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{{short description|British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team}}
{{about||people with the surname|Brabham (surname)|the place in Australia|Brabham, Western Australia}}
{{about|the Formula One team|people with the surname|Brabham (surname)|the place in Australia|Brabham, Western Australia|other uses|Brabham (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Featured article}}

{{Former F1 team
{{Former F1 team
| Short_name = Brabham
| Short_name = Brabham
| Long_name = Motor Racing Developments, Ltd.
| Long_name = Motor Racing Developments, Ltd.
| Logo = [[File:Brabham91.png]]
| Logo = [[File:Brabham91.png]]
| Base = [[Chessington]] (1962–1989) and [[Milton Keynes]] (1990–1992), United Kingdom
| Base = [[Chessington]], [[United Kingdom]] (1962–1989) <br> [[Milton Keynes]], [[United Kingdom]] (1990–1992)
| Founders = [[Jack Brabham]]<br>[[Ron Tauranac]]
| Founders = [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Ron Tauranac]]
| Staff = [[Bernie Ecclestone]]<br>[[Gordon Murray]]<br>[[Ron Dennis]]<br>[[Charlie Whiting]]<br>[[John Judd]]<br>[[Herbie Blash]]
| Staff = [[Bernie Ecclestone]]<br />[[Gordon Murray]]<br />[[Ron Dennis]]<br />[[Charlie Whiting]]<br />[[John Judd]]<br />[[Herbie Blash]]
| Drivers = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jack Brabham]]<br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dan Gurney]]<br>{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Denny Hulme]]<BR>{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Jochen Rindt]]<br>{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Jacky Ickx]]<br>{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Silvio Moser]]<br> {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Graham Hill]]<br>{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br>{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Niki Lauda]]<br>{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Nelson Piquet]]<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Elio de Angelis]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Derek Warwick]]<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Stefano Modena]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Martin Brundle]]<br>{{flagicon|AUS}} [[David Brabham]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Damon Hill]]<br>{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Héctor Rebaque]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br>{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Carlos Pace]]
| Drivers = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jack Brabham]]<br />{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dan Gurney]]<br />{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Denny Hulme]]<br />{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Jochen Rindt]]<br />{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Jacky Ickx]]<br />{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Silvio Moser]]<br /> {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Graham Hill]]<br />{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Niki Lauda]]<br />{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Nelson Piquet]]<br />{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]<br />{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Elio de Angelis]]<br />{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Derek Warwick]]<br />{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Stefano Modena]]<br />{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Martin Brundle]]<br />{{flagicon|AUS}} [[David Brabham]]<br />{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Damon Hill]]<br />{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Héctor Rebaque]]<br />{{flagicon|GBR}} [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br />{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Carlos Pace]]
| Debut = [[1962 German Grand Prix]]
| Debut = [[1962 German Grand Prix]]
| Races = 403 entries (394 starts) <!-- 9 no-starts include 1992 Mexico, 1992 Brazil, 1992 Spain, 1992 San Marino, 1992 Monaco, 1992 Canada, 1992 France, 1992 Germany and 1992 Belgium. -->
| Races = 403 entries (394 starts) <!-- 9 no-starts include 1992 Mexico, 1992 Brazil, 1992 Spain, 1992 San Marino, 1992 Monaco, 1992 Canada, 1992 France, 1992 Germany and 1992 Belgium. -->
| Engines = [[Coventry Climax|Climax]], [[Repco]], [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]], [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]], [[Judd (engine)|Judd]], [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]
| Cons_champ = 2 ({{f1|1966}}, {{f1|1967}})
| Cons_champ = 2 ({{f1|1966}}, {{f1|1967}})
| Drivers_champ = 4 ({{f1|1966}}, {{f1|1967}}, {{f1|1981}}, {{f1|1983}})
| Drivers_champ = 4 ({{f1|1966}}, {{f1|1967}}, {{f1|1981}}, {{f1|1983}})
| Wins = 35
| Wins = 35
| Poles = 40
| Poles = 40
| Fastest_laps = 41{{efn|This is the number of different World Championship races in which a Brabham set the fastest lap time. In the [[1969 Canadian Grand Prix]], two drivers each set equal fastest lap time in a Brabham.}}
| Fastest_laps = 42
| Points = 832
| Points = 832
| Podiums = 120
| Podiums = 120
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}}
}}


'''Brabham''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|æ|b|əm}} is the common name for '''Motor Racing Developments Ltd.''', a British [[race car|racing car]] manufacturer and [[Formula One]] racing team. Founded in 1960 by two Australians, driver [[Jack Brabham]] and designer [[Ron Tauranac]], the team won four [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Drivers']] and two [[List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions|Constructors']] World Championships in its 30-year Formula One history. Jack Brabham's 1966 [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.
'''Motor Racing Developments Ltd.''', commonly known as '''Brabham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|æ|b|əm}} {{respell|BRAB|əm}}), was a British [[race car|racing car]] manufacturer and [[Formula One]] racing team. It was founded in 1960 by the Australian driver [[Jack Brabham]] and the British-Australian designer [[Ron Tauranac]]. The team had a successful thirty-year history, winning four [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] [[Formula One]] [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Drivers']] and two [[List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions|Constructors']] World Championships, starting with two successive wins in 1966 and 1967. Jack Brabham's 1966 Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.


In the 1960s, Brabham was the world's largest manufacturer of [[open wheel car|open-wheel racing cars]] for sale to customer teams; by 1970 it had built more than 500 cars. During this period, teams using Brabham cars won championships in [[Formula Two]] and [[Formula Three]]. Brabham cars also competed in the [[Indianapolis 500]] and in [[Formula 5000]] racing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Brabham introduced such innovations as in-race refuelling, carbon brakes, and [[hydropneumatic suspension]]. Its unique [[Gordon Murray]]-designed "[[fan car]]" won its only race before being withdrawn.
During the 1960s, Brabham was the world's largest manufacturer of [[open wheel car|open-wheel racing cars]] sold to customer teams, having built more than 500 cars by 1970. Teams using Brabham cars also won championships in [[Formula Two]] and [[Formula Three]], and the cars competed in events like the [[Indianapolis 500]] and [[Formula 5000]] racing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Brabham introduced innovations such as carbon brakes and [[hydropneumatic suspension]], and reintroduced [[Pit stop#Refuelling|in-race refuelling]]. Its unique [[Gordon Murray]]-designed '[[fan car]]' won its only race before being withdrawn.


The team won two more Formula One Drivers' Championships in the 1980s with Brazilian [[Nelson Piquet]]. He won his first championship in {{f1|1981}} in the [[ground effect (cars)|ground effects]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49]]-[[Cosworth DFV|Ford]], and became the first to win a Drivers' Championship with a [[turbocharger|turbocharged]] car, in {{f1|1983}}. In 1983 the [[Brabham BT52]], driven by Piquet and Italian [[Riccardo Patrese]], was powered by the [[BMW M12]] [[straight-4]] engine, and powered Brabham to four of the team's 35 Grand Prix victories.
The team won two more Formula One Drivers' Championships in the 1980s with Brazilian [[Nelson Piquet]]. He won his first championship in {{f1|1981}} in the [[ground effect (cars)|ground effect]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49]]-[[Cosworth DFV|Ford]], and became the first to win a Drivers' Championship with a [[turbocharger|turbocharged]] car, in {{f1|1983}}. In 1983, the [[Brabham BT52]], driven by Piquet and [[Riccardo Patrese]] and was powered by [[BMW M12|BMW's M12]] [[straight-four engine]], secured four of the Brabham's thirty-five Grand Prix victories.


British businessman [[Bernie Ecclestone]] owned Brabham during most of the 1970s and 1980s, and later became responsible for administering the commercial aspects of Formula One. Ecclestone sold the team in 1988. Its last owner was the Middlebridge Group, a Japanese engineering firm. Midway through the [[1992 Formula One season|1992 season]], the team collapsed financially as Middlebridge was unable to make repayments against loans provided by Landhurst Leasing. The case was investigated by the United Kingdom [[Serious Fraud Office (UK)|Serious Fraud Office]]. In 2009, an unsuccessful attempt was made by a German organisation to enter the [[2010 Formula One season]] using the Brabham name.
The businessman [[Bernie Ecclestone]] owned Brabham during most of the 1970s and 1980s, and later became responsible for administering the commercial aspects of Formula One. Ecclestone sold the team in 1988. Its last owner was the Middlebridge Group, a Japanese engineering firm. Midway through the [[1992 Formula One season|1992 season]], the team collapsed financially as Middlebridge was unable to make repayments against loans provided by Landhurst Leasing. The case was investigated by the United Kingdom [[Serious Fraud Office (UK)|Serious Fraud Office]]. In 2009, a German organisation unsuccessfully attempted to enter the [[2010 Formula One season]] using the Brabham name.


==Origins==
==Origins==
[[File:BrabhamJack1966B.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Jack Brabham]] was 40 when he won the F1 drivers' title in a Brabham car]]
[[File:BrabhamJack1966B.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph of Jack Brabham in 1966|[[Jack Brabham]] was 40 when he won the F1 drivers' title in a Brabham car]]
The Brabham team was founded by [[Jack Brabham]] and [[Ron Tauranac]], who met in 1951 while both were successfully building and racing cars in their native Australia. Brabham was the more successful driver and went to the United Kingdom in 1955 to further his racing career. There he started driving for the [[Cooper Car Company]] works team and by 1958 had progressed with them to Formula One, the highest category of [[open-wheel racing]] defined by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA), motor sport's world governing body.<ref>"FIA" has been used throughout this article to refer to the motor sports governing body. Until 1978 motor sport was governed directly by the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) and from 1978 by the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), both subsidiary bodies of the FIA. In 1992 the FIA subsumed FISA and its governing role.</ref> In [[1959 Formula One season|1959]] and [[1960 Formula One season|1960]], Brabham won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in Cooper's revolutionary [[mid-engine]]d cars.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 17–19</ref>
The Brabham team was founded by [[Jack Brabham]] and [[Ron Tauranac]], who met in 1951 while both were successfully building and racing cars in their native Australia. Brabham, who was a highly successful [[Dirt track racing|dirt oval speedway]] [[Midget car racing|Speedcar]] driver with multiple [[Australian Speedcar Championship|Australian national]] and state titles to his credit before moving full time into road racing in 1953, was the more successful driver and went to the United Kingdom in 1955 to further his racing career. There he started driving for the [[Cooper Car Company]] works team and by 1958 had progressed with them to [[Formula One]], the highest category of [[open-wheel racing]] defined by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA), motor sport's world governing body{{efn|"FIA" has been used throughout this article to refer to the motor sports governing body. Until 1978 motor sport was governed directly by the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) and from 1978 by the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), both subsidiary bodies of the FIA. In 1992 the FIA subsumed FISA and its governing role.}} In [[1959 Formula One season|1959]] and [[1960 Formula One season|1960]], Brabham won the [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Drivers' Championship]] in Cooper's revolutionary [[mid-engine]]d cars.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 17–19</ref>


Despite their innovation of putting the engine behind the driver, the Coopers and their chief designer, [[Owen Maddock]], were generally resistant to developing their cars. Brabham pushed for further advances, and played a significant role in developing Cooper's highly successful 1960 T53 "lowline" car, with input from his friend Tauranac.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 18, 22. Brabham had consulted Tauranac by letter on technical matters since arriving in the UK. He used a gear cluster designed by Tauranac for several years and Tauranac also advised on the suspension geometry of the Cooper T53 "lowline" car.</ref> Brabham was confident he could do better than Cooper, and in late 1959 he asked Tauranac to come to the UK and work with him, initially producing upgrade kits for [[Sunbeam Rapier]] and [[Triumph Herald]] road cars at his car dealership, Jack Brabham Motors, but with the long-term aim of designing racing cars.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 22–4. Jack had already tried to buy Cooper in association with fellow-driver [[Roy Salvadori]]</ref> Brabham describes Tauranac as "absolutely the only bloke I'd have gone into partnership with".<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 140</ref> Later, Brabham offered a Coventry-Climax FWE-engined version of the Herald, with {{convert|83|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and uprated suspension to match the extra power.<ref name=IMSblunsden>{{cite magazine|title=Brabhams "lilla bomb"!: Triumph-Herald-Climax|trans-title=Branham's "little bomb"!|pages=12–13|language=Swedish|last=Blunsden|first=John|location=Lerum, Sweden|magazine=Illustrerad Motor Sport|number=1–2|date=February–March 1962}}</ref>
Despite their innovation of putting the engine behind the driver, the Coopers and their chief designer, [[Owen Maddock]], were generally resistant to developing their cars. Brabham pushed for further advances, and played a significant role in developing Cooper's highly successful 1960 T53 "lowline" car, with input from his friend Tauranac.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 18, 22. Brabham had consulted Tauranac by letter on technical matters since arriving in the UK. He used a gear cluster designed by Tauranac for several years and Tauranac also advised on the suspension geometry of the Cooper T53 "lowline" car.</ref> Brabham was confident he could do better than Cooper, and in late 1959 he asked Tauranac to come to the UK and work with him, initially producing upgrade kits for [[Sunbeam Rapier]] and [[Triumph Herald]] road cars at his car dealership, Jack Brabham Motors, but with the long-term aim of designing racing cars.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 22–4. Jack had already tried to buy Cooper in association with fellow-driver [[Roy Salvadori]]</ref> Brabham describes Tauranac as "absolutely the only bloke I'd have gone into partnership with".<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 140</ref> Later, Brabham offered a Coventry-Climax FWE-engined version of the Herald, with {{convert|83|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and uprated suspension to match the extra power.<ref name=IMSblunsden>{{cite magazine|title=Brabhams "lilla bomb"!: Triumph-Herald-Climax|trans-title=Branham's "little bomb"!|pages=12–13|language=sv|last=Blunsden|first=John|location=Lerum, Sweden|magazine=Illustrerad Motor Sport|number=1–2|date=February–March 1962}}</ref>


