<p>Red Bull</p>.<p>Drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber </p>.<p>Strengths: The support from its Red Bull owner; confidence and knowing how to win consecutive championships; the Newey expertise in aerodynamics and chassis design; the Renault engine. </p>.<p>Base: Milton Keynes,England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 2005 <br />Constructors’ titles: 2 <br />Drivers’ titles: 2 <br />Victories: 27 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: A new challenge to maintain the domination without losing the hunger; problems during winter testing with a new design for the exhaust system. </p>.<p><br />McLAREN </p>.<p>Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button </p>.<p>Strengths: The best factory in the series; one of the most businesslike approaches to racing; a unity within the team; two of the best drivers in the series; the Mercedes <br />engine. </p>.<p>Base: Woking, <br />England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 1966 <br />Constructors’ titles: 8 <br />Drivers’ titles: 12 <br />Victories: 175 </p>.<p>FERRARI </p>.<p>Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa <br /><br /><br />Strengths: Its budget, as racing is Ferrari’s raison d’être and the company uses sales of the luxury road car to fund the team and victories of the race car to sell the road car; the factory; the devoted staff; two of the top drivers in the sport. </p>.<p>Base: Maranello, Italy <br />Engine: Ferrari <br />First Season: 1950 <br />Constructors’ <br />titles:16 <br />Drivers’ titles: 15 <br />Victories: 216 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: <br />Radical approaches to car design from one season to the next, which rarely produce top results. </p>.<p>MERCEDES F1 </p>.<p>Drivers: Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg </p>.<p>Strengths: Schumacher, one of the greatest drivers ever, with his excellent technical ability to develop the car and help his younger teammate develop; the Mercedes ownership and their increased financial commitment. </p>.<p>Base: Brackley, England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 2010 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: Perhaps too many chefs: With new management hires, they have four former team technical directors – Brawn, Aldo Costa, Bob Bell and Geoff Willis – and the most successful driver in history. </p>.<p>LOTUS </p>.<p>Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean </p>.<p>Strengths: The revitalization of the team with the arrival of Raikkonen; the close working relationship with the Renault engine supplier, the team’s former owner; solid team leadership by Eric Boullier, a Frenchman now in his third year as director. </p>.<p>Base: Enstone, England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 2012 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: The car’s structural problems in winter testing, when it was withdrawn for the entire second test, despite being the fastest car; the complicated financial situation of the Lotus company that owns the team.</p>.<p>FORCE INDIA </p>.<p>Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta </p>.<p>Strengths: An injection of money from a new partial owner last year – SaharaIndia Pariwar – helping with one of last year’s major problems: budget; the Mercedes engine; the general technical work force of the team. </p>.<p>Base: Silverstone, England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 2008 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: Major financial problems in India of one of the two main companies behind the team, Kingfisher, that could have repercussions for the Formula One project. </p>.<p>SAUBER </p>.<p>Drivers: Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez </p>.<p>Strengths: The team’s longstanding relationship with its Ferrari engine partner; an excellent factory, revitalized by huge BMW investment; as always, the team mastery of the art of getting more out of less budget. </p>.<p>Base: Hinwil, <br />Switzerland <br />Engine:Ferrari <br />First Season: 1993 <br />Victories: 1 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: The budget; possible restructuring after the departure over the winter of its technical director; relatively inexperienced drivers, although they are fast. </p>.<p>TORO ROSSO </p>.<p>Drivers: Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo </p>.<p>Strengths: The Red Bull ownership and commitment; two young, hungry and fast new drivers; the relationship with Ferrari. </p>.<p>Base: Faenza, Italy <br />Engine: Ferrari <br />First Season: 2006 <br />Victories: 1 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; the owner’s greater interest in seeing its other team – Red Bull – win races for the marketing value. </p>.<p>CATERHAM</p>.<p>Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen, Vitaly Petrov </p>.<p>Strengths: The enthusiasm of the directors; excellent technical team put together by Gascoyne, a team-builder with a long history of creating success; increased budget from earnings and a new Russian sponsor. </p>.<p>Base: Hingham, <br />England, and <br />Sepang, Malaysia <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season:2012 <br /><br />Weaknesses: Having started from scratch like the three other new teams in 2010; still much to prove for the new recruit, Petrov, who replaces Jarno Trulli, who was judged to have failed. </p>.<p>WILLIAMS </p>.<p>Drivers: Pastor Maldonado, Bruno Senna </p>.<p>Strengths: The new technical team and a return to the use of the Renault engine – as in the team’s glory period in the 1990s – after years with a Cosworth. </p>.<p>Base: Grove, England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 1978 <br />Constructors’ titles: 9 <br />Drivers’ titles: 7 <br />Victories: 113 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; many changes within the team that left something of a leadership vacuum last season and left the team needing to rebuild. </p>.<p>HRT </p>.<p>Drivers: Pedro de la Rosa, Narain Karthikeyan </p>.<p>Strengths: The enormous experience of the new driver de la Rosa, who has raced and test-driven for several teams, including McLaren for many years. </p>.<p>Base: Madrid <br />Drivers: Engine: <br />Cosworth <br />First Season: 2010 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; the move to new quarters; dropping the <br />director; no winter testing of the new car. </p>.<p>MARUSSIA </p>.<p>Strengths: A well-run team with decades of racing behind it after it rose up from the lower series. <br /> <br />Base: Dinnington, England <br />Engine: Cosworth <br />First Season: 2012 <br /><br />Weaknesses: As in the past, a small budget; limited factory resources, without a wind t<br />unnel. </p>
