History UsefulNotes / FormulaOne

The most famous team (by far) is Italy's ''Scuderia Ferrari'', who have participated in every season and almost every race since the sport's inception in 1950 - they did miss the very first World Championship race in 1950 and the odd race since, but have taken part in every single race weekend since the 1976 season. As such, they have won the most races (400+) and championships (16). Ferrari fell into a slump in the 1980s but slowly climbed back to the front starting in 1988, and were finally rejuvenated by the signing of Michael Schumacher in 1996 who after four barren years dominated the early-mid 2000s. Their last constructors' title came about in 2008, but after multiple seasons of playing second fiddle to Red Bull and later on Mercedes, they appeared to be genuinely fighting for both titles in 2018. Unfortunately for them, FIA confiscated their power unit after a string of strong performances in mid-2019, and found it wasn't legal... nor illegal. Nonetheless, Ferrari had to build a new one, and between 2020 and 2021 they were a midfield outing with the odd lucky podium here and there. The start of the 2022 season saw a reversal of fortune for the Scuderia coupled with the rule changes, which saw them spring back to the very top of the grid alongside Red Bull.

* Francesco Bernoulli from ''Film/{{Cars 2}}'' is designed after an F1 car. In addition, a few F1 drivers voice car versions of themselves throughout the trilogy.

** The Spaniard is basically F1's case-study for being in the wrong place at the most inopportune time: after back-to-back titles with Renault, he moved to powerhouse McLaren-Mercedes, at the same time that an unproven rookie named Lewis Hamilton emerged - their rivalry completely derailed the team and the 2007 title went to Kimi Raikkonen. He instantly returned to Renault, who were a shell of their former selves due to cost-cutting, and won just two races in two years. He then moved to Ferrari to much fanfare, and despite two near-misses in 2010 and 2012, the scarlet cars were no match for the Red Bulls. After a dissapointing 2014, Alonso returned to McLaren, now with brand-new Honda engines, but unfortunately said engines were both painfully slow and terrifyingly unreliable, causing many an outburst - and absolutely no podiums, much less wins.

* ''VideoGame/{{Forza}} Motorsport 5'' includes, for the first time in the series, open-wheel cars, three of them being [=F1s=]: Kimi Raikkonen & Romain Grosjean's Lotus E21 from the 2013 season, and from the 1976 season, James Hunt & Jochen Mass's [=McLaren M23=] and Niki Lauda & Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari [=312T2=] (which also doubles as a ShoutOut to the 2013 film ''Film/{{Rush|2013}}'', with some in-game achievements making references aswell). They would be later on joined by the Lotus [=E23=] of the aforementioned Grosjean & Pastor Maldonado, Mario Andretti & Gunnar Nilsson's Lotus 77, Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost's [=McLaren MP4/4=] and Prost and Nigel Mansell's Ferrari 641 in ''Motorsport 6'', and finally, Nico Hulkenberg, Jolyon Palmer, and Carlos Sainz's Renault R.S.17 in ''Motorsport 7'' (Palmer as the second driver was fired after 2017's Japanese Grand Prix, and Sainz came in to replace him for the following race).
* ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' introduced expies of F1 cars in the third game along with a final championship which had an identical championship format and had Monaco (under the name Cote d'Azur) as the final and most difficult track in the game. Later games would expand upon this by adding more real tracks, some of which are or were Formula One tracks. Starting from the fourth game, the franchise introduced the "Formula Gran Turismo" car which was Polyphony's take and iteration of a car from the 2004 season; likewise the game's final series/championship also had only the FGT. The fifth game kept the car and also added Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa's F2007 from the 2007 season as well as Massa's and Fernando Alonso's F10 from 2010. They served no significance in the career mode, however, and due to licensing costs were removed from the next entry. ''Gran Turismo 6'' had also taken out the FGT championship, which made the original car serve no purpose aside from the now unavailable seasonal events. However, it introduced a short special event free DLC campaign to honor the legacy of Ayrton Senna, released on the 20th anniversary of his death. This included his (and Elio de Angelis') Lotus 97T from 1985, which he took three wins in, one of which he lapped nearly the entire field in wet conditions. Gran Turismo Sport finally removes the obsolete Formula Gran Turismo, and the F1500 (in its own group class) takes its place. Most believe the car is based on the 1986 Lotus 98T of Senna and de Angelis. A later update would add Lewis Hamilton's and Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes W08 EQ Power+ from the 2017 season.

