Where are F1 teams based? Ferrari, Red Bull and more

Although F1 race groups spend most of their yr globetrotting, each nonetheless has a spot to name dwelling. Often often called the manufacturing facility, it’s not as glamorous because the F1 pitlane – however it does provide a everlasting base. That is the place the vehicles are constructed. And, if there’s sufficient time between races in the course of the frenetic season, it’s additionally the place to which they return for upkeep. Even on race weekends, groups run quite a few operations remotely from the manufacturing facility.

Listed here are the headquarters for each F1 group.

Purple Bull – Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Purple Bull Powertrains HQ

Picture by: Jon Noble

• Based: 2005
• Nationwide flag that Purple Bull races beneath: Austria
• Grand prix wins: 122
• Constructors’ championships: 6 (2010-13, 2022-23)
• Drivers’ championships: 8 (2010-13, 2021-24)

Purple Bull Racing joined F1 for the 2005 season after its guardian firm Purple Bull GmbH, globally identified for its power drinks model, purchased the Jaguar group. This meant Purple Bull moved into the Milton Keynes manufacturing facility, which dates again to 1990 when Stewart Grand Prix – then an F3 outfit earlier than becoming a member of F1 in 1997 – opened the power that later turned dwelling to Jaguar after the group rebrand in 2000. 

Mercedes – Brackley, United Kingdom

Mercedes AMG F1 Brackley, manufacturing facility signal on the entrance

Picture by: Mercedes-Benz

• Based: 1954
• Nationwide flag that Mercedes races beneath: Germany
• Grand prix wins: 129
• Constructors’ championships: 8 (2014-21)
• Drivers’ championships: 9 (1954-55, 2014-20)

The present Mercedes F1 group began in 2010 after its homeowners Daimler AG, now the Mercedes-Benz Group, purchased Brawn GP. This meant Mercedes moved into the Brackley premises that was beforehand dwelling to Brawn in 2009, whereas earlier than then it belonged to Honda who in 2006 took it over from British American Racing, the group that first moved into the manufacturing facility for the 1999 season.

Mercedes additionally makes use of a base within the Northamptonshire village of Brixworth, the place powertrains are developed not just for the works group but in addition buyer outfits like McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin. 

Ferrari – Maranello, Italy

The Ferrari manufacturing facility in Maranello

Picture by: Motorsport Images

• Based: 1950
• Nationwide flag that Ferrari races beneath: Italy
• Grand prix wins: 247
• Constructors’ championships: 16 (1961, 1964, 1975-77, 1979, 1982-83, 1999-04, 2007-08)
• Drivers’ championships: 15 (1952-53, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000-04, 2007)

As dwelling to each F1’s oldest group and the world’s most well-known street automobile marque, the northern Italian city of Maranello is synonymous with the Ferrari manufacturing facility in a means that Brackley or Milton Keynes won’t ever be. It’s no shock to seek out reminders of the Scuderia’s heritage dotting the streets there.

Near the manufacturing facility can be Fiorano, a personal take a look at observe that Ferrari opened in 1972. Although present laws imply the F1 group can’t make use of the power because it might up to now, it’s nonetheless vital for Ferrari’s street vehicles and for advertising functions. An instance of the latter? Charles Leclerc signalled the top of the 2020 lockdown by driving his F1 machine out of the well-known archway on the manufacturing facility, then trundling by means of the city to the figure-of-eight take a look at circuit.

McLaren – Woking, United Kingdom

The McLaren Know-how Centre

Picture by: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

• Based: 1963
• Nationwide flag that McLaren races beneath: United Kingdom
• Grand prix wins: 189
• Constructors’ championships: 9 (1974, 1984-85, 1988-91, 1998, 2024)
• Drivers’ championships: 12 (1974, 1976, 1984-86, 1988-91, 1998-99, 2008)

McLaren has been primarily based in Woking for so long as most F1 followers can keep in mind. Although the group solely moved into its present McLaren Know-how Centre (MTC) in 2004, it had beforehand been primarily based in a extra modest location a bit of nearer to the city. Outdated-timers who labored at these Albert Drive premises would hardly recognise the MTC, the place the constructing itself represents a key a part of McLaren’s innovation portfolio. Consisting of six 18-metre-wide ‘fingers’, the MTC is constructed round a lake. There’s a powerful emphasis on sustainability in each its operations and philosophy.

