Formula One

Formula One (F1) is often considered the pinnacle of racing. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 200 mph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year with racing tracks on every continent except North America. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 17 races but also to the winner car designer. Ferrari has consistently been at the top of the tables. The current World Champion is British racer Lewis Hamilton.

Teams

The teams in the 2009 season are;

• Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, founded in 1966, are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors title 8 times. Their present drivers are the World Champion, Brit Lewis Hamilton, and Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsered by mobile phone company Vodafone.
• Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, who first compented in the second ever Formula One race at Monaco in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One. They have been won the constuctors championship 16 times, mainly as a result of the dominance of Michael Schumacher, the driver with the most championship wins in the sport's history. The teams' present drivers are the 2007 champion, Finnish Kimi Raikkonen and 2008 runner-up, Brazilian champion Felipe Massa. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsered by cigarette company Marlboro.
• BMW Sauber F1 Team, founded in 2006, finished third in the 2008 championship. The teams' present drivers are Polish driver Robert Kubica, who has won one race, and German driver Nick Heidfeld. The team uses BMW engines and are sponsered by oil and gas company Petronas.
• ING Renault F1 Team, who replaced Bennetton in 2002, have won two constructors titles. The team's present drivers are twice-world champion, Spain's Fernando Alonso, and Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr, the son of three-times world champion Nelson Piquet. The team uses Renault engines and are sponsered by the bank ING.
• Panasonic Toyota Racing, founded in 2002, have never won the championship. The teams' present drivers are Italian driver Jarno Trulli, who has won one race, and German Timo Glock. The team uses Toyota engines and are sponsered by electronics comapny Panasonic
• Scuderia Toro Rosso, who replaced the Minardi team in 2006, are a "farm" team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The teams' drivers are Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, and 2009 debutant Swiss Sebastien Buemi. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsered by beverage company Red Bull.
• Red Bull Racing, who replaced the Jaguar team in 2005, have never won a race. The teams' present drivers are Australian Mark Webber, and German Sebastien Vettel, who moved for the 2009 season from Toro Rosso, and won one race while at STR. The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsered by Red Bull.
• AT&T Williams, founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the construtors title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team's present drivers are German Nico Rosberg and Japanese man Kazuki Nakajima. The team uses Toyota engines and are sponsered by communications company AT&T.
• Force India F1 Team, who replaced the Spyker team in 2008, are yet to score a point in Formula One. The teams' present drivers are Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who has won three races in his career, and German Adrian Sutil. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsered by Indian airline Kingfisher.
• Brawn GP F1 Team, who replaced the Honda team in 2009, are one of the few teams in history to win their debut race, having won the Australian grand prix in 2009. The teams' present drivers are Brit Jenson Button, who has won two races, one while with Brawn, and Brazilian Rubens Barricello, who is the most experienced driver in the 2009 season and has won a total of 9 races. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsered by the Virgin Group.

2009 Race Schedule

17 races will be contested in the 2009 season, which began on March 29.

1. Australian GP, held in Melbourne on March 29. Won in 2009 by Jenson Button and Brawn GP
2. Malaysian GP, held in Kuala Lumpur on April 5.
3. Chinese GP, held in Shanghai on April 19.
4. Bahrain GP, held in Manama on April 26.
5. Spanish GP, held in Barcelona on May 10.
6. Monaco GP, held in Monte Carlo on May 24.
7. Turkish GP, held in Istanbul on June 7.
8. British GP, held in Silverstone on June 21.
9. German GP, held at the Nürburgring on July 12.
10. Hungarian GP, held in Budapest on July 26.
11. European GP, held in Valencia, Spain on August 23.
12. Italian GP, held in Monza on September 13.
13. Singapore GP, held in Singapore on September 27. Unlike most races this race is held at night.
14. Japanese GP, held in Suzuka on October 4.
15. Brazilian GP, held in Interlagos on October 18.
16. Abu Dhabi GP, held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on November 1. This is a new race for the 2009 season.