* ''Graham Hill'', charismatic Londoner who won two titles (1962 and 1968) the latter for Lotus after Jim Clark's death, as well as the 1966 Indianapolis 500.[[note]]The latter win remains controversial, as Team Lotus were convinced that Jim Clark had completed one lap more than Hill but had been docked track position as a result of two spinouts. Hill himself was "puzzled" and "surprised" to be named the winner.[[/note]] He also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972, making him the first and, so far, only racer to achieve the Triple Crown of Motorsport. Died in a plane crash 29th November 1975.

** His son ''Jacques Villeneuve'', less beloved but still highly successful, having won in 1997. Also won the [=IndyCar=] championship and the Indianapolis 500 in 1995, drove the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007 ([=DNFing=] and being classified a lowly 10th in class), and participated in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2008-2011. Oh, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Villeneuve#Music_career he released a music album.]]

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** FIA themselves are currently licensing the Formula One brand to Creator/{{Codemasters}} (who are a household name in auto racing games thanks to the ''VideoGame/{{Colin McRae|Rally}}'' and ''VideoGame/GRiD'' series) [[OlderThanTheyThink They also released several loosely based F1 games during the days of the Commodore C64 back in the late '80s/early 90's]]. They now release an annual game based on the current season [though said game always comes towards the end of the season, which is explained as the time the teams and drivers' characteristics are better sorted out (not so much from ''[=F1 2019=]'' onwards, being usually released on May-June). Although EA Sports (who had the license betwee
1999 and 2002) have taken over as publishers, Codemasters are still the developers.

** FIA themselves are currently licensing the Formula One brand to Creator/{{Codemasters}} (who are a household name in auto racing games thanks to the ''VideoGame/{{Colin McRae|Rally}}'' and ''VideoGame/GRiD'' series) [[OlderThanTheyThink They also released several loosely based F1 games during the days of the Commodore C64 back in the late '80s/early 90's]]). They now release an annual game based on the current season [though said game always comes towards the end of the season, which is explained as the time the teams and drivers' characteristics are better sorted out (not so much from ''[=F1 2019=]'' onwards, being usually released on May-June).

* ''Juan Manuel Fangio'', Argentinian 5-time champion (1951, 1954-57) with four different teams - Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Maserati. He was known in his lifetime as "El Chueco" (the bow-legged one), and with 24 wins out of 52 race starts, he is the driver with the highest winning percentage in Formula One history with an impressive 46.15%.
* ''Alberto Ascari'', Italian, Ferrari's first title winner. Son of the late Antonio Ascari, a Grand Prix champion from the '30s, he curb-stomped his way to win the 1952 and 1953 championships - winning even the former title with 100% of possible points earned, and in doing so became the first person to successfully defend the title. First and last Italian to win the title. Died at a test accident at Monza on May 26, 1955 (having narrowly survived ending up in Monte Carlo Harbour during the Monaco GP 4 days earlier).

* ''Jackie Stewart'', Scottish, three-time titlist (1969, 1971, 1973) who campaigned for better safety standards. He later became a race commentator who was instantly recognizable for his heavy Scottish accent. Also ran his own team in from 1997-1999, which was bought out by manufacturer Jaguar prior to the 2000 season and is known as Red Bull Racing since a takeover from the eponymous energy drink company in 2005.
* ''Mario Andretti'', Italian-American, won the title in 1978. Also won the Daytona 500 in 1967 and Indianapolis 500 in 1969. Various other wins made him one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history, and he is one of only two Americans to have won the title, the other being Phil Hill in 1961. Famously got pole position at his very first F1 race in Watkins Glen.

