 | |
| Full name | HSBC Malaysia Stewart Ford (1997) HSBC Stewart Ford (1998–1999) |
|---|---|
| Base | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom[1] |
| Founder(s) | Jackie Stewart Paul Stewart |
| Noted staff | Alan Jenkins Eghbal Hamidy Gary Anderson |
| Noted drivers |  Rubens Barrichello Johnny Herbert Jan Magnussen Jos Verstappen |
| Next name | Jaguar Racing |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1997 Australian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 49 |
| Engines | Ford |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 1 |
| Podiums | 5 |
| Points | 47 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 1999 Japanese Grand Prix |
Stewart Grand Prix was aFormula One constructor and racing team founded by tripleFormula One championJackie Stewart and his sonPaul Stewart in 1996. The team competed in F1, as theFord works-supported team, for only three seasons, from 1997 to 1999. The 1999 season was by far its strongest, yielding one win (Johnny Herbert at theEuropean Grand Prix) and one pole position (Rubens Barrichello at theFrench Grand Prix) en route to finishing fourth overall in the Constructors Championship.
At the end of 1999, Ford bought the team outright and it was renamedJaguar Racing. In 2004 Jaguar Racing was sold to energy drink companyRed Bull GmbH and was rebrandedRed Bull Racing in2005.
The team's origins are traced back to the end of 1988 whenJackie Stewart's sonPaul set up Paul Stewart Racing, having bought the Gary Evans Motorsport Team. This team entered the 1989 British Formula 3 season with a workforce of 10 employees. The team attracted the sponsorCamel. Paul Stewart drove the car alongside GermanOtto Rensing. The team had a single win with Stewart atSnetterton. In 1990, the team expanded with a move to new headquarters inMilton Keynes, and was divided into three sections; preparation for European Formula 3000, Formula 3 and Formula Vauxhall Lotus. Within a few years, the team enjoyed success, winning 12 titles and 119 races in various categories.[2]
In late 1995, Stewart Racing expressed disinterest in moving up to F1,[3] considering that short-lived entriesSimtek,Pacific andForti either had folded or looked likely to fold.[3] This position was reversed in January 1996 when Jackie Stewart secured a five-year development deal with Ford to make it afactory team. Before, Ford had been in a deal as a factory engine supplier to Sauber.[4] The team was also sponsored by the government ofMalaysia as a promotion for the country. Stewart were in consultation withJohn Barnard about a business plan with a budget of £24 million.[5]
The first car, named theStewart SF01 was launched on 19 December 1996.[5] With factory backing fromFord as well as free engines, Stewart Grand Prix entered the1997 Australian Grand Prix with driversRubens Barrichello andJan Magnussen. The only success of their first year came at the rain-affectedMonaco Grand Prix where Barrichello finished second. Magnussen in the second car finished just outside the points in seventh after losing his front wing at the chicane. Elsewhere, the cars were consistent midfield runners and Barrichello was often in a position to challenge for points. Stewart's reliability was poor, as the Ford Zetec-R V10 engine installed in the SF01 chassis proved to be powerful, yet extremely fragile. This restricted the team to just eight classified finishes out of a possible thirty-four. Stewart finished the season in ninth place in the constructors' championship with six points, ahead of other established teams likeTyrrell andMinardi.
For the next year, the team developed theStewart SF02, hoping to improve results and score regular points as well as some more podiums. However it turned out that 1998 was also a struggle for the team, with neither driver able to step onto the podium. Indeed, even points were hard to come by. The first came at the hands of Barrichello in Spain with a fifth place finish. The only highlight of the season came two rounds later with a double points finish in Canada where Barrichello and Magnussen finished fifth and sixth respectively. After a number of poor drives, Magnussen was replaced mid season by DutchmanJos Verstappen from the French Grand Prix onward. Ironically it was the race after Magnussen scored his first and only world championship point. Both drivers did not score any more points for the rest of the season. Despite this and scoring one point less than the year before, Stewart finished the season eighth in the constructors' championship, one place better than in 1997.
In the end the driver change did not make a great difference as Verstappen also struggled with the car. Unhappy with the team, Verstappen left Stewart at the end of the season and was replaced byJohnny Herbert for the next year.
At the end of the 1998 season, technical director Alan Jenkins left Stewart Grand Prix, and was replaced byJordan'sGary Anderson.[6]
AfterFord acquiredCosworth in July 1998, they risked designing and building a brand-new engine for 1999. TheStewart SF3 was quick out of the box, however both cars over-heated on the grid of the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, after qualifying competitively. This put Herbert out instantly and made Barrichello start from the pit lane. Barrichello received a stop-go penalty during the race and finished fifth. The car was consistently competitive throughout the season, however the engine initially proved fragile as both cars blew their engines at the Brazilian race which meant the engine was rarely run at full power. Stewart's competitiveness was affirmed by running first in Brazil for a long spell of the race and qualifying on pole for the French Grand Prix with Barrichello.Johnny Herbert won a popular victory at the rain soaked1999 European Grand Prix at the newNürburgring after other leading contenders crashed off the track or lost time in the pits changing tyres.[7] Barrichello finished third, in a result most observers indicated that Stewart deserved given their strength over the season. Herbert also became unwittingly influential in the championship at the next and penultimate race, the Malaysian Grand Prix. Running third behind theFerraris ofMichael Schumacher andEddie Irvine, a mistake in the closing laps allowedMika Häkkinen to slip past and claim the final podium position which gave the championship contender vital points. The Ferraris were disqualified for car irregularities and the win allowed Häkkinen to gain his second championship. The Stewarts as a result finished second and third in the race. However Ferrari won an appeal and the initial result was reinstated. Häkkinen however went on to win the championship later inJapan and Stewart came fourth in the constructors' championship with 36 points, beating teams such asWilliams andBenetton. Stewart's last race was the1999 Japanese Grand Prix.
AfterFord increased its commitment by buying the team out, it became known asJaguar Racing for the 2000 season.[8] Disappointing results however, led to the team being sold for the 2005 season, becomingRed Bull Racing.
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | SF01 | Ford VJ Zetec-R 3.0V10 | B | AUS | BRA | ARG | SMR | MON | ESP | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | AUT | LUX | JPN | EUR | 6 | 9th | |
| Rubens Barrichello | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 14† | Ret | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| Jan Magnussen | Ret | DNS | 10† | Ret | 7 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | ||||||
| 1998 | SF02 | Ford VJ Zetec-R 3.0V10 | B | AUS | BRA | ARG | SMR | ESP | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | AUT | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | LUX | JPN | 5 | 8th | ||
| Rubens Barrichello | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 5 | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 11 | Ret | |||||||
| Jan Magnussen | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jos Verstappen | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | ||||||||||||||
| 1999 | SF3 | Ford CR-1 3.0V10 | B | AUS | BRA | SMR | MON | ESP | CAN | FRA | GBR | AUT | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | EUR | MAL | JPN | 36 | 4th | ||
| Rubens Barrichello | 5 | Ret | 3 | 9† | DSQ | Ret | 3P | 8 | Ret | Ret | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |||||||
| Johnny Herbert | DNS | Ret | 10† | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 12 | 14 | 11† | 11 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 4 | 7 | |||||||
| Sources:[9][10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