[[File:BrabhamJack19650801Südkehre.jpg|thumb|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings|Brabham in a 1965 Grand Prix car]]
To meet that aim, Brabham and Tauranac set up Motor Racing Developments Ltd. (MRD), deliberately avoiding the use of either man's name. The new company would compete with Cooper in the market for customer racing cars. As Brabham was still employed by Cooper, Tauranac produced the first MRD car, for the entry level [[Formula Junior]] class, in secrecy. Unveiled in the summer of 1961, the "MRD" was soon renamed. Motoring journalist [[Gérard Crombac|Jabby Crombac]] pointed out that "[the] way a Frenchman pronounces those initials—written phonetically, 'em air day'—sounded perilously like the French word... ''[[Wiktionary:merde|merde]].''"<ref>Scarlett (May 2006) p. 43. Although compare pronunciation with the related verb [[wiktionary:emmerder|emmerder]]. This is the story as recalled by both Ron Tauranac and Brabham mechanic Michael Scarlett. The British journalist Alan Brinton has also been credited with pointing out this unfortunate fact to Brabham. See Drackett (1985) p. 21.</ref> Gavin Youl achieved a second-place finish at Goodwood and another at [[Mallory Park]] in the MRD-Ford.<ref name=IMS162>{{cite magazine|title=Jack Brabham: VM-kandidat på egen hand?|trans-title=Championship candidate on his own?|page=11|language=Swedish|last=Johansson|first=Lars-Erik|location=Lerum, Sweden|magazine=Illustrerad Motor Sport|number=1–2|date=February–March 1962}}</ref> The cars were subsequently known as Brabhams, with type numbers starting with BT for "Brabham Tauranac".<ref>Drackett (1985) p. 21. The first prototype FJunior car therefore became the BT1 and its production version the BT2.</ref>


To meet that aim, Brabham and Tauranac set up Motor Racing Developments Ltd. (MRD), deliberately avoiding the use of either man's name. The new company would compete with Cooper in the market for customer racing cars. As Brabham was still employed by Cooper, Tauranac produced the first '''MRD car''', for the entry level [[Formula Junior]] class, in secrecy. Unveiled in the summer of 1961, the "MRD" was soon renamed. Motoring journalist [[Gérard Crombac|Jabby Crombac]] pointed out that "[the] way a Frenchman pronounces those initials—written phonetically, 'em air day'—sounded perilously like the French word... ''[[Wiktionary:merde|merde]].''"<ref>Scarlett (May 2006) p. 43. Although compare pronunciation with the related verb [[wiktionary:emmerder|emmerder]]. This is the story as recalled by both Ron Tauranac and Brabham mechanic Michael Scarlett. The British journalist Alan Brinton has also been credited with pointing out this unfortunate fact to Brabham. See Drackett (1985) p. 21.</ref> Gavin Youl achieved a second-place finish at Goodwood and another at [[Mallory Park]] in the MRD-Ford.<ref name=IMS162>{{cite magazine|title=Jack Brabham: VM-kandidat på egen hand?|trans-title=Championship candidate on his own?|page=11|language=sv|last=Johansson|first=Lars-Erik|location=Lerum, Sweden|magazine=Illustrerad Motor Sport|number=1–2|date=February–March 1962}}</ref> The cars were subsequently known as Brabhams, with type numbers starting with BT for "Brabham Tauranac".<ref>Drackett (1985) p. 21. The first prototype FJunior car therefore became the BT1 and its production version the BT2.</ref>
By the [[1961 Formula One season]], the [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] and [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] teams had developed the mid-engined approach further than Cooper. Brabham had a poor season, scoring only four points, and—having run his own private Coopers in non-championship events during 1961—left the company in 1962 to drive for his own team: the Brabham Racing Organisation, using cars built by Motor Racing Developments.<ref name="Law31">Lawrence (1999) p. 31</ref><ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) pp. 14, 145–9. Brabham's and Tauranac's (Lawrence 1999 p. 32) accounts differ on whether the BRO was formed for the purpose of F1, or was already in existence.</ref> The team was based at [[Chessington]], England<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corktree.tripod.com/Case_History.html |title=Case History |publisher=Corktree.tripod.com |date= |accessdate=2017-09-03}}</ref> and held the British nationality.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/covers/_Zeltweg-1970-08-16e.jpg|title=1970 Austrian Grand Prix Entry list}}</ref>

By the [[1961 Formula One season]], the [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] and [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] teams had developed the mid-engined approach further than Cooper. Brabham had a poor season, scoring only four points, and—having run his own private Coopers in non-championship events during 1961—left the company in 1962 to drive for his own team: the Brabham Racing Organisation, using cars built by Motor Racing Developments.<ref name="Law31">Lawrence (1999) p. 31</ref><ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) pp. 14, 145–9. Brabham's and Tauranac's (Lawrence 1999 p. 32) accounts differ on whether the BRO was formed for the purpose of F1, or was already in existence.</ref> The team was based at [[Chessington]], England<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corktree.tripod.com/Case_History.html |title=Case History |publisher=Corktree.tripod.com |access-date=3 September 2017}}</ref> and held the [[List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality|British licence]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/covers/_Zeltweg-1970-08-16e.jpg|title=1970 Austrian Grand Prix Entry list}}</ref>


==Racing history—Formula One==
==Racing history—Formula One==


===Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac (1961–1970)===
===Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac (1961–1970)===
[[File:Brabham BT3.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings|The [[Brabham BT3]], the first Brabham Formula One design]]
[[File:Brabham racing organisation logo.png|thumb|right|The Brabham Racing Organisation entered the "works" cars until 1968.]]

Motor Racing Developments initially concentrated on making money by building cars for sale to customers in lower formulae, so the new car for the Formula One team was not ready until partway through the [[1962 Formula One season]]. The Brabham Racing Organisation (BRO) started the year fielding a customer [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] chassis, which was delivered at 3:00 am in order to keep it a secret.<ref name=IMS162/> Brabham took two points finishes in Lotuses, before the turquoise-[[livery|liveried]] Brabham BT3 car made its debut at the [[1962 German Grand Prix]]. It retired with a [[throttle]] problem after 9 of the 15 laps, but went on to take a pair of fourth places at the end of the season.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 21–22. Brabham bought a new spaceframe Lotus 24, but had to use a 1961-vintage Lotus 21 in the early races after a workshop fire. Team Lotus reserved the monocoque Lotus 25 for their own use that season.</ref>
Motor Racing Developments initially concentrated on making money by building cars for sale to customers in lower formulae, so the new car for the Formula One team was not ready until partway through the [[1962 Formula One season]]. The Brabham Racing Organisation (BRO) started the year fielding a customer Lotus chassis, which was delivered at 3am to keep it a secret.<ref name=IMS162/> Brabham took two points finishes in Lotuses, before the turquoise-[[livery|liveried]] Brabham BT3 car made its debut at the [[1962 German Grand Prix]]. It retired with a [[throttle]] problem after 9 of the 15 laps, but went on to take a pair of fourth places at the end of the season.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 21–22. Brabham bought a new spaceframe Lotus 24, but had to use a 1961-vintage Lotus 21 in the early races after a workshop fire. Team Lotus reserved the monocoque Lotus 25 for their own use that season.</ref>


[[File:Brabham BT3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The [[Brabham BT3]], the first Brabham Formula One design]]
From the [[1963 Formula One season|1963 season]], Brabham was partnered by American driver [[Dan Gurney]], the pair now running in Australia's [[List of international auto racing colors|racing colours]] of green and gold.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 147</ref> Brabham took the team's first win at the non-championship [[Solituderennen|Solitude Grand Prix]] in 1963.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 28</ref> Gurney took the [[marque]]'s first two wins in the world championship, at the 1964 [[1964 French Grand Prix|French]] and [[1964 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican]] Grands Prix. Brabham works and customer cars took another three non-championship wins during the [[1964 Formula One season|1964 season]].<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 35–41</ref> The [[1965 Formula One season|1965 season]] was less successful, with no championship wins. Brabham finished third or fourth in the Constructors' Championship for three years running, but poor reliability marred promising performances on several occasions. Motor sport authors Mike Lawrence and David Hodges have said that a lack of resources may have cost the team results, a view echoed by Tauranac.<ref>Tauranac says (Lawrence (1999) p. 48) that he feels a third mechanic would have reduced the reliability problems. Lawrence himself notes (Lawrence (1999) p. 71) that "If only Jack had been prepared to spend a little more money, the results could have been so much better." Hodges (1990) p. 32 notes "Economy was a watchword. (...) It was this attitude, perhaps, which cost [Brabham] some races."</ref>
From the [[1963 Formula One season|1963 season]], Brabham was partnered by American driver [[Dan Gurney]], the pair now running in Australia's [[List of international auto racing colors|racing colours]] of green and gold.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 147</ref> Brabham took the team's first win at the non-championship [[Solituderennen|Solitude Grand Prix]] in 1963.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 28</ref> Gurney took the [[marque]]'s first two wins in the world championship, at the 1964 [[1964 French Grand Prix|French]] and [[1964 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican]] Grands Prix. Brabham works and customer cars took another three non-championship wins during the [[1964 Formula One season|1964 season]].<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 35–41</ref> The [[1965 Formula One season|1965 season]] was less successful, with no championship wins. Brabham finished third or fourth in the Constructors' Championship for three years running, but poor reliability marred promising performances on several occasions. Motor sport authors Mike Lawrence and David Hodges have said that a lack of resources may have cost the team results, a view echoed by Tauranac.<ref>Tauranac says (Lawrence (1999) p. 48) that he feels a third mechanic would have reduced the reliability problems. Lawrence himself notes (Lawrence (1999) p. 71) that "If only Jack had been prepared to spend a little more money, the results could have been so much better." Hodges (1990) p. 32 notes "Economy was a watchword. (...) It was this attitude, perhaps, which cost [Brabham] some races."</ref>


{{Multiple image|total_width=330
The FIA doubled the Formula One engine capacity limit to 3&nbsp;litres for the [[1966 Formula One season|1966 season]] and suitable engines were scarce. Brabham used engines from Australian engineering firm [[Repco]], which had never produced a Formula One engine before, based on aluminium V8 [[engine block]]s from the defunct American [[Oldsmobile]] F85 road car project, and other off-the-shelf parts.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 51–52</ref> Consulting and design engineer [[Phil Irving]] (of [[Vincent Motorcycle]] fame) was the project engineer responsible for producing the initial version of the engine. Few expected the Brabham-Repcos to be competitive,<ref>Unique p. 43. The team was the only one not contracted by [[John Frankenheimer]] for the shooting of the film ''[[Grand Prix (1966 film)|Grand Prix]]'' at world championship races that year.</ref> but the light and reliable cars ran at the front from the start of the season. At the [[1966 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] at [[Reims-Gueux]], Brabham became the first man to win a Formula One world championship race in a car bearing his own name. Only his former teammate, [[Bruce McLaren]], has since matched the achievement. It was the first in a run of four straight wins for the Australian veteran. Brabham won his third title in 1966, becoming the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship in a car carrying his own name (''cf'' [[Surtees]], [[Hill (constructor)|Hill]] and [[Fittipaldi Automotive]]). In [[1967 Formula One season|1967]], the title went to Brabham's teammate, New Zealander [[Denny Hulme]]. Hulme had better reliability through the year, possibly due to Brabham's desire to try new parts first.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 92. Hulme, Tauranac and Frank Hallam, Repco-Brabham's chief engineer, all shared this view.</ref> The Brabham team took the Constructors' World Championship in both years.<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) pp. 34–40</ref>
|image1=Brabham racing organisation logo.png
|alt1=
|caption1=The Brabham Racing Organisation entered the "works" cars until 1968.
|image2=Repco brabham logo.png
|alt2=
|caption2=The Repco Brabham logo from the 1960s, illustrating the joint branding of the period
}}
The FIA doubled the Formula One engine capacity limit to 3&nbsp;litres for the [[1966 Formula One season|1966 season]] and suitable engines were scarce. Brabham used engines from Australian engineering firm [[Repco]], which had never produced a Formula One engine before, based on aluminium V8 [[engine block]]s from the defunct American [[Oldsmobile]] F85 road car project, and other off-the-shelf parts.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 51–52</ref> Consulting and design engineer [[Phil Irving]] (of [[Vincent Motorcycle]] fame) was the project engineer responsible for producing the initial version of the engine. Few expected the Brabham-Repcos to be competitive,<ref>Unique p. 43. The team was the only one not contracted by [[John Frankenheimer]] for the shooting of the film ''[[Grand Prix (1966 film)|Grand Prix]]'' at world championship races that year.</ref> but the light and reliable cars ran at the front from the start of the season. At the [[1966 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] at [[Reims-Gueux]], Brabham became the first man to win a Formula One world championship race in a car bearing his own name. Only his former teammate, [[Bruce McLaren]], has since matched the achievement. It was the first in a run of four straight wins for the Australian veteran. Brabham won his third title in 1966, becoming the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship in a car carrying his own name (''cf'' [[Surtees Racing Organisation|Surtees]], [[Hill (constructor)|Hill]] and [[Fittipaldi Automotive]]). In [[1967 Formula One season|1967]], the title went to Brabham's teammate, New Zealander [[Denny Hulme]]. Hulme had better reliability through the year, possibly due to Brabham's desire to try new parts first.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 92. Hulme, Tauranac and Frank Hallam, Repco-Brabham's chief engineer, all shared this view.</ref> The Brabham team took the Constructors' World Championship in both years.<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) pp. 34–40</ref>

[[File:1970 Brands Hatch Race of Champions Jack Brabham BT33.jpg|thumb|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings|[[Brabham BT33]]. Technically conservative, Brabham did not produce a [[monocoque]] car until 1970.]]