* ''Ayrton Senna'', Brazilian, known for his intensity and ruthlessness, feuded with Alain Prost in the late 1980s. A polarizing figure (accused by many for bringing "kart culture" involving crashes and close combat with other drivers into F1 and also for being a particularly vindictive individual - if his crash with Prost in the 1990 season closer in Japan was of any indication), adored in Brazil, he may have been the fastest and most daring driver in F1 history. His {{Determinator}} status is best highlighted in his 1991 Brazilian GP victory, in which his gearbox gradually failed throughout the latter half of the race until he was stuck driving on sixth gear for the last few laps; rather than abandoning and letting Riccardo Patrese's Williams take it home, Senna refused to give up his dream of winning in his home country and pushed on under extremely strenuous conditions. Won three titles, in 1988, 1990 and 1991, all of which were clinched at the Japanese Grand Prix. Killed in a crash on May 1, 1994 at that year's San Marino Grand Prix, often considered the darkest weekend in the history of F1 due to Rubens Barrichello's practice injury and Roland Ratzenberger's qualifying crash, spurring a raft of new safety rules. On a tragic note, on the morning of his last day he did several meetings with other drivers, talking about implementing those very rules...

* ''Michael Schumacher'', German, has held most of the sport's records including most wins (91, a record which was beaten by Lewis Hamilton at Portugal 2020), pole positions (68, three more than Senna, although this was broken by Lewis Hamilton at Canada 2017) and titles (7 - 1994, 1995 and 2000-2004, breaking Fangio's five-title record after getting his sixth in '03; equaled by Hamilton in 2020), making him the world's wealthiest athlete at the time with an estimated net worth of 800M USD. Notorious for several incidents, the major ones being on the 1994 (where he ''very aggressively'' defended his position against Damon Hill, after Schumi had hit the wall, causing Hill to crash into him and for both of them to retire, giving him his first title) and 1997 (when he crashed deliberately into title-rival Jacques Villeneuve when the latter tried to overtake him, but failed to get him out of the race - later he was excluded from that years Driver's Championship as punishment) season-ending races. Retired in 2006. Had planned a comeback to cover for the injured Felipe Massa, but was forced to call it off due to injuries. He then came back for newly rebranded Mercedes MGP in 2010 after recovering from a neck injury that kept him out the year before. Then, he was an upper midfielder at best, but for someone off the track for 4 years practically driving for the first time again, its a solid performance, albeit slightly disappointing to most fans due to his legend... finally retired for good after 2012 (the same year he achieved his final podium, becoming the oldest driver to do so at the age of 43). In 2013 he was critically injured in a skiing accident leaving him with life-altering injuries rendering any plans to compete in other motorsports moot. His condition is kept ''extremely'' private, and thus is practically unknown, much to the dismay of millions of fans worldwide.

* '''Charles Leclerc vs. Max Verstappen''': this rivalry has become the main talking point of the 2022 season with Ferrari and Red Bull being the fastest teams on the grid, but it dates all the way back to the two drivers' karting days - a detail that is often overdramatized by media outlets. The two drivers came to blows for the first time in [=F1=] at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen forcing Leclerc to go wide after a collision in the battle for the race win. Leclerc replied in kind at the British Grand Prix while defending his position against Verstappen who was climbing back up the field. The rivalry thawed for a little while due to Ferrari lagging behind performance-wise in 2020 and 2021, but has returned full force in 2022: the season opener in Bahrain saw a furious battle for the lead, with Verstappen catching up on Leclerc two times in the start/finish straight only for the Monegasque driver to reply in kind through strategic DRS usage, while the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Verstappen making a decisive move against a then-race-leading Leclerc, who was denied a possible counter due to Alex Albon and Lance Stroll crashing out on the first sector and deploying a sector yellow as a result. Although most media outlets overdramatize the rivalry as a bad blood that ran for a decade, it is ''much'' more friendly and less volatile than the Max vs. Lewis rivalry; the two drivers even raced together while streaming on Twitch during the 2020 off-season. Of course, with the 2022 season having just begun, things could very well be different in the future.

* ''Ayrton Senna'', Brazilian, known for his intensity and ruthlessness, feuded with Alain Prost in the late 1980s. A polarizing figure (accused by many for bringing "kart culture" involving crashes and close combat with other drivers into F1 and also for being a particularly vindictive individual - if his crash with Prost in the 1990 season closer in Japan was of any indication), adored in Brazil, he may have been the fastest and most daring driver in F1 history. Won three titles, in 1988, 1990 and 1991, all of which were clinched at the Japanese Grand Prix. Killed in a crash on May 1, 1994 at that year's San Marino Grand Prix, often considered the darkest weekend in the history of F1 due to Rubens Barrichello's practice injury and Roland Ratzenberger's qualifying crash, spurring a raft of new safety rules. On a tragic note, on the morning of his last day he did several meetings with other drivers, talking about implementing those very rules...

