would win the World Championship before Colin Chapman's death, while the Lotus team slowly declining into mediocrity and dissolution. Though evolutionary, ground effects had a problem, mainly that very slight miscalculations in set-up would render the ground-effect F1 car un-driveable and very unstable. The vehicles were rigidly sprung, rock-hard cars with basically no ride height tolerance and barely any ability to handle curbs and bumps due to the need to keep ground clearances extremely low. Unpredictable occurrences would happen if the airflow beneath the car was disrupted for any reason. By 1981 and 1982 all teams were using ground effects. In an effort to bring more driver control and skill to the F1, ground effects were officially banned in 1983. Though both were introduced initially during the 1977 season and both eventually banned, one could say that ground effects were less important to the long-run development of F1 technology than turbo-charging. Renault re-entered Formula One with the Turbo RS01, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the same time that Lotus was developing the ground-effect principle. Remarkably quick, the first turbo unfortunately was not very reliable and suffered from ‘turbo lag' under acceleration. It would be an entire year before the Renault finished a Grand Prix. The introduction of radial tires, originally by Michelin, then Goodyear and finally followed by Pirelli occurred during the 1977 season. Following the Lotus onslaught of 1978, turbo development moved at a snails pace. In 1979 South African Jody Scheckter driving the normally-aspirated Ferrari 312T4 claimed the F1 title. Described as ‘perhaps the most tenacious fighter seen in racing for year', Gilles Villeneuve won 2nd place in the World Championship by a close four points. The 1979 French Grand Prix was won with Jabouilly, while Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux followed close behind, with Villeneuve crossing the finish line a mere 0.3 seconds ahead. In 1980 Alan Jones and Team Williams almost completed dominated the season, while Ferrari unfortunately suffered a horrible year. Renault won at Interlagos, Kyalami and the Österreichring, the Scuderia introduced their own turbocharged car at Imola. The first Concorde Agreement in 1981 resolved a boycott of the Spanish GP due to a power struggle between FISA and FOCA. From 1981 on the Turbo vehicles dominated the circuit, though Cosworth-powered teams won the championship in 1981 and 1982. 11 teams were using the Cosworth engine in 1982. Meanwhile turbo's continued to be improved, with wins in one-half of 14 races. However, the real drama behind the 1982 season was dominated by a fight between Villeneuve and Didier Pironi at Ferrari that would end in tragedy for both drivers. Following the San Marino Grand Prix in which Pironi passed Villeneuve, against team orders, while the Ferrari's were easily running 1-2 under turbo power, Gilles claimed that he would never again speak to his team mate. Two weeks later, Villeneuve was killed while attempting to improve his grid position late in qualifying for the Dutch GP at Zolder. It was a severe accidence that flung the driver out of the cockpit as the Ferrari cartwheeled across the track and landed nose in the sand. Ricardo Paletti was tragically killed in his Osala at the beginning of the Canadian GP at Montreal, and Pironi also suffered horrible leg injuries during practice for the German GP at Hockenheim two months later. Pironi never raced in the F1 again. In 1983 the turbo era began to really take off with gusto as Piquet won his second World Championship by only two points, while using a turbocharged BMW powerplant. At the same time McLaren introduced the TAG-Porsche engine, driven to four checkered flags by runner Prost. Driven by fourth-year driver Nigel Mansell, Lotus also brought a turbo Renault which Mansell took to his first podium finish at Brands Hatch. McLaren and the TAG turbo won 12 out of 16 races in the 1984 season with a new MP4/2 car that was designed by John Barnard. McLaren took the constructors' championship with record points. Lauda also won five of those to seven for Prost, and won the F1 drivers' title by 1/2 point. (Only half points were awarded during the race due to the Monaco GP being halted in a thunderstorm after 31 laps. This race is today considered legendary as Ayrton Senna, driving for Toleman in his first F1 season, passed Prost on the final lap in the rain, and forever blamed the Formula One establishment of stealing the win. During the late 1980's, Rob Dennis's team dominated the track unlike any team before. In 1985 and 1986 Prost won the World Championship. In 1988, Senna, who had joined McLaren following several seasons with Lotus, won the F1 title, taking the championship deciding race in Japan at Suzuka after stalling on the grid, with an inspired drive to catch and pass Prost before drawing away in the rain. Prost and Senna eventually went on to win three drivers' titles with Dennis and Team McLaren. Unlike any other season, in 1988 Senna and Prost