Top 10... Defunct Formula 1 teams

What’s extra galling for British-based Manor and its hundreds of talented staff is that F1 is going through unprecedented change and with it comes real hope that the division of wealth among competing teams can finally be more equitable. A proper incentive for talented race teams to come and play could well be just round the corner.

Since the World Championship began in 1950, well over 100 teams have come and gone. That’s the nature of the beast, of course, thanks to financial hardship, takeover or, in the early years, injury or death.

While scouring the list of defunct teams, several big names leapt out at us – those squads that we wish were still in the game. We’ve picked out our favourite 10 long-lost names and run the rule over the whos, whats and whens, with a classic moment from each team’s history.

Get in touch with us and tell us which F1 teams you wish were still around and why.

Brabham

Founded: 1962

Closed: 1992

Races: 394

Wins: 35

Pole positions: 39

Fastest Laps: 41

World Championships: Four Drivers’ (1966, ’67, ’81, ’83); two Constructors’ (1966, ’67)

Classic moment: Niki Lauda won the 1978 Swedish GP in a BT46B with a huge fan that sucked the car onto the ground. It was the novel machine’s only race.

British Racing Motors

Founded: 1951

Closed: 1977

Races: 197

Wins: 17

Pole positions: 11

Fastest Laps: 15

World Championships: One Drivers’ (1962); one Constructors’ (1962)

Classic moment: By winning the South African Grand Prix at the end of 1962 Graham Hill became the first Briton to become World Champion at the wheel of a British car. 

Eagle

Founded: 1966

Closed: 1969

Races: 25

Wins: 1

Pole positions: N/A

Fastest Laps: 1

World Championships: N/A

Classic moment: Team founder Dan Gurney gave his eponymous marque its only victory in the Belgian GP at Spa in 1967 aboard the exquisite Weslake V12-powered T1G.

Hesketh

Founded: 1974

Closed: 1978

Races: 52

Wins: 1

Pole positions: N/A

Fastest Laps: 1

World Championships: N/A

Classic moment: Withholding race-long pressure from Ferrari rival Niki Lauda, James Hunt gave Hesketh its only World Championship win in the 1975 Dutch GP at Zandvoort.

Ligier

Founded: 1976

Closed: 1996

Races: 326

Wins: 9

Pole positions: 9

Fastest Laps: 10

World Championships: N/A

Classic moment: From 14^th on the grid, Olivier Panis kept his cool on the wet-dry streets of Monaco in 1996 aboard the Mugen-Honda-powered JS43 to give the team its final win – 15 years since it last tasted victory.

Lotus

Founded: 1958

Closed: 1994 (not including ‘New Lotus’ from 2010-2015)

Races: 491

Wins: 79

Pole positions: 107

Fastest Laps: 71

World Championships: Six Drivers’ (1963, '65, 68, ’70, ’72, ’78); seven Constructors’ (1963, ’65, ’68, '70, ’72, ’73, ’78)

Classic moment: Ayrton Senna took his maiden F1 win at a rain-lashed Portuguese GP at Estoril in the JPS 97T, beating everyone by over a minute.

Matra

Founded: 1967

Closed: 1972

Races: 60

Wins: 9

Pole positions: 4

Fastest Laps: 12

World Championships: One Drivers’ (1969); one Constructors’ (1969)

Classic moment: Jackie Stewart and MS10 mastered the rain and fog at the fearsome Nürburgring Nordschleife to win the German GP – by more than four minutes!

Shadow

Founded: 1973

Closed: 1980

Races: 104

Wins: 1

Pole positions: 3

Fastest Laps: 3

World Championships: N/A

Classic moment: The team’s only victory came in the Austrian GP at the Osterreichring in 1977 with Australian Alan Jones, who went on to win the title with Williams.

Tyrrell

Founded: 1970

Closed: 1998

Races: 430

Wins: 23

Pole positions: 14

Fastest Laps: 20

World Championships: Two Drivers’ (1971, ’73); one Constructors’ (1971)

Classic moment: The very first proper Tyrrell chassis, 001, took pole position for its first race – the Canadian Grand Prix at St Jovite in 1970 – courtesy of Jackie Stewart.

Wolf

Founded: 1977

Closed: 1979

Races: 47

Wins: 3

Pole positions: 1

Fastest Laps: 2

World Championships: N/A

Classic moment: Out of nowhere, Jody Scheckter gave the Austro-Canadian squad a debut win in Argentina in 1977. He won twice more that year to finish second in the Drivers’ Championship.

In fact, this game could go on for a lot longer…

Images courtesy of LAT