A load of drivers drive very fast single-seat open wheel cars ("If it's got fenders, it's not a race car") around a circuit, having to complete a set number of laps. Points awarded on finishing positions crown the champion driver and champion constructor. Most of the commercial dealings from the mid 1970s to 2016 were controlled by a short, eccentric billionaire with a mop top haircut named Bernie Ecclestone; following the takeover of the Formula One Group by Liberty Media, Ecclestone was succeeded by former 21st Century Fox CEO Chase Carey. The political machinations of the teams and their disputes and scandals are an almost integral part of the sport and its image.

Another relatively successful team is ''Benetton/Renault'', who entered the sport as Benetton F1 in 1986 and won the odd race here and there, until they hit the jackpot in 1991 and signed a young German named ''Michael Schumacher'' under the nose of Jordan, a few days after he participated on his first race for the latter team. ''Schumi'' managed to win the 1994 Drivers Championship, but it was perhaps the ''most controversial 'ship in history'': it was tainted not only from Ayrton Senna's untimely death and the title-deciding collision in Adelaide, but there were also widespread allegations of Benetton using illegal driver aids - indeed, Launch Control (named ''Option 13'') was found hidden in the engine's software, and to this day the debate rages on about whether they actually used it or not. Benetton also won both titles next year in much less controversial circumstances, but in 1996 Schumacher (and the majority of the engineers) left for Ferrari, and the team faded into obscurity... until 2003, when Renault bought the team and signed a young, charismatic driver named ''Fernando Alonso'' who won back to back titles in 2005-06. Since then, however, the team has languished into the middle of the pack, with relatively stable top 10 finishes but not much beyond that. In 2021, the team was rebranded as Alpine in order to promote the historically successful sports car brand.

Second in popularity is the British ''[=McLaren=]'' team, founded by the late New Zealander Bruce [=McLaren=]. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost dominated in the late 1980s driving for [=McLaren=]. Their last constructors' title came in 1999 - but after a string of podium finishes in almost all successive seasons (excluding the highly controversial 2007 season where they saw themselves stripped of all their constructors' championship points due to the "Spygate" scandal), they were reduced to backmarkers from 2015-2017 after switching their engine supplier to Honda. They switched again to Renault in 2018 where they handily beat their "parent" before finally returning to Mercedes power in 2021. While the first season with Mercedes power units was pretty positive - with them finishing fourth in the World Constructors' Championship, the rule changes in 2022 did not do the team any favors as [[HereWeGoAgain they returned to being backmarkers after just 5 years.]]

Probably the greatest technical change occurred in the late 1950s when front-engined cars were replaced by superior mid & rear-engined cars that were lighter, had a lower center of gravity, wider and slightly softer tyres, and as a result better handling. This revolution led to British teams taking over from the traditionally dominant Italian Maseratis and Ferraris during the 1960s. In the 70s cars grew larger aerofoils; inverted wings designed to create downward lift (downforce) to press the cars down on to the road and improve grip, stability, and corner speeds. This led to Lotus pioneering 'Ground Effect' cars that were designed to create a low pressure area under the car using "Venturi tunnels", further increasing grip.[[note]]These had the unfortunate side effect of completely ''losing'' their grip if the car ran over something as small as a Dixie cup, resulting in cars literally flying off the track during high-speed turns. Although they remained in a very subdued form in UsefulNotes/IndyCar racing, ground effect cars would not return to F1 until 2022 - where technical changes heralded their return in an effort to make cars follow each other more closely and ensure more wheel-to-wheel action.[[/note]] In the 1980s turbochargers were becoming a more common engine formula, with power outputs in excess of 11-1200HP in qualifying trim, but after the huge advantage differences between turbo and "atmo" cars in addition to the dominance of [=McLaren=]-Honda in 1988, they were banned in 1989. During that decade, a combination of increased safety regulations and stronger carbon composite cars led to a massive drop in the number of fatal crashes. The death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix spurred further safety regulations and attempts to limit car performance. Many advanced 'driver aids', like ABS and traction control have been outlawed, reallowed, and outlawed again, since then - technical rule changes are often a cue for fans to say TheyChangedItNowItSucks. (Compare UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}, which banned fuel injection in 1958 and made it last until 2012, ''decades'' after carburetors became obsolete on road cars.) In any event, the cars today have more technical affinity with the Space Shuttle[[note]]And a heck of a lot more computer power; the Space Shuttle's computer has 256K more megabytes of total memory[[/note]] than the typical road car.

