1.
Faenza
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Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 kilometres southeast of Bologna. Faenza is noted for its manufacture of glazed earthenware pottery. In the nearby valleys of the rivers Samoggia and Lamone there are great number of 18th and 19th century stately homes. According to mythology, the name of the first settlement, Faoentia, had Etruscan and Celtic roots, meaning in Latin Splendeo inter deos or I shine among the gods, in modern English. The very name, coming from the Romans who developed this center under the name of Faventia, has become synonymous with ceramics in various languages, including French, here Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius defeated populares army of Gnaeus Papirius Carbo in 82 BC. Here Totila and an Ostrogothic army defeated the Byzantine army in Italy in the Battle of Faventia in 542 CE, after a period of decadence from the 2nd century to the early Middle Ages it regained prosperity from 8th century on. The first consuls were elected in 1141 and in 1155 a podestà was in charge of government of the city, in the wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines that began in the following years Faenza was at first loyal to the emperor. In 1178, however, it changed side and entered the Lombard League, the inner disputes anyway favoured acquisition of power by Maghinardo Pagano, who remained podestà and capitano del popolo for several years. At the beginning of the 14th century the Guelph Manfredi began a rule over Faenza that was to last for almost two centuries, the peak of splendour was reached under Carlo II Manfredi, in the second half of the century, when the city centre was renewed. In 1488 Galeotto Manfredi was assassinated by his wife, his son Astorre III succeeded him, but was in turn killed in Rome as a prisoner of Cesare Borgia, after a brief period of Venetian domination Faenza became part of the Papal States until 1797. Faenzas architectural attractions are concentrated in the two main squares, Piazza del Popolo, lined by two double order porticoed wings, and Piazza della Libertà. Faenza Cathedral, located along the east side of Piazza della Libertà, influenced by Tuscan style, it is one of the highest expressions of Renaissance art in Romagna. Built to Giuliano da Maianos design, it was begun in 1474, the marble decoration of the façade remained unfinished. Goldsmiths Portico opposite the Cathedral this open gallery and monumental fountain with bronzes were built in the first decade of the 17th century. Clock Tower, in front of the entrance to the Piazza, is a rebuilding of the 17th century tower that stood at the crossroad of the cardo. Among the other monuments of the centre are Palazzo Milzetti, the richest and most significant Neoclassical building in the region. In the nearby, the Villa Case Grandi dei Ferniani has a collection of 18th and 19th century Faenza ceramics, Faenza is home to the International Museum of Ceramics. Other interesting art collections are located in the Municipal Art Gallery, the Diocese Museum, the Bendandi Museum, the historic production of Faenza majolica is recognized worldwide as one of the highest moments of artistic creativity expressed through pottery
2.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
3.
Paul Stoddart
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Paul Stoddart is an Australian millionaire airline magnate, and former owner of the Minardi Formula One racing team. He later took the Minardi brand into the Champ Car World Series after his purchase of a portion of CTE-HVM Racing which he renamed Minardi Team USA for 2007, born in Coburg, Melbourne, Australia, and attended Preston Technical School and St Josephs College Melbourne. Stoddarts first business was a car dealership, he was a patron from the start. He was later based in England and was the Yugo car distributor for the UK, the Falcon 20 aircraft were onsold from his Sydney base, at Hawker Pacific Mascot, to civilian buyers. The first BAC1-11 was flown to England in April 1990 with the following in 1991. He bought a number of BAC 1-11 aircraft from DAN AIR forming European Aviation, Stoddart returned to racing in 1996 when he purchased ten Tyrrell F1 cars, a Minardi, a Benetton, and a Brabham for his own use. Stoddart bought much of the Tyrrell equipment and became a sponsor of Jordan Grand Prix in 1999, European Aviation moved on to sponsor Arrows in 2000 and his European Racing became the Arrows Junior Team, with driver Mark Webber. Stoddart realized his dream to become a Formula One team owner when Minardi shareholder Gabriele Rumi sold out to him shortly before the 2001 season began, under Stoddart, the team struggled from 2001 to 2005, remaining a perennial backmarker due to its shortage of lucrative sponsorship. Stoddart almost sold European Aviation at the end of 2002 and Wilux became Minardis title sponsor, a lack of sponsorship once again left Minardis future very much in doubt. On 12 September 2005, Stoddart announced that he had sold his team to Red Bull Racing owner Dietrich Mateschitz, however, rival entry Prodrive were awarded the 12th and final place on the grid. The team was successful, Robert Doornbos finishing 3rd overall and taking the Rookie of the Year honours, however, a month before the 2008 season, ChampCar was absorbed by the rival Indy Racing League. Although enthusiastic about the future of the series, Stoddart opted not to enter it, fearing that he, however, the half of the team owned by Keith Wiggins continued on as HVM Racing in the IRL
4.
Pierluigi Martini
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Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver. He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix between 1984 and 1995, Martinis uncle, Giancarlo Martini, raced during the 1970s, including some non-championship races in a Ferrari 312T entered by Scuderia Everest, a team owned by Giancarlo Minardi. Pierluigis younger brother, Oliver, is also a racing driver, Martini participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1984, driving for Toleman in place of suspended Ayrton Senna at the 1984 Italian Grand Prix. He scored a total of 18 championship points and was synonymous with the Minardi team, indeed, aside from a single outing with Toleman and a one-season dalliance with Scuderia Italia, Martinis entire career was spent with the Italian outfit. However, Martini was also one of the drivers who tended to ignoring blue flags, on both occasions Martini was called in for a 10 second stop and go penalty for ignoring blue flags. After Formula One, Martini started a successful sportscar career and his first race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was in 1996 with a Porsche run by Joest Racing. 1997 brought a fourth-place finish in a Porsche 911 GT1 which he raced in the FIA GT Championship that year. In 1998, he joined the brand new Le Mans program of BMW Motorsports, in 1999, Martini, Yannick Dalmas and Joachim Winkelhock won the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team had to fight both Toyota and Mercedes works cars and won the race by a lap from the runner-up Toyota, Martini returned to motorsports in 2006, competing in the Grand Prix Masters series for retired Formula One drivers. ^ DRIVERS, PIERLUIGI MARTINI, GrandPrix. com F1 Rejects article Driver Database Stats Racing Reference Stats
5.
Alessandro Nannini
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Alessandro Sandro Nannini is a former racing driver from Italy. He is the brother of rock-singer Gianna Nannini. He began racing in a Lancia Stratos at national events before switching to Formula Italia in 1981. From 1982 to 1984, he raced for Minardi in Formula 2, Nannini continued with Lancia instead, his best result being third in the 1000km Monza. For 1986, Nannini was finally granted a Super Licence and signed up with Minardis Grand Prix team, the car was uncompetitive and unreliable, largely due to its disappointing Motori Moderni V6 engine. However, Nanninis speed was noticed by many, especially after he largely outperformed experienced team-mate Andrea de Cesaris in 1986, Benetton signed Nannini for 1988 to drive alongside Thierry Boutsen. He generally performed well, often out-pacing the highly regarded Belgian if not matching his consistency. He scored his first point in his race for the team. With Boutsen leaving for Williams Nannini was promoted to team leader at Benetton alongside young Englishman Johnny Herbert and delivered a number of strong performances, there he lay third behind the two McLaren cars of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost when they collided, giving Nannini the lead. Prost retired whereas Senna rejoined after being push-started and pitted to replace his front wing, trailing Nannini in the race and he rounded off the season with an impressive second place in torrential rain at Adelaide, moving him to sixth overall in the championship. For 1990, he was joined in the team by Nelson Piquet, however, he impressed by largely matching the pace of the three-times World Champion. At Hockenheim he led the race by deciding against stopping for tyres and he also challenged at the following Hungarian Grand Prix, hounding leader Boutsen until being controversially pushed off by the following Senna. On 12 October 1990, the week after the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, the injury healed thanks to successful microsurgery but it ended his Formula One career. Nannini had been reconfirmed by Benetton for 1991 but Ferrari had a long-standing interest in the driver and were considering him as a replacement for the departing Nigel Mansell, once sufficiently recovered, Ferrari offered Nannini a test drive on its Fiorano Circuit in 1992. Nannini completed a total of 38-laps driving Jean Alesis Ferrari F92A, in 1996, Benettons Flavio Briatore also honoured the promise of a test drive, which took place at the Estoril Circuit aboard a B196. He now runs a chain of upmarket cafes bearing his name,2007 saw Nannini’s return to the track after a decade in retirement. He agreed to part in the short-lived Grand Prix Masters Championship for Formula One veterans. He is a member of the Italy-USA Foundation, † — Retired, but was classified as he completed 90% of the winners race distance
6.
Andrea de Cesaris
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Andrea de Cesaris was an Italian racing driver. He started 208 Formula One Grands Prix but never won, holding the record for the longest career without a race victory, a string of accidents early in his career earned him the nickname Andrea de Crasheris, and he became known for being very fast but also wildly erratic. The nickname stuck, though he went on to become a calmer, in 2005 and 2006 he competed in the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired F1 drivers. He died on 5 October 2014 after losing control of his motorcycle on Romes Grande Raccordo Anulare motorway, De Cesaris was born in Rome on 31 May 1959. A multiple karting champion, he graduated to Formula 3 in Britain, winning numerous events, from Formula 3, he graduated to Formula 2 with future McLaren boss Ron Dennis Project 4 team. At just 21 years old, his first race in Canada ended after eight laps because of engine failure, in his second race, at Watkins Glen in the United States, he went off and crashed into the catch fencing at the Junction corner after two laps. The team was so worried that he would crash the car that they withdrew his car from the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort after he qualified 13th, the Italian managed to finish only 6 of the 14 races he started. A sixth place at Imola was his best result and this was not enough to convince the resurgent McLaren team to him on. It was at point in his career that the nickname Andrea de Crasheris was coined. In July 1981 de Cesaris and Henri Pescarolo finished second to the team of Riccardo Patrese and Michele Alboreto in a 6-hour endurance race at Watkins Glen, both teams drove Lancia cars with de Cesaris and Pescarolo finishing two laps behind. Related article, Alfa Romeo in Formula One Moving back to Alfa Romeo in 1982, De Cesaris was also only the second Alfa Romeo driver to capture a pole since 1952. De Cesaris led the initial stages of the race until he missed a gear while lapping the slower car of Raul Boesel and he crashed out later on the fifth of twelve turns near the midway point of the race. De Cesaris was not injured but flames emanated from the rear of his Alfa Romeo as he climbed out of its battered cockpit. From this point onwards, de Cesaris was nearly always seen by most in the paddock as prone to occasional brilliance but more often than not,1982 saw a podium finish at Monte Carlo and another point in Canada. At the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix Didier Pironi retired on the lap with electrical trouble on his Ferrari. De Cesaris ran out of fuel at the point, allowing Riccardo Patrese to win his first Formula 1 race in 71 starts.319 seconds behind. Related article, Ligier De Cesaris moved to Ligier in 1984 and he scored only three points during the season. Driving a Ford BDA powered Ralt RT4, de Cesaris qualified in 5th place, after entering the pits at the end of the warm up lap, he exited the pits moments before the green flag and was almost a lap behind when the race started
7.