For [[1968 Formula One season|1968]], Austrian [[Jochen Rindt]] replaced Hulme, who had left to join [[McLaren]]. Repco produced a more powerful version of their V8 to maintain competitiveness against Ford's new [[Cosworth DFV]], but it proved very unreliable. Slow communications between the UK and Australia had always made identifying and correcting problems very difficult. The car was fast—Rindt set [[pole position]] twice during the season—but Brabham and Rindt finished only three races between them, and ended the year with only ten points.<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) p. 41</ref>
For [[1968 Formula One season|1968]], Austrian [[Jochen Rindt]] replaced Hulme, who had left to join [[McLaren]]. Repco produced a more powerful version of their V8 to maintain competitiveness against Ford's new [[Cosworth DFV]], but it proved very unreliable. Slow communications between the UK and Australia had always made identifying and correcting problems very difficult. The car was fast—Rindt set [[pole position]] twice during the season—but Brabham and Rindt finished only three races between them, and ended the year with only ten points.<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) p. 41</ref>


[[File:1970 Brands Hatch Race of Champions Jack Brabham BT33.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Brabham BT33]]. Technically conservative, Brabham did not produce a [[monocoque]] car until 1970.]]
Although Brabham bought Cosworth DFV engines for the [[1969 Formula One season|1969 season]], Rindt left to join Lotus. His replacement, [[Jacky Ickx]], had a strong second half to the season, winning in [[1969 German Grand Prix|Germany]] and [[1969 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]], after Brabham was sidelined by a testing accident.<ref>Henry p. 85</ref> Ickx finished second in the Drivers' Championship, with 37&nbsp;points to [[Jackie Stewart]]'s 63. Brabham himself took a couple of pole positions and two top-3 finishes, but did not finish half the races. The team were second in the Constructors' Championship, aided by second places at [[1969 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and [[1969 United States Grand Prix|Watkins Glen]] scored by [[Piers Courage]], driving a Brabham for the [[Frank Williams Racing Cars]] privateer squad.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 79–80</ref>
Although Brabham bought Cosworth DFV engines for the [[1969 Formula One season|1969 season]], Rindt left to join Lotus. His replacement, [[Jacky Ickx]], had a strong second half to the season, winning in [[1969 German Grand Prix|Germany]] and [[1969 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]], after Brabham was sidelined by a testing accident.<ref>Henry p. 85</ref> Ickx finished second in the Drivers' Championship, with 37&nbsp;points to [[Jackie Stewart]]'s 63. Brabham himself took a couple of pole positions and two top-3 finishes, but did not finish half the races. The team were second in the Constructors' Championship, aided by second places at [[1969 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and [[1969 United States Grand Prix|Watkins Glen]] scored by [[Piers Courage]], driving a Brabham for the [[Frank Williams Racing Cars]] privateer squad.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 79–80</ref>


Brabham took his last win in the opening race of the [[1970 Formula One season|1970 season]] and was competitive throughout the year, although mechanical failures blunted his challenge.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 93</ref> After losing secured victories in the last corner at both Monaco and England, Jack decided he had had enough, and sold his part in the company to former Jochen Rindt manager, a businessman named Bernie Ecclestone, at the end of the year. Aided by number-two driver [[Rolf Stommelen]], the team came fourth in the Constructors' Championship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Brabham|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/teams/brabham/|url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2021|website=Motor Sport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701215521/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com:80/database/teams/brabham |archive-date=1 July 2017 }}</ref>
Brabham intended to retire at the end of the 1969 season and sold his share in the team to Tauranac. However, Rindt's late decision to remain with Lotus meant that Brabham drove for another year.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 109 & Brabham, Nye (2004) pp. 230–231. He was therefore technically a team employee in his final season.</ref> He took his last win in the opening race of the [[1970 Formula One season|1970 season]] and was competitive throughout the year, although mechanical failures blunted his challenge.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 93</ref> Aided by number-two driver [[Rolf Stommelen]], the team came fourth in the Constructors' Championship.


===Ron Tauranac (1971)===
===Ron Tauranac (1971)===
[[File:1971 Race of Champions G Hill Brabham BT34.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Brabham BT34]]. [[Graham Hill]] took his final Formula One win in the non-championship [[BRDC International Trophy]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]].]]Tauranac signed double world champion [[Graham Hill]] and young Australian [[Tim Schenken]] to drive for the [[1971 Formula One season|1971 season]]. Tauranac designed the unusual 'lobster claw' [[Brabham BT34|BT34]], featuring twin [[radiator (engine cooling)|radiator]]s mounted ahead of the front wheels, a single example of which was built for Hill. Although Hill, no longer a front-runner since his 1969 accident, took his final Formula One win in the non-championship [[BRDC International Trophy]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]],<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 114–17</ref> the team scored only seven&nbsp;championship points.
[[File:1971 Race of Champions G Hill Brabham BT34.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings|[[Brabham BT34]]. [[Graham Hill]] took his final Formula One win in the non-championship [[BRDC International Trophy]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]].]]Tauranac signed double world champion [[Graham Hill]] and young Australian [[Tim Schenken]] to drive for the [[1971 Formula One season|1971 season]]. Tauranac designed the unusual 'lobster claw' [[Brabham BT34|BT34]], featuring twin [[radiator (engine cooling)|radiator]]s mounted ahead of the front wheels, a single example of which was built for Hill. Although Hill, no longer a front-runner since his 1969 accident, took his final Formula One win in the non-championship [[BRDC International Trophy]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]],<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 114–17</ref> the team scored only seven&nbsp;championship points.<ref name=":0" />


===Bernie Ecclestone (1972–1988)===
Tauranac, an engineer at heart, started to feel his Formula One budget of around £100,000 was a gamble he could not afford to take on his own and began to look around for an experienced business partner.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 113</ref> He sold the company for £100,000 at the end of 1971 to British businessman [[Bernie Ecclestone]], Rindt's former manager and erstwhile owner of the [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] team. Tauranac stayed on to design the cars and run the factory.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 116</ref>

===Bernie Ecclestone (1972–1987)===
[[File:Brabham BT44 front.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The [[Brabham BT44]] on display in 2003. The car was used in the {{F1|1974}} and {{F1|1975}} seasons.]]


Tauranac left Brabham early in the [[1972 Formula One season|1972 season]] after Ecclestone changed the way the company was organised without consulting him. Ecclestone has since said "In retrospect, the relationship was never going to work", noting that "[Tauranac and I] both take the view: 'Please be reasonable, do it my way'".<ref>Lawrence. pp. 116–118</ref> The highlights of an aimless year, during which the team ran three different models, were pole position for Argentinian driver [[Carlos Reutemann]] at his home race at [[Buenos Aires]] and a victory in the non-championship Interlagos Grand Prix. For the [[1973 Formula One season|1973 season]], Ecclestone promoted the young South African engineer [[Gordon Murray]] to chief designer and moved Herbie Blash from the Formula Two programme to become the Formula One team manager. Both would remain with the team for the next 15 years. For 1973, Murray produced the triangular cross-section BT42, with which Reutemann scored two podium finishes and finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship.
Tauranac left Brabham early in the [[1972 Formula One season|1972 season]] after Ecclestone changed the way the company was organised without consulting him. Ecclestone has since said "In retrospect, the relationship was never going to work", noting that "[Tauranac and I] both take the view: 'Please be reasonable, do it my way'".<ref>Lawrence. pp. 116–118</ref> The highlights of an aimless year, during which the team ran three different models, were pole position for Argentinian driver [[Carlos Reutemann]] at his home race at [[Buenos Aires]] and a victory in the non-championship Interlagos Grand Prix. For the [[1973 Formula One season|1973 season]], Ecclestone promoted the young South African engineer [[Gordon Murray]] to chief designer and moved Herbie Blash from the Formula Two programme to become the Formula One team manager. Both would remain with the team for the next 15 years. For 1973, Murray produced the triangular cross-section BT42, with which Reutemann scored two podium finishes and finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship.


[[File:Brabham BT44 front.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings|The [[Brabham BT44]] on display in 2003. The car was used in the {{F1|1974}} and {{F1|1975}} seasons.]]
In the [[1974 Formula One season|1974 season]], Reutemann took the first three victories of his Formula One career, and Brabham's first since 1970. The team finished a close fifth in the Constructors' Championship, fielding the much more competitive [[Brabham BT44|BT44s]]. After a strong finish to the 1974 season, many observers felt the team were favourites to win the [[1975 Formula One season|1975 title]]. The year started well, with a first win for Brazilian driver [[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]] at the [[Autódromo José Carlos Pace|Interlagos]] circuit in his native [[São Paulo]]. However, as the season progressed, tyre wear frequently slowed the cars in races.<ref>Gill (ed.) (1976) p. 103</ref> Pace took another two podiums and finished sixth in the championship; while Reutemann had five podium finishes, including a dominant win in the [[1975 German Grand Prix]], and finished third in the Drivers' Championship. The team likewise ranked third in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the year.
In the [[1974 Formula One season|1974 season]], Reutemann took the first three victories of his Formula One career, and Brabham's first since 1970. The team finished a close fifth in the Constructors' Championship, fielding the much more competitive [[Brabham BT44|BT44s]]. After a strong finish to the 1974 season, many observers felt the team were favourites to win the [[1975 Formula One season|1975 title]]. The year started well, with a first win for Brazilian driver [[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]] at the [[Autódromo José Carlos Pace|Interlagos]] circuit in his native [[São Paulo]]. However, as the season progressed, tyre wear frequently slowed the cars in races, and the team was constantly outperformed by [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] and [[McLaren]].<ref>Gill (ed.) (1976) p. 103</ref> Pace took another two podiums and finished sixth in the championship; while Reutemann had five podium finishes, including a dominant win in the [[1975 German Grand Prix]], and finished third in the Drivers' Championship. The team likewise ranked second in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the year.<ref name=":0" />


