McLaren – Ever wan·der

Top 5 Formula 1 Teams

June 29, 2013March 6, 2015 Cheran Ratnam

Two Santander-sponsored Formula 1 races, Santander British Grand Prix (June 28-30) at Silverstone and Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland (July 6-7) at Nurburgring in Germany, will provide the top teams an opportunity to edge closer to the coveted season championship at the season’s midpoint.

Those teams include Ferrari with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, sponsored by European-based banking giant, Santander.

In addition to the Ferrari racing team, Santander sponsors the McLaren team drivers.

Here are the top five teams and points in this year’s competition:

Red Bull (201 points)

The team made their grand prix debut in 2005. The Red Bull driving prodigy, Sebastian Vettel, is a key figure in this team that has won the World Championship in the past three seasons. Vettel graduated from the Red Bull Junior squad and made his debut for Red Bull Racing in 2009. Since then, he has 29 wins for the team.

Drivers: Sebastian Vettel (132 points) and Mark Webber (69).

Ferrari (145)

Santander sponsored Ferrari team’s first season was in 1950, with the beginning of Formula 1 World Championship. Ferrari has won 16 championships since then, with the last coming in 2007. Since then, the team has had three near misses – the latest in 2010 with Fernando Alonso. A technical reorganization and Alonso’s performance last year – he finished second to Vettel by three points – makes this season an interesting one for Ferrari.

Drivers: Fernando Alonso (96) and Felipe Massa (49).

Mercedes (134)

The team has not won a championship since their first Formula 1 season in 2010. With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, 2008 champion, the team is under increased pressure for good results. Even though the team’s chassis, the F1 W04 was proven to be fast, tire wear issues because of the chassis may hinder the team’s performance this year. Hamilton has been playing second fiddle to teammate Nico Rosberg, who won the Grand Prix De Monaco.

Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (77) and Nico Rosberg (57).

Lotus (114)

Since its first season in 1981, the team has managed to win two world championships. The team’s personnel have experience winning titles with Fernando Alonso, when Alonso was a part of Lotus before joining Santander-sponsored Ferrari. The team’s tight budget seems to be a limitation, but they remain a major force in the championship run.

Drivers: Kimi Räikkönen (88) and Romain Grosjean (26).

McLaren (37)

McLaren entered Formula 1 in 1966 and have won eight constructors’ and 12 drivers’ world championships. This year, they have gone against the wind by designing a completely new car. McLaren team’s performance without Lewis Hamilton, who will be racing for team Mercedes, remains to be seen as the season continues to unfold.

Drivers: Jenson Button (25) and Sergio Pérez (12).

To read more about Formula 1 history, click here: https://www.santanderconsumerusa.com/blog/formula-1-racing-is-quick-exciting-dangerous/

To read about this year’s top competitors, click here: https://www.santanderconsumerusa.com/blog/who-will-win-the-2013-formula-one/

My Digital Universe

Fascinating Formula1 History

June 24, 2013March 6, 2015 Cheran Ratnam

Formula 1 auto racing undoubtedly is one of the quickest and exciting sporting events in the world.

As Formula 1 fans await the upcoming Santander sponsored races: Santander British Grand Prix (June 28-30) and Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland (July 5-7), following is some historical information about F1– especially since the next race will be in Silverstone, England, where the first official F1 World Championship took place in 1950.

Santander entered into Formula 1 sponsorship with TeamVodafone McLaren Mercedes in 2007, and has celebrated 14 race wins and one F1 World Championship with the team. In 2009, in its quest to become a truly global player, Santander signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Ferrari and in 2012, extended the alliance to 2017.

Ron Howard’s biopic, Rush, due out this year, will recount the renowned rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, which lead to a crash that left Lauda with severe facial scarring. The movie is set in the 70’s, but F1 history runs much further back.

Formula 1 emerged from the European racing scene during the inter-war years, with its roots running back to the early days of motor racing. But, as exciting and nerve wrecking Formula1 is, the death toll of the series is hard to ignore – especially during the early years. Between 1952 and 1994, 38 Formula 1 drivers were killed during championship races.

The first Formula1 race took place in Pau, France and the first official Formula1 World Championship race took place in Silverstone, England, in 1950.

Giuseppe (“Nino”) Farina won the inaugural title in 1950. Juan Manuel Fangio soon became a key figure, winning with five different manufacturers in the 1950s. Pre-war manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Mercedes Benz dominated the race, even though there were many drivers who owned and operated their own cars.

As manufacturers continued to make technological advancements, a constructor’s championship for companies producing an engine or chassis was introduced in 1958.

Highlighted by nine driver’s championships among British and Commonwealth drivers and the ten constructor’s titles won by British teams, 1962-1973 is considered the British era of dominance, where the British Racing Green Lotus emerged as the dominant car. From 1984 to 2008, McLaren, Williams, Renault and Ferrari won every world championship.

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari made a name for themselves in Formula 1 history by winning five consecutive driver’s championships and six consecutive constructor’s championships between 1999 and 2004. In 2005, Fernando Alonsoended Schumacher’s five year dominance and won the championship with Renault, becoming the youngest driver to win the championship. In 2008, Lewis Hamilton won the Championship and replaced Alonso as the youngest driver to win the World Championship.

This year, Santander sponsored Ferrari’s Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton battle again for the coveted title, as they attempt to dethrone the triple World Champion, Sebastian Vettel.