Gianni Morbidelli
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Gianni Morbidelli is an Italian racing driver. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points and he currently competes in the TCR International Series. Morbidelli starting karting in 1980, spending six years until he became the EUR-AM championship winner and he became Italian Formula 3 and Formula 3 European Cup champion in 1989, as well as winning two races in Italian Touring Cars. He then moved to the Scuderia Italia Formula One team, doing the first 2 races of the 1990 F1 season as stand-in for Emanuele Pirro, before concentrating on Formula 3000. He won 1 race and finished 5th in the 1990 championship, resuming his F1 career at the end of the 1990 season, Morbidelli competed in the final two races of the season with Minardi, where he remained until the end of 1992. A lack of sponsorship led to him leaving Minardi to rejoin Italian Touring Cars for 1993 and he managed four-point-scoring positions in two years with the team, including his only podium place finish in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, earning third place in a race of high attrition. Morbidelli became Footwork Arrows most successful driver, with a total of eight points for the team. Morbidelli also competed in the Italian Superturismo Championship for 1995, scoring two wins, and, after spending a year out in 1996 testing for Jordan. Back in Formula One for 1997, he raced in several events for Sauber as a replacement for Nicola Larini. He scored no points and was not classified in the championship for that year and his unsuccessful season, and two injuries by separate testing accidents, led to Morbidelli retiring from Formula One racing. In 1998 he drove for Volvo in the British Touring Car Championship, but was not as competitive as his team-mate Rickard Rydell, who won that years title. His only competitive showing was in the meeting at Thruxton. Morbidelli raced in the Italian round of the 2004 season in a SEAT Toledo, Morbidelli drove a Lamborghini in several grand tourer races in 2005, and moved back to touring cars for 2006. Competing in the World Touring Car Championship for N-Technology, he managed two second places in an Alfa Romeo 156, not as competitive as when he was driving the BMW, he moved back to GT racing for 2007, winning two races in the ADAC GT Masters series. He has had success in the Italian Superstars Championship, where Morbidelli won the title with both Audi RS4 and BMW M3 three years in a row from 2007. The short-lived Speedcar Series gave him another title, where he won the 2008–09 championship. The season featured a fight with defending champion Johnny Herbert
8.
Brazil
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Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. As the worlds fifth-largest country by area and population, it is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to wildlife, a variety of ecological systems. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, in 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a state governed under a constitutional monarchy. The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, the country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup détat. An authoritarian military junta came to power in 1964 and ruled until 1985, Brazils current constitution, formulated in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, Brazils economy is the worlds ninth-largest by nominal GDP and seventh-largest by GDP as of 2015. A member of the BRICS group, Brazil until 2010 had one of the worlds fastest growing economies, with its economic reforms giving the country new international recognition. Brazils national development bank plays an important role for the economic growth. Brazil is a member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, Unasul, Mercosul, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, CPLP. Brazil is a power in Latin America and a middle power in international affairs. One of the worlds major breadbaskets, Brazil has been the largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years and it is likely that the word Brazil comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast. In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology red like an ember, formed from Latin brasa and the suffix -il. As brazilwood produces a red dye, it was highly valued by the European cloth industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil. The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name, early sailors sometimes also called it the Land of Parrots. In the Guarani language, a language of Paraguay, Brazil is called Pindorama
9.
Christian Fittipaldi
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Christian Fittipaldi is a Brazilian professional racing driver who has competed in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, Champ Car and NASCAR. Fittipaldi was fifth in the CART series in 1996 and 2002 and he is the son of former Grand Prix driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi, and the nephew of two-time Formula One Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. Born in São Paulo, Fittipaldi was second in the Brazilian Formula Ford in 1988, after finishing third in the South American Formula 3 in 1989, in 1990 he won the title in the Formula 3 Sudamericana and the fourth place in the British Formula 3. In 1991, the Brazilian was installed in Europe to compete in the Formula 3000, later, he was third in the Macau Grand Prix of Formula 3. The jump to Formula 1 gave it with Minardi, one of the most modest of the grid in the 1993 season. That year he managed to score a total of five points in the drivers championship, the following season he competed in the Footwork team and earned two fourth places, adding to a total of six points in the championship. At the end of this season Fittipaldi decided to try his luck in the competitions of the United States. However, just as Fittipaldis American career looked to be taking off, although he was able to return both times and win further races, he never regained a consistent form, and never won a CART championship. With his Champ Car career on hold, Fittipaldi shifted his focus to NASCAR and he made three appearances in the Busch Series during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Although he was not impressive in those races, he was signed to Petty Enterprises near late-2002, in 2003, he made his first Daytona 500 start in a one-race deal with Andy Petree and then made a handful of appearances for Petty in ARCA. In the summer of year, Fittipaldi became the driver of the illustrious #43 car after John Andretti was let go. He struggled and was reassigned shortly after the start of autumn, in parallel to his activity in Formula 1, was winner of the 199324 Hours of Spa and 1994 Brazilian 1000 Miles. Fittipaldi debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2003 with the Bell team and it was one of the pilots that won the 200424 Hours of Daytona, in this case with a Doran-Pontiac. Then participated in four rounds from the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with Bell. The Brazilian contested the first two races of the 2006 Grand-Am series with Bell, earning a place at Homestead. Then ran six rounds with Riley-Pontiac of The Racers Group, earning a victory in Phoenix and that same year, he participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Saleen S7, where he finished in sixth place in the GT1 class, a total of eleven participants. Continuing with Cheever, Fittipaldi achieved a fourth, seventh and eighth in 2007, also, it came tenth in the GT1 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the wheel of an Aston Martin DB9 of team Modena alongside Antonio Garcia and amateur. Fittipaldi disputed the first four rounds of the 2008 American Le Mans Series with Andretti Green, piloting an Acura LMP2 with Bryan Herta, earned a fourth place, a fifth, a sixth and a seventh
10.
Alessandro Zanardi
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Alessandro Alex Zanardi is an Italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. He won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998 in North America and he also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. More recently, he has attracted praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a crash in 2001 that resulted in the amputation of his legs. He returned to racing less than two years after the accident, competing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for BMW Team Italy-Spain between 2003 and 2009. Switching sports, Zanardi took up competition in handcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, in September 2011, Zanardi won his first senior international handcycling medal, the silver medal in the H4 category time trial at the UCI World Road Para-Cycling Championships. Alex Zanardi was born in Bologna, Italy, son of Dino and his family moved to the town of Castel Maggiore on the citys outskirts when he was four. His sister Cristina was a promising swimmer prior her death in a collision in 1979. Zanardi began racing karts at age 13 and he built his kart from the wheels of a dustbin and pipes from his fathers work. In 1988, he joined the Italian Formula 3 series, with a place as his highest finish. In 1989, Zanardi took two pole positions and three podiums despite his teams switching to unleaded fuel, which reduced his cars engine power, in 1991, he moved up to the Formula 3000 series with the Il Barone Rampante team, themselves newcomers to the series. He won his F3000 debut race, scoring two wins that season and finishing second in the championship. 1991 Zanardi had his first taste of Formula One at a test session for Paul Ricard, by the end of that year, he had begun his career in Formula One. Three starts for Jordan were his reward for a strong F3000 campaign,1992 In 1992, however, Zanardi had to be content with guest drives for Minardi, replacing the injured Christian Fittipaldi. In the off-season, he tested for Benetton, but he contracted with Lotus for 1993,1993 Zanardi compared reasonably to teammate Johnny Herbert and was important in fine-tuning the teams active suspension system, scoring his only F1 point at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Zanardi was injured when an elderly motorist collided with his bicycle, knocking him down, despite suffering several broken bones, Zanardi raced in Germany, but he spun out and did not finish. Zanardis season ended prematurely after he sustained a concussion as a result of a crash in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. 1994 Still recovering, Zanardi missed the beginning of the 1994 season, but he returned in the Spanish Grand Prix, replacing Pedro Lamy, however, that years Lotus lacked pace and reliability, and Zanardi failed to score a single point or qualify higher than 13th. With Lotus Formula One having folded, Zanardi took time to race in Sports car racing and his first meeting was at a Porsche Supercup event at Imola
11.
Michele Alboreto
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Michele Alboreto was an Italian racing driver. He is famous for finishing runner up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, Alboreto competed in Formula One from 1981 until 1994, racing for a number of teams, most notably his five seasons driving for Ferrari. The Italians career in began in 1976, racing a car he. The car, however, achieved little success and two years later Alboreto moved up to Formula Three. Wins in the Italian Formula Three championship and a European Formula Three Championship crown in 1980 paved the way for the Italians entrance into Formula One with the Tyrrell team. Two wins, the first in the round of the 1982 season in Las Vegas. Alboreto took three wins for the Italian team and challenged Alain Prost for the 1985 Championship, eventually losing out by 20 points, further seasons with Footwork, Scuderia Italia and Minardi followed during the tail end of his F1 career. In 1995, Alboreto moved on to sportscars and a year later the American IndyCar series and he took his final major victories, the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours and 2001 Sebring 12 Hours, with German manufacturers Porsche and Audi respectively. In 2001, a month after his Sebring victory, he was killed testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany, Michele Alboreto started his career in 1976 racing in Formula Monza with a car he and his friends built, known as the CMR. The car itself proved to be uncompetitive and in 1978 Alboreto, now in a more competitive March, Two years later Alboreto moved up to Formula Three, racing in a Euroracing-entered March-Toyota in both the European and Italian series. In his début Formula Three season, Alboreto finished 6th and 2nd respectively in the two championships, scoring three wins in the Italian series, an appearance in the British Championship was also made that year. Alboretos European title earned him a move into Formula Two, a series for Formula One. He scored Minardis only F2 victory, at Misano, during the 1981 season where he finished eighth in the championship. He shared the Group 5 category Lancia Beta Montecarlo with Walter Röhrl or Eddie Cheever on four occasions during the 1980 season, Alboreto again ran a partial schedule in 1981 even though he was also running Formula Two and Formula One. This season included his first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and he earned an eighth-place finish overall, second in class, and was the highest finishing Lancia. He followed this with his first win in the championship, at the Six Hours of Watkins Glen with co-driver Riccardo Patrese, Alboreto finished the year 52nd in the Drivers Championship, the highest ranked Lancia driver. When Lancia chose to move to a new class of competition with the Lancia LC1 as the championship concentrated solely on endurance races in 1982, a small schedule for the championship, as well as an emphasis on European circuits allowed him to compete in every race that year. Although the LC1 suffered from mechanical problems on its debut, Alboreto, teo Fabi joined the duo for the 1000 km of the Nürburgring, where they once again earned a victory
12.