While rival teams Lotus and McLaren relied on the Cosworth DFV engine from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Ecclestone sought a competitive advantage by investigating other options. Despite the success of Murray's Cosworth-powered cars, Ecclestone signed a deal with Italian motor manufacturer [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] to use their large and powerful [[flat-12]] engine from the [[1976 Formula One season|1976 season]]. The engines were free, but they rendered the new [[Brabham BT45|BT45s]], now in red [[Martini Racing]] livery, unreliable and overweight.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 159–161</ref> The 1976 and [[1977 Formula One season|1977 seasons]] saw Brabham fall toward the back of the field again. Reutemann negotiated a release from his contract before the end of the 1976 season and signed with [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. Ulsterman [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] replaced him at Brabham for 1977. Watson lost near certain victory in the [[1977 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] (Dijon) of that year when his car ran low on fuel on the last lap and was passed by Mario Andretti's Lotus, with Watson's second place being the team's best result of the season. The car often showed at the head of races, but the unreliability of the Alfa Romeo engine was a major problem. The team lost Pace early in the 1977 season when he died in a [[light aircraft]] accident.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 164, 167</ref>
While rival teams Lotus and McLaren relied on the Cosworth DFV engine from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Ecclestone sought a competitive advantage by investigating other options. Despite the success of Murray's Cosworth-powered cars, Ecclestone signed a deal with Italian motor manufacturer [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] to use their large and powerful [[flat-12]] engine from the [[1976 Formula One season|1976 season]]. The engines were free, but they rendered the new [[Brabham BT45|BT45s]], now in red [[Martini Racing]] livery, unreliable and overweight.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 159–161</ref> At that time, designer David North was hired to work alongside Murray.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com//news/david-north-and-jordan.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200717225323/https://www.grandprix.com//news/david-north-and-jordan.html | title=David North and Jordan?|website=grandprix.com| publisher = Inside F1 Inc. | archive-date=17 July 2020}}</ref> The 1976 and [[1977 Formula One season|1977 seasons]] saw Brabham fall toward the back of the field again. Reutemann negotiated a release from his contract before the end of the 1976 season and signed with Ferrari. Ulsterman [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] replaced him at Brabham for 1977. Watson lost near certain victory in the [[1977 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] (Dijon) of that year when his car ran low on fuel on the last lap and was passed by Mario Andretti's Lotus, with Watson's second place being the team's best result of the season. The car often showed at the head of races, but the unreliability of the Alfa Romeo engine was a major problem. The team lost Pace early in the 1977 season when he died in a [[light aircraft]] accident.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 164, 167</ref>


For the [[1978 Formula One season|1978 season]], Murray's [[Brabham BT46|BT46]] featured several new technologies to overcome the weight and packaging difficulties caused by the Alfa Romeo engines. Ecclestone signed then two-time Formula One world champion [[Niki Lauda]] from Ferrari through a deal with Italian dairy products company [[Parmalat]] which met the cost of Lauda ending his Ferrari contract and made up his salary to the £200,000 Ferrari was offering. 1978 was the year of the dominant [[Lotus 79]] "wing car", which used [[aerodynamic]] [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] to stick to the track when cornering, but Lauda won two races in the BT46, one with the controversial "B" or "[[Brabham BT46#Brabham BT46B .E2.80.93 the .22Fan car.22|fan car]]" version.<ref>Details of BT46 and 1978 season: Henry (1985) p. 171, pp. 179–189
====Alfa Romeo and the 'fan car'====
[[File:2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg|thumb|right|1978 [[Brabham BT46]]B-Alfa Romeo, the so-called "Fan Car" due to the large fan at the rear of the car.]]
For the [[1978 Formula One season|1978 season]], Murray's [[Brabham BT46|BT46]] featured several new technologies to overcome the weight and packaging difficulties caused by the [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] engines. Ecclestone signed then two-time Formula One world champion [[Niki Lauda]] from Ferrari through a deal with Italian dairy products company [[Parmalat]] which met the cost of Lauda ending his Ferrari contract and made up his salary to the £200,000 Ferrari was offering. 1978 was the year of the dominant [[Lotus 79]] "wing car", which used [[aerodynamic]] [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] to stick to the track when cornering, but Lauda won two races in the BT46, one with the controversial "B" or "[[Brabham BT46#Brabham BT46B .E2.80.93 the .22Fan car.22|fan car]]" version.<ref>Details of BT46 and 1978 season: Henry (1985) p. 171, pp. 179–189
* Lauda's move and salary: Lovell (2004) p. 98</ref>
* Lauda's move and salary: Lovell (2004) p. 98</ref>


The partnership with Alfa Romeo ended during the [[1979 Formula One season|1979 season]], the team's first with young Brazilian driver [[Nelson Piquet]]. Murray designed the full-ground effect [[Brabham BT48|BT48]] around a rapidly developed new Alfa Romeo V12 engine and incorporated an effective "carbon-carbon braking" system—[[#Technical innovation|a technology Brabham pioneered in 1976]]. However, unexpected movement of the car's aerodynamic [[center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|centre of pressure]] made its handling unpredictable and the new engine was unreliable. The team dropped to eighth in the Constructors' Championship by the end of the season.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 191</ref> Alfa Romeo started testing their own Formula One car during the season, prompting Ecclestone to revert to Cosworth DFV engines, a move Murray described as being "like having a holiday".<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 213, 215</ref> The new, lighter, Cosworth-powered [[Brabham BT49|BT49]] was introduced before the end of the year at the [[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]]; where after practice Lauda announced his immediate retirement from driving, later saying that he "was no longer getting any pleasure from driving round and round in circles".<ref>Henry (1985) p. 216</ref>
The partnership with Alfa Romeo ended during the [[1979 Formula One season|1979 season]], the team's first with young Brazilian driver [[Nelson Piquet]]. Murray designed the full-ground effect [[Brabham BT48|BT48]] around a rapidly developed new Alfa Romeo V12 engine and incorporated an effective "carbon-carbon braking" system—[[#Technical innovation|a technology Brabham pioneered in 1976]]. However, unexpected movement of the car's aerodynamic [[center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|centre of pressure]] made its handling unpredictable and the new engine was unreliable. The team dropped to eighth in the Constructors' Championship by the end of the season.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 191</ref> Alfa Romeo started testing their own Formula One car during the season, prompting Ecclestone to revert to Cosworth DFV engines, a move Murray described as being "like having a holiday".<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 213, 215</ref> The new, lighter, Cosworth-powered [[Brabham BT49|BT49]] was introduced before the end of the year at the [[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]]; where after practice Lauda announced his immediate retirement from driving, later saying that he "was no longer getting any pleasure from driving round and round in circles".<ref>Henry (1985) p. 216</ref>


[[File:2005 Brands Hatch A1GP 25 Sept Christian Glaesel Brabham BT49D.jpg|250px|left|thumb|The [[Brabham BT49]] competed over four seasons, winning one championship]]
[[File:2005 Brands Hatch A1GP 25 Sept Christian Glaesel Brabham BT49D.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings|The [[Brabham BT49]] competed over four seasons, winning one championship.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}]]


The team used the BT49 over four seasons. In the [[1980 Formula One season|1980 season]] Piquet scored three wins and the team took third in the Constructors' Championship with Piquet second in the Drivers' Championship. This season saw the introduction of the blue and white livery that the cars would wear through several changes of sponsor, until the team's demise in 1992. With a better understanding of ground effect, the team further developed the BT49C for the [[1981 Formula One season|1981 season]], incorporating a hydropneumatic suspension system to avoid [[ride height]] limitations intended to reduce downforce. Piquet, who had developed a close working relationship with Murray,<ref name="RoePiq">Roebuck (1986) p. 114</ref> took the drivers' title with three wins, albeit [[#Controversy|amid accusations of cheating]]. The team finished second in the Constructors' Championship, behind the [[WilliamsF1|Williams team]].
The team used the BT49 over four seasons. In the [[1980 Formula One season|1980 season]] Piquet scored three wins and the team took third in the Constructors' Championship with Piquet second in the Drivers' Championship. This season saw the introduction of the blue and white livery that the cars would wear through several changes of sponsor, until the team's demise in 1992. With a better understanding of ground effect, the team further developed the BT49C for the [[1981 Formula One season|1981 season]], incorporating a hydropneumatic suspension system to avoid [[ride height]] limitations intended to reduce downforce. Piquet, who had developed a close working relationship with Murray,<ref name="RoePiq">Roebuck (1986) p. 114</ref> took the drivers' title with three wins, albeit [[#Controversy|amid accusations of cheating]]. The team finished second in the Constructors' Championship, behind the [[WilliamsF1|Williams team]].<ref name=":0" />


[[Renault F1|Renault]] had introduced [[turbocharged]] engines to Formula One in 1977. Brabham had tested a [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] four-cylinder [[BMW M12|M12]] turbocharged engine in the summer of 1981. For the [[1982 Formula One season|1982 season]] the team designed a new car, the [[Brabham BT50|BT50]], around the BMW engine which, like the Repco engine 16 years before, was based on a road car engine block, the [[BMW M10]]. Brabham continued to run the Cosworth-powered BT49D in the early part of the season while reliability and driveability issues with the BMW units were resolved. The relationship came close to ending, with the German manufacturer insisting that Brabham use their engine. The turbo car took its first win at the [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]]. In the Constructors' Championship, the team finished fifth, the drivers [[Riccardo Patrese]], who scored the last win of the Brabham-Ford combination in the [[1982 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]], 10th and World Champion Piquet a mere 11th in the Drivers' Championship. In the [[1983 Formula One season|1983 season]], Piquet took the championship lead from [[Renault F1|Renault]]'s [[Alain Prost]] at the last race of the year, the [[1983 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]] to become the first driver to win the Formula One Drivers' World Championship with a turbo-powered car. The team did not win the Constructors' Championship in either 1981 or 1983, despite Piquet's success. [[Riccardo Patrese]] was the only driver other than Piquet to win a race for Brabham in this period—the drivers in the second car contributed only a fraction of the team's points in each of these championship seasons. Patrese finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points, dropping the team behind Ferrari and Renault to third in the Constructors' Championship.
[[Renault F1|Renault]] had introduced [[turbocharged]] engines to Formula One in 1977. Brabham had tested a [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] four-cylinder [[BMW M12|M12]] turbocharged engine in the summer of 1981. For the [[1982 Formula One season|1982 season]] the team designed a new car, the [[Brabham BT50|BT50]], around the BMW engine which, like the Repco engine 16 years before, was based on a road car engine block, the [[BMW M10]]. Brabham continued to run the Cosworth-powered BT49D in the early part of the season while reliability and driveability issues with the BMW units were resolved. The relationship came close to ending, with the German manufacturer insisting that Brabham use their engine. The turbo car took its first win at the [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]]. In the Constructors' Championship, the team finished fifth, the drivers [[Riccardo Patrese]], who scored the last win of the Brabham-Ford combination in the [[1982 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]], 10th and World Champion Piquet a mere 11th in the Drivers' Championship. In the [[1983 Formula One season|1983 season]], Piquet took the championship lead from Renault's [[Alain Prost]] at the last race of the year, the [[1983 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]] to become the first driver to win the Formula One Drivers' World Championship with a turbo-powered car. The team did not win the Constructors' Championship in either 1981 or 1983, despite Piquet's success. Patrese was the only driver other than Piquet to win a race for Brabham in this period—the drivers in the second car contributed only a fraction of the team's points in each of these championship seasons. Patrese finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points, dropping the team behind Ferrari and Renault to third in the Constructors' Championship.


[[File:Piquet - Brabham-BMW BT 54 1985-08-02.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Nelson Piquet]] and his [[Brabham BT54|BT54]] were hampered by [[Pirelli]] tyres in {{F1|1985}}]]
[[File:Piquet - Brabham-BMW BT 54 1985-08-02.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings|[[Nelson Piquet]] and his [[Brabham BT54|BT54]] were hampered by [[Pirelli]] tyres in {{F1|1985}}.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}]]


Piquet took the team's last wins: two in 1984 by winning the seventh and eighth races of that season, the [[1984 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and the [[1984 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], and one in 1985 by winning the [[1985 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. He finished fifth in 1984 and a mere eighth in 1985 in the respective Drivers' Championships.<ref name="RoePiq"/> After seven years and two world championships, Piquet felt he was worth more than Ecclestone's salary offer for 1986, and reluctantly left for the [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] team at the end of the season.
Piquet took the team's last wins: two in 1984 by winning the seventh and eighth races of that season, the [[1984 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and the [[1984 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], and one in 1985 by winning the [[1985 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. He finished fifth in 1984 and a mere eighth in 1985 in the respective Drivers' Championships.<ref name="RoePiq"/> After seven years and two world championships, Piquet felt he was worth more than Ecclestone's salary offer for 1986, and reluctantly left for the Williams team at the end of the season.


For the [[1986 Formula One season|1986 season]], [[Riccardo Patrese]] returned to Brabham, and was joined by [[Elio de Angelis]]. The season was a disaster for Brabham, scoring only two points. Murray's radical long and low [[Brabham BT55|BT55]], with its BMW M12 engine tilted over to improve its aerodynamics and lower its centre of gravity, had sever reliability issues, and the Pirelli tyres performed poorly. De Angelis became the Formula One team's only fatality when he died in a testing accident at the [[Circuit Paul Ricard|Paul Ricard]] circuit. [[Derek Warwick]], who replaced de Angelis, was close to scoring two points for fifth in the [[1986 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], but a problem on the last lap dropped him out of the points.
For the [[1986 Formula One season|1986 season]], Patrese returned to Brabham, and was joined by [[Elio de Angelis]]. The season was a disaster for Brabham, scoring only two points. Murray's radical long and low [[Brabham BT55|BT55]], with its BMW M12 engine tilted over to improve its aerodynamics and lower its centre of gravity, had severe reliability issues, and the Pirelli tyres performed poorly. De Angelis became the Formula One team's only fatality when he died in a testing accident at the [[Circuit Paul Ricard|Paul Ricard]] circuit. [[Derek Warwick]], who replaced de Angelis, was close to scoring two points for fifth in the [[1986 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], but a problem on the last lap dropped him out of the points.