<p>Red Bull</p>.<p>Drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber </p>.<p>Strengths: The support from its Red Bull owner; confidence and knowing how to win consecutive championships; the Newey expertise in aerodynamics and chassis design; the Renault engine. </p>.<p>Base: Milton Keynes,England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 2005 <br />Constructors’ titles: 2 <br />Drivers’ titles: 2 <br />Victories: 27 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: A new challenge to maintain the domination without losing the hunger; problems during winter testing with a new design for the exhaust system. </p>.<p><br />McLAREN </p>.<p>Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button </p>.<p>Strengths: The best factory in the series; one of the most businesslike approaches to racing; a unity within the team; two of the best drivers in the series; the Mercedes <br />engine. </p>.<p>Base: Woking, <br />England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 1966 <br />Constructors’ titles: 8 <br />Drivers’ titles: 12 <br />Victories: 175 </p>.<p>FERRARI </p>.<p>Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa <br /><br /><br />Strengths: Its budget, as racing is Ferrari’s raison d’être and the company uses sales of the luxury road car to fund the team and victories of the race car to sell the road car; the factory; the devoted staff; two of the top drivers in the sport. </p>.<p>Base: Maranello, Italy <br />Engine: Ferrari <br />First Season: 1950 <br />Constructors’ <br />titles:16 <br />Drivers’ titles: 15 <br />Victories: 216 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: <br />Radical approaches to car design from one season to the next, which rarely produce top results. </p>.<p>MERCEDES F1 </p>.<p>Drivers: Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg </p>.<p>Strengths: Schumacher, one of the greatest drivers ever, with his excellent technical ability to develop the car and help his younger teammate develop; the Mercedes ownership and their increased financial commitment. </p>.<p>Base: Brackley, England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 2010 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: Perhaps too many chefs: With new management hires, they have four former team technical directors – Brawn, Aldo Costa, Bob Bell and Geoff Willis – and the most successful driver in history. </p>.<p>LOTUS </p>.<p>Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean </p>.<p>Strengths: The revitalization of the team with the arrival of Raikkonen; the close working relationship with the Renault engine supplier, the team’s former owner; solid team leadership by Eric Boullier, a Frenchman now in his third year as director. </p>.<p>Base: Enstone, England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 2012 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: The car’s structural problems in winter testing, when it was withdrawn for the entire second test, despite being the fastest car; the complicated financial situation of the Lotus company that owns the team.</p>.<p>FORCE INDIA </p>.<p>Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta </p>.<p>Strengths: An injection of money from a new partial owner last year – SaharaIndia Pariwar – helping with one of last year’s major problems: budget; the Mercedes engine; the general technical work force of the team. </p>.<p>Base: Silverstone, England <br />Engine: Mercedes <br />First Season: 2008 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: Major financial problems in India of one of the two main companies behind the team, Kingfisher, that could have repercussions for the Formula One project. </p>.<p>SAUBER </p>.<p>Drivers: Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez </p>.<p>Strengths: The team’s longstanding relationship with its Ferrari engine partner; an excellent factory, revitalized by huge BMW investment; as always, the team mastery of the art of getting more out of less budget. </p>.<p>Base: Hinwil, <br />Switzerland <br />Engine:Ferrari <br />First Season: 1993 <br />Victories: 1 </p>.<p>Weaknesses: The budget; possible restructuring after the departure over the winter of its technical director; relatively inexperienced drivers, although they are fast. </p>.<p>TORO ROSSO </p>.<p>Drivers: Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo </p>.<p>Strengths: The Red Bull ownership and commitment; two young, hungry and fast new drivers; the relationship with Ferrari. </p>.<p>Base: Faenza, Italy <br />Engine: Ferrari <br />First Season: 2006 <br />Victories: 1 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; the owner’s greater interest in seeing its other team – Red Bull – win races for the marketing value. </p>.<p>CATERHAM</p>.<p>Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen, Vitaly Petrov </p>.<p>Strengths: The enthusiasm of the directors; excellent technical team put together by Gascoyne, a team-builder with a long history of creating success; increased budget from earnings and a new Russian sponsor. </p>.<p>Base: Hingham, <br />England, and <br />Sepang, Malaysia <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season:2012 <br /><br />Weaknesses: Having started from scratch like the three other new teams in 2010; still much to prove for the new recruit, Petrov, who replaces Jarno Trulli, who was judged to have failed. </p>.<p>WILLIAMS </p>.<p>Drivers: Pastor Maldonado, Bruno Senna </p>.<p>Strengths: The new technical team and a return to the use of the Renault engine – as in the team’s glory period in the 1990s – after years with a Cosworth. </p>.<p>Base: Grove, England <br />Engine: Renault <br />First Season: 1978 <br />Constructors’ titles: 9 <br />Drivers’ titles: 7 <br />Victories: 113 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; many changes within the team that left something of a leadership vacuum last season and left the team needing to rebuild. </p>.<p>HRT </p>.<p>Drivers: Pedro de la Rosa, Narain Karthikeyan </p>.<p>Strengths: The enormous experience of the new driver de la Rosa, who has raced and test-driven for several teams, including McLaren for many years. </p>.<p>Base: Madrid <br />Drivers: Engine: <br />Cosworth <br />First Season: 2010 <br /><br />Weaknesses: The budget; the move to new quarters; dropping the <br />director; no winter testing of the new car. </p>.<p>MARUSSIA </p>.<p>Strengths: A well-run team with decades of racing behind it after it rose up from the lower series. <br /> <br />Base: Dinnington, England <br />Engine: Cosworth <br />First Season: 2012 <br /><br />Weaknesses: As in the past, a small budget; limited factory resources, without a wind t<br />unnel. </p>
