The family tree of Formula 1’s 11 teams and how they came to be

Cadillac will become F1’s newest arrival in 2026, joining a grid of established teams with rich histories – some more complex than others. From Ferrari’s celebrated roots to the many faces of Mercedes, we delve into the origins of all 11 squads…

McLaren

McLaren have made their mark across a multitude of racing series, but their F1 record is something to admire – 13 Drivers’ Championships and a further 10 Constructors’ titles – and none of it would have happened without a New Zealander named Bruce McLaren.

After setting up the outfit in 1963, it took just three years for them to make their debut on the F1 grid, with their founder driving their single entry. The first few seasons had their fair share of teething problems but they celebrated a first victory at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix with McLaren behind the wheel, before the team faced the tragedy of his death at the Goodwood Circuit in 1970 while he was testing a Can-Am car.

In the greatest honour to his legacy, F1’s second oldest team have since won over 200 Grands Prix and fielded legendary drivers including Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.

Mercedes

McLaren have always been known as McLaren, but the same can’t quite be said for Mercedes. They were present in the early days of the series, competing in 1954 and 1955 with Juan Manuel Fangio before withdrawing for several decades.

The current team started life as Tyrell back in 1970, which underwent many rebrands before the German manufacturer’s name returned for good in 2010. British American Racing purchased Tyrell in 1998, and the name changed again when Honda entered the fray between 2006 and 2008.

That paved the way for Ross Brawn to famously buy the team for one pound and experience one of the most incredible fairy tales in F1 history, in which Jenson Button charged to Championship glory with the underdog team.

Their incredible performance led to Brawn being purchased by Mercedes ahead of the 2010 season, and the Silver Arrows have been fighting near the top ever since, winning eight teams’ titles and seven Drivers’ Championships courtest of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Red Bull

One of the most successful teams of the modern era, Red Bull owe their roots to former racing driver Jackie Stewart, who set up his own outfit alongside his son back in 1997. A Ford works team, Stewart Grand Prix was bought by the American manufacturer and renamed Jaguar Racing in 2000.

That moniker remained until 2004, when Ford elected to leave the series and put the team up for sale, leading to energy drinks company Red Bull joining the sport.

Red Bull Racing hit the ground running in 2005 and have found tremendous success at the hands of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, claiming eight Drivers’ Championships in total, as well as six teams’ title.

Ferrari

The Scuderia are synonymous with F1, and there’s a clear reason for that – they’ve been an enduring constructor since the sport’s inception in 1950, and are the only team that can claim the honour of competing in every single season since.

Their iconic scarlet livery and passionate fans have 76 years of history, so it’s no surprise that racing for Ferrari is seen as a major achievement. From the early success of Alberto Ascari to the dominance of Michael Schumacher, many of the greatest drivers have been in the team’s ranks.

They haven’t won a teams’ title since 2008, with Kimi Raikkonen sealing their most recent drivers’ crown a season earlier in 2007, but their mission to be victorious is as strong as ever.

Williams

Another long-time staple on the grid, Williams were co-founded by Frank Williams and Patrick Head in 1977 and entered their first car the following season, piloted by Alan Jones. The Australian stayed with the team for four seasons and achieved the remarkable feat of driving the team to victory in both championships in 1980, just two years after their debut.

Their early highs weren’t just luck as the British squad went on to claim another six Drivers’ Championships with – to name a few – Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and most recently Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

The strong performances of the 1980s and 1990s faded over the years as Williams were leapfrogged by their rivals, resulting in the family stepping back from the operation and selling the team to Dorilton Capital in 2020.

Progress has been gradual, but the Williams name has remained as they try to return to the top step of the podium under the leadership of Team Principal James Vowles.

Racing Bulls

While they’re now known as the Red Bull sister team, Racing Bulls can actually trace their roots back to Minardi, which competed in the sport from 1985 to 2005. As the energy drinks giant entered the scene, they acquired the Italian team and rebranded it as Toro Rosso, a junior team focused on honing the skills of young racers.