In August, BMW after considering running their own in-house team, announced their departure from Formula One at the end of the season. Murray, who had largely taken over the running of the team as Ecclestone became more involved with his role at the [[Formula One Constructors Association]], felt that "the way the team had operated for 15 years broke down". He left Brabham in November to join [[McLaren]].<ref name="BGEnd">Lovell (2004) pp. 161–164</ref>
In August, BMW after considering running their own in-house team, announced their departure from Formula One at the end of the season. Murray, who had largely taken over the running of the team as Ecclestone became more involved with his role at the [[Formula One Constructors Association]], felt that "the way the team had operated for 15 years broke down". He left Brabham in November to join McLaren.<ref name="BGEnd">Lovell (2004) pp. 161–164</ref>


Ecclestone held BMW to their contract for the [[1987 Formula One season|1987 season]], but the German company would only supply the laydown engine. The upright units, around which Brabham had designed their new car, were sold for use by the [[Arrows (F1)|Arrows]] team. Senior figures at Brabham, including Murray, have admitted that by this stage Ecclestone had lost interest in running the team. The 1987 season was only slightly more successful than the previous year—Patrese and de Cesaris scoring 10 points between them, including two third places at the [[1987 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] and the [[1987 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican Grand Prix]]. Unable to locate a suitable engine supplier, the team missed the FIA deadline for entry into the 1988 world championship and Ecclestone finally announced the team's withdrawal from Formula One at the Brazilian Grand Prix in April 1988. During the season-ending [[1988 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]], Ecclestone announced he had sold MRD to [[EuroBrun]] team owner [[Walter Brun]] for an unknown price.
Ecclestone held BMW to their contract for the [[1987 Formula One season|1987 season]], but the German company would only supply the laydown engine. The upright units, around which Brabham had designed their new car, were sold for use by the [[Arrows (F1)|Arrows]] team. Senior figures at Brabham, including Murray, have admitted that by this stage Ecclestone had lost interest in running the team. The 1987 season was only slightly more successful than the previous year—Patrese and de Cesaris scoring 10 points between them, including two third places at the [[1987 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] and the [[1987 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican Grand Prix]]. Unable to locate a suitable engine supplier, the team missed the FIA deadline for entry into the 1988 world championship and Ecclestone finally announced the team's withdrawal from Formula One at the Brazilian Grand Prix in April 1988. During the season-ending [[1988 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]], Ecclestone announced he had sold MRD to [[EuroBrun]] team owner [[Walter Brun]] for an unknown price.


===Joachim Luhti (1989)===
===Joachim Lüthi (1989)===
Brun soon sold the team on, this time to Swiss financier Joachim Luhti, who brought it back into Formula One for the [[1989 Formula One season|1989 season]]. The new [[Brabham BT58]], powered by a [[Judd (engine)|Judd]] [[V8 engine]] (originally another of Jack Brabham's companies), was produced for the [[1989 Formula One season|1989 season]].<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 254. Engine Developments, the company which builds Judd engines, was a company Jack Brabham set up in partnership with John Judd after his retirement from driving in 1970. Judd had previously worked for Brabham on the Repco project. John Judd had based the engine, dubbed the '''CV''', on a [[Honda]] block and was something the Japanese company was looking at as it looked to move into the North American based [[Champ Car|IndyCar racing]].</ref> Italian driver [[Stefano Modena]], who had driven for the team in the [[1987 Australian Grand Prix]] in a one off drive for the team, drove alongside the more experienced [[Martin Brundle]] who was returning to Formula One after spending 1988 winning the [[1988 World Sportscar Championship season|World Sportscar Championship]] for [[Jaguar Cars|Jaguar]]. Modena took the team's last podium: a third place at the [[1989 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] (Brundle, who had only just scraped through pre-qualifying by 0.021 seconds before qualifying a brilliant 4th, had been running third but was forced to stop to replace a flat battery, finally finishing sixth). The team also failed to make the grid sometimes: Brundle failed to prequalify at the [[1989 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and the [[1989 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. The team finished 9th in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the season.
Brun soon sold the team on, this time to Swiss financier Joachim Lüthi, who brought it back into Formula One for the [[1989 Formula One season|1989 season]]. The new [[Brabham BT58]], powered by a [[Judd (engine)|Judd]] [[V8 engine]] (originally another of Jack Brabham's companies), was produced for the 1989 season.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 254. Engine Developments, the company which builds Judd engines, was a company Jack Brabham set up in partnership with John Judd after his retirement from driving in 1970. Judd had previously worked for Brabham on the Repco project. John Judd had based the engine, dubbed the '''CV''', on a [[Honda]] block and was something the Japanese company was looking at as it looked to move into the North American based [[Champ Car|IndyCar racing]].</ref> Italian driver [[Stefano Modena]], who had driven for the team in the [[1987 Australian Grand Prix]] in a one off drive for the team, drove alongside the more experienced [[Martin Brundle]] who was returning to Formula One after spending 1988 winning the [[1988 World Sportscar Championship season|World Sportscar Championship]] for [[Jaguar Cars|Jaguar]]. Modena took the team's last podium: a third place at the [[1989 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] (Brundle, who had only just scraped through pre-qualifying by 0.021 seconds before qualifying a brilliant 4th, had been running third but was forced to stop to replace a flat battery, finally finishing sixth). The team also failed to make the grid sometimes: Brundle failed to prequalify at the [[1989 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and the [[1989 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. The team finished 9th in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the season.<ref name=":0" />


===Middlebridge Racing (1989–1992)===
===Middlebridge Racing (1989–1992)===
After Luhti's arrest on tax fraud charges in mid-1989,<ref>Slevin, Gary (2008) [http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/submitted/brabham/index.html The Decline of Brabham] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014120637/http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/submitted/brabham/index.html |date=14 October 2008 }}. Formula One Rejects. Retrieved 10 June 2009</ref> several parties disputed the ownership of the team. Middlebridge Group Limited, a Japanese engineering firm owned by billionaire Koji Nakauchi, was already involved with established [[International Formula 3000|Formula 3000]] team Middlebridge Racing and gained control of Brabham for the [[1990 Formula One season|1990 season]]. Herbie Blash had returned to run the team in 1989 and continued to do so in 1990. Middlebridge paid for its purchase using £1&nbsp;million loaned to them by finance company Landhurst Leasing,<ref name="Landhurst">{{cite news|title=Formula One obsession led to pounds 50m Landhurst fraud|author=John Willcock|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/formula-one-obsession-led-to-pounds-50m-landhurst-fraud-1236602.html|newspaper=[[Independent (newspaper)|The Independent]]|date=18 October 1997|accessdate=26 April 2011|location=London}}</ref> but the team remained underfunded and would only score a few more points finishes in its last three seasons. Jack Brabham's youngest son, [[David Brabham|David]], raced for the Formula One team for a short time in 1990 including the season-ending [[1990 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]] (the first time a Brabham had driven a Brabham car in an [[Australian Grand Prix]] since [[1968 Australian Grand Prix|1968]]). 1990 was a disastrous year, with Modena's fifth place in the season-opening [[1990 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] being the only top six finish. The team finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship. Brundle and fellow Briton [[Mark Blundell]], scored only three points during the [[1991 Formula One season|1991 season]]. Due to poor results in the first half of 1991, they had to prequalify in the second half of the season; Blundell failed to do so in Japan, as did Brundle in Australia. The team finished 10th in the Constructors' Championship, behind another struggling British team, Lotus. The 1992 season started with [[Eric van de Poele]] and [[Giovanna Amati]] after [[Akihiko Nakaya]] was denied a superlicense. [[Damon Hill]], the son of another former Brabham driver and World Champion, debuted in the team after Amati was dropped when her sponsorship failed to materialise. Amati, the fifth woman to race in Formula One, ended her career with three DNQs.
After Lüthi's arrest on tax fraud charges in mid-1989,<ref>Slevin, Gary (2008) [http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/submitted/brabham/index.html The Decline of Brabham] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014120637/http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/submitted/brabham/index.html |date=14 October 2008 }}. Formula One Rejects. Retrieved 10 June 2009</ref> several parties disputed the ownership of the team. Middlebridge Group Limited, a Japanese engineering firm owned by billionaire Koji Nakauchi, was already involved with established [[International Formula 3000|Formula 3000]] team Middlebridge Racing and gained control of Brabham for the [[1990 Formula One season|1990 season]]. Herbie Blash had returned to run the team in 1989 and continued to do so in 1990. Middlebridge paid for its purchase using £1&nbsp;million loaned to them by finance company Landhurst Leasing,<ref name="Landhurst">{{cite news|title=Formula One obsession led to pounds 50m Landhurst fraud|author=John Willcock|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/formula-one-obsession-led-to-pounds-50m-landhurst-fraud-1236602.html|newspaper=[[Independent (newspaper)|The Independent]]|date=18 October 1997|access-date=26 April 2011|location=London}}</ref> but the team remained underfunded and would only score a few more points finishes in its last three seasons.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}


Jack Brabham's youngest son, [[David Brabham|David]], raced for the Formula One team for a short time in 1990 including the season-ending [[1990 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]] (the first time a Brabham had driven a Brabham car in an [[Australian Grand Prix]] since [[1968 Australian Grand Prix|1968]]). 1990 was another disastrous year, with Modena's fifth place in the season-opening [[1990 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] being the only top six finish. The team finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship. Brundle and fellow Briton [[Mark Blundell]], scored only three points during the [[1991 Formula One season|1991 season]]. Due to poor results in the first half of 1991, they had to prequalify in the second half of the season; Blundell failed to do so in Japan, as did Brundle in Australia. The team finished 10th in the Constructors' Championship, behind another struggling British team, Lotus. The 1992 season started with [[Eric van de Poele]] and [[Giovanna Amati]] after [[Akihiko Nakaya]] was denied a superlicense. [[Damon Hill]], the son of another former Brabham driver and World Champion, debuted in the team after Amati was dropped when her sponsorship failed to materialise. Amati, the fifth and last ({{as of|January 2023|lc=y}}) woman to race in Formula One, ended her career with three DNQs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elson|first=James|date=2021-01-02|title=Giovanna Amati: 'Once the helmet was on, I felt I was treated equally'|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/giovanna-amati-once-the-helmet-was-on-i-felt-i-was-treated-equally|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|publisher=Motor Sport Magazine Limited|location=London|language=en-GB|quote=Amati, the fifth woman to ever race in Formula 1, made three attempts to pre-qualify for Brabham during the 1992 season, at South Africa, Mexico and Brazil, failing to make it through each time.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108164649/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/giovanna-amati-once-the-helmet-was-on-i-felt-i-was-treated-equally |archive-date=8 January 2021 }}</ref>
Argentine [[Sergio Rinland]] designed the team's final cars around Judd engines, except for 1991 when [[Yamaha Motor Company Ltd.|Yamaha]] powered the cars. In the [[1992 Formula One season|1992 season]] the cars (which were updated versions of the 1991 car) rarely qualified for races. Hill gave the team its final finish, at the [[1992 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]], where he crossed the finish line 11th and last, four laps behind the winner, [[Ayrton Senna]]. After the end of that race the team ran out of funds and collapsed. Middlebridge Group Limited had been unable to continue making repayments against the £6&nbsp;million ultimately provided by Landhurst Leasing, which went into [[Administration order|administration]]. The [[Serious Fraud Office (UK)|Serious Fraud Office]] investigated the case. Landhurst's managing directors were found guilty of corruption and imprisoned, having accepted bribes for further loans to Middlebridge.<ref name="Landhurst"/> It was one of four teams to leave Formula One that year. (''cf'' [[March Engineering]], [[Fondmetal]] and [[Andrea Moda Formula]]). Although there was talk of reviving the team for the following year, its assets passed to Landhurst Leasing and were auctioned by the company's [[Administrative receivership|receivers]] in 1993.<ref>Baker (10 October 1993)</ref> Among these was the team's old factory in Chessington, which was acquired by Yamaha Motor Sports and used to house Activa Technology Limited, a company manufacturing composite components for race and road cars run by Herbie Blash. The factory was bought by the [[Carlin DPR]] [[GP2 Series|GP2]] motor racing team in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55796|title=Carlin to enter GP2 in 2007|author=Glenn Freeman|date=27 November 2006|work=Autosport.com|publisher=|accessdate=8 December 2006}}</ref>


