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) |
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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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