Inspired by the current wrangling in Formula 1 with some of the smaller teams, we look back on teams that can only be described as ‘the worst’.

With the 2015 Formula 1 campaign looming, it’s still up in the air just how many teams will actually participate. The chances of Caterham making the opening round in Australia are slim-to-none, while Marussia’s hopes hinge on whether they will be allowed to run a modified 2014 car for the first few races. Here, we take a look at some other teams who have struggled for success over recent years.

Super Aguri 2006 – 2008

Founded by former Formula 1 driver Aguri Suzuki, the team’s initial goal was simply to keep Japanese driver Takuma Sato in the sport. Sato had spent the previous four years driving for Jordan Honda and BAR Honda respectively, and upon losing his drive with BAR, pressure from Japanese fans forced Honda to set up Super Aguri – such was their love for the driver.

Their debut season was one of constant struggle. After only four races, the team was forced to swap number two driver Yuji Ide for Franck Montagny as the FIA believed Ide was simply too slow and inexperienced. Montagny was then replaced by Sakon Yamamoto for the final seven Grand Prix as the team found themselves consistently at the back of the grid. 2007 however, brought some success to the team. British driver Anthony Davidson partnered Sato as Super Aguri occasionally battled in midfield. They would go on to score four points in 2007, finishing ahead of Spyker who managed only one.

In one of their more embarrassing memories, the pit team did this.

The team came to an end after only four rounds in 2008 due to financial problems. Takuma Sato participated in every race, as well as scoring all of their four points.

MasterCard Lola 1997

Racing car manufacturer Lola had been involved in Formula 1 on-and-off since 1962. Although their cars had never made any real impact on the track, the company itself had a strong reputation in the manufacturing world. After years of supplying chassis to various teams, company founder Eric Broadley decided to enter the sport using a fully Lola-built car in 1997. Originally, the team had aimed to enter the sport in 1998, but due to pressure from sponsors, it was decided they would start a year early – a costly mistake.

The team managed only one, disastrous race weekend. They failed to qualify in Australia as drivers Vincenzo Sospiri and Ricardo Rosset were 11 and 13 seconds off the pace respectively. Under the 107% rule, this meant they were deemed to slow and therefore a danger to other drivers and would not race.

On the Wednesday before round two in Brazil, the team announced they were withdrawing from the Grand Prix, forcing staff who had made the journey to South America to return to the UK. Shortly afterwards Lola withdrew outright from F1. Bringing the short, slow career to an end.

Pacific Racing 1994 – 1995

In 1994, there were 14 teams and 28 drivers in Formula 1. Rules stated that a maximum of 26 drivers could participate in races due to safety concerns, meaning the slowest two cars in qualifying would be excluded from the race. A rule that was to have a severe impact on Pacific drivers Paul Belmondo and Bertrand Gachot.

In the first six Grand Prix, Belmondo only qualified on two occasions while Gachot did better, qualifying on five attempts. Unfortunately, neither driver managed to finish a race. There was worse to come as on-track rivals Simtek made improvements to their car, which led to the slow Pacific team failing to qualify in any of the final 10 rounds.

1995 was marginally better as only 13 teams and 26 drivers competed, meaning Pacific automatically qualified for every race, occasionally managing to finish – though never in the points. At the end of the year, the team decided to withdraw from Formula 1 and return to Formula 3000. It was partly due to Pacific Racing that the 107% rule for qualifying was brought in for the 1996 season.

Minardi 1985 – 2005

What list could be complete without including Minardi? Founded in 1979, the team first competed in Formula 1 in 1985 and found the going very tough for the first few years. In their first three seasons, Minardi only managed to finish 10 Grand Prix out of 80 attempts – failing to score any points.

The team enjoyed minor success in the early 90s however, picking up 19 points between 1991 and 1994. Paul Stoddart ran the team from 2001 to its end in 2005, constantly campaigning for lower costs and fairer deals for poorer teams. It was this image that lead many F1 fans to love Minardi and their underdog status. At this stage of course, the Italian team were perennial back-markers, rarely picking up any points.

Famed for being one of the most loved teams in Formula 1, Minardi was eventually sold to Red Bull in late 2005 and went on to become Red Bull’s ‘second team’ Torro Rosso. Many drivers began their careers at Minardi including Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella.

_____

Featured image by MATSUOKA Kohei via Flickr

Read More About: f1 news, formual one news, formula one, Top Story