Probably the greatest technical change occurred in the late 1950s when front-engined cars were replaced by superior mid & rear-engined cars that were lighter, had a lower center of gravity, wider and slightly softer tyres, and as a result better handling. This revolution led to British teams taking over from the traditionally dominant Italian Maseratis and Ferraris during the 1960s. In the 70s cars grew larger aerofoils; inverted wings designed to create downward lift (downforce) to press the cars down on to the road and improve grip, stability, and corner speeds. This led to Lotus pioneering 'Ground Effect' cars that were designed to create a low pressure area under the car using "Venturi tunnels", further increasing grip.[[note]]These had the unfortunate side effect of completely ''losing'' their grip if the car ran over something as small as a Dixie cup, resulting in cars literally flying off the track during high-speed turns. They have since been mostly banned, but are still allowed (in a very subdued form) in UsefulNotes/IndyCar racing.[[/note]] In the 1980s turbochargers were becoming a more common engine formula, with power outputs in excess of 11-1200HP in qualifying trim, but after the huge advantage differences between turbo and "atmo" cars in addition to the dominance of [=McLaren=]-Honda in 1988, they were banned in 1989. During that decade, a combination of increased safety regulations and stronger carbon composite cars led to a massive drop in the number of fatal crashes. The death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix spurred further safety regulations and attempts to limit car performance. Many advanced 'driver aids', like ABS and traction control have been outlawed, reallowed, and outlawed again, since then - technical rule changes are often a cue for fans to say TheyChangedItNowItSucks. (Compare UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}, which banned fuel injection in 1958 and made it last until 2012, ''decades'' after carburetors became obsolete on road cars.) In any event, the cars today have more technical affinity with the Space Shuttle[[note]]And a heck of a lot more computer power; the Space Shuttle's computer has 256K more megabytes of total memory[[/note]] than the typical road car.

The British ''Williams'' team were frontrunners in the 90s, thanks partly to a strong design department spearheaded by Sir Patrick Head and Adrian Newey, but have slipped to the midfield in recent years and to the back in 2018. Until 2020 it was owned by the late Sir Frank Williams, and until then it was the last remaining Formula One team to solely rely on racedays as its source of income: halfway through the 2020 season the team was bought by Dorilton Capital, and the ensuing departure of then-team principal Claire Williams heralded the EndOfAnEra for the team.

Second in popularity is the British ''[=McLaren=]'' team, founded by the late New Zealander Bruce [=McLaren=]. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost dominated in the late 1980s driving for [=McLaren=]. Their last constructors' title came in 1999 - but after a string of podium finishes in almost all successive seasons (excluding the highly controversial 2007 season where they saw themselves stripped of all their constructors' championship points due to the "Spygate" scandal), they were reduced to backmarkers from 2015-2017 after switching their engine supplier to Honda. They switched again to Renault in 2018 where they handily beat their "parent" before finally returning to Mercedes power in 2021. While the first season with Mercedes power units was pretty positive - with them finishing fourth in the World Constructors' Championship, the rule changes in 2022 did not do the team any favors as [[HereWeGoAgain the team returned to being backmarkers after just 5 years.]]

