The best single season teams in F1 history:

An interesting survey on FoxSports's website, about the most successful teams in a single season in F1 history:

1. McLaren 1988 - 94% (15/16)
2. Ferrari 2002 - 88% (15/17)
3. Ferrari 1952 - 88% (7/8)
4. Alfa Romeo 1950 - 86% (6/7)
5. Mercedes 2014 - 84% (16/19)
6. Ferrari 2004 - 83% (15/18)
7. Ferrari 1953 - 78% (7/9)
8t. McLaren 1984 - 75% (12/16)
8t. Williams 1996 - 75% (12/16)
10. Mercedes 1955 - 71% (5/7)

 

Interesting indeed. Looked at another way, we see;

1 x Alfa
1 x Williams
2 x McSplutter
2 x Merc
*4* (four!) x Ferrari!

Say no more.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Life F1 - best EVAH!!!

 

Anyone remember McLaren's only loss that season? Italian GP at Monza about 3 weeks after Enzo passed away, Ferrari 1-2.

 

Senna had it in the bag, he was in the lead almost certain to win until he came across back-marker Jean-Louis Schlesser in Williams who punted him out of the track at the first chicane.

Apart from that incident, it would have been 100% record for McLaren.

 

McLaren: all or nothing!

 

Errr ..., just like Williams, Red Bull, and ... Ferrari perhaps?

Every teams have bad years.

 

A bit on the short side, perhaps? Prost, knowing that his engine was about to expire before the race's end, pushed his car as fast as it would go, knowing full well that Senna could not resist following him, burning too much petrol in so doing, and forcing him to take un-necessary risks in passing backmarkers because being to short on petrol. The trap worked to perfection.
As quoted, if I'm not mistaken, by Nigel Roebuck.

Rgds

 

I don't know if it was on the short side, but here is what Wiki says about it.

"Prost managed to jump Senna at the start, but as he changed from 2nd to 3rd on the run to the Rettifilo his engine began to misfire and would not run properly again. This allowed Senna to power past into the lead before the chicane. Berger followed Prost with Alboreto, Cheever, Boutsen, Patrese and Piquet running in line. Senna built up a 2-second lead after the first lap and Prost, realising after the first lap that the misfire wasn't going away, decided to turn his boost up to full and give chase to his team mate. Many people in the F1 Paddock believed that Prost, knowing he wouldn't finish, hoped to make Senna use too much fuel in his desire to keep the lead, something which could have consequences for
Senna later in the race if he was forced to back off to try to finish.

Later in the race Berger and Alboreto began closing on Senna rapidly, though it was assumed that Senna was merely pacing himself to the finish, and Senna himself later said that he had things well in hand. With two laps remaining in the race, Senna attempted to lap the Williams of Schlesser at the Rettifilo Chicane. Senna headed to the left to pass the Frenchman on the inside of the first chicane, however Schlesser locked his brakes and the Williams slid forward towards the gravel trap. Using his rallying skills Schlesser managed to collect the car and turned left to avoid going off. Senna, who had taken his normal line and hadn't counted on Schlesser regaining control was t-boned in the right rear by Schlesser's Williams causing broken rear suspension for the McLaren. Senna spun onto the exit kerb of the first part of the chicane and with the car stuck on the kerb he was forced to retire from the race. BBC commentator James Hunt placed the blame on squarely on F1 rookie Schlesser, although many felt that Senna had not given any allowance for Schlesser to come back on the track and that had it been Prost he would have waited until after the chicane to power past the Williams.[3] Senna's former flat mate and close friend Maurício Gugelmin, whose March-Judd had also been about to lap Schlesser and was behind the McLaren after being lapped on the run past the pits, saw the collision in its entirety. "I think he'd felt that Schlesser would go straight off, and in that situation you have to keep going. It's a difficult situation, but I don't think Ayrton took a risk."

 

Pretty much confirms what Nero just noted IMO!...... The Professor was a wily old fox, that's for sure.