Aston Martin – Silverstone, United Kingdom

Aston Martin Silverstone manufacturing facility rendering

Picture by: Aston Martin Racing

• Based: 2021
• Nationwide flag that Aston Martin races beneath: United Kingdom
• Grand prix wins: 0
• Constructors’ championships: 0
• Drivers’ championships: 0

The Aston Martin F1 operation started in 2021, however it is only one of many groups to have labored from a facility positioned simply throughout the street to Silverstone circuit. This manufacturing facility may be traced again to Jordan Grand Prix, who moved there for its F1 debut in 1991 earlier than rebranding as Midland forward of the 2006 season, with the Russian outfit subsequently taking up the power.

It has since gone by means of 5 further rebrands with Spyker, Drive India, Racing Level Drive India, Racing Level and now Aston Martin all utilizing the Silverstone headquarter. Nevertheless, in 2023, Aston Martin moved into an upgraded, purpose-built campus that lies round what had beforehand been used. 

Alpine – Enstone, United Kingdom and Viry-Chatillon, France

Nicolas Prost, Improvement Driver, Lotus F1 Staff, Davide Valsecchi, Third Driver, Lotus F1 Staff, Kimi Raikkonen, Driver, Lotus F1 Staff, Gerard Lopez, Chairman, Lotus F1 Staff, Eric Boullier, Staff Principal, Lotus F1 Staff, Romain Grosjean, Driver, Lotus F1 Staff, and Jerome D’Ambrosio, Reserve Driver, Lotus F1 Staff with the E21

Picture by: Lotus F1 Staff

• Based: 2021
• Nationwide flag that Alpine races beneath: France
• Grand prix wins: 1
• Constructors’ championships: 0
• Drivers’ championships: 0

The Enstone manufacturing facility in Oxfordshire is one other headquarter to have ‘modified fingers’ a number of occasions, with a very advanced historical past of branding and possession twists offering the backdrop. However, the power’s story started with Benetton who moved there in 1992 and used that base when it received its championships with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. 

Since 2002, the Enstone facility has served as a house to Renault (twice) and Lotus-Renault earlier than enterprise Alpine branding in 2021. Alongside its Enstone manufacturing facility although, Alpine makes use of a facility within the Parisian suburb of Viry-Chatillon which is devoted to engine design, meeting and testing.

Williams – Grove, United Kingdom

Williams manufacturing facility hedge

Picture by: Motorsport Images

• Based: 1977
• Nationwide flag that Williams races beneath: United Kingdom
• Grand prix wins: 114
• Constructors’ championships: 9 (1980-81, 1986-87, 1992-94, 1996-97)
• Drivers’ championships: 7 (1980, 1982, 1987, 1992-93, 1996-97)

Having grown up in Didcot – and been primarily based within the shadow of its cooling towers for a lot of of its most profitable years – Williams moved a bit of means throughout Oxfordshire in 1996. This new base, the place the group stays at this time, was beforehand owned by Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. However the ‘topiary’ (sculpted hedge) of a automobile making a pitstop – full with mechanics – leaves little doubt that that is now dwelling to an F1 operation!

RB – Faenza, Italy

Oleg Karpov, editor Motorsport.com, Franz Tost, Staff Principal, Scuderia AlphaTauri on the AlphaTauri Faenza tour

Picture by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

• Based: 2024
• Nationwide flag that RB races beneath: Italy
• Grand prix wins: 0
• Constructors’ championships: 0
• Drivers’ championships: 0

Although the RB branding remains to be younger, the group’s Faenza base is strongly linked to the historic Minardi squad. Founder Giancarlo Minardi had the truth is included the city’s crest – a rampant lion – in its group badge. The perennial F1 tail-enders have been primarily based there from 1985 till 2005, after which the situation was taken over by Purple Bull and morphed into Scuderia Toro Rosso. The manufacturing facility underwent its swap to AlphaTauri colors forward of the 2020 season, earlier than the Purple Bull-owned squad went by means of one other rebrand for 2024, this time as RB. 