finished 1-2, with a combination of 167 points while winning 15 of the 16 GPs, and McLaren receiving the constructors' title. Beginning in the 1989 season, normally aspirated engines were mandated, and for cooperation between Prost and Senna. The fifth major technical revolution in Formula One was reached in 1987 as the sole Williams exception to the string of seven straight McLaren drivers championships from 1984 through 1991. During the 1987 season Team Lotus revealed the first F1 car with a computer-controlled ‘active suspension' system. The ‘black box' controlled starting programs and anti-lock brakes, active suspension, later joined by the semi-automatic gearbox, traction control, would produce complex and faster cars. McLaren remained supremely dominant at the start of the post-turbo era, but its main stars, Senna and Prost would began a personal rivalry that would never come to an end. Both drivers agreed in 1988 that it made little sense to fight over the first corner of a race, given their cars' technical superiority. Unfortunately at the 1989 San Marino GP, the agreement was broken when Senna overtook Prost during the restart by taking the racing line from behind. A furious Prost found Senna's adversarial approach to be an impossibility to deal with. Meanwhile Senna complained that fighting for the racing line before the braking zone was legitimate. The feud between the two men reached its breaking point at the time when the 1989 title was on the line at Suzuka. While Prost led by 1.7 seconds at the start, Senna slowly reeled him in, moving alongside at the chicane, putting two wheels on the grass to go for the inside line. Prost turned in and both vehicles collided and went off. Prost left his vehicle in disgust, but Senna insisted on a push start from the track marshals and passed Alessandro Nannini to cross the line first. Senna was disqualified and had his superlicense revoke, while FISA declared Nanninni the winner and awarded the championship to Prost. Senna claimed that this was the true manipulation of the World Championship. This would again occur in 1990, at a different corner, with the same result, except by this point Prost had moved on to Ferrari. The shunt occurred when Senna was leading the World Championship. Many observers feel that Senna deliberately drove Post off the road as a measure of revenge for the prior year, which Senna admitted in 1991 without remorse. The 1991 World Championship was won and lost in the first four races, all won by Ayrton Senna. Team Williams introduced the FW14, designed by Patrick Head, and it was in 1991 that the active era in Formula One truly began. Originally debuted by Ferrari in 1989, the first F1 car combined a semi-automatic gearbox with traction control. Revolutionary, the FW14 broke the old dictum that ‘To finish first, first you have to finish.' Senna was driving a plainly inferior McLaren-Honda Mp4/6, and following four raced had recorded four pole positions and four wins. No one before had ever started a Formula One World Championship campaign with four straight victories and to the others it was demoralizing. All races counting for the championship for the first time in F1, there was an increase in the points for a win from 9 to 10. Senna had 40 points, and nearest challenger 11, and Mansell of Williams with only six. Mansell took second to Senna at Monaco, and at the Canadian GP on June 2nd, Mansell qualified second, took the lead in the first corner and ended the penultimate lap with a lead of more than a minute. Mansell turned into the final hairpin, and while waving to the crowd, cut the engine dead and allowed the car to coast to a slow stop. Piquet pushed forward to take the checkered flag for Benetton, his final F1 win. The rest of the 1991 season was a fruitless quest by both Mansell and Williams to beat Senna, including a disqualification while leading at Estoril after a wheel fell off in the middle of pit road. Winning three in a row in France, England and Germany, Mansel came into Suzuka needed two more victories to take the title. Unfortunately Mansell went off into the sand chasing the Brazilian on lap ten, and Senna won his 3rd Formula One championship in four years. Running off an amazing streak over the 1992-1993 seasons, Williams added traction control and a variety of other computer-controlled gadgets to their gearbox. Mansell rose to win the World Championship in 1992, winning the first five races and a total of nine overall, breaking Senna's 1988 record and receiving the F1 crown. Mansell retired from Williams after the win. Prost returned in 1993, and promoted test driver Damon Hill (son of Graham Hill) to driving number 'O' to the second stop at Williams. In the same year he won his fourth and final World Championship which put him second on the all-tome Formula one list only to Juan Manual Fangio. In some respects, the end of another era, in 1993 the FIA declared an end to ‘driver's aids', banning active suspension, traction control and other automatic car adjustment mechanisms. This was mainly due to the perceived