Argentine [[Sergio Rinland]] designed the team's final cars around Judd engines, except for 1991 when [[Yamaha Motor Company Ltd.|Yamaha]] powered the cars. In the [[1992 Formula One season|1992 season]] the cars (which were updated versions of the 1991 car) rarely qualified for races. Hill gave the team its final finish, at the [[1992 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]], where he crossed the finish line 11th and last, four laps behind the winner, [[Ayrton Senna]]. After the end of that race the team ran out of funds and collapsed.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Higham|first=Peter|date=December 2017|editor-last=Trott|editor-first=Nick|title=The rise – and fall – of Brabham|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-2017/64/rise-and-fall-brabham|magazine=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|location=London|publisher=Motor Sport Magazine Limited|issue=1108|page=64|issn=0027-2019|access-date=2021-12-02|quote=It returned after a year’s absence under new ownership and struggled on for four largely unsuccessful campaigns before closing its doors following the 1992 Hungarian GP.}}</ref>
===Potential F1 revival (2010)===
On 4 June 2009, [[Franz Hilmer]] confirmed that he had used the name to lodge an entry for the 2010 Formula One season as a cost capped team under the new budget cap regulations.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/75798|title= Brabham name owner submits F1 entry|author= Jonathan Noble|date= 4 June 2009|work= Autosport.com|publisher= |accessdate=26 April 2011}}</ref> The Brabham family was not involved and announced that it was seeking legal advice over the use of the name.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/75806|title=Brabham family seeking legal advice|author=Edd Straw|date=4 June 2009|work=Autosport.com|publisher=|accessdate=26 April 2011}}</ref> The team's entry was not accepted, and the Brabham family later obtained legal recognition of their exclusive rights to the Brabham brand.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.crash.net/f1/news/187189/1/brabham-family-name-wins-eu-legal-protection.html|title=Brabham family name wins EU legal protection|publisher=crash.net|date=2013-01-10|accessdate=2014-11-09}}</ref>


Middlebridge Group Limited had been unable to continue making repayments against the £6&nbsp;million ultimately provided by Landhurst Leasing, which went into [[Administration order|administration]]. The [[Serious Fraud Office (UK)|Serious Fraud Office]] investigated the case. Landhurst's managing directors were found guilty of corruption and imprisoned, having accepted bribes for further loans to Middlebridge.<ref name="Landhurst"/> It was one of four teams to leave Formula One that year. (''cf'' [[March Engineering]], [[Fondmetal]] and [[Andrea Moda Formula]]). Although there was talk of reviving the team for the following year, its assets passed to Landhurst Leasing and were auctioned by the company's [[Administrative receivership|receivers]] in 1993.<ref>Baker (10 October 1993)</ref> Among these was the team's old factory in Chessington, which was acquired by Yamaha Motor Sports and used to house Activa Technology Limited, a company manufacturing composite components for race and road cars run by Herbie Blash. The factory was bought by the [[Carlin DPR]] [[GP2 Series|GP2]] motor racing team in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55796|title=Carlin to enter GP2 in 2007|author=Glenn Freeman|date=27 November 2006|work=Autosport.com|access-date=8 December 2006}}</ref>
===Brabham Racing (2014–)===
{{Main article|Brabham Racing}}
In September 2014, [[David Brabham]]—the son of Brabham founder [[Jack Brabham|Sir Jack Brabham]]—announced the reformation of the Brabham Racing team under the name Project Brabham, with plans to enter the 2015 [[FIA World Endurance Championship]] and 2015 [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] in the LMP2 category using a [[crowdsourcing]] business model.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/09/25/brabham-team-reborn-f1sports-cars-targetted/|title=Brabham team reborn, F1/sports cars targeted|work=Speedcafe|date=25 September 2014|accessdate=25 September 2014}}</ref> The team was also aiming to enter the [[FIA Formula E Championship]] and return to [[Formula One]] in the future.


==Motor Racing Developments==
==Motor Racing Developments==
[[File:1969 British Grand Prix P Courage Brabham BT26.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Several F1 teams used Brabhams ([[Piers Courage]], [[Frank Williams Racing Cars|FWRC]], 1969).]]
[[File:1969 British Grand Prix P Courage Brabham BT26.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings|Several F1 teams used Brabhams ([[Piers Courage]], [[Frank Williams Racing Cars|FWRC]], 1969).]]

[[File:Repco brabham logo.png|thumb|right|120px|The Repco Brabham logo from the 1960s, illustrating the joint branding of the period]]
Brabham cars were also widely used by other teams, and not just in Formula One. Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac called the company they set up in 1961 to design and build [[formula racing]] cars to customer teams Motor Racing Developments (MRD), and this company had a large portfolio of other activities. Initially, Brabham and Tauranac each held 50&nbsp;percent of the shares.<ref name="Law31"/> Tauranac was responsible for design and running the business, while Brabham was the test driver and arranged corporate deals like the Repco engine supply and the use of the MIRA wind tunnel. He also contributed ideas to the design process and often machined parts and helped build the cars.<ref>Tauranac referred to this as Brabham's trade; they had first met at the small [[machine shop]] Brabham ran in Sydney in the early 1950s.</ref>
Brabham cars were also widely used by other teams, and not just in Formula One. Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac called the company they set up in 1961 to design and build [[formula racing]] cars to customer teams Motor Racing Developments (MRD), and this company had a large portfolio of other activities. Initially, Brabham and Tauranac each held 50&nbsp;per cent of the shares.<ref name="Law31"/> Tauranac was responsible for design and running the business, while Brabham was the test driver and arranged corporate deals like the Repco engine supply and the use of the MIRA wind tunnel. He also contributed ideas to the design process and often machined parts and helped build the cars.<ref>Tauranac referred to this as Brabham's trade; they had first met at the small [[machine shop]] Brabham ran in Sydney in the early 1950s.</ref>


From 1963 to 1965, MRD was not directly involved in Formula One, and often ran works cars in other formulae. A separate company, Jack Brabham's Brabham Racing Organisation, ran the Formula One works entry.<ref>To confuse the relationship between the two companies further, MRD was renamed Brabham Racing Developments between 1962 and 1964. Henry (1985) p. 24</ref> Like other customers, BRO bought its cars from MRD, initially at £3,000 per car,<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) p. 39</ref> although it did not pay for development parts. Tauranac was unhappy with his distance from the Formula One operation and before the 1966 season suggested that he was no longer interested in producing cars for Formula One under this arrangement. Brabham investigated other chassis suppliers for BRO, however the two reached an agreement and from 1966 MRD was much more closely involved in this category.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 74–75</ref> After Jack Brabham sold his shares in MRD to Ron Tauranac at the end of 1969, the works Formula One team was MRD.
From 1963 to 1965, MRD was not directly involved in Formula One, and often ran works cars in other formulae. A separate company, Jack Brabham's Brabham Racing Organisation, ran the Formula One works entry.<ref>To confuse the relationship between the two companies further, MRD was renamed Brabham Racing Developments between 1962 and 1964. Henry (1985) p. 24</ref> Like other customers, BRO bought its cars from MRD, initially at £3,000 per car,<ref>Fearnley (May 2006) p. 39</ref> although it did not pay for development parts. Tauranac was unhappy with his distance from the Formula One operation and before the 1966 season suggested that he was no longer interested in producing cars for Formula One under this arrangement. Brabham investigated other chassis suppliers for BRO, however the two reached an agreement and from 1966 MRD was much more closely involved in this category.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 74–75</ref> After Jack Brabham sold his shares in MRD to Ron Tauranac at the end of 1969, the works Formula One team was MRD.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}


[[File:Brabham BT40 of Tim Kuchel.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings|The BT40 was the last [[Formula Two]] model from Brabham.]]
Despite only building its first car in 1961, by the mid-1960s MRD had overtaken established constructors like Cooper to become the largest manufacturer of single-seat racing cars in the world,<ref>Unique p. 111</ref> and by 1970 had built over 500 cars.<ref name="car numbers">Lawrence (1999) p. 207</ref> Of the other Formula One teams which used Brabhams, [[Frank Williams Racing Cars]] and the [[Rob Walker Racing Team]] were the most successful. The [[1965 British Grand Prix]] saw seven Brabhams compete, only two of them from the works team, and there were usually four or five at championship Grands Prix throughout that season. The firm built scores of cars for the lower formulae each year, peaking with 89 cars in 1966.<ref name="car numbers"/> Brabham had the reputation of providing customers with cars of a standard equal to those used by the works team, which worked "[[wiktionary:out of the box|out of the box]]". The company provided a high degree of support to its customers—including Jack Brabham helping customers set up their cars. During this period the cars were usually known as "Repco Brabhams", not because of the Repco engines used in Formula One between 1966 and 1968, but because of a smaller-scale sponsorship deal through which the Australian company had been providing parts to Jack Brabham since his Cooper days.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 53</ref>
Despite only building its first car in 1961, by the mid-1960s MRD had overtaken established constructors like Cooper to become the largest manufacturer of single-seat racing cars in the world,<ref>Unique p. 111</ref> and by 1970 had built over 500 cars.<ref name="car numbers">Lawrence (1999) p. 207</ref> Of the other Formula One teams which used Brabhams, Frank Williams Racing Cars and the [[Rob Walker Racing Team]] were the most successful. The [[1965 British Grand Prix]] saw seven Brabhams compete, only two of them from the works team, and there were usually four or five at championship Grands Prix throughout that season. The firm built scores of cars for the lower formulae each year, peaking with 89 cars in 1966.<ref name="car numbers"/> Brabham had the reputation of providing customers with cars of a standard equal to those used by the works team, which worked "[[wiktionary:out of the box|out of the box]]". The company provided a high degree of support to its customers—including Jack Brabham helping customers set up their cars. During this period the cars were usually known as "Repco Brabhams", not because of the Repco engines used in Formula One between 1966 and 1968, but because of a smaller-scale sponsorship deal through which the Australian company had been providing parts to Jack Brabham since his Cooper days.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 53</ref>


[[File:Brabham BT40 of Tim Kuchel.jpg|thumb|left|The BT40 was the last [[Formula Two]] model from Brabham.]]
[[File:Alfa Romeo 164 procar.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A four-door saloon car which has been modified for motor racing|The Brabham [[Alfa Romeo 164|Alfa Romeo 164 "procar"]] (1988)]]
[[File:Alfa Romeo 164 procar.jpg|thumb|right|The Brabham [[Alfa Romeo 164|Alfa Romeo 164 "procar"]] (1988)]]
At the end of 1971 Bernie Ecclestone bought MRD. He retained the Brabham brand, as did subsequent owners. Although the production of customer cars continued briefly under Ecclestone's ownership, he believed the company needed to focus on Formula One to succeed. The last production customer Brabhams were the Formula Two BT40 and the Formula Three BT41 of 1973,<ref>Hodges (1990) p. 39</ref> although Ecclestone sold ex-works Formula One BT44Bs to [[RAM Racing]] as late as 1976.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 156. Henry claims Ecclestone did this to ensure the team would focus on its troublesome new Alfa Romeo powered BT45s.</ref>
At the end of 1971 Bernie Ecclestone bought MRD. He retained the Brabham brand, as did subsequent owners. Although the production of customer cars continued briefly under Ecclestone's ownership, he believed the company needed to focus on Formula One to succeed. The last production customer Brabhams were the Formula Two BT40 and the Formula Three BT41 of 1973,<ref>Hodges (1990) p. 39</ref> although Ecclestone sold ex-works Formula One BT44Bs to [[RAM Racing]] as late as 1976.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 156. Henry claims Ecclestone did this to ensure the team would focus on its troublesome new Alfa Romeo powered BT45s.</ref>


In 1988 Ecclestone sold Motor Racing Developments to Alfa Romeo. The Formula One team did not compete that year, but Alfa Romeo put the company to use designing and building a prototype "Procar"—a racing car with the silhouette of a large saloon (the [[Alfa Romeo 164]]) covering a composite racing car chassis and mid-mounted race engine. This was intended for a racing series for major manufacturers to support Formula One Grands Prix, and was designated the Brabham BT57.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-mcdall.html|title=People: Allen McDonald|author=|work=grandprix.com|publisher=|accessdate=26 April 2011}}</ref>
In 1988 Ecclestone sold Motor Racing Developments to Alfa Romeo. The Formula One team did not compete that year, but Alfa Romeo put the company to use designing and building a prototype "Procar"—a racing car with the silhouette of a large saloon (the [[Alfa Romeo 164]]) covering a composite racing car chassis and mid-mounted race engine. This was intended for a racing series for major manufacturers to support Formula One Grands Prix, and was designated the Brabham BT57.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-mcdall.html|title=People: Allen McDonald|work=grandprix.com|access-date=26 April 2011}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
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==Racing history—other categories==
==Racing history—other categories==
[[File:Brabham BT25.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Brabham's last USAC race-winning car—the Brabham BT25 IndyCar of 1968]]
[[File:2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed F2 Brabham BT18 Honda.jpg|thumb|left|220px|The Brabham BT18-Honda completely dominated [[Formula Two]] in 1966.]]
[[File:1969 F3 Guards Trophy Brands Hatch James Hunt Brabham BT21.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Top drivers used Brabham F3 cars in their early careers. ([[James Hunt]], 1969)]]


