Brabham

 

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Team Principles The Middlebridge Company (1990-92)
Joachim Luthi CH
(1988-89)
Bernie Ecclestone
GBR (1972-1987)
Jack Brabham
AUS (1962-1971)
Chief Designers Tim Densham GBR (1992)
David Morgan
GBR (1992)
Sergio Rinland
  ITA (1989-91)
John Baldwin GBR (1987-89)
Dave North
GBR (1987)
Gordon Murray
ZA (1973-86)
Ralph Bellamy
GBR (1972)
Ron Tauranac
AUS (1962-72)

History

One of the very first drivers to become a constructor, Jack Brabham formed the team during 1962 along with engineer (and fellow Australian) Ron Tauranac. Brabham has the distinction of being the first driver/constructor to win a GP (the 1963 non-championship Solitude GP at Stuttgart).

When Brabham retired from driving at the end of 1970, the team was run mainly by Tauranac with little success on the track and was purchased by Bernie Ecclestone's Motor Racing Developments in 1972. Ecclestone and Tauranac did not get along and the Australian left the company he had help found.

In 1973 the design department was taken over by Gordon Murray, who would become one of the most innovative designers in F1, coming up with among other things, the trapezoid chassis (BT42/BT44), the integrated radiator/heat exchanger on the arrow shaped BT52 and the infamous "Fan Car" (BT46B).

The team had considerable success in the early 1980's, with Nelson Piquet winning the World Driver's Championship twice, but were never able to put together a strong enough driving partnership to take the Constructor's title. The failure of the very expensive "laydown" BT55 (nicknamed "The Flounder") for which BMW specially redesigned the M12/13 turbo engine, was the start of the decline of the team. Bernie Ecclestone withdrew the team from the 1988 championship in order to "regroup", but was in fact in the process of selling Motor Racing Developments to the Fiat group to develop the stillborn ProCar series.

The remainder of the team and the Brabham name was sold to Swiss financier Joachim Luithi and reappeared for the 1989 season. Before the end of the year however, Luithi was in jail for tax evasion and the team passed into the hands of the Japanese Middlebridge company. A revolving door of personnel and precious little sponsorship doomed the team to the back of the grid and half way through a disastrous 1992 season (having qualified for just 3 races) the once proud marque disappeared for good.

Team Record

Year Chassis Engine Tyre Driver(s) Start Win Pole F Lap Pts Pts
1962 BT3 Climax V8 (1.5L) DU Brabham

9

0

0

0

6

7th

1963 BT7
Lotus 25
Climax V8 (1.5L) DU Brabham
Gurney

10

0

0

0

28

3rd

1964 BT7
BT11
Climax V8 (1.5L) DU Brabham
Gurney / Hulme

10

0

0

0

30

4th

1965 BT11 Climax V8 (1.5L) GY Brabham
Gurney

9

0

0

0

27

3rd

1966 BT19
BT20
Repco 620 V8
Climax V8 (2.5L)
GY Brabham
Hulme

9

4

3

2

42

1st

1967 BT20
BT24
Repco 620 V8 GY Brabham
Hulme

11

4

2

2

63

1st

1968 BT24 Repco 620 V8 GY Brabham
Rindt

12

0

2

0

10

8th

1969 BT26A Ford DFV V8 GY Brabham
Ickx

11

2

4

4

49

2nd


Jack Brabham in the BT33-Ford

Year Chassis Engine Tyre # / Drivers Start Win Pole F Lap Pts Pts
1970 BT33 Ford DFV V8 GY Brabham
Strommelen

13

1

1

4

35

4th

1971 BT34
BT33
Ford DFV V8 GY G Hill
Schenken / Charlton

11

0

0

0

5

9th

1972 BT37
BT34
Ford DFV V8 GY G Hill
Reutemann

12

0

1

0

7

9th

1973 BT42 Ford DFV V8 GY 10 Reutemann
11 W Fittipaldi

15

0

0

0

22

4th

1974 BT44 Ford DFV V8 GY 7 Reutemann
8 Pace / Robarts / von Opel

15

3

1

2

35

5th

1975 BT44B Ford DFV V8 GY 7 Reutemann
8 Pace

14

2

1

1

54

2nd

1976 BT45 Alfa Romeo 115 F12 GY 7 Reutemann / Strommelen / Perkins
8 Pace

16

0

0

0

9

9th

1977 BT45B
BT45
Alfa Romeo 115 F12 GY 7 Watson
8 Pace / Stuck

17

0

1

2

27

5th

1978 BT46
BT46B
Alfa Romeo 115 F12 GY 1 Lauda
2 Watson
66 Piquet (Canadian GP only)

16

2

2

4

53

3rd

1979 BT48 Alfa Romeo 1260 V12 GY 5 Lauda
6 Piquet

15

0

0

1

7

8th


Nelson Piquet in the BT48-Alfa Romeo

Year Chassis Engine Tyre # / Drivers Start Win Pole F Lap Pts Pts
1980 BT49 Ford DFV V8 GY 5 Piquet
6 Zunino / Rebaque

14

3

2

1

55

3rd

1981 BT49C Ford DFV V8 GY 5 Piquet
6 Rebaque

15

3

4

1

61

2nd

1982 BT50
BT49D
BMW M12/13 F4t
Ford DFV V8
GY 1 Piquet
2 Patrese

16

2

1

4

41

5th

1983 BT52B
BT52
BMW M12/13 F4t MI 5 Piquet
6 Patrese

15

4

2

5

72

3rd

1984 BT53 BMW M12/13 F4t MI 1 Piquet
2 T Fabi / C Fabi

16

2

9

3

38

4th

1985 BT54 BMW M12/13 F4t PI 7 Piquet
8 Hesnault / Surer

16

1

1

0

26

5th

1986 BT55 BMW M12/13-1 F4t PI 7 de Angelis / Warwick
8 Patrese

16

0

0

0

2

9th

1987 BT56 BMW M12/13-1 F4t GY 7 Patrese
8 de Cesaris

16

0

0

0

10

8th

1988 - - - Did not take part in championship

-

-

-

-

-

-

1989 BT58 Judd CV V8 PI 7 Brundle
8 Modena

16

0

0

0

8

9th


Nelson Piquet in the BT52-BMW turbo

Year Chassis Engine Tyre Drivers Start Win Pole F Lap Pts Pts
1990 BT59
BT58
Judd EV V8 PI 7 Foitek / D Brabham
8 Modena

16

0

0

0

2

=9th

1991 BT60Y Yamaha OX99 V12 PI 7 Brundle
8 Blundell

16

0

0

0

3

=9th

1992 BT60B Judd GV V10 GY 7 van de Poele
8 Amati / D Hill

3

0

0

0

0

-

       

TOTAL

405

33

37

36

827

 


Damon Hill in the BT60B-Judd

TITLES
1983 Driver's Champion (Nelson Piquet)
1981 Driver's Champion (Nelson Piquet)
1981 Constructor's Runner-up
1975 Constructor's Runner-up
1969 Constructor's Runner-up
1967 Constructor's Champion
1966 Constructor's Champion
1966 Driver's Champion (Jack Brabham)

 


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