absence of driver skill as a delimiter of success, and concern over the impact a long series of ‘runaway' seasons on worldwide viewership and sponsor money. Senna once again won five GPs in an outmatched McLaren MP 4/8. The finest victory of his career, Senna picked up five places in the rain on the first lap at the European GP at Donnington Park, solidifying his place in history as the ‘rainmeister'. Following a final victory at Adelaide in the last race of the 1993 season, Senna prepared to move to Team Williams, after striking a $20 million per-year deal with the team, and owner that had given him his first test ride in an F1 car nearly ten years earlier. The current era in Formula One is marked by a single day, May 1, 1994. But the roots of the transition reach back even further to the 1991 Belgian GP at Spa where German Michael Schumacher entered the F1 season by qualifying 7th in his first Formula One start for Team Jordan, moving on one race later to Benetton. Since Mansell and newly retired Prost had left the F1, there was only Schumacher to compete with Senna and prove true driver mettle with the newly revised F1 cars F1 designers were hard pressed to meet the new design specifications following years of focusing on their active components. Much of the paddock was not even delivered in time for much winter testing before the season's first race at Interlagos in Brazil. Everyone expected that the combination of Senna and Williams would make the 1994 and easy march to the World Championship. Unfortunately for those predictors, Senna failed to finish, though taking three poles in the season's first three races, Schumacher won eat time, putting himself 30 points up in the championship as the F1 debacle descended on the San Marino GP at Imola. During practice two very devastatingly violent accidents did occur, one that took the life of first-year Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger, and another that landed Brazilian Rubens Barrichelle in the hospital shook the cores of the GP Fraternity. Barrichello regained consciousness finally and withdrew from the final qualifying session. At this time Senna phones his girlfriend in Lisbon to tell her he did not want to compete in the race on Sunday. However racing was Senna's passion and he took to the track the following day holding the pole position once again. Six laps behind the safety car after a starting line shunt, Senna was in first place just car lengths ahead of Schumacher when on lap seven his Rothmans Williams-Renault bottomed out in the fast Tamburello corner, struck the wall head on at 180+ mph and ricocheted back onto the track. Eventually pulled from the wreckage, Senna was taken away in a helicopter. Hours later he died due to massive head injuries. Aryton Senna was the first and so far the only F1 World Champion to have died during a Grand Prix race. He was only 34 years old. New emergency rules were implemented by FIA to slow the cars further following the aftermath of Tamburello, along with mandated pit speed limits, ‘stepped' bottoms to reduced downforce, limited wing sizes and increased cockpit openings. The first two grid spaces were left empty and a moment of silence before the green light was observed at the next race at Monaco as a gesture of respect for the fallen comrade. Schumacher took his first pole position and then back-to-back World Championships in 1994 and 1995 with the latter season seeing a variety of head-to-head duels with Damon Hill. A measure of excitement was brought back to the Formula one following these twin Schumacher title seasons. Alesi, who had competed with Senna as a first-year driver in the streets of Phoenix in 1991, finally won his first GP at Canada in 1995. Lotus first merged with the Pacific GP team before withdrawing completely from F1 claiming bankruptcy and total disorder following nearly a decade as a backmarker. In 1995 Mansell made the unfortunate decision to return to F1 in a specially designed 'fat' McLaren to encompass his newly attained girth. He lasted all of three races but never made an impact despite a final win for Williams during an unequally brief stint the following season. Damon Hill won the World Championship in 1996. Jacques Villeneuve, son of the famous Gilles Villeneuve, won a Indy 500 and IndyCar championship joined Team Williams. At this point Schumacher had moved on to join Ferrari for $27 million per season bringing Maranello three victories and a renewal with the Tifosi celebrating after Ferrari's first victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in nearly ten years. Controversy and politics has unfortunately not yet been eliminated. In 1994 Michael Schumacher was shown the black flag at Silverstone for ‘overtaking' on the pre-race parade lap, and then punished by FIA with a two-race suspension for allegedly ignoring the flag while Benetton's Flavio Briatore argued with the stewards. Schumacher was disqualified on technical grounds at the Hungaroring after the wooden undertray plank on his Benetton was judged too thin under the regulations. At