THE FIA

The International Automobile Federation (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in French), usually named as FIA, is the organization that regulates the most important automobile competitions.

It has its principal headquarters in Paris, France. It is formed by 157 national organization members in 118 countries all over the world. Its president of the lasts years had been Max Mosley, but he was substituted by the ex Ferrari’s team boss Jean Todt in October 2009.

The FIA was founded in Paris on June 20^th 1904. In 1922, FIA lead the organization of automobile races to the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), an autonomic committee that later became the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).

In 1950 they organized the first Automobile World Championship actually known as Formula 1.

In 1973, the FIA also include in its jurisdiction rally races; the Monte Carlo rally was the first race of this kind organized by the FIA.

A restructuration was made in the organization in 1993 this eliminated the FISA, giving the administration of all the automobile races under the direct management of the FIA.

McLaren's Team

McLaren was founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, this is a car racing team with its main house in Woking, UK, that is well known specially for its F1 scuderia, but has also raced in other categories. Its full actual name is Vodafone McLaren Mercedes because of the sponsor of this media company. The team’s director is Martin Whitmarsh and it is supervised by McLaren Racing of McLaren Group.

McLaren is one of the most succesful team of the F1, being the third scuderia in number of Constructors Championships behind Williams F1 and Ferrari.

Bruce McLaren, borned in New Zeland, announced the McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. In 1963 because his last team didn’t wanted to follow the engineering advices. He hired engineers and pilots and started the F1 cars construction. While he was developing the car, the team’s pilots drove the Cooper T70.

The 90’s

Despite the departure of Alain Prost to Ferrari in 1990, McLaren dominated F1 for two years. Since 1992 the team began its decline when the Renault engines started winning. Until 1996 when McLaren chassis was combined with, Mercedes engines and drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard, winning between 1998 and 2000 constructors' championship and Häkkinen two pilots.

2000's decade

Since 2000, McLaren has fight to stay on the top, but has failed matching Ferrari, getting some firsts and seconds places in the drivers' championship in 2003 and 2005 for Kimi Raikkonen and for Lewis Hamilton in 2007. It was not until 2008 when, at last, after nine years of nothing, Lewis Hamilton is crowned world champion after a hard season and complicated laps in the Brazilian Grand Prix, which was only one point ahead of Felipe Massa of Ferrari team that went to the Constructors' title again.

2010

For 2010, McLaren hired the actual world champions Jenson Button coming from Brawn as Lewis Hamilton partner, giving him the number one team again, and forming a team exclusively English. This year, McLaren separated from Mercedes and formed Mercedes Grand Prix, although McLaren still is the engine’s supplier.

In the first race in Bahrein the team classified with Lewis Hamilton 4th and Jenson Button 8th. In race Hamilton conserved his 4th place, but after Vettel’s engine failed he finished 3th. Button overcome Mark Webber and finished 7th.

In Australia, in a very difficult race with rain, Button used slicks before anybody and became 2nd behind Vettel but as he had an accident Button finished the race 1st. Hamilton crashed with Webber and ended 6th.

In Malasia Both classified badly (Button 17th and Hamilton 20th) but both improved durong the race finishing 6th and 8th.

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel –my favorite F1 pilot- was borned on July 3rd 1987 in Heppenheim, Germany. Actually he is Red Bull’s pilot with Mark Webber. He was part of Toro Rosso team until 2008.

He is the third youngest driver to compete in a Grand Prix, the 2007 United States’ Grand Prix, exceeded only by the youth of Mike Thackwell and Jaime Alguersuari. He holds the record of being the youngest driver to achieve rating in the category in his first race. He is also the youngest to lead a Grand Prix, Japan’s 2007, and the youngest to get a pole position, a podium, and a victory in a single Grand Prix, achievements that he got in the Italian Grand Prix 2008.

Sebastian Vettel hopes to get his first world title the season, and showed it in Bahrain when he got the pole position beating the Ferrari drivers. During the race, Vettel holded the 1st position until lap 34 when a problem with a plug made him lower the speed of the car and he couldn’t defend against Ferrari or Lewis Hamilton; Nico Rosberg was close to take the 4th position, but Sebastian endured and finished 4th. After crossing the finish line, he left his RB6 aside.

In Melbourne he won his second pole of the year. During the race, at the beginning he held the first position with wet track and half wet tires, but on lap 25 a brake problem forced him to quit.

After two bitter race, Vettel finally achieved his awaited first race of the season at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where after having qualified in second position (behind his teammate Mark Webber) managed to win the Australian and showed the superiority of the RB6.

In Shanghai, the 4th race of the season, Sebastian got his third pole in four races, but in a mad race marked by rain the young German pilot couldn’t overcome the 6th position.

In Montmelo he arrived 3th after Fernando Alonso had an accident. And in Montecarlo after a lot of “safety cars” he arrived 2nd and became de co-head of this season world championship with 78 points.

But in Turquey both Red Bulls had a little crash when Vettel tried to overcome Webber leaving him away of the race. It was clearly a Vettel’s mistake when he tried to take Weeber away from the track.

Red Bull Racing Team... MY FAVORITE!!!

Red Bull Racing F1 Team is owned by the Austriac company of Red Bull drinks. Red Bull acquired the Jaguar Racing scuderia for 110 million dollars, when the team’s house of this scuderia (Ford) announced his retirement from the maximum category.

The team's origins date back to the team created by Jackie Stewart, Stewart Grand Prix, who ran his first race in 1997. The team was bought by Ford and ran under the name of Jaguar during the 2000 season Formula 1. Despite the youth of the equipment compared with other manufacturers like Ferrari and McLaren, it was considered a very successful start, a race won in 1999. Eventhough the many technical and managerial changes (which included the recruitment of high profile personalities such as Niki Lauda and Bobby Rahal, and the failed attempt to attract the designer Adrian Newey, the team never again reached the achievements of the Stewart era.

Following the disappointing results obtained by the team, Ford announced his retirement following the 2004 Formula 1 season.

On November 15, 2004, Red Bull announced that the acquisition was finalized. During the 2005 Formula 1 season, the team kept the drivers Cosworth. The first pilots of the team are David Coulthard and Christian Klien, who debuted in the 2005 season scoring points with both cars in his first two races.

On May 28, 2006 took his first podium of history to finish in 3rd place David Coulthard in Monaco Grand Prix 2006.

After the disappointing results obtained by the team, Ford announced his retirement after 2004’s Formula 1 season.

On November 15, 2004, Red Bull announced that the acquisition was ended. During the 2005 Formula 1 season, the team kept Cosworth driver. The first pilots of the team are David Coulthard and Christian Klien, who debuted in the 2005 season scoring points with both cars in his first two races. On May 28, 2006 took his first podium of history by finishing in 3rd place in Grand Prix of Monaco 2006.

2007

In 2007, the team joined Mark Webber, who, in part, came back "home" after visiting Jaguar in 2003 and 2004. Along with David Coulthard, formed the driver line-up of the team owner. Webber Colulthard and occupied the tenth and tenth to second position in qualifying for Red Bull drivers and ranks fifth in the constructors' standings with 24 points.

2008

Coulthard and Webber were the drivers of that seaso,n Sébastien Buemi signed as test driver. On January 16 the team presented at the Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) the new Red Bull Renault RB4, which improves the 2007 car, especially in the hydraulic system.

2010

This season the scuderia’s pilots are Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, both having very good results and some podiums.

Ferrari in Formula 1

FUNDATION: 1950

DEBUT: Monaco's GP, 1950
HEADQUARTERS: Maranello (Italia)
TEAM'S DIRECTOR: Stefano Domenical

Ferrari's history is very closed to the history of F1, since its origins, Ferrari has been the oldest and most awarded scuderia since 1950.

Scuderia Ferrari is the known name of sports division (Gestione Sportiva) of Ferrari automoviles, it is encharged of the F1 races.

The first scuderia participation was in 1950's Monaco GP, with the 125 F1, driven by Alberto Ascari, he was second, auguring a good relationship between the team and the podium.