===IndyCar===
===IndyCar===
{{multiple image|perrow=2/1|total_width=420|
| align = right
|image1= Brabham BT25.jpg
|alt1=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings
|caption1=Brabham's last USAC race-winning car—the Brabham BT25 IndyCar of 1968
|image2=1969 F3 Guards Trophy Brands Hatch James Hunt Brabham BT21.jpg
|alt2=A pair of mid-engined single-seater racing cars driving in close proximity
|caption2=Top drivers used Brabham F3 cars in their early careers. ([[James Hunt]], 1969)
|image3= 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed F2 Brabham BT18 Honda.jpg
|alt3=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings
|caption3=The Brabham BT18-Honda completely dominated [[Formula Two]] in 1966.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
}}
Brabham cars competed at the [[Indianapolis 500]] from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. After an abortive project in 1962,<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 30</ref> MRD was commissioned in 1964 to build an IndyCar chassis powered by an American [[Offenhauser]] engine. The resultant BT12 chassis was raced by Jack Brabham as the "Zink-Urschel Trackburner" at the [[1964 Indianapolis 500|1964 event]] and retired with a fuel tank problem. The car was entered again in [[1966 Indianapolis 500|1966]], taking a third place for [[Jim McElreath]]. From 1968 to 1970, Brabham returned to Indianapolis, at first with a 4.2-litre version of the Repco V8 the team used in Formula One—with which [[Peter Revson]] finished fifth in 1969—before reverting to the Offenhauser engine for 1970.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 240</ref> The Brabham-Offenhauser combination was entered again in 1971 by [[Christopher J.C. Agajanian|J.C. Agajanian]], finishing fifth in the hands of [[Bill Vukovich II]].<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 114</ref> Although no Brabham car ever won at Indianapolis, McElreath won four [[United States Automobile Club]] (USAC) races over 1965 and 1966 in the BT12. The "Dean Van Lines Special" in which [[Mario Andretti]] won the 1965 USAC national championship was a direct copy of this car, made with permission from Brabham by Andretti's crew chief Clint Brawner.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 57. Brawner repaired BT12 after a crash in 1964. As part of the deal he was allowed to make a copy of the then still unusual mid-engined design.</ref> Revson took Brabham's final USAC race win in a BT25 in 1969, using the Repco engine.<ref name="BrabIndy">Lawrence (1999) p. 99</ref>
Brabham cars competed at the [[Indianapolis 500]] from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. After an abortive project in 1962,<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 30</ref> MRD was commissioned in 1964 to build an IndyCar chassis powered by an American [[Offenhauser]] engine. The resultant BT12 chassis was raced by Jack Brabham as the "Zink-Urschel Trackburner" at the [[1964 Indianapolis 500|1964 event]] and retired with a fuel tank problem. The car was entered again in [[1966 Indianapolis 500|1966]], taking a third place for [[Jim McElreath]]. From 1968 to 1970, Brabham returned to Indianapolis, at first with a 4.2-litre version of the Repco V8 the team used in Formula One—with which [[Peter Revson]] finished fifth in 1969—before reverting to the Offenhauser engine for 1970.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 240</ref> The Brabham-Offenhauser combination was entered again in 1971 by [[Christopher J.C. Agajanian|J.C. Agajanian]], finishing fifth in the hands of [[Bill Vukovich II]].<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 114</ref> Although no Brabham car ever won at Indianapolis, McElreath won four [[United States Automobile Club]] (USAC) races over 1965 and 1966 in the BT12. The "Dean Van Lines Special" in which [[Mario Andretti]] won the 1965 USAC national championship was a direct copy of this car, made with permission from Brabham by Andretti's crew chief Clint Brawner.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 57. Brawner repaired BT12 after a crash in 1964. As part of the deal he was allowed to make a copy of the then still unusual mid-engined design.</ref> Revson took Brabham's final USAC race win in a BT25 in 1969, using the Repco engine.<ref name="BrabIndy">Lawrence (1999) p. 99</ref>


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===Formula 5000===
===Formula 5000===
Brabham made one car for [[Formula 5000]] racing, the [[Brabham BT43]]. Rolled out in late 1973 it was tested in early 1974 by John Watson at Silverstone before making its debut at the Rothmans F5000 Championship Round at Monza on June 30, 1974 driven by [[Martin Birrane]]. Former [[Australian Drivers' Championship|Australian Drivers' Champion]] [[Kevin Bartlett (racing driver)|Kevin Bartlett]] used the [[Chevrolet small-block engine|Chevrolet]] powered [[Brabham BT43]] to finish 3rd in the [[1978 Australian Drivers' Championship]] including finishing 5th in the [[1978 Australian Grand Prix]].
Brabham made one car for [[Formula 5000]] racing, the [[Brabham BT43]]. Rolled out in late 1973 it was tested in early 1974 by John Watson at Silverstone before making its debut at the Rothmans F5000 Championship Round at Monza on 30 June 1974, driven by [[Martin Birrane]]. Former [[Australian Drivers' Championship|Australian Drivers' Champion]] [[Kevin Bartlett (racing driver)|Kevin Bartlett]] used the [[Chevrolet small-block engine|Chevrolet]] powered [[Brabham BT43]] to finish 3rd in the [[1978 Australian Drivers' Championship]] including finishing 5th in the [[1978 Australian Grand Prix]].<ref name=":0" />


===Sports cars===
===Sports cars===
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==Technical innovation==
==Technical innovation==
[[File:2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The 1978 [[Brabham BT46|BT46B "Fan car"]] won its only race before being banned.]]
[[File:2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings and a big fan on the back|The 1978 [[Brabham BT46|BT46B "Fan car"]] won its only race before being banned. It was nicknamed the "Fan Car" due to the large fan at the rear of the car.]]
Brabham was considered a technically conservative team in the 1960s, chiefly because it persevered with traditional "[[spaceframe]]" cars long after Lotus introduced lighter, stiffer "[[monocoque]]" chassis to Formula One in 1962. Chief designer Tauranac reasoned that monocoques of the time were not usefully stiffer than well designed spaceframe chassis, and were harder to repair and less suitable for MRD's customers.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 44–45</ref> His "old fashioned" cars won the Brabham team the 1966 and 1967 championships, and were competitive in Formula One until rule changes forced a move to monocoques in 1970.<ref>Nye (1986) p. 60. Brabham's BT26As and Matra's experimental four wheel drive MS84 of 1969 were the last cars with spaceframe chassis cars in F1. For 1970 the FIA mandated the use of "bag tanks" for fuel, which were to be carried inside box structures. This effectively forced the team to design a monocoque structure. From 1968 Brabham's IndyCars were monocoques for the same reason.</ref>
Brabham was considered a technically conservative team in the 1960s, chiefly because it persevered with traditional [[spaceframe]] cars long after Lotus introduced lighter, stiffer [[monocoque]] chassis to Formula One in 1962. Chief designer Tauranac reasoned that monocoques of the time were not usefully stiffer than well designed spaceframe chassis, and were harder to repair and less suitable for MRD's customers.<ref>Lawrence (1999) pp. 44–45</ref> His "old fashioned" cars won the Brabham team the 1966 and 1967 championships, and were competitive in Formula One until rule changes forced a move to monocoques in 1970.<ref>Nye (1986) p. 60. Brabham's BT26As and Matra's experimental four wheel drive MS84 of 1969 were the last cars with spaceframe chassis cars in F1. For 1970 the FIA mandated the use of "bag tanks" for fuel, which were to be carried inside box structures. This effectively forced the team to design a monocoque structure. From 1968 Brabham's IndyCars were monocoques for the same reason.</ref>


Despite the perceived conservatism, in 1963 Brabham was the first Formula One team to use a [[wind tunnel]] to hone their designs to reduce [[drag (physics)|drag]] and stop the cars lifting off the ground at speed.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 39. The initial tests were carried out at the [[Motor Industry Research Association]] wind tunnel under the auspices of Malcolm Sayer, who had been responsible for the aerodynamics of the [[Jaguar D-type]] Le Mans-winning car.</ref> The practice only became the norm in the early 1980s, and is possibly the most important factor in the design of modern cars. Towards the end of the 1960s, teams began to exploit aerodynamic [[downforce]] to push the cars' tyres down harder on the track and enable them to maintain faster speeds through high-speed corners. At the [[1968 Belgian Grand Prix]], Brabham were the first, alongside Ferrari, to introduce full width rear wings to this effect.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 100</ref>
Despite the perceived conservatism, in 1963 Brabham was the first Formula One team to use a [[wind tunnel]] to hone its designs to reduce [[drag (physics)|drag]] and stop the cars lifting off the ground at speed.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 39. The initial tests were carried out at the [[Motor Industry Research Association]] wind tunnel under the auspices of Malcolm Sayer, who had been responsible for the aerodynamics of the [[Jaguar D-type]] Le Mans-winning car.</ref> The practice became the norm in only the early 1980s, and is possibly the most important factor in the design of modern cars. Towards the end of the 1960s, teams began to exploit aerodynamic [[downforce]] to push the cars' tyres down harder on the track and enable them to maintain faster speeds through high-speed corners. At the [[1968 Belgian Grand Prix]], Brabham was the first, alongside Ferrari, to introduce full width rear wings to this effect.<ref>Lawrence (1999) p. 100</ref>


The team's most fertile period of technical innovation came in the 1970s and 1980s when [[Gordon Murray]] became technical director. During 1976, the team introduced "carbon-carbon [[Disc brake|brakes]]" to Formula One, which promised reduced "[[unsprung weight]]" and better stopping performance due to carbon's greater [[coefficient of friction]]. The initial versions used [[reinforced carbon-carbon|carbon-carbon composite]] [[brake pads]] and a [[steel]] disc faced with carbon "pucks". The technology was not reliable at first; in 1976, Carlos Pace crashed at {{convert|180|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} at the [[Österreichring]] circuit after heat build-up in the brakes boiled the [[brake fluid]], leaving him with no way of stopping the car.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 163</ref> By 1979, Brabham had developed an effective carbon-carbon braking system, combining structural carbon discs with carbon brake pads.<ref name="Carbon Fibre">Howard (June 2006) p. 52. Interview with Gordon Murray and [[John Barnard]] on the early uses of Carbon Fibre in Formula One for brakes and chassis structure.</ref> By the late 1980s, carbon brakes were used by all competitors in almost all top level motor sports.
The team's most fertile period of technical innovation came in the 1970s and 1980s when [[Gordon Murray]] became technical director. During 1976, the team introduced carbon-carbon [[Disc brake|brakes]] to Formula One, which promised reduced [[unsprung weight]] and better stopping performance due to carbon's greater [[coefficient of friction]]. The initial versions used [[reinforced carbon-carbon|carbon-carbon composite]] [[brake pads]] and a [[steel]] disc faced with carbon "pucks." The technology was not reliable at first; in 1976, Carlos Pace crashed at {{convert|180|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} at the [[Österreichring]] circuit after heat build-up in the brakes boiled the [[brake fluid]], leaving him with no way of stopping the car.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 163</ref> By 1979, Brabham had developed an effective carbon-carbon braking system, combining structural carbon discs with carbon brake pads.<ref name="Carbon Fibre">Howard (June 2006) p. 52. Interview with Gordon Murray and [[John Barnard]] on the early uses of Carbon Fibre in Formula One for brakes and chassis structure.</ref>


Although Brabham experimented with airdams and underbody skirts in the mid-1970s, the team, like the rest of the field, did not immediately understand Lotus's development of a [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] car in 1977. The [[Brabham BT46|Brabham BT46B]] "Fan car" of 1978, generated enormous downforce with a fan, which sucked air from beneath the car, although its claimed use was for engine cooling. The car only raced once in the Formula One World Championship—[[Niki Lauda]] winning the [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix]]—before a [[wiktionary:loophole|loophole]] in the regulations was closed by the FIA.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 186–187. It is often claimed that the car was never banned, but rather withdrawn by Ecclestone. Ecclestone did agree to withdraw it after three races, but the FIA changed the regulations to render "fan cars" in general, not the BT46B in particular, illegal before it could race again.</ref>
Although Brabham experimented with airdams and underbody skirts in the mid-1970s, the team, like the rest of the field, did not immediately understand Lotus's development of a [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] car in 1977. The [[Brabham BT46|Brabham BT46B]] "Fan car" of 1978, generated enormous downforce with a fan, which sucked air from beneath the car, although its claimed use was for engine cooling. The car raced only once in the Formula One World Championship—[[Niki Lauda]] winning the [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix]]—before a [[wiktionary:loophole|loophole]] in the regulations was closed by the FIA.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 186–187. It is often claimed that the car was never banned, but rather withdrawn by Ecclestone. Ecclestone did agree to withdraw it after three races, but the FIA changed the regulations to render "fan cars" in general, not the BT46B in particular, illegal before it could race again.</ref>