Luca Badoer
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Luca Badoer is an Italian former racing driver. Badoer has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti Corse and most recently, under the 2010 scoring system, he would have scored 26 points over his career. He nearly achieved a finish in the 1999 European Grand Prix when a strong drive saw him reach fourth place. Badoer was born in Montebelluna, Veneto, Italy and he raced karts in his youth starting in 1985 and scored two wins. In 1986, Badoer drove in the 100cc category to become the champion of Venice. He won the Italian championship in the 100cc international class in 1988, in 1989, Badoer moved to single-seater racing, joining the Trivellato team in the Italian Formula Three Championship driving a Dallara/Alfa Romeo that followed a move to MRD in 1990. Driving a Ralt RT33 Alfa Romeo, he defeated Alex Zanardi and Roberto Colciago to win the race of the 1990 season. In 1991 he moved to the Supercars team driving a Dallara 391 Alfa Romeo to win four races in succession, Badoer finished 4th overall taking 33 points. For 1992 he was picked to drive by Crypton Engineering for the Formula 3000 Championship, in which he emerged as champion, winning four races en route to the title. His debut Formula One season in 1993 was mired by BMS Scuderia Italias uncompetitive Lola chassis, in South Africa, Badoer retired after 20 laps due to gearbox failure. In Brazil, Badoer qualified 21st and finished 12th after an incident forced him to pit for a new nose cone, at Donington, he fell victim to a new rule limiting qualifying to the fastest 24 cars. The round at Imola saw Badoer race as high as sixth and this remained Badoers best result in Formula One. In Spain, he was unable to finish and at Monaco and he managed to finish 15th in Canada. At Magny-Cours, Silverstone, Hockenheim and Budapest, Badoer failed to finish, going into Spa, the Lola team was gaining reliability and Badoer finished 13th. At his home race at Monza he was ahead of Christian Fittipaldi and battled for several laps before the Brazilian hit Badoers car, at Estoril, Badoer finished 14th after starting last. After the race, Lola did not travel to the races in Japan, Badoer took over Alboretos seat after the former retired. In the underfunded team using a Ford V8 after a deal with Mugen-Honda fell through, during the race, Badoer collided with the back of Mika Salos Tyrrell and hit Rubens Barichellos Jordan later on bringing out the red flag. Badoer did not make the restart, having no spare chassis and his best results were eighth places in Canada and Hungary and ninth in Japan
13.
Portugal
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Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, to the west and south it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east and north by Spain. The Portugal–Spain border is 1,214 kilometres long and considered the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union, the republic also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. The territory of modern Portugal has been settled, invaded. The Pre-Celts, Celts, Carthaginians and the Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigothic, in 711 the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by the Moors, making Portugal part of Muslim Al Andalus. Portugal was born as result of the Christian Reconquista, and in 1139, Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King of Portugal, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal established the first global empire, becoming one of the worlds major economic, political and military powers. Portugal monopolized the trade during this time, and the Portuguese Empire expanded with military campaigns led in Asia. After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, democracy was restored after the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution in 1974. Shortly after, independence was granted to almost all its overseas territories, Portugal has left a profound cultural and architectural influence across the globe and a legacy of over 250 million Portuguese speakers today. Portugal is a country with a high-income advanced economy and a high living standard. It is the 5th most peaceful country in the world, maintaining a unitary semi-presidential republican form of government and it has the 18th highest Social Progress in the world, putting it ahead of other Western European countries like France, Spain and Italy. Portugal is a pioneer when it comes to drug decriminalization, as the nation decriminalized the possession of all drugs for use in 2001. The early history of Portugal is shared with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula located in South Western Europe, the name of Portugal derives from the joined Romano-Celtic name Portus Cale. Other influences include some 5th-century vestiges of Alan settlements, which were found in Alenquer, Coimbra, the region of present-day Portugal was inhabited by Neanderthals and then by Homo sapiens, who roamed the border-less region of the northern Iberian peninsula. These were subsistence societies that, although they did not establish prosperous settlements, neolithic Portugal experimented with domestication of herding animals, the raising of some cereal crops and fluvial or marine fishing. Chief among these tribes were the Calaicians or Gallaeci of Northern Portugal, the Lusitanians of central Portugal, the Celtici of Alentejo, a few small, semi-permanent, commercial coastal settlements were also founded in the Algarve region by Phoenicians-Carthaginians. Romans first invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 219 BC, during the last days of Julius Caesar, almost the entire peninsula had been annexed to the Roman Republic. The Carthaginians, Romes adversary in the Punic Wars, were expelled from their coastal colonies and it suffered a severe setback in 150 BC, when a rebellion began in the north
14.
Pedro Lamy
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José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, known as Pedro Lamy is a Portuguese professional racing driver. He was the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi. Born in Aldeia Galega, Alenquer, Portugal, Lamy graduated from karting and won the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship in his year, in 1989. Taking on Domingos Piedade as a manager, Lamy moved to Formula Opel Lotus and won the championship in his second attempt, with Piedades help, Lamy went to Germany to race in the local Formula Three series. Signing for Willi Webers team, he defeated Marco Werner in the fight for the Championship, in 1992, also winning the Marlboro Masters in Zandvoort and finishing second in the Macau Grand Prix. In 1993, Lamy got the chance to race in the final four Formula One races of the season and he scored no points, but was signed for the team to drive the full 1994 season. Lamy drove the first four races, before suffering a crash in private testing at Silverstone. Lamy stayed with Minardi for 1996, but the lack of resources meant the car received little development. Afterwards, Lamy moved to the FIA GT Championship, where he won the GT2 class in 1998 in an Oreca Chrysler Viper GTS-R. He then raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the DTM for the works Mercedes team, switching to the Zakspeed outfit, he won the 24 Hours Nürburgring twice in a row, taking the V8Star Series crown as well, in 2003. In 2004 he drove for BMW Motorsport in a few selected events including the 24 Hours Nürburgring that he won again and he also won the GTS class in the Le Mans Endurance Series in a Larbre Compétition Ferrari 550 Maranello. In 2005, Lamy was announced as the driver of A1 Team Portugal in the 2005 A1 Grand Prix, however, Lamy never went beyond testing, and Álvaro Parente was appointed the main drivers seat. Instead, Lamy remained with the Aston Martin Racing squad, taking part in the American Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2007, Lamy became a driver for the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Le Mans Series. Lamy became LMP1 champion in the LMS in the first season, in 2010, he again won the 24 Hours Nürburgring driving for BMW Motorsport. He is now tied with Marcel Tiemann for the record of wins at this famous 24h race, as of present time he is still official driver for the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2012, Lamy participated in the FIA World Endurance Championship, † Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance. † Not eligible for points † There was no drivers championship that year, the result indicates team rank in the LMGTE Am Trophy
15.
Giancarlo Fisichella
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Giancarlo Fisichella, also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian professional racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Since then he has driven for AF Corse in their Ferrari 458 GTE at various events, becoming twice a Le Mans 24 Hour class winner. He was also Ferraris F1 reserve driver for 2010, Fisichella won three races in his Formula One career, the first of which was at the chaotic 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, a race abandoned for safety reasons with 15 laps remaining. He was brought into the Renault team to replace fellow Italian Jarno Trulli, however, after that race it was his team-mate, the Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, that would win the greater share of races for Renault. Although highly rated as a driver, Fisichella was unable to pace with eventual champion Alonso. Outside of driving, he has backed his own GP2 team, Fisichella has three children, Carlotta, Christopher and Carolina, with his wife Luna Castellani. The couple married on 10 October 2009, on 17 June 2012 Fisichella won the GTE Pro division of the Le Mans 24hrs for AF Corse and followed this up with the Manufacturers title in the WEC at the end of the season. Fisichella is set to continue with AF Corse for the forthcoming 2013 WEC season competing for a title for the first time. Like most current Formula One drivers, he began racing as a youngster in the Guidonias Kart circuit. In 1992, he competed in the Italian Formula Three Championship and he finished runner up in 1993, and in 1994 he won the championship, following race victories in Monaco and Macau. He left open-wheel racing briefly in 1995 and 1996, driving for Alfa Romeo in the International Touring Car Championship, in 1996, he made the move to Formula One, making his debut for the Minardi team, after being the official test driver the previous season. However he did not complete the season since Minardi required a driver who could bring funding to the team. For 1997 he made the move to Eddie Jordans eponymous team, Fisichella gained his first podium finish at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix, and went on to finish higher in the points standings than his team-mate. At Hockenheim a victory looked to be within reach for Fisichella, but a puncture, Fisichella was able to show his talent again at the rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix in which he finished a commendable second behind Michael Schumacher. Following this race, the Benetton team signed him for 1998, the timing of his move to Benetton move was unfortunate. Following Renaults withdrawal from Formula One, Benetton would contest the 1998 season without works engines, despite not having the latest engines, Fisichella still managed second places at Montreal and Monaco, even being in contention for a victory in Canada until gearbox problems slowed him down. In Austria, Fisichella scored his first pole position, although an on-track clash with Jean Alesi during the race cost him any chance of a good result
16.
Jarno Trulli
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Jarno Trulli is an Italian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1997 to 2011, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, Lotus Racing and Team Lotus. His best result in the World Drivers Championship was sixth place in 2004, throughout his Formula One career, Trulli was renowned for his skill in qualifying, regularly achieving far better grid positions than rivals with superior cars to his own. He was also known for his driving style which allowed him to successfully hold off quicker drivers. Trulli was slated to compete in the 2012 Formula One season, in 2014–15 he competed in the inaugural season of the FIA Formula E Championship, driving for Trulli GP, a team he founded himself. His parents were fans and named their son after Jarno Saarinen. In 1997, Trulli made his debut in Formula One with Minardi, after 7 races he replaced the injured Olivier Panis at Prost and impressed immediately, finishing fourth in Germany and even leading in Austria, looking set to finish second until his engine blew. He stayed at the Prost team for the two seasons and eventually scored his first podium in wet conditions at the 1999 European Grand Prix. However, this was a highlight in a race few of the main front-runners finished. In 2000 he moved to the Irish squad, but the team was no longer the force it had been in the late 1990s, in his two years with Jordan, Trulli failed to score a podium, but did impress with a series of brilliant qualifying displays. During this period suggestions were made that Trulli was more of a qualifying specialist than an out-and-out fast race driver, under long-term contract to personal manager Flavio Briatore, Trulli secured a contract with the Anglo-French squad for 2002. Alongside Jenson Button, he often outqualified his British teammate, but was shaded in races. Regardless of Buttons improved pace that season, it was Trulli who stayed at Renault for 2003 to partner promoted test-driver Fernando Alonso, the 2003 Renault was a strong car and in Alonsos hands won in Hungary. Trulli struggled to attain similar results, but did achieve a podium in Germany, mindful of how much Alonso had outperformed him in 2003, Trulli improved markedly the next year. For the first half of the season he was the better of the two Renault drivers, racking up points and podiums. At Monaco he finally took his first victory after a brilliant display from pole position, having performed so well, the Italian was eager to stick with the team for 2005, but his relationship with team-boss Briatore soured. A last corner error which allowed Ferraris Rubens Barrichello onto the podium in France enraged the team and he did not score any points after the French Grand Prix and was consistently off the pace during races. He later accused the team of favouring Alonso, but the reasons why his 2004 season deteriorated have never properly identified
17.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
18.
