Formula One

Formula One (F1) is often considered the pinnacle of automobile racing. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 200 mph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except Africa. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 17 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is German racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are Austrian designers Red Bull Racing.

Teams

The teams in the 2012 season are;

• Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, founded in 1966, are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times.
• Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, who first competed in the second ever Formula One race at Monaco in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructor's champions. They have been won the constructors' championship 16 times, mainly as a result of the dominance of Michael Schumacher, the driver with the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by cigarette company Marlboro.
• Scuderia Toro Rosso, who replaced the Minardi team in 2006, are a "farm" team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are 2009 debutante, Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland) and Formula 3 champion Jaime Alguersuari (Spain), who replaced Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais following the 2009 German Grand Prix. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company Red Bull.
• Red Bull Racing, who replaced the Jaguar team in 2005, have won three races. The team's current drivers are Mark Webber (Australia) who has won one race, and Sebastien Vettel (Germany), who moved for the 2009 season from Toro Rosso, and won one race while at STR. He won another two races with RBR in 2009. The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.
• Williams, founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team's present drivers are Nico Rosberg (Germany) and Kazuki Nakajima (Japan). The team uses Toyota engines and are sponsored by communications company AT&T.
• Force India F1 Team, who replaced the Spyker team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Nico Hulkenburg and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline Kingfisher.
• Mercedes F1 Team, who replaced the Honda team in 2009, are one of the few teams in history to win their debut race, having won the Australian Grand Prix in 2009. They have since won a further seven races, and presently lead the World Championship Tables. The team's present drivers are Jenson Button (Great Britain), who has won seven races, six while with Brawn, and Rubens Barricello (Brazil), who is the most experienced driver in the 2009 season and has won a total of 11 races. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by the Virgin Group.

External Links

The Sport's governing body
Official Website
BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster