The Worst Formula 1 Teams in History

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Posted: April 9, 2020

Updated: April 9, 2020

  • Italian teams Life and Andrea Moda couldn’t even qualify for the races
  • Just like Japan team Maki which tried in three different years
  • Arrows couldn’t get a win during 393 races

Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, the biggest car makers with all successful teams in Formula 1. But not every team was so lucky to have a big factory behind them. These smaller ones had to rely on rich patrons who would finance the team. But in the cases of the worst Formula 1 teams in history, even money and enthusiasm were not enough to get them to the level of the other teams. 

Last season the Williams team finished last place in the F1 World Championship, with getting only one single point during the season. The team was far behind everybody else, but even their performance wasn’t that bad comparing it to the following teams’. Some of them only took part in a few races, some were part of the sport for years without any improvement. Some of them were so slow that they didn’t have any chance to compete with the other teams.  But even these teams were loved by many fans and supported all around the world. 

Some from the worst Formula 1 teams in history couldn’t even qualify for the races

Life had a very uplifting name, but even that couldn’t help its poor performance. The Italian team, which had the same red color as Ferrari used its own engine, but the car was so slow that they couldn’t qualify for the race in 1990. It was slower than a Formula 3 car. The whole team was a total failure, even the mechanics went on strike on one point. Life withdrew from Formula 1 two races before the end of the only season they competed. 

worst Formula 1 teams in history
The team that was copied.

But another Italian team, called Andrea Moda wasn’t better either. It was based on another team, Coloni which was bought by Italian businessman Andrea Sassetti. The problem was that he had more knowledge about shoes than cars. The team didn’t have a new car ready by the beginning of the 1992 season.  Even when it was finally working, it couldn’t qualify for the race. One of their drivers was Perry McCarthy, the original Stieg from Top Gear but he didn’t have the super license to drive the car. The team’s biggest achievement was to qualify for the race in Monaco, where their other driver, Roberto Moreno was in the race until the 11th lap. Luckily Italian teams are doing much better now, with Ferrari being in the favorites to finish on top of the 2020 Formula 1 season according to online sportsbooks in Italy

A small team from Japan

If we mention Japanese cars, probably everyone thinks of Honda and Toyota. But there was a much smaller team as well, called Maki. They had a very weird looking car, but it also had a Cosworth motor which was quite reliable at that time. They took part first in the 1974 season, but couldn’t qualify for their first race. On the next one their driver, Australian Howden Ganley got injured. So that was it for that season, but they came back the following year. They still couldn’t qualify for any races though and gave up after three years. 

Staying with Japanese teams, even Toyota couldn’t achieve big successes in Formula 1. They joined F1 in 2002 but only got two points in the whole season. They improved on their performances in the following years, but couldn’t win any race. Only achieved podium finishes, 13 times during seven years. Fans can still support Toyota in other motor sports. Like the World Rally Championship or Nascar, where they have much better results. In Nascar they won the manufacturer’s championship last year and are favorites again once the race can continue. 

Long-term failure

The following team from the worst Formula 1 teams in history is probably more known for everyone after spending many years in the sport. It is Arrows, which was a British team. Even though it was founded by Italian businessman Franco Ambrosio and other former members of American team Shadow. The team debuted in 1978 and was a solid middle team, but without any major success. Its name was changed to Footwork in the 1990s after a Japanese investment, but the team didn’t improve too much. 

They were on the brink of their biggest achievement in 1997 when Damon Hill in one of their cars almost won the Hungarian Grand Prix. But a technical failure prevented him from winning, finishing second place at the end. The team was in Formula 1 until 2002, when they finished in the last place with only two points. Arrows was still loved by many people thanks to their drivers like Jos Verstappen who had a massive fan base. Now his son, Max Verstappen is driving in Formula 1 with much better results in a much stronger car. At the moment he is taking part in virtual races, odds are available on 1xBet.  If you want to learn more about the site just read our review about 1xBet sportsbook. 

You can learn more about 1xBet Sportsbook here.

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