This is the original post from two and half years called Top Six F1 Engine partnerships that went Wrong. So this means another 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: 1991 Lotus, Judd and Izuzu (Lotus 102B/Lotus 102C)
Story: The Lotus 102B was powered by the 3.5 litre V8 Judd engine in 1991 instead of the 3.5 litre V12 Lamborghini engine they used in 1990. After a terrible 1990 F1 season, Team Lotus return to Judd power only ever intended as a stopgap though for 1991, just like 1990 the Lotus 102B (an evolution from last seasons 102) managed to score just 3 points in 1990, with best results from Mika Hakkinen with a fifth place finished at Imola, while nine times they did not qualify for the races to give Lotus a ninth place finish in the constructors' championship in 1991.
Meanwhile, during the 1991 season that Isuzu was secretly developing a V12 F1 engine and when team boss of Lotus found out, Lotus tested an Izuzu V12 3.5 engine (Lotus 102C) with the option to race the engine in 1992, in testing the car was six seconds off the pace due to problems that could resolve such as the engine wasn’t filled with racing fuel, 80Kg heavier than 102B, due to the extra batteries that were needed. Nevertheless the potential was there with the engine with investment from Izuzu. However, Izuzu higher management refused to give investment to the F1 project meant Izuzu F1 project was cancelled. Meaning, Lotus use 1991 Ford V8 engines for 1992.
Number 5: 1992 Minardi and Lamborghini (Minardi M192)
Story: After a decent season in 1991 with M191. Minardi team opted not to use Ferrari year old 3.5 litre V12 engines due to how expensive they were. Instead Minardi signed a contract to run the 3.5 litre V12 Lamborghini engines instead, which was much cheaper to run as powerful than the Ferrari engines. 1992 was a total nightmare for Minardi. The team struggled with reliability issues from the Lamborghini V12 engine, both Gianni Morbidelli, Alessandro Zanardi and Christian Fittipaldi failed to finish in eleven Grand Prixs', while Christian Fittipaldi and Alessandro Zanardi did not qualified in six of those. In the end Minardi M192 failed to score a point until the fifteenth race of the season in Japan, when Fittipaldi finished in sixth place. Overall, the Minardi M192 give Minardi only one point and twelfth place in the constructors standings in 1992. Next season, Minardi use customer supply of Ford 3.5 litre V8 engines that went much better.
Number 4: 1999 British American Racing and Supertec (BAR 01)
Story: After British American Tobacco (BAT) purchased the Tyrrell team in 1998, British American Racing opted for a new engine partner in a customer supply of 3 litre V10 Supertec (Renault) engines, Reynard designing the BAR 01 and 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve as one of their drivers meant the team should be challenging the likes of McLaren and Ferrari in 1999. Sadly, that didn't happen the Supertec engines was reliable throughout 1999, it was BAR 01 that Reyard design was unreliable, retiring twenty out of thirty-two times, did not qualify once with best results from Mika Salo with a seventh place finished at Imola, to give British American Racing a eleventh place finish in the constructors' championship in 1999 behind the likes of Minardi and Arrows. Next season, British American Racing use 3 litre V10 Honda works engines for 2000.
Number 3: 1983 Ligier and Cosworth (Ligier JS21)
Story: After Talbot-badged Matra pulled out of F1 at the end of 1982 season. Ligier return to Cosworth for 1983 with the 3 litre Cosworth DFV V8 engine. However, most of the other teams were using much powerful turbo engines in 1983 and the team lost long-term driver Jacques Laffite to Williams, resulting the team failed to score any points in 1983 managing two seventh place finishes and two times they failed to qualified in 1983. Next season, Ligier use 1.5. litre V6 Turbo Renault engines for 1984.
Number 2: 1994 Pacific and Ilmor (Pacific PR01)
Story: F3000 team Pacific Racing step up to Formula 1 in 1994 with the Pacific PR01, designed for the 1993 season. However, due to financial problems, it did not race until 1994. Powered by 1993 spec 3.5 litre V10 engine from Ilmor, the car was underpowered by 1994 standards; it was not upgraded nor the PR01 either due to the team was underfunded and unreliable. Resulting PR01 qualifying seven out of thirty-two attempts for Paul Belmondo and Bertrand Gachot. For 1995 Pacific team used customer 3 litre V8 engines from Ford instead.
Number 1: 1989 Zakspeed and Yamaha (Zakspeed 891)
Story: For 1989, Zakspeed had secured a deal to run 3.5 litre V8 Yamaha engines for 1989 replacing Zakspeed own 1.5 litre Straight 4 turbo engines had in 1988. However, the 3.5 litre Yamaha V8 engines in the Zakspeed 891 was underpowered and unreliable. Yamaha V8 was producing only 560 bhp compare to Honda V10 that was producing 690 bhp in 1989. Meant the Zakspeed 891 qualified twice in thirty-two attempts for Bernd Schneider and thirty times did not pre qualified for both Bernd Schneider and Aguri Suzuki. The 891 was the last Formula One car to be produced by Zakspeed as the team pulled out of Grand Prix racing following the 1989 season. Yamaha also pulled out of Formula One at the end of the year, but would return with the Brabham team in 1991 with a new V12 engine.