Cheers,
Ian

 

But it also says :

"Later in the race Berger and Alboreto began closing on Senna rapidly, though it was assumed that Senna was merely pacing himself to the finish, and Senna himself later said that he had things well in hand. "


So, there was no certainty that Senna would have ran out of fuel. in the last 2 laps It's pure speculation.

It boils down to the way you interpret the facts:

If you are a Ferrari fan, you would say - Senna was hopelessly tricked by Prost, ensuring a Ferrari victory.

If you are a McLaren fan, you see it as another GP dominated by McLaren that year, just thwarted by an inexperienced back-marker

 

Well, the way I see it, the best thing to do would be to discuss it "the french way"...over a lunch or dinner here, the next time you cross the Channel, William? P.M me a few days before, I would be delighted! My treat, of course...
Rgds

 

When I first read the OP header, I thought this is easy, Brawn has it in the bag.....

 

Scene: the gates of Heaven
Date: May 1, 1994

Senna to St. Peter: "I am Ayrton Senna, a devout Christian and humanitarian philanthropist. If I am allowed to enter, I would like to ask the Holy Father one question."

St. Peter: "That would be highly irregular, but under the circumstances, I will arrange it."

Senna passes through the gates and sees images, smells aromas, hears sounds so beautiful they are unimaginable to the human intellect. Eventually he is transported into a blinding presence.

A voice, at once commanding and comforting, asks: "Senna. What is this question that you have so impermanently insisted on asking?"

Senna, overwhelmed, can do nothing but come to the point: "Holy Father, how could You have permitted fate to allow Jean-Louis Schlesser to start the 1988 Grand Prix of Italy?"

There was an unexpected silence. Senna grew anxious. Then, the voice said, haltingly....."My son, I must refer this to a higher authority........Enzo! You wanna handle this one?"

 

Red Bull nowhere to be see? That's surprising to me.

 

Nah. Senna was "persuaded" to try and pass Schlesser by a little voice in his helmet. He didn't realize that it was the voice of Enzo Ferrari.....

 

They are just a drinks, cola company with exhaust blowing...

 

I saw it, just a kid then, when i saw the mac flying and getting "trapped" over the kerb i jumped from the sofa screaming...my mother was asleep in the other couch and woke up all stressed up, thinking what the hell was happening in the house, lolololo
big mistake by Senna, great victory for us...

 

Yea but never as good and almost never as bad. We'll see if they can do better than Williams' 2013 with 5 points

 

I was at that race. Everybody was very depressed about Ferrari's chances - so the crowds were not as huge as expected. Every time the Mclarens were on track the tifosi were booing and throwing paper & cups at the track ... some cans too!

we had just left when Senna hit JL Schlesser... Contrary to what people here were saying, the Ferrari's were gaining a bit - but not much... it was thought that Senna was slowing to preserve fuel... as Prost had a cracked turbo ... or something that threw off the metering ...

at the train station in Monza it was pandemonium.... same for Milano Centrale station... everyone was so excited.

the big news was the signing of Mansell, the italians were po'd that Alboreato was leaving. - kicked to the curb.

 

+1

I wonder how many others have done one year and gone?

You're a much better historian than me - I'd bet you can name more than me!

We'll exclude the "old days" before they had to commit to the season. I haven't checked, but Lola? Mezzario? [Think the latter may have hung on for two though?]

Fer sure, outside of Brawn, the list isn't terribly distinguished!

Cheers,
Ian

 

I like your interpretation

 

That's why I make the big bucks!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Wolf wasn't exactly a one-year wonder, but their first season was remarkable, with Jody Scheckter winning the team's first race as an independent entity, and two more later in the season, including Monaco. But they were never able to repeat that success and disappeared just a few years later.

 

True, they had a phenomenal early run after buying out Sir Frank, but as you mention, they weren't one year wonders, and Ian, yup, Artiezario was around for a couple. My long lamented Chrysler Lambo team with Larini and van de Poele came close to scoring a point finishing 7th once (would have counted nowadays ). Johansson did relatively well with Onyx as did Andrea with Rial, alas, they were both 1 year + most of another.

Next question, who had the best finish by a team who entered only one race ?