The most famous team (by far) is Italy's ''Scuderia Ferrari'', who have participated in every season and almost every race since the sport's inception in 1950 - they did miss the very first World Championship race in 1950 and the odd race since, but have taken part in every single race weekend since the 1976 season. As such, they have won the most races (400+) and championships (16). Ferrari fell into a slump in the 1980s but slowly climbed back to the front starting in 1988, and were finally rejuvenated by the signing of Michael Schumacher in 1996 who after four barren years dominated the early-mid 2000s. Their last constructors' title came about in 2008, but after multiple seasons of playing second fiddle to Red Bull and later on Mercedes, they appeared to be genuinely fighting for both titles in 2018. Unfortunately for them, FIA confiscated their power unit after a string of strong performances in mid-2019, and found it wasn't legal... nor illegal. Nonetheless, Ferrari had to build a new one, and nowadays are a midfield outing with the odd lucky podium here and there. The start of the 2022 season saw a reversal of fortune for the Scuderia coupled with the rule changes, which saw them spring back to the very top of the grid alongside Red Bull.

The involvement of ''Mercedes-Benz'' in the sport is a very interesting story. Before Formula One as we know it was created, Mercedes was one of the leading forces in pre-WWII grand prix racing - often clashing against fellow German team Auto Union (now better known as Audi). Mercedes made its official debut in Formula One in 1954, immediately winning the World Drivers' Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio; the next season proved to be just as successful with Fangio and Stirling Moss finishing first and second in the standings, but the 1955 Le Mans disaster caused the German team to withdraw from all motorsport endeavors. Although they returned as an engine supplier to the Circus in 1994, the Silver Arrows would not properly compete in Formula One again until 2010, when Daimler AG bought a controlling stake on the then-defending champions Brawn GP. The team was rebranded as Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and would slowly climb up the ranks of the grid with the odd race win here and there. Their fortune dramatically changed in 2014 and the shift to hybrid engines, and for the next 8 years the Silver Arrows began what is probably the single most dominating period in the sport's history, winning all but ''one'' title between 2014 and 2021 with the help of Lewis Hamilton as their lead driver. The rule changes in 2022 saw them return to their pre-2014 selves, noticeably lagging behind against Red Bull and a now-rejuvenated Ferrari.

* '''Charles Leclerc vs. Max Verstappen''': this rivalry has become the main talking point of the 2022 season with Ferrari and Red Bull being the fastest teams on the grid, but it dates all the way back to the two drivers' karting days - a detail that is often overdramatized by media outlets. The two drivers came to blows for the first time in [=F1=] at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen forcing Leclerc to go wide after a collision in the battle for the race win. Leclerc replied in kind at the British Grand Prix while defending his position against Verstappen who was climbing back up the field. The rivalry thawed for a little while due to Ferrari lagging behind performance-wise in 2020 and 2021, but has returned full force in 2022: the season opener in Bahrain saw a furious battle for the lead, with Verstappen catching up on Leclerc two times in the start/finish straight only for the Monegasque driver to reply in kind through strategic DRS usage, while the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Verstappen making a decisive move against a then-race-leading Leclerc, who was denied a possible counter due to Alex Albon and Lance Stroll crashing out on the first sector and deploying a sector yellow as a result. Although most media outlets overdramatize the rivalry as a bad blood that ran for a decade, it is ''much'' more friendly and less volatile than the Max vs. Lewis rivalry; the two drivers even raced together while streaming on Twitch during the 2020 off-season. Of course, with the 2022 season having just began, things could very well be different in the future.

The involvement of ''Mercedes-Benz'' in the sport is a very interesting story. Before Formula One as we know it was created, Mercedes was one of the leading forces in pre-WWII grand prix racing - often clashing against fellow German team Auto Union (now better known as Audi). Mercedes made its official debut in Formula One in 1954, immediately winning the World Drivers' Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio; the next season proved to be just as successful with Fangio and Stirling Moss finishing first and second in the standings, but the 1955 Le Mans disaster caused the German team to withdraw from all motorsport endeavors. Although they returned as an engine supplier to the Circus in 1994, the Silver Arrows would not properly compete in Formula One until 2010, when Daimler AG bought a controlling stake on the then-defending champions Brawn GP. The team was rebranded as Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and would slowly climb up the ranks of the grid with the odd race win here and there. Their fortune dramatically changed in 2014, and for the next 8 years the Silver Arrows began what is probably the single most dominating period in the sport's history, winning all but ''one'' title between 2014 and 2021 with the help of Lewis Hamilton as their lead driver. The rule changes in 2022 saw them return to their pre-2014 selves, noticeably lagging behind against Red Bull and a now-rejuvenated Ferrari.