Fernando Alonso
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Fernando Alonso Díaz audio is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a double World Champion who is currently racing for McLaren-Honda. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers, born in Oviedo, the capital of the autonomous region of Asturias, Alonso started in karting from the age of 3. He won three consecutive karting championships in Spain from 1994 to 1997, and he became world karting champion in 1996 and he made his Formula One debut in the 2001 season with Minardi, and then moved to the Renault team as a test driver the next year. Starting in 2003 Alonso then became one of the drivers of the team. On 25 September 2005, he won the Formula One World Drivers Championship title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, after retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion at the time. He joined McLaren in 2007, before returning to Renault for two seasons in 2008 and 2009, for the 2010 season, he joined Scuderia Ferrari. His strongest title challenges were in 2010 and 2012, finishing both seasons just adrift of title winner Sebastian Vettel and he left Ferrari at the end of the 2014 season, two years prior to the original expiry of his contract. Nicknamed El Nano, a pseudonym for Fernando in Asturias, his place of birth. With his fourth-place finish in the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, scoring his 1, 571st career point, however, the record has once again been broken by Sebastian Vettel at the 2015 Italian Grand Prix. As of January 2016, Alonso is the only Spanish driver to have won a Formula One Grand Prix and is the driver with the sixth highest number of Grand Prix wins, Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo, Asturias in northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as a mechanic in a factory near Oviedo. Alonso has a sister, Lorena. Alonsos father José Luis, a kart racer, wanted to pass on his passion to his children. He built a kart, originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but unlike her three-year-old brother, Alonso attended the Holy Guardian Angel Primary School in Oviedo until he was 14 when he later attended the Institute Leopoldo Alas Clarín of San Lazaro. He dropped out in 2000 as his commitment to motor racing prevented him from further studying, Alonso lived in Oxford, England until he moved his residence to Switzerland in 2006. Alonso owned a house in Mont-sur-Rolle, near Lake Geneva from 2006 to 2010 and it is highly common for Formula One stars to take up residence in Switzerland to reduce their tax bills. In the winter of 2010–11, Alonso moved back to Oviedo in order to be closer to friends and family, Alonso married Raquel del Rosario, lead singer of Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo, on 17 November 2006. They announced their intention to divorce in December 2011, in mid-2012, Alonso started dating Russian model Dasha Kapustina
19.
Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the worlds sixth-largest country by total area, the neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Australias capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney, for about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages classifiable into roughly 250 groups. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored, on 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, Australia has the worlds 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index globally, the country highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom. The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times, the Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted, in 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. The first official published use of the term Australia came with the 1830 publication of The Australia Directory and these first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists, the northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent New Holland during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688, in 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration, a British settlement was established in Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the part of Western Australia in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales, South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, the Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia
20.
Mark Webber
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After some racing success in Australia driving Formula Ford and Formula Holden, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career. He also beat future F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, then 19, Webber made his Formula One debut in 2002, scoring Minardis first points in three years at his and Stoddarts home race. After his first season, Jaguar took him on as lead driver, during two years with the generally uncompetitive team, Webber qualified on the front two rows of the grid several times and outperformed his teammates. His first F1 win was with Red Bull at the 2009 German Grand Prix, by the end of 2009, Webber had scored eight podiums, including another victory in Brazil. His eight podiums in 2009 compares to only two podiums in the first seven years of his career and he added ten more podiums in 2010, including victories in Spain, Monaco, Britain and Hungary. Webber finished the 2010 season in place having led for a long period. Webber added another victory in the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, as he once again finished third behind champion Vettel. He finished the season in sixth position, Webber was also a long-term director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, the Formula One drivers union. On 27 June 2013, Webber announced he would be retiring from Formula One at the end of the season and he began to race for Porsche in 2014, on a long-term deal, racing LMP1 Sportscars in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Webber is one of six drivers of the Porsche 919 Hybrid, the trio race with the #1 on their car in 2016. Webber was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, son of Alan Webber, a motorcycle dealer. Webber has one sister, Leanne, and two nieces. He attended Karabar High School in Queanbeyan for his secondary education and he began his relationship with sport at a young age, working as a ball boy for premiership winning rugby league team, the Canberra Raiders, during the late 1980s. However, motorsport was where his interest lay, listing Formula One World Champion Alain Prost, starting out racing motorcycles, Webber moved to four wheels in 1991, taking up karting at age 14. He won the New South Wales state championship in 1993, working as a driving instructor at Sydneys Oran Park Raceway between races, Webber finished 14th overall in his debut season. Continuing in the series in 1995, Webber scored several victories, Webber was given a test at Snetterton with the Van Diemen team, and subsequently earned a works drive for the team at the 1995 Formula Ford Festival, at Brands Hatch, where he finished third. That was good enough to prompt the team to signing him for the 1996 championship, before moving to Europe permanently, Webber won the Formula Holden race at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. During the 1996 British Formula Ford Championship, he took four victories on his way to second place overall and he also won the Spa-Francorchamps race of the Formula Ford Euro Cup, taking third in the series despite competing in only two of the three rounds
21.
Netherlands
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The Netherlands is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom. The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Amsterdam is the countrys capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the worlds largest port outside East-Asia, the name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. Netherlands literally means lower countries, influenced by its low land and flat geography, most of the areas below sea level are artificial. Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, with a population density of 412 people per km2 –507 if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the worlds second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products and this is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. In 2001, it became the worlds first country to legalise same-sex marriage, the Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO, as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EUs criminal intelligence agency Europol and this has led to the city being dubbed the worlds legal capital. The country also ranks second highest in the worlds 2016 Press Freedom Index, the Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world, reflecting its high quality of life. The Netherlands also ranks joint second highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the region called Low Countries and the country of the Netherlands have the same toponymy. Place names with Neder, Nieder, Nether and Nedre and Bas or Inferior are in use in all over Europe. They are sometimes used in a relation to a higher ground that consecutively is indicated as Upper, Boven, Oben. In the case of the Low Countries / the Netherlands the geographical location of the region has been more or less downstream. The geographical location of the region, however, changed over time tremendously
22.
Jos Verstappen
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Johannes Franciscus Jos Verstappen is a Dutch racing driver. Jos Verstappen has won races in A1 Grand Prix and Le Mans Series LMP2 races, prior to his F1 début in 1994, he was also the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993. Verstappen began karting at the age of 8, and was participating in competitions not long after. In 1984 he became Dutch junior champion and he remained successful, and won two European titles. At the end of 1991 he made the transition to car racing and he drove in Formula Opel Lotus, a class in which identical cars compete against each other. During that European winter season, he raced in New Zealand Formula Atlantic, subsequently, in German Formula Three, he won several international competitions, including the 1993 Marlboro Masters and the German Formula 3 championship. Verstappen first drove a Formula One car when he tested for the Footwork Arrows team alongside Gil de Ferran and Christian Fittipaldi at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. The test took place on September 28,1993, two days after the Portuguese Grand Prix was held at the same circuit. Despite the large increase in power, Verstappen set a time that would have qualified him in the race on his fourth timed lap. He tested again on September 30 and was lapping near his existing record after five laps, after the test, Verstappen was contacted by every Formula One team except Ferrari and Williams, and was eventually signed as the Benetton teams test driver for the 1994 season. During the race he collided with Eddie Irvine, which triggered a multiple accident also involving Éric Bernard, Verstappens car somersaulted, but he emerged unharmed. At the Pacific Grand Prix Verstappen ran 6th but spun off on cold tyres immediately after a pit stop, One of the most dramatic incidents affected Verstappen at the German Grand Prix. During his first scheduled pitstop during the race, fuel leaked onto the car after the fuel hose was disconnected, the car, with Verstappen in it, was engulfed in flames for several seconds. As was usual at the time, Verstappen had slightly opened the visor of his helmet for the pit stop, after this incident the fuel delivery hose was modified to incorporate a fail-safe cut-out system. He took another third place at the Belgian Grand Prix due to Schumachers post-race disqualification from victory, due to this accident, this equipment is now protected from the race track by acrylic glass. For the last two races of the season, Verstappen was replaced by the more experienced Johnny Herbert in a bid to win the Constructors Championship for Benetton, the team was unsuccessful in this aim and the prize went to the rival Williams team. In 1995 he was loaned to Simtek by Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore, despite some strong showings Verstappen only finished once in the five races he drove for the team due to technical difficulties. The team had financial troubles and went bankrupt after the Monaco Grand Prix
23.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
24.
Justin Wilson (racing driver)
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Justin Boyd Wilson was a British professional open-wheel racing driver. At the time of his death, Wilson was competing part-time in the IndyCar Series, earlier, he competed in the Champ Car series from 2004 to 2007, scoring four wins. He also competed in Formula One in the 2003 season with Minardi and he was also a winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. On 23 August 2015, Wilson suffered a brain injury in an accident at the Pocono Raceway. Wilson was struck in the head by debris from the crash of race leader Sage Karams car. Brought up in the hamlet of Woodall, near Harthill, South Yorkshire. In 1998, he was a finalist in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, a year later, he graduated to the FIA International Formula 3000 championship and won the championship in 2001, setting a record winning margin in the process. Despite his success, his height proved a liability, and prevented him securing a Formula One drive for 2002. He found a drive in the Telefónica World Series by Nissan, Wilson also tested for the Minardi Formula One team, but although regular driver Alex Yoong was replaced for two rounds, Wilson was unable to race the car due to his height. For 2003, Minardi designed the car around Wilsons 6 ft 4 in frame, the car was off the pace but Wilson performed favourably against his more experienced teammate, Jos Verstappen. He switched to Jaguar Racing to replace Antônio Pizzonia for the last five races of the season, and scored his first championship point at the United States Grand Prix. Christian Klien, who was funded by Austrian drink company Red Bull, at the beginning of 2004, Wilson joined the Champ Car World Series with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. He qualified as high as second in his season and finished the year in 11th place in the standings. In 2005, Wilson moved to the RuSPORT team to partner with A. J. Allmendinger and he won his first Champ Car race at Toronto. Continuing with his success in Canada, Wilson finished third at Montreal, Wilson finished the season in third place in the drivers standings behind series champion Sébastien Bourdais and second-placed Oriol Servia. Wilson stayed with RuSPORT for the 2006 season, and finished second in the series, on 19 October 2006, in the Friday qualifying for the Surfers Paradise race, Wilson hit a small barrier of tyres in a chicane. When the front wheels lurched sideways after the impact, the wheel spun sharply in Wilsons hands. For 2007, Wilson was signed on a contract with RSPORTS
25.
