Formula 1 Racing

The most popular racing teams

By Kevin Guthrie

Formula 1 motor racing is a truly international sport, with teams and drivers spanning the globe. The popularity of a particular team can be dependent upon several factors: nationality, success, reputation and driver line-up.

Fans often support teams from the same country as themselves, which is why there is always greater support for BMW at the German GP or Honda when the championship visits Japan. With F1 now dominated by the big car manufacturers, some fans will follow a team because they drive one of their road cars. Others can be more fickle and will switch their allegiance depending on which team is most successful at a particular moment. Many follow one particular driver and will therefore support several teams during the course of that driver's career, depending on who the drivers are driving for.

The most popular teams in Formula 1 tend to be the ones who enjoy the greatest success. At the moment, these teams are known as the 'Big Four' comprising Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Renault and BMW. We'll get to Ferrari later but the other three all have proud histories in the sport:

• McLaren was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in the ’60s, and following his death in a testing accident they went on to become the second most successful team in the history of Formula 1.
• Renault won the first ever Grand Prix in 1906.
• BMW have only recently started constructing their own F1 cars, but enjoyed success previously as engine suppliers. The highlight came when Nelson Piquet won the 1983 World Championship in a Brabham-BMW.

This is not to say that the other teams don't have their share of supporters. There are several teams of similar performance who compete furiously for the lower placings at each Grand Prix weekend, and some of the best racing can often be found among these teams.

This area is known as the 'midfield' and comprises the Williams, Red Bull, Toyota, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda and Super Aguri teams. Williams are a highly successful team with multiple Formula 1 championships to their credit. Red Bull effectively enter two teams as they also own Scuderia Toro Rosso. They’re comparatively new to Formula 1 but are already regular points-scorers.

Toyota, despite being the largest car manufacturer on the planet, has underachieved enormously since their entry into the sport in 2000. Honda has won one race as a manufacturer, but previously enjoyed great success as an engine supplier in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Super Aguri is a small Japanese team set up by retired Formula 1 driver Aguri Suzuki. Enormously popular in Japan, they also enjoy something of a cult following around the world.

The 2008 season also sees the introduction of a fascinating new team, Force India, the first ever Indian Formula 1 team. With the immense population of India, they stand to become a highly popular addition to the championship.

Despite the undoubted support for all of these teams, it pales in comparison to the fanatical global following enjoyed by the most famous name in the sport: Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every season of the Formula 1 World Championship since it started in 1950. It has a loyal following known as the “tifosi” who are extremely vocal in their support, particularly at Ferrari's home race at Monza.

Any doubts about Ferrari's popularity can be discounted by the fact that the team is paid more money than any other team by Formula One Management, the organization that looks after the sport's commercial interests. The reason given is that the extra money is in recognition Ferrari’s contribution to the history of the sport. Many people feel that the real reason behind the payments was to dissuade Ferrari from defecting to any rival series. Ferrari appears to be getting the best of both worlds as the company recently signed a deal to be the exclusive chassis manufacturer for the A1GP series, Formula 1's nearest challenger.

It seems unlikely that any team will be able to displace Ferrari as the most popular in the sport. No amount of success on the track can buy the history, exclusivity and past glories of the marque from Maranello. Its recent run of five consecutive Formula 1 titles with Michael Schumacher cemented its position as the most successful and celebrated team in the sport's history.

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