The involvement of ''Mercedes-Benz'' in the sport is a very interesting story. Before Formula One as we know it was created, Mercedes was one of the leading forces in pre-WWII grand prix racing - often clashing against fellow German team Auto Union (now better known as Audi). Mercedes made its official debut in Formula One in 1954, immediately winning the World Drivers' Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio; the next season proved to be just as successful with Fangio and Stirling Moss finishing first and second in the standings, but the Le Mans disaster caused the Germans to withdraw from all motorsport endeavors. Although they returned as an engine supplier to the Circus in 1994, the Silver Arrows would not properly compete in Formula One until 2010, when Daimler AG bought a controlling stake on the then-defending champions Brawn GP. The team was rebranded as Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and would slowly climb up the ranks of the grid with the odd race win here and there. Their fortune dramatically changed in 2014, and for the next 8 years the Silver Arrows began what is probably the single most dominating period in the sport's history, winning all but ''one'' title between 2014 and 2021 with the help of Lewis Hamilton as their lead driver. The rule changes in 2022 saw them return to their pre-2014 selves, noticeably lagging behind against Red Bull and a now-rejuvenated Ferrari.

The most famous team (by far) is Italy's ''Scuderia Ferrari'', who have participated in every season and almost every race since the sport's inception in 1950 - they did miss the very first World Championship race in 1950 and the odd race since, but have taken part in every single race weekend since the 1976 season. As such, they have won the most races (400+) and championships (16). Ferrari fell into a slump in the 1980s but slowly climbed back to the front starting in 1988, and were finally rejuvenated by the signing of Michael Schumacher in 1996 who after four barren years dominated the early-mid 2000s. Their last constructors' title came about in 2008, but after multiple seasons of playing second fiddle to Red Bull and later on Mercedes, they appeared to be genuinely fighting for both titles in 2018. Unfortunately for them, FIA confiscated their power unit after a string of strong performances in mid-2019, and found it wasn't legal... nor illegal. Nonetheless, Ferrari had to build a new one, and nowadays are a midfield outing with the odd lucky podium here and there.

Second in popularity is the British ''[=McLaren=]'' team, founded by the late New Zealander Bruce [=McLaren=]. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost dominated in the late 1980s driving for [=McLaren=]. Their last constructors' title came in 1999 - but after a string of podium finishes in almost all successive seasons (excluding the highly controversial 2007 season where they saw themselves stripped of all their constructors' championship points due to the "Spygate" scandal), they were reduced to backmarkers from 2015-2017 after switching their engine supplier to Honda. They switched again to Renault in 2018 where they handily beat their "parent" before finally returning to Mercedes power in 2021.

The British ''Williams'' team were frontrunners in the 90s, thanks partly to a strong design department spearheaded by Sir Patrick Head and Adrian Newey, but have slipped to the midfield in recent years and to the back in 2018.

Another relatively successful team is Benetton/Renault, who entered the sport as Benetton F1 in 1986 and won the odd race here and there, until they hit the jackpot in 1991 and signed a young German named ''Michael Schumacher'' under the nose of Jordan, a few days after he participated on his first race for the latter team. ''Schumi'' managed to win the 1994 Drivers Championship, but it was perhaps the ''most controversial 'ship in history'': it was tainted not only from Ayrton Senna's untimely death and the title-deciding collision in Adelaide, but there were also widespread allegations of Benetton using illegal driver aids - indeed, Launch Control (named ''Option 13'') was found hidden in the engine's software, and to this day the debate rages on about whether they actually used it or not. Benetton also won both titles next year in much less controversial circumstances, but in 1996 Schumacher (and the majority of the engineers) left for Ferrari, and the team faded into obscurity... until 2003, when Renault bought the team and signed a young, charismatic driver named ''Fernando Alonso'' who won back to back titles in 2005-06.

