With McLaren off to Renault in 2018. So this means top Six Formula 1 Engine partnership that went Wrong. With the only rules any Formula 1 engine deal that didn't survived over a season, that the team didn't win or scored a podium in that season.
Starting with Number 6:
Number 6: 1992 Jordan and Yamaha (Jordan 192)
Story: After a successful debut season in 1991 with 191. Jordan team had lost their supply of Ford engines due to large debts. Instead Jordan signed a contract to run the Yamaha 3.5L V12, which was supplied for free. One of the main problems for was that the team had already begun work on the 192 in the expectation that it would continue to run the Ford V8 engine rather than a much larger V12 Yamaha.
Compared to their successful debut season, 1992 was a total nightmare for Jordan. The team struggled with reliability issues from the Yamaha V12 engine, both Stefano Modena and Maurício Gugelmin failed to finish in nineteen Grand Prixs', while Stefano Modena did not qualified in four of those. In the end Jordan 192 failed to score a point until the final race of the season in Australia, when Modena finished in sixth place. Overall, the Jordan 192 give Jordan only one point and eleventh place in the constructors standings in 1992. Next season, Jordan use Hart V10 engines, while Yamaha move onto Tyrrell with new V10 engines in 1993.
Number 5: 1990 Lotus and Lamborghini (Lotus 102)
Story: The Lotus 102 was powered by the 3.5 litre V12 Lamborghini engine in 1990 instead of the 3.5 litre V8 Judd engine they used in 1989. Team Lotus' manager confidently predicted that the team would score 40 championship points in 1990, unfortunately that prediction was wrong. The Lotus 102 managed to score just 3 points in 1990, with best results from Derek Warwick with a fifth place finished at the Hungaroring, to give Lotus a eighth place finish in the constructors' championship in 1990. Next season, Lotus use Judd V8 engines for 1991.
Number 4: 1987 Ligier, Alfa Romeo and Megatron (Ligier JS29)
Story: After Renault pulled out of F1 at the end of 1986 season. Ligier had to find new engine deal, for 1987 F1 season Ligier was going to use the new Alfa Romeo 1.5 litre straight 4 turbo engine. However, during pre-season testing lead driver René Arnoux publicly gave his thoughts on the engine, comparing it to used food which gave Alfa's parent company Fiat the excuse they had been looking for to pull out of Formula 1.
As a result of losing their engine supply so close to the start of the season, Ligier had to come up with an engine in order to compete. The team managed to get a supply of Megatron (BMW) Straight 4 turbo engines for the season. And with the lateness of the change of engines, the car had to be redesign, most notably its rear suspension as tests showed that the Megatron was causing bad vibrations which was causing suspension failures throughout the season and also the team had limited amount of the Megatron engines. Ligier JS29 only managed to score just one point in 1987, with best results from René Arnoux with a sixth place finished at Spa, to give Ligier eleventh place finish in the constructors' championship in 1987. Next season, Ligier use 3.5. litre V8 Judd engines for 1988.
Number 3: 1983 Spirit Racing and Honda (Spirit 201)
Story: With Honda returning to Formula 1 in 1983 with their new 1.5 litre V6 Honda turbo engine. Honda were anxious to keep a low profile with the new engine, instead of teaming up with established Formula 1 team. Honda teamed up with a Formula 2 team called Spirit Racing, the team didn't debut until mid-July at the British Grand Prix with the Spirit 201.
However, the relationship continued only for five more Grand Prixs' with the best result of seventh place at the Dutch Grand Prix with Stefan Johansson. Due to the car itself being too slow and undeveloped and not the engine this time, Honda moved to established team Williams in 1984, while Spirit Racing used Hart 1.5 litre straight 4 turbo engines for 1984 season.
Number 2: 1991 Arrows and Porsche (Footwork FA12)
Story: At the end of the 1990 F1 season, Arrows was renamed as Footwork, and had also secured a deal to run 3.5 litre V12 Porsche engines in 1991, replacing the 3.5 litre V8 Ford engines had in 1990. However, the 3.5 litre V12 Porsche engines in the FA12 was too large, heavy, underpowered and unreliable. By Round seven at the French Grand Prix in July, the Arrows team had decided to abandon the disastrous Porsche V12 engines in favour of a return to Ford V8 engines. With the Arrows Porsche relationship resulting in five times they retired in the races while seven times they did not qualify for the races.
Number 1: 1990 Coloni and Subaru (Coloni C3B)
Story: At the end of the 1990 F1 season, Coloni had secured a deal to run 3.5 litre Flat-12 Subaru engines for 1990 replacing the 3.5 litre V8 Ford engines had in 1989. However, the 3.5 litre Flat-12 Subaru engines in the Coloni C3B was too large, heavy, underpowered and unreliable. By Round nine at the German Grand Prix in late July, the Subaru and Coloni's relationship broke down; following some political wrangling between the two companies, Subaru pulled out altogether, with Coloni team returning to Ford V8 engines resulting in five times they retired in the races while seven times they did not qualify for the races. With the Coloni Subaru relationship resulting in eight did not pre qualifying for poor old Bertrand Gachot.
To give the Coloni and Subaru deal the worse F1 Engine partnerships that went Wrong!
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