Hungary
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Hungary is a unitary parliamentary republic in Central Europe. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken language in Europe. Hungarys capital and largest metropolis is Budapest, a significant economic hub, major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr. His great-grandson Stephen I ascended to the throne in 1000, converting the country to a Christian kingdom, by the 12th century, Hungary became a middle power within the Western world, reaching a golden age by the 15th century. Hungarys current borders were established in 1920 by the Treaty of Trianon after World War I, when the country lost 71% of its territory, 58% of its population, following the interwar period, Hungary joined the Axis Powers in World War II, suffering significant damage and casualties. Hungary became a state of the Soviet Union, which contributed to the establishment of a four-decade-long communist dictatorship. On 23 October 1989, Hungary became again a democratic parliamentary republic, in the 21st century, Hungary is a middle power and has the worlds 57th largest economy by nominal GDP, as well as the 58th largest by PPP, out of 188 countries measured by the IMF. As a substantial actor in several industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds 36th largest exporter and importer of goods, Hungary is a high-income economy with a very high standard of living. It keeps up a security and universal health care system. Hungary joined the European Union in 2004 and part of the Schengen Area since 2007, Hungary is a member of the United Nations, NATO, WTO, World Bank, the AIIB, the Council of Europe and Visegrád Group. Well known for its cultural history, Hungary has been contributed significantly to arts, music, literature, sports and science. Hungary is the 11th most popular country as a tourist destination in Europe and it is home to the largest thermal water cave system, the second largest thermal lake in the world, the largest lake in Central Europe, and the largest natural grasslands in Europe. The H in the name of Hungary is most likely due to historical associations with the Huns. The rest of the word comes from the Latinized form of Medieval Greek Oungroi, according to an explanation the Greek name was borrowed from Proto-Slavic Ǫgǔri, in turn borrowed from Oghur-Turkic Onogur. Onogur was the name for the tribes who later joined the Bulgar tribal confederacy that ruled the eastern parts of Hungary after the Avars. The Hungarians likely belonged to the Onogur tribal alliance and it is possible they became its ethnic majority. The Hungarian endonym is Magyarország, composed of magyar and ország, the word magyar is taken from the name of one of the seven major semi-nomadic Hungarian tribes, magyeri
26.
Zsolt Baumgartner
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Zsolt Baumgartner is a Hungarian former racing driver who raced for the Jordan and Minardi teams in Formula One. He was the first Hungarian driver in Formula One, Baumgartner made his Formula One race debut at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix, substituting for the injured Ralph Firman in the Jordan team, he also took part in the Italian Grand Prix that year. Plans were made for Baumgartner to drive for Jordan again in 2004 with sponsorship from oil company MOL Rt, however, he failed to agree terms with Jordan, and he signed with Minardi instead. This caused MOL Rt. to decrease its sponsorship amount, leading Baumgartner and his management to set up a Zsolt Baumgartner Supporters Club, a plan similar to that employed by Justin Wilson in 2003. Baumgartner raced throughout the 2004 Formula One season, and after two near-misses he managed to take Minardis first point in two years by finishing eighth in the US Grand Prix. In March 2007 he was confirmed as the test and reserve driver for Minardi Team USA, Baumgartner only participated in a handful of tests for the team and made no race starts. Prior to the 2008 season, Champ Car unified with the rival IndyCar Series and Stoddart, in 2008 Baumgartner became the test driver for team Tottenham Hotspur F. C. in Superleague Formula. Official website Zsolt Baumgartner Blue Flags Profile
27.
Gianmaria Bruni
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Gianmaria Gimmi Bruni is an Italian Ferrari factory auto racing driver who drove in the 2004 Formula One World Championship for Minardi. He is a GP2 Series race winner and is now racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, in which he gained the 2013 and 2014 GT Drivers Titles. He won the 2008 FIA GT Championship,2011 Le Mans Series and 2012 International GT Open and he also was successful at the 2009 and 201524 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps,201012 Hours of Sebring and 2011 Petit Le Mans. Born in Rome, at age ten Bruni lied about his age to the director of La Pista dOro and his first experience with racing cars was in the Italian Formula Renault Campus in 1997, he won the Title in 1998. For the following season he moved on to the European Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0, then he entered the British Formula 3, where he came fifth in 2000 and fourth in 2001. After he had raced in various similar European series like the Euro Formula 3000, finishing third in 2003, Bruni started testing for Minardi in 2003. However the biggest struggle of his career was finding enough sponsorship to compete for them in Formula 1 in 2004, in fact Bruni did join Minardi for the 2004 Formula 1 season, though he struggled in a car which was considerably less developed than the rest of the grid. He was one of two drivers to contest the majority of the season without scoring any points. In 2005 Bruni competed in the GP2 Series, the single-seater Championship which is part of the Formula 1 support package and he won Race 1 at Barcelona and took second at Monaco driving for Coloni. The Italian left the Team in September before the Monza weekend, joining up with Durango, he started on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps and finished tenth in the Drivers Classification. In 2006 Bruni competed again in the GP2 Series, this time with the new Trident Racing squad and he scored two victories, the first at Imola and the second at Hockenheim. At the end of the season he was seventh in the Drivers Classification, for 2007, he switched to the sportscar racing as he joined the FIA GT Championship with Team AF Corse MOTOROLA in a Ferrari 430 GT3. He and his teammate Stéphane Ortelli finished the season 2nd in the GT2 class with 3 wins, Bruni finished 2nd at the Le Mans 24hrs and won the Petit Le Mans. Bruni scored three wins and two places at the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, so he won the GTE-Pro teams trophy. In February 2017, Ferrari and Gianmaria Bruni announce that, by mutual consent, after a collaboration started in 2007, Bruni will leave Ferrari at the end of June of this year. Bruni signed a contract with Porsche Motorsport, † Did not finish the race, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. † There was no drivers championship that year
28.
Christijan Albers
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Christijan Albers is a Dutch professional racing driver. After success in the DTM he drove in Formula One from 2005 until the 2007 British Grand Prix, in 2008, he returned to the DTM series as a driver for the Audi Futurecom TME team. Albers acted as Team Principal and CEO of the Caterham F1 Team from July to September 2014 after it was acquired by new team owners, Christijan is the son of former rallycross ace and Porsche 911 Carrera campaigner André Albers, who won the 1979 Dutch International Rallycross Championship. They are not related to their compatriot Marcel Albers, who was killed in a British Formula Three accident at Thruxton in 1992, Christijan is married to Liselore Kooijman. Their wedding took place on 11 November 2006 in Amsterdam, Albers began kart racing at a young age, winning the Dutch National championship in 1997. That same year, he was crowned Formula Ford 1800 champion in both Netherlands and Belgium and he also participated in the Renault Megane Marlboro Masters series. In 1998, he moved up to the German Formula Three series, winning the championship in 1999 with six wins, in 2000, Albers raced in the International Formula 3000 championship as team-mate to Mark Webber. He failed to score a point, but team boss Paul Stoddart later signed him again and he also raced in European Formula Racing. In 2004 he again challenged for the lead for the most of the season. While racing in the DTM, Albers continued to be a test and reserve driver for Minardis Formula One interests, in November 2004, he set the fastest time at a Misano di Gera dAdda Minardi test session. He was chosen by the team to drive in the Formula One World Championship in 2005, in the 2005 United States Grand Prix he gained his first championship points with a fifth-place finish, in a race where only six drivers started. On 31 October 2005 Albers was confirmed as Midlands first official Formula One driver, Midland, the renamed Jordan team, made their debut in the 2006 Formula One season. Albers started the 2006 season well, out-pacing Midland teammate Tiago Monteiro, however, during the first few races, Midland found themselves battling with the Super Aguri team, particularly Takuma Sato. At the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, Albers found himself being crashed into by Yuji Ide, Ide was reprimanded by the race stewards for his part in the incident. Ide also had his Super Licence revoked for severe dangerous driving, after initial confusion over Albers plans for 2007 after the takeover of MF1 by Spyker Cars, it was eventually confirmed that he would be driving for the Spyker F1 team in 2007. It was later found out that Albers signed a contract with Midland F1 to remain with the prior to the sale to Spyker. Albers personal sponsors had major influences in Spyker buying the Midland F1 team, in early 2007 he was outperformed by rookie team-mate Adrian Sutil. At Magny-Cours he ignored the lollipop telling him not to leave the pits during a pitstop, Albers expressed relief that nobody was hurt, but he received a €5,000 penalty for dangerous driving
29.
Monaco
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Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. France borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Mediterranean Sea, Monaco has an area of 2.02 km2 and a population of about 38,400 according to the last census of 2015. With 19,009 inhabitants per km², it is the second smallest, Monaco has a land border of 5.47 km, a coastline of 3.83 km, and a width that varies between 1,700 and 349 m. The highest point in the country is a pathway named Chemin des Révoires on the slopes of Mont Agel, in the Les Révoires Ward. Monacos most populous Quartier is Monte Carlo and the most populous Ward is Larvotto/Bas Moulins, through land reclamation, Monacos land mass has expanded by twenty percent, in 2005, it had an area of only 1.974 km2. Monaco is known as a playground for the rich and famous, in 2014, it was noted about 30% of the population was made up of millionaires, more than in Zürich or Geneva. Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, although Prince Albert II is a constitutional monarch, he wields immense political power. The House of Grimaldi have ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, the official language is French, but Monégasque, Italian, and English are widely spoken and understood. The states sovereignty was recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite Monacos independence and separate foreign policy, its defense is the responsibility of France, however, Monaco does maintain two small military units. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with the opening of the countrys first casino, Monte Carlo, since then, Monacos mild climate, scenery, and gambling facilities have contributed to the principalitys status as a tourist destination and recreation center for the rich. In more recent years, Monaco has become a major banking center and has sought to diversify its economy into services and small, high-value-added, the state has no income tax, low business taxes, and is well known for being a tax haven. It is also the host of the street circuit motor race Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco is not formally a part of the European Union, but it participates in certain EU policies, including customs, through its relationship with France, Monaco uses the euro as its sole currency. Monaco joined the Council of Europe in 2004 and it is a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. Monacos name comes from the nearby 6th-century BC Phocaean Greek colony, according to an ancient myth, Hercules passed through the Monaco area and turned away the previous gods. As a result, a temple was constructed there, the temple of Hercules Monoikos, because the only temple of this area was the House of Hercules, the city was called Monoikos. It ended up in the hands of the Holy Roman Empire, an ousted branch of a Genoese family, the Grimaldi, contested it for a hundred years before actually gaining control
30.