Sauber – Hinwil, Switzerland

The Sauber manufacturing facility

Picture by: Motorsport Images

• Based: 1993
• Nationwide flag that Sauber races beneath: Switzerland
• Grand prix wins: 1
• Constructors’ championships: 0
• Drivers’ championships: 0

F1 vehicles have been run out of the Hinwil facility since 1993, when Sauber entered the world championship beneath its personal title. Since then, the squad based by Swissman Peter Sauber has alternated between producer partnerships (notably with BMW from 2006 to 2009, throughout which interval it received the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix) and working as a marque of its personal.

Its newest producer partnership got here with Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2023 earlier than returning as Sauber in 2024 forward of Audi’s takeover in 2026. When that occurs, it’s anticipated that the Audi F1 group will function between two amenities: Hinwil and an influence unit base in Neuburg, Germany.

Haas – Kannapolis, USA, Banbury, England and Maranello, Italy 

Haas F1

Picture by: Haas F1 Staff

• Based: 2016
• Nationwide flag that Haas races beneath: USA
• Wins: 0
• Constructors’ championships: 0
• Drivers’ championships: 0

Haas goes fully off-piste when it comes to its ‘manufacturing facility’ set-up. Whereas different groups attempt to hold issues beneath one roof or at the very least in the identical space – and all are primarily based in Europe – Haas has three bases unfold throughout two continents!

As dwelling to sister NASCAR group Stewart-Haas Racing, Kannapolis, a metropolis in North Carolina, was chosen as location for the official base. However working an F1 group solely out of america isn’t sensible within the Europe-heavy calendar, so there’s a workshop in England the place the vehicles are tended between races. This location, in Banbury, was previously dwelling to the Marussia group.

However it will get extra sophisticated nonetheless, as a result of Haas makes use of Ferrari engines and has shut hyperlinks with the Scuderia. Thus, Haas has a base in Maranello too. Merely put – and there may be loads of overlap – America does administration, England does operations and Italy does the design/construct.

Why are so many F1 groups primarily based within the UK?

The UK has been the hub of the F1 world for a number of many years now. Although the primary nice racing marques, comparable to Alfa Romeo, Mercedes and Ferrari, have been European automotive giants, the Nineteen Fifties noticed the emergence of specialist British engineering operations capable of take them on in F1. This was essential in Britain’s emergence as a focus for the business.

Vanwall set the tone by successful the 1957 British GP and claiming the constructors’ world championship the next yr. Success then started to circulate for Lotus, Cooper, BRM and the Coventry-Climax engine. With most of those operations prepared to scale up and promote their wares to privateers, an ecosystem grew up round F1 within the UK – and extra particularly within the south-east of England. When Australia’s Jack Brabham and New Zealand’s Bruce McLaren based their very own groups within the Sixties, for instance, it made sense for them to arrange store in that space too.

Patrick Head and Frank Williams on the launch of the Williams FW06 at their new Manufacturing unit

Picture by: Sutton Pictures

It didn’t harm that the UK supplied loads of circuits for testing and growth. Whereas there had been few locations to go racing earlier than World Conflict 2, disused RAF airfields comparable to Silverstone have been re-purposed into circuits when peace got here. This performed an vital function within the motorsport business taking root the place it did: even at this time, groups like Mercedes, Purple Bull and Aston Martin are primarily based near the British GP venue.

Although nearly all of F1 races have all the time concerned a visit throughout the Channel, and different areas might have been extra geographically sound as a base, the UK supplied little incentive for groups to maneuver as soon as an business had developed round not simply F1 however motorsport as a complete. The pool of mechanical and engineering expertise accessible within the UK snowballed, and at this time the south-east of England might be dwelling to extra expert motorsport specialists than wherever else on the earth.

Now that coming into F1 has develop into extremely restricted and exceedingly specialised, there may be virtually no solution to break into the collection with out shopping for out an present group – together with its premises. Subsequently it seems to be seemingly that almost all of F1 groups will proceed to be primarily based within the UK for the foreseeable future.