Vettel, Verstappen and Carlos Sainz all rose through the ranks before the team changed names again, becoming AlphaTauri in 2020. The evolution didn’t stop there as they adopted the name RB before most recently settling on Racing Bulls in 2025.

Aston Martin

An icon of British motorsport, Aston Martin first appeared in F1 in 1959, but a poor start led to a withdrawal the following year and it took decades for them to make a comeback.

What is now Lawrence Stroll’s team started life as Jordan in 1991, founded by former racing driver Eddie Jordan. Plenty of renowned figures drove for the squad including Schumacher, Hill and Eddie Irvine, but the founder eventually sold up to Midland Racing in 2005.

From then on, it underwent a number of rebrands in quick succession, changing to Spyker then Force India over just a few seasons. The latter showed flashes of potential during their 10-year tenure on the grid before a consortium led by businessman Stroll brought the struggling team out of administration in 2018.

They then competed under the Racing Point name until the Canadian purchased a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin to kickstart their return to the grid in 2021, 61 years after they first left.

Haas

Before Cadillac joined, Haas held the title of the newest F1 team as they made their debut in 2016, taking their name from owner Gene Haas. They didn’t start from scratch entirely thanks to Marussia, a former outfit that auctioned off its assets and sold their Banbury base to Haas.

Guenther Steiner was brought in as Team Principal, and with their first line-up of Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, they finished their maiden season in P8. The Frenchman was responsible for all of their 29 points and remained with the team until the end of 2020, helping them claim their best finish to date of P5 in the Constructors’ Championship in 2018.

This achievement was followed by a challenging run as they placed ninth and 10th in the subsequent years, but the squad have bounced back to regularly fight in the points.

Audi

Audi is a powerhouse in the automotive industry, but 2026 offers a new opportunity as it will mark their first appearance on the F1 grid after acquiring Sauber, a Swiss outfit that made its debut in 1993.

Peter Sauber’s team already had vast experience in sportscar racing before they moved into F1, but it took time for success to come. In 2005, he sold the squad to BMW and they went on to take P2 and P3 finishes in 2007 and 2008 respectively – Robert Kubica took their sole victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

The founder reclaimed his team and brought back his name for the 2010 season, but it disappeared from the grid once again as Italian brand Alfa Romeo became the title sponsor eight years later.

As the seasons went on, Audi were making moves behind the scenes and announced in October 2022 that Sauber would become their works team from 2026 onwards. Ahead of the complete Audi takeover, the team reunited once again with the Sauber name, supported by Kick from 2024 onwards.

Alpine

Another team that has undergone plenty of identity changes is Alpine, with their extensive history beginning back in 1981 as Toleman. Best known for giving Senna his debut, the team didn’t last long and was purchased by Benetton in 1986.

Under this alias, they found remarkable success with Schumacher as he claimed the 1994 and 1995 Drivers’ Championships, with the team also beating Williams to the constructors’ title in the latter year.

Renault then took over in 2002 and their tally of achievements went up again, this time at the hands of Fernando Alonso who won two individual titles in 2005 and 2006.

The French constructor later made way for Lotus in 2012, but returned again for the 2016 season and maintained their name for another four years. A final rebrand to Alpine came in 2021, and while the squad have been unable to replicate their championship-winning form of the past, they have claimed six podiums with Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

Cadillac

The latest addition to the F1 family, Cadillac joined as a brand new team with the support of General Motors. Their entry received final approval in March 2025 and they’ve worked quickly to prepare for the new regulations.

This involved setting up a headquarters in Silverstone to add to their multiple bases in the United States, as well as agreeing to use Ferrari engines, albeit with the aim of producing their own power units from 2029.

Their team personnel are, on the whole, familiar to F1 already. Team Principal Graeme Lowdon was a key figure at Virgin Racing and Marussia in the 2010s, and their driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have both previously driven for championship-winning teams.