Robert Doornbos
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Robert Michael Doornbos is a Dutch racing driver. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Minardi, Doornbos then drove for Minardi Team USA in the 2007 and final season of the Champ Car World Series. He competed in the Superleague Formula racing series in 2008, in 2009, Doornbos competed in the IndyCar Series. He began the season with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, but switched to HVM Racing after the race in Kentucky Speedway and his interest in motorsport grew after he was invited to the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix as a guest of WilliamsF1. It was 1997 Formula One Champion Jacques Villeneuve who suggested that he should go for a such as Formula Ford, as he was too big. He gave up tennis and focused on racing, joining the JR racing team for the 1999 Opel Lotus UK Winter series and he had a successful season, finishing second in the championship after taking four pole positions, four fastest laps and four wins. In 2000, he competed in the Formula Ford Zetec Benelux series, finishing second in the Belgian championship and fifth overall with one pole, returning to the UK in 2001, Doornbos contested the Scholarship class of the British Formula Three championship with FGR Racing. He finished the fifth in the championship, taking two poles, two wins and nine podiums. He drew attention to himself with a finish in the Formula Three support race to the British Grand Prix. He then moved to the German Formula Three championship with Team Ghinzani and he picked up four podiums, but no win. The year also featured a finish in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. Continuing with the team in 2003, Doornbos competed in the European Formula Three Championship and he took pole position at Spa-Francorchamps for the Formula Three Masters event, and finished second in Korea. With support from Red Bull, Doornbos joined reigning International Formula 3000 champions Arden International for the 2004 FIA International Formula 3000 Championship, partnered with Vitantonio Liuzzi, Doornbos claimed Rookie of the Year after finishing third in the championship. During the year, he took a fastest lap and four podium finishes, Doornbos impressed as test driver for the final few races of the season, and was reappointed with the newly-sold Jordan team for the 2005 season. On 19 July Doornbos was appointed as a Minardi race driver for the 2005 German Grand Prix onwards, replacing Austrian Patrick Friesacher, who had encountered sponsorship issues. In his first Formula One race, he collided with Jacques Villeneuve, Doornbos raced a total of eight Grand Prix for the team, his best result being a 13th position in the Turkish and Belgian Grands Prix. The teammates, however, were not the best of friends, as Doornbos became more adapted to the car, he came closer to his teammate and in the last few races, was often the faster of the two. Effectively, he would become Minardis last Formula One driver, since the team was bought by Red Bull just before the Belgian Grand Prix
31.
Scuderia Toro Rosso
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Scuderia Toro Rosso, commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, is an Italian Formula One racing team. It is one of two F1 teams owned by Austrian beverage company Red Bull, the other being Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso functions as a junior team to Red Bull Racing, with the aim of developing the skills of promising drivers for the senior team. Since 2010, the team has competed entirely independently of their sister team, in late November 2008, Red Bull regained total ownership of Toro Rosso after buying back Bergers share of the team. From 2007 to 2013, Toro Rosso used Ferrari V8 engines, for 2014, Toro Rosso switched to Renault engines as well, but in 2016 returned to using Ferrari power, and will switch back to Renault in 2017. The team principal is Franz Tost, formerly of BMWs motor sport division, Vitantonio Liuzzi scored the teams first point in its first season at the 2006 United States Grand Prix. The teams first and only pole position, podium and victory were scored by Sebastian Vettel at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Jaime Alguersuari took over Bourdais seat at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and kept the seat for the remaining part of the year. Both Alguersuari and Buemi raced for the team for all of the 2010 and 2011 seasons and it was announced on 14 December 2011, that Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne would be the teams drivers for the 2012 season. At the 2013 Italian Grand Prix it was announced that Daniel Ricciardo had been chosen to succeed Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing, for 2014, Toro Rosso retained Jean-Éric Vergne and signed newcomer Daniil Kvyat. Minardi had competed in Formula One from 1985 to 2005, despite having a large fan base, it had been one of the least competitive teams in the sport, never achieving a podium finish and only finishing as high as fourth in three races. Included in the terms of the deal with Red Bull was the clause that the team must keep its headquarters in Faenza, Italy until at least the 2007 season. Whilst Red Bull have abandoned the Minardi name in line with their own sponsorship and marketing plans, Red Bull changed the name of the team immediately after taking control of the team on 1 November 2005. It was initially reported as Squadra Toro Rosso but then changed because squadra in Italian depicts a squad like a football team, Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses, and is also commonly applied to Italian motor racing teams. Many Minardi fans were upset by this move, and over 15,000 signed a petition to keep the Minardi name. Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed were the 2006 race drivers of the STR1, Liuzzi had raced part-time for Red Bull Racing in 2005, while Speed entered F1 following the Red Bull Driver Search in the United States. Jani was the test driver for Sauber Petronas in 2004, the 2006 chassis was a modified version of the 2005 Red Bull Racing RB1. Some teams felt that this infringed the Concorde Agreement as each team is expected to design their own car, the team used Minardis contracted supply of rev limited and air restricted Cosworth 3. 0l V10 engines. This concession had been granted to assist less well funded teams by avoiding the cost of sourcing a new supply of V8 engines as required by the 2006 regulations. The continuation of this arrangement after the Red Bull takeover caused friction with other teams, in particular Super Aguri and Midland who felt that the engine conferred too much of an advantage
32.
Formula One
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Formula One is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been the form of racing since the inaugural season in 1950. The formula, designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, the F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held worldwide on purpose-built F1 circuits and public roads. The results of each race are evaluated using a system to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers, one for constructors. The racing drivers are required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the races are required to be held on tracks graded 1, the highest grade a track can receive by the FIA. Most events are held in locations on purpose-built tracks, but there are several events in city centres throughout the world. Formula One cars are the fastest road racing cars in the world. Formula One cars race at speeds of up to approximately 375 km/h with engines currently limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 RPM, the cars are capable of lateral acceleration in excess of five g in corners. The performance of the cars is very dependent on electronics – although traction control and other driving aids have been banned since 2008 – and on aerodynamics, suspension, the formula has radically evolved and changed through the history of the sport. F1 had a global television audience of 425 million people during the course of the 2014 season. Grand Prix racing began in 1906 and became the most popular internationally in the second half of the twentieth century. The Formula One Group is the holder of the commercial rights. Its high profile and popularity have created a major merchandising environment, since 2000 the sports spiraling expenditures and the distribution of prize money favoring established top teams have forced complaints from smaller teams and led several teams to bankruptcy. On 23 January 2017 it was confirmed that Liberty Media had completed its $8 billion acquisition of Delta Topco, the Formula One series originated with the European Grand Prix Motor Racing of the 1920s and 1930s. The formula is a set of rules that all cars must meet. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, the first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958, national championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for years, but due to the increasing cost of competition
33.
1985 Brazilian Grand Prix
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The 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on April 7,1985. It was the first round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship, of note, even though René Arnoux finished 4th for Ferrari, he was sacked after the race, with both the team and Arnoux never revealing the reason behind the sacking. The driver who finished 7th in this race, Stefan Johansson, was picked up by the Scuderia for the rest of the year and this race was also Nigel Mansells first race of seven seasons with the Williams team. Note, Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings
34.
Ford Motor Company
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The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,1903, the company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV, in the past, it has also produced tractors and automotive components. Ford owns an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and it also has a number of joint-ventures, one in China, one in Taiwan, one in Thailand, one in Turkey, and one in Russia. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family, Fords former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010, in 2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938. During the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century, it was close to bankruptcy, Ford is the second-largest U. S. -based automaker and the fifth-largest in the world based on 2015 vehicle production. At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest automaker in Europe, Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the 2010 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion. In 2008, Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants, the company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights. The Ford Motor Company was launched in a factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John. During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue and later its factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on car, assembling it from parts made mostly by supplier companies contracting for Ford. Henry Ford was 39 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company and it has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. The first gasoline powered automobile had been created in 1885 by the German inventor Carl Benz, between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S. Hundreds or a few thousand of most of these were sold per year, in 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which totalled millions sold over nearly 20 years. In 1927, Ford replaced the T with the Model A, Ford launched the first low-priced car with a V8 engine in 1932. In an attempt to compete with General Motors mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobile market. The creation of a laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unfettered basic research
35.
Scuderia Ferrari
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Scuderia Ferrari S. p. A. competing as Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer, Ferrari, and competes in Formula One racing. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, the team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo, though by 1947 Ferrari had begun building its own cars. As a constructor, Ferrari has a record 16 Constructors Championships, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen have won a record 15 Drivers Championships for the team. Since Räikkönens title in 2007 the team narrowly lost out on the 2008 drivers title with Felipe Massa, Schumacher is the teams most successful driver. Joining the team in 1996 and departing in 2006 he won five titles and 72 Grands Prix for the team. His titles came consecutively between 2000 and 2004, including the constructors title of 1999 consecutively being won until the end of 2004, this was the teams most successful period. Currently, World Champions Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel are the two race drivers. The team is known for its passionate support base known as the tifosi. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is regarded as the home race. The Scuderia Ferrari team was founded by Enzo Ferrari on 16 November 1929 and became the team of Alfa Romeo. In 1938, Alfa Romeo management made the decision to enter racing under its own name, establishing the Alfa Corse organisation, Enzo Ferrari disagreed with this change in policy and was finally dismissed by Alfa in 1939. The terms of his leaving forbade him from motorsport under his own name, in 1939 Ferrari started work on a racecar of his own, the Tipo 815. The 815s, designed by Alberto Massimino, were thus the first Ferrari cars, World War II put a temporary end to racing, and Ferrari concentrated on an alternative use for his factory during the war years, doing machine tool work. After the war, Ferrari recruited several of his former Alfa colleagues and established a new Scuderia Ferrari, the team owns and operates a test track on the same site, the Fiorano Circuit built in 1972, which is used for testing road and race cars. The team is named after its founder, Enzo Ferrari, Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses and is also commonly applied to Italian motor racing teams. In 1947 Ferrari constructed the 12-cylinder,1.5 L Tipo 125, a Formula One version of the Tipo 125, the Ferrari 125 F1 was developed in 1948 and entered in several Grand Prix, at the time a World Championship had not yet been established. In 1950, the Formula One World Championship was established, and it is the only team to have competed in every season of the World Championship, from its inception to the current day. The company later switched to the large-displacement naturally aspirated formula for the 275,340, after the 1951 Formula One season the Alfa team withdrew from F1, causing the authorities to adopt the Formula Two regulations due to the lack of suitable F1 cars
36.
