Mercedes W196 and the Third Car

[D28]

The 1961 Formula 1 regulations did ban all enveloping bodies. A wide nose and side sponsons were allowable, but not fairing in the wheels. The ban has been carried forward into every subsequent set of Formula 1 regulations.

Thanks, it was the wide nose I was thinking of when I mentioned fairing of front wheels, sorry wrong term.

[D-Type]

It's difficult to put some of these ideas into words without a picture - even the FIA gave up trying and introduced diagrams in the 'Yellow book' to explain bodywork rules.

But Chapman, Penske, Brawn etc made their reputations finding, shall we say, 'creative' interpretations of some rules.

[pcal226]

Thanks for all the great info. To somewhat answer my own question about whether teams were limited to 3 cars, I did find at least one example of a team entering 4. The March works team entered 4 cars into the 1971 Italian Prix, although one of them was using an Alfa Romeo engine (the other three were Fords), so I don't know if that counts.

[D-Type]

I'm pretty sure that D28 has it right with 1981 when the Concorde Agreement and the FIA Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship came in.

[D28]

Thanks for all the great info. To somewhat answer my own question about whether teams were limited to 3 cars, I did find at least one example of a team entering 4. The March works team entered 4 cars into the 1971 Italian Prix, although one of them was using an Alfa Romeo engine (the other three were Fords), so I don't know if that counts.

Prior to 1981 there are many examples of 4 cars entered, but not necessarily by the works team. The 1961 French GP for example, Baghetti's Ferrari was entered by Scuderia Sant'Amboeus and won after the 3 works Ferraris dropped out.
The situation was further complicated by teams like Cooper and March selling cars to private entrants. Also a number of teams brought extra cars along to certain races to be leased to a local driver and entered under a different name. McLaren leased cars to Roger Penske for Mark Donohuge in US and Canada on occasion.

The 1971 Italian GP is hard to figure out without an official entry list, but I am guessing STP March entered March-Fords for Peterson and Galli and the March-Alfa for de Adamich. The Pescarolo March-Ford was a Frank Williams private customer car. The JP Jarrier March-Ford was entered by Shell Arnold Team, the Mike Beuttler March-Ford appears to have been entered by Clark-Morduant-Guthrie Racing. One can only guess at the business details of the last 2, and who actually owned the cars.
So there was quite a bit of flexibility in entrants in the early years. A very good situation in my view, but don't let us get started on that!

[D-Type]

That sounds right for the 1971 Italian GP: Steve Small has Galli entered by STP March, Peterson by STP March Racing Team, and de Adamich by STP-March. But Hayhoe and Holland only refer to the STP March Racing Team, without the variants in the name, for the season. I suspect these were all the 'works' March Team.

[Rollo]

I'm pretty sure that D28 has it right with 1981 when the Concorde Agreement and the FIA Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship came in.

Is this where I show my nerdiness?

In the 1984 Portugese GP, Renault entered three cars.
15 - Patrick Tambay - finished 7th
16 - Derek Warwick - retired Lap 51 gearbox
33 - Philippe Streiff - retired Lap 48 transmission



I'm pretty sure that that may have been the last. I can't think of anything beyond that.

[D28]

Is this where I show my nerdiness?

In the 1984 Portugese GP, Renault entered three cars.
15 - Patrick Tambay - finished 7th
16 - Derek Warwick - retired Lap 51 gearbox
33 - Philippe Streiff - retired Lap 48 transmission

Right see the post by inimitablestoo above. Last time was 1885 for Renault.

[pcal226]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_Grand_Prix_results

It's wikipedia so it might not be accurate but this is where I got my info for the '71 Italian Grand Prix. It lists all the privately entered March cars separately. According to this there were 4 works cars (Peterson, de Adamich, Galli and Jarier), and 2 private entries (Beuttler for Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing and Pescarolo for Frank Williams Racing Cars).

But ya as for when 3rd cars were disallowed, everything seems to point to the '81 Concorde Agreement except for that Renault in '84. It doesn't seem to make any sense!

[D-Type]

That's the trouble with Wikipedia.

Jarier was entered by the Shell Arnold team who hired the ex-Hubert Hahne March 701. Emphatically not a works car