Adelaide, Damon Hill was second in the race and the world championship, desperately dove for a small gap and Schumacher shut the door, breaking the Williams' front wishbone and securing the win and season title. Controversy continued into 1995 where Hill collided into Schumacher at Silverstone, spun out while leading at Hockenheim, leaving Schumacher to win his second title. Villeneuve won the 1997 World Championship. Villeneuve was disqualified at Suzuki for failing to slow under a waived yellow flag in practice, which ensued a seesaw mid-season battle between Schumacher and Villeneuve. Michael put the Ferrari 14 points in the lead with consecutive victories at Montreal and Magny-Cours, while Jacques was reprimanded by the FIA and summoned to appear personally in Paris the Wednesday before his home Grand Prix after criticizing proposals for '98 rule changes that were again designed to slow the cars. The result was a first-lap Jacques shunt into the wall on the pit straight chiane while leading the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Villeneuve acted nonplussed, though the Canadian press considered the ill-timed meeting to be petty. Jackie Stewart's new Stewart Racing team, backed by Ford was entered into the 1997 F1 season. Before they were banned in 1998, Team Tyrrell introduced the ugly and controversial 'X-wings', sidepod-mounted winglets. F1 enthusiasts complained that Grand Prix racing had become an overly esoteric technical exercise with overtaking on most circuits the product of pit stop strategies rather than passing cars on the track itself. The change in rules in1 997 led to changed tactics that fundamentally altered the sport. Villeneuve held a nine-point advantage during the penultimate race at Suzuka, but his DQ and Ferrari's timely win put Schumacher in the points lead by one. Everything came down to the European Grand Prix which would be held at Spain's Jerez. Villeneuve qualified on pole with Schumacher alongside posting the exact same time. Villeneuve moved to overtake Schumacher for lead on lap 48, 20 tours from the finish and Schumacher turned in to the Williams left-hand sidepod as the Canadian dived inside. The moved was perceived widely as a re-run of the very controversial Schumacher-Hill accident at Adelaide in 1994. This time the ending result was the Ferrari stranded in the gravel trap and Villeneuve coasting to an easy third-place and the World Championship title. Unfortunately for Schumacher, this time he was brought before the FIA, stripped of his second-place in the driver's championship, and transformed among many F1 fans from Saint into the devil incarnate. The Ferrari team, for which the manager Jean Todt had brought Schumacher on board as their ‘salvation' was faced with the difficult task of another hard winter and yet another season in many long years. McLaren International returned to F1's roots with new silver West cars powered by Mercedes, hearkening to the ‘Silver Arrows' that were driven by Fangio and Moss during the 1950's. They had discarded their long-lived orange and white livery when Marlboro withdrew from Formula One. Taking Andretti's seats and surviving a massive head injury during a high-speed crash at Adelaide in 1995 was hakkinen and Coulthard. Winning the opening race of the 1996 season, the Scot gave way to permit the Finn to win his first GP in the finale at Jerez in a show of characteristic sportsmanship. The 1998 Formula One proved to be one of the most exciting F1 seasons in years, even despite the rule changes and grooved tires. The tires were supplied by both Goodyear and Bridgestone. The vehicles were once again faster, and overtaking proved to be just as difficult. Hakkinen in his reigning MP 4/13 McLaren won four of the first six races, including opening 1-2 finishes with Coulthard in both Melbourne and Interlagos. Schumacher though split the McLarens on the Buenos Aires grid and outwitted Coulthard into making a mistake to win the Argentine Grand Prix. Following Hakkinen's victory at Monaco left him 22 points in the drivers championship lead and it seemed that Ferrari were doomed to yet another season rife with disappointment. F1 fans resigned themselves to another McLaren leap to the finish. But it an amazing display of drive, Schumacher fought back fiercely, driving his Maranello team to improve the vehicle, winning back-to-back in Canada and France, then adding the British GP to move within two points going into the ninth race at the Austrian A-1 Ring. Unfortunately, Schumacher pressed to hard at the start on a light fuel load and ploughing through the gravel at high speed, eventually finished third. Schumacher was again seven points down and was just barely hanging on when the FI moved to Spa-Francorchamps. Another controversial race in Belgium, a huge 13-car shunt at the La Source hairpin was started by Coutlhard resulted in many cars being put out of action at the first corner. Hakkinen then spun on the restart and destroyed his McLaren when he was hit by Johnny Herbert's Sauber-Petronas. Schumacher had an incredible lead even through horrible rain, then reamed a slow-moving Coulthard from behind in the spray, wiping off the Ferrari's entire right-side suspension and wheel. Furious, Schumacher stormed down pit lane to have it out with ‘DC' but was pushed away by the mechanicals. Team Jordan received its first GP victory by Damon Hill. Schumacher went on to win at Monza to tie in the World Championship. But Hakkinen rose to the challenge. Under great pressure, he won the Luxembourg GP at the Nürburgring, outpacing schumacher's pole with a pass in the pits, taking a four-lead to the finale at Suzuka. Hakkinen took the World Championship title. 