Ferrari is the only scuderia that has participated in all the F1 World Championships. The argentinian Jose Froilan González, was the first pilot to win the first victory in this category, in the Silverstone GP in 1951, driving the 375 F1.

The firsts F1 seasons marked the beginnig of the succes for Enzo Ferrari's team with his pilots Alberto Ascari, José Froilán González or the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. Those yeears were marked by the competiton between the Maranellos with Alfa Romeo or Maserati. The pilots world championsip tittles of 1.952, 1.953 y 1.956 were for Ferrari.

In 1.958, they won the tittle again thanks to Mike Hawthorn, to repeat the total sucess in 1961 with Phill Hill. That was also the year when the team suffered a tragedy with the failure of its pilot Wolfgang von Tips in an accident where also died 12 spectators in the Italian GP.

John Surtees was the nex pilot to win the tittle for the Scuderia list of winners. The nexts years the new technician changes provoqued some inestability that preventes new awards.

Thanks to Niki Lauda,the victory in the Pilots World Championship returned to the team in 1974, and a terrible Lauda's accident didn't allow to get it again in 1975. This tittle returned for Lauda and the team in 1977, and in 1979 who got the tittle was Jody Scheckter.

In 1982 they had to face the Gilles Villeneuve death in a car accident during a trainning session. In the 80's Ferrari got some triumphs as Scuderia. But in 1988 the team had to face Enzo's death when he was 90 years. Without a dubt this were years of transition for the scuderia.

1990 was a historic year because of the duel between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, wich won the Brasilenian pilot.

In 1996 Michael Schumacher arrived and in that same year was about the get his first wolrd tittle, but the team had to waited until 2000 season to see Schumacher won his first World tittle in the F1 with Ferrari and made the team won the first homologue tittle for Constructors. As Schumacher as Jean Todt were promotors af a great change in the team that made it got pilot's world championship in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004. From 1999 to 2004 all the constructors awards were for the Italian team.

In 2007 and 2008 Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa got the constructors tittle and Kimi got his first world tittle too.

Ferrari's beginnings

Any car's brand has provoqued so much fanatism than Ferrari. It has a history full of adventures, disputes and problems. But it is impossible to understand the history of the "Cavallino Rampante" if we don't know a little bit of itss creator, Enzo Ferrari.

"Il Commendatore", as he was called, worked on races since 1919. Alfa Romeo realized his habilities and hired him in 1929 to fix its cars. There is where his history started, fixing Alfa Romeo cars on december 1st, 1929.

The repair shop was stablished in a Modena's garage, but because of its demand they had to move to a biggest building in the city. Even though Ferrari was the sport part of Alfa Romeo, it got own personality and attracting legendary pilots as Nuvolari in the early 30's. But the superiority of German cars as Mercedes or Auto Union, forced Ferrari to turn the team's way to get more money. In 1937, the 80% had to be sold to his company Alfa Romeo.

The braking point between Ferrari and Alfa Romeo was in 1938 when the second one decided to create its own sports line "Alfa Corse", the new part was formed by Enzo's mechanics. In this point, the garage in Módena was closed and they moved to Milán to work in the new project, there, Enzo had some problems with his new bosses and definetely quit from Alfa Romeo. But a clause in his contract prohibited him to use his name in car fabrication for the next four years.

In this way he founded "Auto Avio Costruzioni". Enzo's resentment with Alfa Romeo grew after the succes of the 158 (Alfetta), models of his own creation.

In 1943 the Industry desentralization law started working, so Auto Avio Costruzioni Industry had to move 16km to a little town called Maranello.

Once the Wold War II ended, Ferrari was able to build cars with his own name. In 1947 the 125 was built. Even though the firsts sports results were sponsored, the sales didn't help the brand because the cars were still handmade. Since 1951 Ferrari entered in the era of serie produccion with the 250, stabilizing its weak economy. One year before in 1950, it enteres in a new racing categorie, the F1.

F1!

My blog is going to take a different way. As part of my journalism class I had to choose a topic to write about all semester long, so as I love Formula 1, I decided to write about the history of the Scuderias. I hope you to enjoy reading a little bit of them and the parts I like the most of each one.

Thanks!!!