Team

Racing Point F1 Team

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Racing Point F1 Team was a British motor racing team and constructor based in Silverstone), England, competing in the Formula One World Championship under a British licence. The team’s origins lie with the Jordan Grand Prix team, first racing in 1991, and evolved through several iterations before becoming Racing Point in 2019. Racing Point achieved its first victory as a constructor at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix with Sergio Pérez, and Lance Stroll secured the team’s first pole position at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. The team rebranded as Aston Martin for the 2021 Formula One season.

Origins

The team began as Jordan Grand Prix in 1991, experiencing moderate success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including two race victories and a 3rd-place finish in the 1999 World Constructors' Championship. In 2005, the team was sold to the Midland Group and renamed Midland F1 Racing for the 2006 season, but remained unsuccessful. A late-season sale in 2006 saw the team become Spyker F1 in 2007, scoring its first point in over two years at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix. In 2008, the team was purchased by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and renamed Force India. During the 2018 season, the team was put into administration due to financial and legal troubles. The team’s assets were purchased by Racing Point UK, a consortium led by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, and competed as Racing Point Force India for the remainder of 2018 .

Breakthrough

As Force India, the team saw moderate success over ten and a half years, achieving a pole position at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and six podium finishes. Force India finished 4th in the World Constructors' Championship in both 2016 and 2017. Financial and legal troubles led to the team being put into administration during the 2018 season. The team’s assets were purchased by Racing Point UK, resulting in the team being renamed Racing Point for 2019.

Peak Seasons

In 2019, Lance Stroll and Sergio Pérez drove for the team, which was branded as "SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team". The team scored points at each of the first four races of the season, including a double points finish in Azerbaijan as Pérez and Stroll finished 6th and 9th respectively. A strong result came at the German Grand Prix, where Stroll briefly led the race before finishing 4th. The team finished 7th in the World Constructors' Championship with 73 points.

The 2020 season saw Stroll re-signed and Pérez contracted until the end of 2022. During pre-season testing, the Racing Point RP20 caused controversy due to its resemblance to the 2019 Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+. A formal protest was lodged regarding the brake ducts, leading to an investigation and a subsequent fine of €400,000 and a deduction of 15 constructors points. At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Stroll achieved the team's first podium finish, finishing third. At the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Stroll secured the team’s first-ever pole position, with Pérez qualifying third. Pérez finished second in the race, giving the team its second podium.

At the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, Pérez won the race, marking Racing Point’s first win as a constructor. Stroll also finished on the podium in third place. This was the fifth Grand Prix victory for any incarnation of the team since Jordan won the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Defining Incidents

Sergio Pérez tested positive for COVID-19 before the 2020 British Grand Prix and was unable to participate in both the British and 70th Anniversary Grands Prix, with Nico Hülkenberg serving as his substitute. At the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Stroll’s car was flipped upside down due to a collision with Daniil Kvyat, resulting in the first race of the 2020 season where both cars failed to score points.

After Lawrence Stroll bought a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin, the team rebranded to Aston Martin F1 Team.