To give the Zakspeed and Yamaha deal that was another worse F1 Engine partnerships that went Wrong!
It was confirmed on Thursday (26/3/20), this seasons 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 has been postponed to August 23 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Originally the race was set for May 24th. This is the first time the Indy 500 will take place outside of the month of May; the race has only seen previous disruptions due to both World Wars.
While the MotoGP round at Jerez is postponed as-well without a new date.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed over 27,000 people, with closed to 600,000 cases reported.
It was confirmed on Monday (23/3/20), this seasons Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first seven races in Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, Holland, Spain and Monaco had already been called off due to the pandemic.
FIA hoped the race can be rescheduled later in the year.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was set to be the eighth round of the season, on June 7th. Meaning the first round of the season could be the Canadian Grand Prix scheduled for 14th June (looks set to be postponed too). My guess the first round of the season could be the French Grand Prix in late June.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed over 16,000 people, with closed to 400,000 cases reported.
It was confirmed on Thursday (19/3/20), both this seasons Dutch and Spanish Grand Prix are both postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the Monaco Grand Prix has been cancelled altogether.
The first four races in Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam and China had already been called off due to the pandemic.
The sport's governing body, the FIA, says it expects the 2020 season to begin "as soon as it is safe to do so after May".
Monaco organisers said it was "not possible" to rearrange a date, means the Monaco Grand Prix is not on a F1 Calender since 1954.
It is still hoped the other two races can be rescheduled later in the year.
The Dutch Grand Prix was set to be the fifth round of the season, on May 3rd, while Spanish Grand Prix was schedule for 10th May, with Monaco on the 24th May. Meaning the first round of the season could be the Azerbaijan Grand Prix scheduled for 7th June.
Meanwhile, WEC round at Spa scheduled for 25th April 2020, has been postponed indefinitely, while the 24 Hours of Le Mans schedule for 13-14th June has been postponed till September 19-20th.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed over 10,000 people, with over 250,000 cases reported.
Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round three of Rally Mexico.
Last weekends was the third round of the World Rally Championship at at the Rally Mexico (12th-15th March) that was won by Sébastien Ogier in his works Toyota Yaris WRC.
While, Current WRC champion Ott Tänak finished second in his works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. Tänak was thirty seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally. Meanwhile, Teemu Suninen finished third in his works works Ford Fiesta WRC, Suninen was forty seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally.
Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Manufacturer entries competing in cars built to Group R5 specifications), that was won by Toksport WRT driver Pontus Tidemand in his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo. Pontus Tidemand finished in sixth place overall, he was eleven minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.
While in WRC-3 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Marco Bulacia Wilkinson in his own backed Citroën C3 R5. Marco Bulacia Wilkinson finished in eighth place overall, he was fourteen minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.
Next stop, Round Four of the 2020 WRC season for Rally de Portugal in ten weeks time.
It was confirmed on Friday (13/3/20), both this seasons Bahrain and Vietnamese Grand Prix are both postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, follows the news that this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix will not go ahead.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was set to be the second round of the season, on March 22nd, while Vietnamese Grand Prix was schedule for 5th April, but officials said that both rounds not go ahead as scheduled. Meaning the first round of the season could be the Dutch Grand Prix scheduled for 3rd May.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed nearly 5,500 people, with over 145,000 cases reported.
Like it or not this is the right decision. Like I said yesterday, my guess the first few rounds of the European season (Holland, Spain and Monaco) my also be postponed. My guess the first round of the season could start as late as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in mid June.
It was confirmed on Friday (13/3/20), this seasons Australian Grand Prix has been officially cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was set to be the first round of the season, on March 15th, but officials said that it will not go ahead as organisers, Formula 1 and the FIA have all agreed to cancel the season opener
Just hours after McLaren withdrew from the race following one of its staff members being confirmed as having coronavirus, F1 team bosses got together to discuss next steps.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed nearly 5,000 people, with over 144,000 cases reported.
Like it or not it was right decision. So what next for Formula 1, I doubt the Bahrain Grand Prix next week will happen while the third round the Vietnamese Grand Prix may be postponed, my guess the first few rounds of the European season (Holland, Spain and Monaco) my also be postponed. My guess the first round of the season could start as late as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in mid June.
Meanwhile, WEC round at Sebring scheduled for 20th March 2020, has been cancelled due to a travel ban to the U.S. from mainland Europe. While both MotoGP rounds at Austin and Argentina are both postponed till the end of the season.