1999 was the 50th anniversary season of the modern formula one era and the end of the first century of Grand Prix racing. Alex Zanardi returned to F1 from CART racing in the U.S. Many were expecting an impressive win, but instead, Zanardi never got the feel for the groove-tired modern F1 car. Instead Ralf Schumacher took the team lead and scored well for Frank Williams. Johnny Herbert won his third win, and Jacques Villeneuve led a largely funded British American Racing team using a modified Reynard chassis that has dominated American IndyCar racing to a disappointing points-less finish. Michael Schumacher was shunted out for nearly the entire season at Silverstone, after breaking his legs after a full wheel lock crash straight into the tire barrier. Eddie Irvine, his Ferrari team mate took up the slack and won four races. Unfortunately after losing concentration he made some bad judgement calls and Mika Hakkinen won the season final GP in Suzuka, capturing his second consecutive drivers' title by a slim two points. Though many fans felt that the 2000 Formula One season would see a revival among the backmakers, particularly the new Team Jaguar, this was not the case. Ferrari and McLaren continued their dominance, winning every race together, nine by Michael Schumacher alone. German convincingly won the World Championship at the penultimate U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis, returning to Formula One following a gap of nine years. It was Maranello's first F1 championship in more than 20 years. Schumacher tied the legendary Ayrton Senna for second place among all drivers in career victories. Since the early 1990s, Ferrari had been steadily improving since their low point, and in 2000 Schumacher prevailed, becoming the first 3 time Champion since Senna. He brought the World Driver's title to Ferrari for the first time since Jody Scheckter in 1979. Ferrari began to leave the rest of the grid behind in the 2001 season, and Schumacher won the championship by the Hungarian Grand Prix. The following year, Ferrari finished every race, and won 15 out of 16. Schumacher scored more points than the second and third place drivers combined. He became the earliest ever championship winner int his season when he wrapped up the championship at the French Grand Prix. Benetton was no more, and Prost and Arrows had shut their doors for good. Despite heavy rule changes in order to prevent what had happened in the previous year, Schumacher won the championship yet again, though run close by both Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya. He took the championship by two points at Suzuka. In 2004 Schumacher returned yet again with seemingly total dominance of the championships. In April a new race in Bahrain made its debute, and another new one in China was introduced in September. It was originally thought that by introducing these new raced, the older ones in Europe, like the British Grand Prix would be removed from the championships, but this was not the case, and the number of races only increased to eighteen. At the end of 2004, the Ford Motor company decided to pull out of Formula one. At the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix Fernando Alonso qualified in a Renault Formula One car. Alonso forged a clear championship lead. McLared was significantly a stronger team which consistently better results during the later part of the season. Unfortunately their early record of poor reliability held them back. Brazil's Fernando Alonso became Formula one's youngest champions ever. With the purchase of Minardi by Red Bull in September of 2005, the final small specialist racing team disappeared. Minardi was renamed as Scuderia Toro Rosso run as a separate entity alongside Red Bull Racing. Early in 2004, Jordan had been bought by Russo-Canadian steel company Midland and was renamed Midland 1 for the '06 season. BMW bought a majority stake in Sauber in June of 2005. Entering a commercial arrangement with Cosworth instead, the Williams team ended their partnership with BMW as a result of the decision. Honda also bought BAR. The end of the V10 era in Formula one was marked in 2005. V10 had become the most affluent engine configuration in Formula one since the banning of turbocharged engines in 1989. This configuration was made mandatory in 2000 to keep engine builders from developing and experimenting with other configurations. |
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