Lamborghini
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Automobili Lamborghini S. p. A. is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in SantAgata Bolognese, Italy. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi, Ferruccio Lamborghini, an Italian manufacturing magnate, founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S. p. A. in 1963 to compete with established marques, including Ferrari. The company gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the Miura sports coupé, Lamborghini grew rapidly during its first decade, but sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 worldwide financial downturn and the oil crisis. The firms ownership changed three times after 1973, including a bankruptcy in 1978, American Chrysler Corporation took control of Lamborghini in 1987 and sold it to Malaysian investment group Mycom Setdco and Indonesian group VPower Corporation in 1994. In 1998, Mycom Setdco and VPower sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group where it was placed under the control of the groups Audi division, New products and model lines were introduced to the brands portfolio and brought to the market and saw an increased productivity for the brand Lamborghini. In the late 2000s, during the financial crisis and the subsequent economic crisis, Lamborghinis sales saw a drop of nearly 50 percent. Lamborghini produces sports cars and V12 engines for powerboat racing. Lamborghini currently produces the V12-powered Aventador and the V10-powered Huracán, the companys first models, such as the 350 GT, were released in the mid-1960s and were noted for their refinement, power and comfort. Lamborghini gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the Miura sports coupé, Lamborghini grew rapidly during its first ten years, but sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 worldwide financial downturn and the oil crisis. Ferruccio Lamborghini sold ownership of the company to Georges-Henri Rossetti and René Leimer, the company went bankrupt in 1978, and was placed in the receivership of brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran in 1980. The Mimrans purchased the company out of receivership by 1984 and invested heavily in the companys expansion, under the Mimrans management, Lamborghinis model line was expanded from the Countach to include the Jalpa sports car and the LM002 high performance off-road vehicle. The Mimrans sold Lamborghini to the Chrysler Corporation in 1987, in 1998, Mycom Setdco and VPower sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group where it was placed under the control of the groups Audi division. New products and model lines were introduced to the portfolio and brought to the market. In the late 2000s, during the financial crisis and the subsequent economic crisis, Lamborghinis sales saw a drop of nearly 50 percent. As of the 2015 model year, Lamborghinis automobile product range consists of two lines, both of which are mid-engine two-seat sports cars. The V12-powered Aventador line consists of the LP 700–4 coupé and roadster, the V10-powered Huracán line currently includes the all-wheel-drive LP 610-4 coupé and roadster, as well as the less powerful rear-wheel-drive LP 580-2 coupé. Lamborghini intends to double its car production by producing as many SUVs by 2018 as sports cars, motori Marini Lamborghini produces a large V12 marine engine block for use in World Offshore Series Class 1 powerboats. A Lamborghini branded marine engine displaces approximately 8,171 cc, in the mid-1980s, Lamborghini produced a limited-production run of a 1,000 cc sports motorcycle
37.
Hart (racing)
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Brian Hart Ltd. also known as Hart and Hart Racing Engines, was a motor racing engine manufacturer that participated in 157 Formula One Grands Prix, powering a total of 368 entries. Founded in 1969 by British engineer Brian Hart, Hart initially concentrated on servicing and tuning engines from manufacturers for various independent British teams at all levels of motorsport. The European Formula Two title was won in both 1971 and 1972 with Hart-built Ford engines, and the 2.0 L BDA engine would go on to power the majority of Fords 1970s rallying successes. With Fords withdrawal from F2 in the mid-1970s, Hart began to concentrate on building their own designs. The first engine to bear the Hart name alone was the twin-cam, four-cylinder Hart 420R F2 unit, in 1978, the Toleman team agreed to a partnership program, with Toleman providing finance to develop further Hart engine designs. The fruits of this resulted in Toleman taking a one-two finish in the 1980 European F2 Championship. For 1981 Hart followed Toleman into Formula One, with an inline four-cylinder 1.5 L turbo engine named the 415T, however, the year was a disaster, with Brian Harts small operation failing to keep pace with better-funded outfits. Toleman cars only qualified to race twice, teo Fabi also took pole position in a Toleman-Hart at the 1985 German Grand Prix, the first of only two F1 poles by a Hart-powered car. During this period, Hart turbos were used by three other teams – RAM, Spirit, and the Haas Lola team, while none of their teams performed that well, Hart gained a reputation for excellent work on a small budget. After 1984 companies like Renault, Honda, BMW, TAG-Porsche and this resulted in Brian Hart stopping development of the engine. The last time it was used was by the Haas Lola team at the 1986 San Marino Grand Prix, with Patrick Tambay qualifying 11th, at its peak in 1986, the Hart 415T produced a reported 750 bhp @11,000 rpm. Following this and the outlawing of turbocharged engines in Formula One after the 1988 season, the company mainly tuned Cosworth DFR V8s for a number of F1 teams, including Footwork Arrows in 1990 and 1991, Tyrrell in 1990, Larrousse in 1991 and AGS in 1991. Hart would return with an in-house 3.5 L V10 in 1993 named the 1035 and this culminated in a successful 1994 season, with Rubens Barrichello finishing 3rd at the Pacific Grand Prix and taking the engine companys last F1 pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix. For 1997, these engines were taken over by the Minardi team, while Brian Hart himself designed a new V10 engine, later that year, Tom Walkinshaw Racing bought out Brian Hart Ltd. and merged it into their Arrows Formula One team. The 1030 V10 was built and raced in 1998–1999 as the Arrows T2-F1 V10, frustrated with the lack of development, Brian Hart left Arrows. Brian Hart and his engines at grandprix. com
38.
Fondmetal
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Fondmetal S. p. A. is an Italian manufacturer of alloy wheels, founded in 1972 by Gabriele Rumi. A Formula One constructor of the name, also owned by Rumi, competed in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. The company also sponsored, and supplied wheels to, numerous other constructors from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, in 2014 the Fondmetal brand expanded to the United States and became known as Fondmetal USA. All wheels continue to be made in Italy and are TUV approved, in 1961, Gabriele Rumi took over the iron foundry business that had been established by his grandfather in Brescia. A motor racing enthusiast, the business allowed him to compete in hillclimbs, Rumi had a passion for cars and racing and saw a demand for the manufacturing of parts for the automobile industry. In Palosco they made induction manifolds, water conduits, clutch bellhousing, oil cumps, cylinder heads and engine blocks for such as Maserti Biturbo, Fiat, Iveco, OM. For Rumi this was not enough and he found himself too reliant on his customers in a sensitive time period following the oil crisis. This led him to the decision of launching his own product line in 1972. The choice of product was alloy wheels due to this involvement, from there the Fondmetal brand grew and was established as a leader in forged and cost wheel design, engineering and manufacturing in Italy. Fondmetal first appeared in Formula One in 1983 as a sponsor for Italian driver Piercarlo Ghinzani, in the mid-1980s, the company supplied wheels to Williams, Tyrrell and Ligier, while continuing to sponsor Ghinzani and, later, the Osella team. In 1989, Fondmetal became Osellas major sponsor, and by 1990 Rumi had become the majority shareholder. At the end of year, he decided to take over the whole operation. Rumi transferred the team from Volpiano near Torino to his headquarters in Bergamo and ran it for one and he initially persevered with Osellas driver, Olivier Grouillard, until he tired of the Frenchmans reckless side and attitude problem, replacing him with Gabriele Tarquini. The new team was no more successful than in the Osella days, for the 1991 Formula One season, Osella Squadra Corse was gone, the team re-appeared as Fondmetal Corse. Initially, Fondmetal entered the FA1M-E car which was a mere carry-over from the previous year, driven by Olivier Grouillard, the blue and grey coloured machine was uncompetitive by any means. In the first two races of the season, Grouillard was slower than everyone else, although Fondmetal was able to use Cosworth engines prepared by Brian Hart from previous years Tyrrells engines, even Pedro Chaves in his Coloni was ahead of the Fondmetal car. In that hostile atmosphere, pre-qualification turned out to be impossible, but Rumi had high hopes for the European season. By the San Marino Grand Prix, a new car appeared, called the Fomet-1 and it was conceived by a newly founded think-tank in the UK called Fomet
39.
European Aviation Air Charter
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European Aviation Air Charter was an airline based in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. It operated ad hoc services, VIP flights, and inclusive-tour and sub-charter flights. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport, the company went into administration on Tuesday 2 December 2008. European Aviation Air Charter Limited held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence and it was permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. European Aviation Air Charter began in 1989, as European Aviation, Paul Stoddart, the boss of European Aviation Air Charter, saw a gap in the market for an ad-hoc charter airline. The aircraft used at first were rather old BAC-111 jets, which had been first built during the 1960s, the aircraft were flown over from Australia, as their previous owner was the Royal Australian Air Force. European Aviation was initially based in the building where the British Aircraft Corporation used to make such as the Vickers Viscount. European Air Charter operated from Bournemouth Airport from its inception, making the airport a hub for the airline, the airline was profitable, so the company expanded its operation into other areas such as flight crew training, maintenance for other operators and leasing and selling aircraft. In 1993, the directors took the decision of changing European Aviations name to European Aviation Air Charter. That same year, twenty other BAC-111s were bought from British Airways and this meant the airline could include tour groups among its charter clients. By then the airline also acquired but never operated the far newer Airbus A300, by 1997 European had acquired one Boeing 727 airliner as well. European Air Charter asked for permission to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Chicago and other US and Canadian destinations in 2001. Due to the volume of passengers the airline projected to transport on each flight to North America, Boeing 747s were bought, a total of six former British Airways aircraft of that type entered service with the airline after the permits were granted. European Air Charter formed an association with Palmair, which flew passengers to Bournemouth so they could board the European Air Charter jets to North America, however, in 2004 EAC started losing money. Paul Stoddart resumed control of EAC and went about cost-cutting, this involved selling or scrapping the Boeing 747s, selling some Boeing 737-200s and disposing of the rest of the fleet. In May 2008 it was announced that Paul Stoddart had sold his stake in OzJet to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, the airline was wholly owned by Paul Stoddart and had 270 employees. The European Aviation Air Charter fleet consisted of the aircraft at the time of collapse
40.
Asiatech
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Its mandate was to acquire top-level European engine technology for Asia and to create an Asian-themed F1 team. Asiatech returned the staff and facilities it has acquired back to Peugeot, in 2001, Asiatech supplied their V10 engines to the Arrows Formula One team free of charge. For 2002 it tried for better results with Minardi, in that year, Arrows, that rented Cosworth engines, ran out of funding in mid-season 2002 and was liquidated. In that 2002 season, Asiatech´s engine reliability increased to finish in place out of the 9 F1 engine suppliers. Four out of the Minardi team’s 14 retirements during the season were engine-related, during this season, Asiatech began considering the possibility of starting their own Formula One team, and purchased a former Williams design office in Didcot. They also enlisted the help of Enrique Scalabroni, who designed a prototype F1 car, the car was to be firstly a testbed for Asiatech engines, then subsequently entered in the 2004 season. However, Asiatech folded at the end of the 2002 season, in May 2002, there were reports that for the 2003 season Asiatech could supply Jordan with engines, or even buy the team out. These came after Honda decided to concentrate their efforts on the BAR team. In February 2003, the assets of the Asiatech engine company were sold in an auction in Paris, overseen by Jacques Martin, included in the Auction were 18 engines, a dyno, a variety of machine tools, plus electronic measuring equipment amongst other things. Before the official name Asiatech, purchasers of Peugeot Sport F1 were only known under the name Asia Motor Technologies, in the video game Formula One 2001, used name of F1 team Arrowss engine is AMT, and not Asiatech
41.