* '''Charles Leclerc vs. Max Verstappen''': this rivalry has become the main talking point of the 2022 season with Ferrari and Red Bull being the fastest teams on the grid, but it dates all the way back to the two drivers' karting days - a detail that is often overdramatized by media outlets. The two drivers came to blows for the first time in [=F1=] at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen forcing Leclerc to go wide after a collision in the battle for the race win. Leclerc replied in kind at the British Grand Prix while defending his position against Verstappen who was climbing back up the field. The rivalry thawed for a little while due to Ferrari lagging behind performance-wise in 2020 and 2021, but has returned full force in 2022: the season opener in Bahrain saw a furious battle for the lead, with Verstappen catching up on Leclerc two times in the start/finish straight only for the Monegasque driver to reply in kind through strategic DRS usage, while the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Verstappen making a decisive move against a then-race-leading Leclerc, who was denied a possible counter due to Alex Albon and Lance Stroll crashing out on the first sector and deploying a sector yellow as a result.

* '''Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen''': the latest rivalry has been quite short (so far at least) but extremely volatile, with both Verstappen and Hamilton getting penalized throughout the 2021 season for crashing into the other (albeit not on purpose...mostly). Verstappen later took advantage of Hamilton's mid-season slump to open up a large enough gap in the standings that he had realistic chances of clinching the title early; however, towards the end of the season, Hamilton recovered, winning three races back-to-back, and after his win at the latter of those, the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP (during which he and Verstappen fought repeatedly on track, with the latter even brake-testing him), they were level on points going into the final race in Abu Dhabi, for the first time since 1974. Verstappen got pole but Hamilton took the lead before the first corner, pretty much dominated the entire race, and would have won the title if not for a late crash that brought out the Safety Car and an ''extremely'' controversial call by the race director to let Hamilton (who had worn and hard tyres) and Verstappen (who had newer and softer tyres) essentially do a one-lap sprint to the chequered flag - with the latter getting ahead and winning the title.

* ''VideoGame/MotorsportManager'' features a F1 championship as its most prestigious championship, featuring expies of the teams and pilots of the first hybrid era from 2014 to 2021. The upcoming ''F1 Manager 22'', developed by Creator/FrontierDevelopments (of ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous'' and ''VideoGame/PlanetCoaster'' fame), is poised as a fully licensed counterpart based on the 2022 season.

* ''VideoGame/MotorsportManager'' features a F1 championship as its most prestigious championship, featuring expies of the teams and pilots of the first hybrid era from 2014 to 2021. The upcoming ''F1 Manager 22'', developed by Creator/FrontierGames (of ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous'' and ''VideoGame/PlanetCoaster'' fame), is poised as a fully licensed counterpart based on the 2022 season.

** FIA themselves are currently licensing the Formula One brand to Creator/{{Codemasters}} (who are a household name in auto racing games thanks to the ''VideoGame/{{Colin McRae|Rally}}'' and ''VideoGame/GRiD'' series) [[OlderThanTheyThink They also released several loosely based F1 games during the days of the Commodore C64 back in the late '80s/early 90's]]). They now release an annual game based on the current season [though said game always comes towards the end of the season, which is explained as the time the teams and drivers' characteristics are better sorted out (not so for F1 2019, the most recent entry, released on June 28).

* ''Daniel Ricciardo'', Australian[[note]]Although actually Italian-Australian, Ricciardo actually pronounces his surname as "Ricardo" instead of Italian pronunciation "Rit-tchar-do"[[/note]], and a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, which success in the lower categories prompted his rise to the Scuderia Toro Rosso team, before joining the main Red Bull team after Mark Webber's retirement. After four years in Red Bull, he raced for two years at Renault, before switching over to McLaren in 2021. Known as the Honey Badger for his racing style, as well as his smile and of course, the "shoey", which he introduced on the podium in 2016 after celebrating a podium finish at the German Grand Prix, and would repeat whenever he was on the podium.

* ''Nigel Mansell'', English driver most associated with Williams, with which he was champion in 1992. Crossed over to CART [=IndyCar=] for its 1993 season and won the championship (and nearly the Indy 500 as well) which lead Mansell to become the only driver so far to hold both of open-wheel racing's top series titles simultaneously. His ferocious driving style made him very popular among fans, to the point that Ferrari fans dubbed him "the Lion of England" in his brief stint for the Italian team.