Cosworth
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Cosworth is a high-performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing and mainstream automotive industries. Cosworth is based in Northampton, England, with North American facilities in Indianapolis and Mooresville, Cosworth has collected 176 wins in Formula One as engine supplier, ranking second with most wins behind Ferrari. The company was founded as a British racing internal combustion engine maker in 1958 by Mike Costin, both of the co-founders being former employees of Lotus Engineering Ltd. Cosworth initially maintained a relationship with Colin Chapman and the initial revenues of the company came almost exclusively from Lotus. When the company was founded in 1958, Duckworth left Lotus, the first Cosworth-designed cylinder head was for SCA series with a SOHC reverse-flow configuration similar to the Coventry Climax FWE engine. This resulted in the DFV, which dominated Formula One for many years, from this time on, Cosworth was supported by Ford for many years, and many of the Cosworth designs were owned by Ford and named as Ford engines under similar contracts. Another success by the BD series in the 1970s put Cosworth on a growing track, the company went through a number of ownership changes. In 1998, Vickers sold Cosworth and Pi Research to Ford, in September,2004 Ford announced that it was selling Cosworth and Pi Research, along with Cosworth Racing Ltd and its Jaguar Formula One team. On 15 November 2004, the sale of Cosworth was completed, to Champ Car World Series owners Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, Cosworth Technology was then renamed as MAHLE Powertrain on 1 July 2005. Since 2006, Cosworth has diversified to provide engineering consultancy, high performance electronics, Cosworth supplied engines to one F1 team in 2013, the Marussia F1 Team. The following is the list of products with cylinder heads modified. In addition to the above, Cosworth designed and provided the work for Lotus Elan Special Equipment optional road engines with special camshafts. The final model of the initial series was the MAE in 1965. MAE used one barrel of a two barrel Weber IDA downdraft carburetor with the other barrel blanked off, the domination of this engine was absolute as long as these regulations lasted until 1968. As Cosworth had a serious difficulty meeting the demand, the MAE was mainly sold as a kit and this experience led to the later FVA/DFV contract to be drawn where the responsibility of development rested with Cosworth, and the manufacturing right and responsibility rested with Ford. There also were some specially cast iron heads with similar dimensions to these brazed heads with Titanium alloy valve spring retainers called the Screamer Head for MAE in later years, a year before the introduction of the MAE, the single overhead cam two valve SCA was introduced. Cylinder head to block sealing was by a head gasket incorporating Cooper Rings, the SCA initially had two 40DCM2 Weber twin-choke downdraft sand-cast carburetors mounted on top to produce 115 hp, which was replaced by Lucas fuel injection in 1966, eventually reaching 140 hp. Longer stroke SCB was built to compare against 1498 cc Mk and it was the results of this four valve development work that formed the basis for many of the Cosworth engines that followed
42.
1991 Formula One season
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The 1991 Formula One season was the 45th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1991 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on 10 March 1991, Ayrton Senna won his third and last Drivers World Championship and McLaren-Honda won the Constructors Championship. Sennas main title challenger was Nigel Mansell at Williams, who won five races on his return to the team compared to Sennas seven. Sennas fierce rival Alain Prost failed to win a race with Ferrari in stark contrast to his title challenge the year before,1991 also saw the debuts of future world champions Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen. The following teams and drivers competed in the 1991 FIA Formula One World Championship and he was partnered by Riccardo Patrese, retained from 1990. Ferrari kept Alain Prost as lead driver and replaced the departed Mansell with Jean Alesi, Benetton began the season with two experienced Brazilian drivers, Roberto Moreno and triple world champion Nelson Piquet. During the season, Moreno was controversially replaced by German rookie Michael Schumacher, former greats Lotus had had a torrid 1990 with a severe career-ending accident for Martin Donnelly, loss of title sponsorship from Camel and a management buyout. Originally, the team had appointed Donnelly as number one driver as Martin was hoped to come back racing by April 1991, Lotus also went back to using Judd V8 power in 1991 after a dismal 1990 using the fast but fragile Lamborghini V12 engine. Three teams that started the 1990 season would not make the start of the 1991 season, the Osella team was now Fondmetal, though driver Olivier Grouillard was retained along with the 1989 Osella car and most of the staff. The Arrows team was renamed Footwork after an investment by Japanese businessman Wataru Ohashi, there were two entirely new entrants for the 1991 season, Jordan Grand Prix, a successful team in International Formula 3000. The other new team was the Modena Team and it originally began life in late 1990 as GLAS with Mexican investment. But, the Mexican investors pulled out before the season even began, Lamborghini stepped in and provided financial assistance to save the team and relocated the team to Modena, Italy and initiated the subsequent name-change. The team signed up drivers Nicola Larini and Eric van de Poele, although the team was a de facto factory effort by Lamborghini, Lamborghini entered the team under a separate name to avoid being associated with a struggling team. But this did not stop journalists and fans alike from referring to the team as Lambo though,1991 would in fact turn out to be the teams only season in the sport. At the start of the season, pre-qualifying was needed for five teams, both cars of the Jordan, Dallara and Modena teams and the entrants of the Fondmetal. A change to the system in 1991 saw the winning driver now awarded 10 points instead of 9 as previously. More significantly, points from all races would now count towards the championship, the season started off at the Phoenix street circuit that had a modified layout to make it more of a challenge to drivers. Senna took pole ahead of Prost, Patrese, Mansell, Piquet, at the start, Senna and Prost maintained their places while Mansell sliced ahead of Patrese and Piquet lost out to Alesi and Berger
43.
List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions
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The Drivers Championship was first awarded in 1950, to Giuseppe Farina. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Alberto Ascari, in 1952 and 1953, the current Drivers Champion is Nico Rosberg, who won his one and only World Championship in 2016. A driver becomes the World Champion each season as soon as it is no longer possible for another to beat him whatever the outcome of the remaining races. The Drivers Championship has been won in the race of the season 29 times in the 67 seasons it has been awarded. The earliest in a season that the Drivers Championship has been clinched was in 2002, overall, thirty-three different drivers have won the Championship, with German Michael Schumacher holding the record for most titles, at seven. Schumacher also holds the record for most consecutive Drivers Championships, winning five from 2000 to 2004, the United Kingdom has produced the most World Championship winning drivers with ten, Brazil, Germany and Finland are next with three each. Of the 33 drivers to win the World Championship,20 are still alive, the most recently deceased is John Surtees. Among teams, Scuderia Ferrari has produced the most World Championship winning drivers with 15, bold indicates the team also won the Constructors Championship. ^ The 1952 and 1953 championships were run to Formula Two regulations, ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati, then completed the season with Mercedes. ^ Rindts championship was confirmed two rounds after he had killed in an accident during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. This left Villeneuve with a 39-point margin over Heinz-Harald Frentzen with 42 points, Drivers in bold will compete in the 2017 World Championship. Drivers in bold have competed in the 2016 World Championship, Constructors in bold have competed in the 2016 World Championship. ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati and this shared championship is counted for each of these constructors. Numbers in parentheses indicate championships won as the tyre supplier. Of those, Michael Schumacher is the driver to have won two sets of consecutive Formula One Drivers Championships
44.
1991 San Marino Grand Prix
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The 1991 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on 28 April 1991. The 61-lap race was the round of the 1991 Formula One season and was won by Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren-Honda. Stefan Johansson was replaced at AGS by F1 debutant Fabrizio Barbazza, the team were under new management and their car colour was now red and blue having been usually white. Ayrton Senna claimed his 55th pole position from Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, however, the formation lap saw two dramatic incidents - Prost spun off the track at Rivazza Turn, followed by Berger, who was able to continue. However Prost stalled the engine and did not take the start, at the lights, Patrese took the lead ahead of Senna, whilst Mansell, already slow off the line with gearbox problems, retired at the end of lap 1 after a collision with Martin Brundle. He was followed out by Nelson Piquet who spun on lap 2, in a strong lead, Patrese pitted for originally what appeared to be an early stop to slicks turned out to be more serious - a misfire with a faulty camshaft sensor. He restarted last before retiring for good 9 laps later, Berger was catching Senna, lapping 1.5 seconds quicker than his teammate. The lead was soon down to 5 seconds, with Modena a superb third from Satoru Nakajima, both McLarens pitted for tyres with Senna maintaining his lead. Just after setting fastest lap, Berger was delayed in traffic, held up by the trio of Maurício Gugelmin, Julian Bailey, Bailey himself moved past Andrea de Cesaris into 6th, whilst Nakajima retired with transmission problems. Ivan Capelli spun into retirement from 4th to hand over to JJ Lehtos Dallara, morenos gearbox broke on lap 52 causing him to retire, whilst Senna was having problems with oil pressure caused by the special high-torque Honda V12. Berger put in a series of fastest laps to cut Sennas lead to just 1. 7s at the line, lehto was overjoyed to gain the first podium place of his career for Dallara, with Martini 4th. Van de Poeles drive ended when a fuel pump broke on the last lap - he was classified ninth overall, lap leaders, Riccardo Patrese 9, Ayrton Senna 52 Note, Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings
45.
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix
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The 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autódromo do Estoril on 22 September 1991. It was the round of the 1991 Formula One season. The 71-lap race was won by Williams driver Riccardo Patrese after he started from pole position, ayrton Senna finished second for the McLaren team with Ferrari driver Jean Alesi third. The only change to the driver line-up was that Johnny Herbert was back at Lotus and managed to qualify, something that Michael Bartels had failed to do in his three outings for the team. The top ten was rounded out by Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Maurício Gugelmin, Pierluigi Martini, Ivan Capelli, and Michael Schumacher, the Benetton team a little off their usual pace. On Sunday Morning Prosts Ferrari had a rather dramatic blowup in the warmup, the start was very eventful with Patrese getting away well and with Mansell aggressively chopping across the front of Senna. Unimpressed, he tried to retake Mansell going into the first turn but Nigel held his line, after lap 1 the order was Patrese, Mansell, Berger, Senna, and Alesi. Mansell seemed content to shadow Patrese until lap 18 when he slipstreamed past his teammate on the main straight, things were looking well for Williams until Mansell came in for his stop on lap 29 and things went horribly wrong. The right rear tyre men got confused and one mechanic raised his hand when the other had not gotten the wheel perfectly on. Mansell set off down the pitlane but his tyre did not want to comply, the fell off. The team ran out and put a wheel on the car. Mansell emerged in 17th place and started a charge through the field. He was up to sixth when he was shown the black flag on lap 51, with this disqualification. Patrese cruised home to his win of the season and fifth of his career. Senna was second and tightened the screw on his drivers title. Alesi, Martini, Piquet, and Schumacher rounded out the top six, with three races to go Senna led Mansell by 24 points. Nigel Mansell was disqualified for a pit stop. Mansell had rejoined 17th but was back in 6th when he was black flagged, despite this, his fastest lap was kept
Pierluigi Martini
Adrián Campos
Roberto Moreno
Jean-Marc Gounon
Pedro Lamy
Ukyo Katayama
Esteban Tuero
Alex Yoong
Anthony Davidson
Mark Webber
Nicolas Kiesa
Jos Verstappen
Zsolt Baumgartner
Patrick Friesacher
Robert Doornbos