Although in 1979 Murray was the first to use lightweight "[[Carbon fibre reinforced plastic|carbon fibre composite]]" panels to stiffen Brabham's [[aluminium|aluminium alloy]] monocoques, he echoed his predecessor Tauranac in being the last to switch to the new fully composite monocoques. Murray was reluctant to build the entire chassis from composite materials until he understood their behaviour in a crash, an understanding achieved in part through an instrumented [[crash test]] of a BT49 chassis.<ref name="Carbon Fibre"/> The team did not follow McLaren's 1981 [[McLaren MP4/1|MP4/1]] with their own fully composite chassis until the "lowline" BT55 in 1986,<ref name="AZBrabham">Hodges (1998) p. 43</ref> the last team to do so. This technology is now used in all top level single seater racing cars.
Although in 1979 Murray was the first to use lightweight [[Carbon fibre reinforced plastic|carbon fibre composite]] panels to stiffen Brabham's [[aluminium|aluminium alloy]] monocoques, he echoed his predecessor Tauranac in being the last to switch to the new fully composite monocoques. Murray was reluctant to build the entire chassis from composite materials until he understood their behaviour in a crash, an understanding achieved in part through an instrumented [[crash test]] of a BT49 chassis.<ref name="Carbon Fibre"/> The team did not follow McLaren's 1981 [[McLaren MP4/1|MP4/1]] with its own fully composite chassis until the "lowline" BT55 in 1986, the last team to do so. This technology is now used in all top level single seater racing cars.<ref name="AZBrabham">Hodges (1998) p. 43</ref>


For the 1981 season the FIA introduced a {{convert|6|cm|abbr=on|adj=on}} minimum [[ride height]] for the cars, intended to slow them in corners by limiting the downforce created by aerodynamic ground effect. Gordon Murray devised a "[[hydropneumatic suspension]]" system for the BT49C, which allowed the car to settle to a much lower ride height at speed. Brabham were accused of cheating by other teams, although Murray believes that the system met the letter of the regulations. No action was taken against the team and others soon produced systems with similar effects.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 223–225</ref>
For the 1981 season the FIA introduced a {{convert|6|cm|abbr=on|adj=on}} minimum [[ride height]] for the cars, intended to slow them in corners by limiting the downforce created by aerodynamic ground effect. Gordon Murray devised a [[hydropneumatic suspension]] system for the BT49C, which allowed the car to settle to a much lower ride height at speed. Brabham was accused of cheating by other teams, although Murray believes that the system met the letter of the regulations. No action was taken against the team and others soon produced systems with similar effects.<ref>Henry (1985) pp. 223–225</ref>


At the [[1982 British Grand Prix]], Brabham reintroduced the idea of re-fuelling and changing the car's tyres during the race, unseen since the [[1957 Formula One season]], to allow their drivers to sprint away at the start of races on a light fuel load and soft tyres. After studying techniques used at the [[Indianapolis 500]] and in [[NASCAR]] racing in the United States, the team were able to refuel and re-tyre the car in 14 seconds in tests ahead of the race. In 1982 Murray felt the tactic did little more than "get our sponsors noticed at races we had no chance of winning", but in 1983 the team made good use of the tactic.<ref>Hamilton (ed.) (1983) pp. 63–72 ''Pitstops: A split-second spectacle'' feature by [[Denis Jenkinson]].</ref> Refuelling was banned for 1984, and did not reappear until the [[1994 Formula One season|1994 season]] (until it was banned again in [[2010 Formula One season|2010]] as a part of cost cutting measures), but tyre changes have remained part of Formula One.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|title=Ayrton Senna would applaud formula one's 2010 rebirth|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/may/03/formula-one-2010-refuelling-ayrton-senna|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media Ltd|accessdate=1 May 2011|location=London|date=3 May 2009}}</ref>
At the [[1982 British Grand Prix]], Brabham reintroduced the idea of re-fuelling and changing the car's tyres during the race, unseen since the [[1957 Formula One season]], to allow its drivers to sprint away at the start of races on a light fuel load and soft tyres. After studying techniques used at the [[Indianapolis 500]] and in [[NASCAR]] racing in the United States, the team was able to refuel and re-tyre the car in 14 seconds in tests ahead of the race. In 1982 Murray felt the tactic did little more than "get our sponsors noticed at races we had no chance of winning," but in 1983 the team made good use of the tactic.<ref>Hamilton (ed.) (1983) pp. 63–72 ''Pitstops: A split-second spectacle'' feature by [[Denis Jenkinson]].</ref> Refuelling was banned for 1984, although it reappeared between [[1994 Formula One season|1994]] and [[2009 Formula One season|2009]], but tyre changes have remained part of Formula One.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|title=Ayrton Senna would applaud formula one's 2010 rebirth|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/may/03/formula-one-2010-refuelling-ayrton-senna|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media Ltd|access-date=1 May 2011|location=London|date=3 May 2009}}</ref>


==Controversy==
==Controversy==
The fan car and hydropneumatic suspension exploited loopholes in the sporting regulations. In the early 1980s, Brabham was accused of going further and breaking the regulations. During 1981, Piquet's first championship year, rumours circulated of illegal underweight Brabham chassis. Driver [[Jacques Laffite]] was among those to claim that the cars were fitted with heavily ballasted [[Coachwork|bodywork]] before being weighed at [[scrutineer]]ing. The accusation was denied by Brabham's management. No formal protest was made against the team and no action was taken against them by the sporting authorities.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 225</ref>
The fan car and hydropneumatic suspension exploited loopholes in the sporting regulations. In the early 1980s, Brabham was accused of going further and breaking the regulations. During 1981, Piquet's first championship year, rumours circulated of illegal underweight Brabham chassis. Driver [[Jacques Laffite]] was among those to claim that the cars were fitted with heavily ballasted [[Coachwork|bodywork]] before being weighed at [[scrutineer]]ing. The accusation was denied by Brabham's management. No formal protest was made against the team and no action was taken against it by the sporting authorities.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 225</ref>

From 1978, Ecclestone was president of the [[Formula One Constructors Association]] (FOCA), a body formed by the teams to represent their interests. This left his team open to accusations of having advance warning of rule changes. Ecclestone denies that the team benefited from this and Murray has noted that, contrary to this view, at the end of 1982 the team had to abandon its new BT51 car, built on the basis that ground effect would be permitted in 1983. Brabham had to design and build a replacement, the BT52, in only three months.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 255</ref> At the end of the 1983 season, Renault and Ferrari, both beaten to the Drivers' Championship by Piquet, protested that the [[Octane rating|Research Octane Number]] (RON) 102.4 of the team's fuel was above the legal limit of 102. The FIA declared that a figure of up to 102.9 was permitted under the rules, and that Brabham had not exceeded this limit.<ref>Drackett (1985) p. 133. Although "protested", as used by Drackett, implies a formal protest, he does not specify this, and Henry (1985) p. 267 says "no action was ever taken".</ref>

== Later use of the Brabham name ==

=== Revival attempts ===
On 4 June 2009, Franz Hilmer confirmed that he had used the name to lodge an entry for the 2010 Formula One season as a cost-capped team under the new budget cap regulations.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Noble|date=4 June 2009|title=Brabham name owner submits F1 entry|work=Autosport.com|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/75798|access-date=26 April 2011}}</ref> The Brabham family was not involved and announced that it was seeking legal advice over the use of the name.<ref>{{cite news|author=Edd Straw|date=4 June 2009|title=Brabham family seeking legal advice|work=Autosport.com|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/75806|access-date=26 April 2011}}</ref> The team's entry was not accepted, and the Brabham family later obtained legal recognition of their exclusive rights to the Brabham brand.<ref>{{cite news|date=10 January 2013|title=Brabham family name wins EU legal protection|publisher=crash.net|url=http://www.crash.net/f1/news/187189/1/brabham-family-name-wins-eu-legal-protection.html|access-date=9 November 2014}}</ref>

=== Brabham Racing ===
{{Main article|Brabham Racing}}
In September 2014, [[David Brabham]]—the son of Brabham founder Sir Jack Brabham—announced the reformation of the Brabham Racing team under the name Project Brabham, with plans to enter the 2015 [[FIA World Endurance Championship]] and 2015 [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] in the LMP2 category using a [[crowdsourcing]] business model.<ref>{{cite news|date=25 September 2014|title=Brabham team reborn, F1/sports cars targeted|work=Speedcafe|url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/09/25/brabham-team-reborn-f1sports-cars-targetted/|access-date=25 September 2014}}</ref> The company also expressed interest in returning to Formula One, but did not have the financial capacity to do so.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|date=3 November 2014|title=Rebirth of a dynasty|work=Velocity Magazine|url=http://velocityemag.com/velocity-issue-2/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215022156/http://velocityemag.com/velocity-issue-2/|archive-date=15 December 2014|access-date=3 November 2014}}</ref>

In 2019, [[Brabham Automotive]] announced its goal to enter the [[2021 FIA World Endurance Championship]] using a [[Brabham BT62|BT62]] in the [[LM GTE|GTE class]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=9 January 2019|title=Brabham to Return to Le Mans|url=https://www.brabham-digital.com/blog/post/7462/Brabham-to-Return-to-Le-Mans/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708125049/https://www.brabham-digital.com/blog/post/7462/Brabham-to-Return-to-Le-Mans/ |archive-date=8 July 2020 |access-date=7 July 2020|website=Project Brabham}}</ref> The team competed in the [[2019 GT Cup Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Victory For Brabham BT62 On Debut at Snetterton – Brabham Automotive|url=https://www.brabhamautomotive.com/news/victory-for-brabham-bt62-on-debut-at-snetterton/|access-date=19 November 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> It also entered the final two races of the [[2019 Britcar Endurance Championship]], winning on its debut.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brabham must &quot;earn the right&quot; to hypercar programme|url=https://au.motorsport.com/wec/news/brabham-hypercar-programme-britcar-2020/4649821/|access-date=19 November 2021|website=au.motorsport.com|date=11 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


In 2021, [[Brabham Automotive]] debuted their BT63 GT2 car at the season finale of the [[2021 GT2 European Series]].
From 1978, Ecclestone was president of the [[Formula One Constructors Association]] (FOCA), a body formed by the teams to represent their interests. This left his team open to accusations of having advance warning of rule changes. Ecclestone denies that the team benefited from this and Murray has noted that, contrary to this view, at the end of 1982 the team had to abandon their new BT51 car, built on the basis that ground effect would be permitted in 1983. Brabham had to design and build a replacement, the BT52, in only three months.<ref>Henry (1985) p. 255</ref> At the end of the 1983 season, Renault and Ferrari, both beaten to the Drivers' Championship by Piquet, protested that the [[Octane rating|Research Octane Number]] (RON) of the team's fuel was above the legal limit of 102. The FIA declared that a figure of up to 102.9 was permitted under the rules, and that Brabham had not exceeded this limit.<ref>Drackett (1985) p. 133. Although "protested", as used by Drackett, implies a formal protest, he does not specify this, and Henry (1985) p. 267 says "no action was ever taken".</ref>


==Championship results==
==Championship results==
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Results achieved by the "works" Brabham team. '''Bold''' results indicate a championship win.
Results achieved by the "works" Brabham team. '''Bold''' results indicate a championship win.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+Summary of Brabham Formula One World Championship results<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Brabham – Series – Formula One|url=https://results.motorsportstats.com/teams/brabham/series/formula-one|publisher=Motorsport Stats|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref>
|-
|-
! Season
! scope="col" | Season
! Entrant
! scope="col" | Entrant
! Car
! scope="col" | Car
! Tyres
! scope="col" | Tyres
! Engine
! scope="col" | Engine
! Drivers
! scope="col" | Drivers
! Constructors' Championship
! scope="col" | Constructors'<br />Championship
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1962 Formula One season|1962]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1962}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Lotus 24]]<br />[[Brabham BT3]]
| [[Lotus 24]]<br />[[Brabham BT3]]
Line 189: Line 218:
| 7th (9 points)
| 7th (9 points)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1963 Formula One season|1963]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1963}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT3]]<br/>[[Brabham BT7]]<br/>[[Lotus 25]]
| [[Brabham BT3]]<br />[[Brabham BT7]]<br />[[Lotus 25]]
| {{Dunlop}}
| {{Dunlop}}
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Dan Gurney]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Dan Gurney]]
| 3rd (28 points)
| 3rd (28 points)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1964 Formula One season|1964]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1964}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT7]] <br/> [[Brabham BT11]]
| [[Brabham BT7]] <br /> [[Brabham BT11]]
| {{Dunlop}}
| {{Dunlop}}
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Dan Gurney]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Dan Gurney]]
| 4th (33 points)
| 4th (33 points)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1965 Formula One season|1965]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1965}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT7]]<br/>[[Brabham BT11]]
| [[Brabham BT7]]<br />[[Brabham BT11]]
| {{Dunlop}}<br/>{{Goodyear}}
| {{Dunlop}}<br />{{Goodyear}}
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Coventry Climax FWMV]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Dan Gurney]]<br/>[[Denny Hulme]]<br/>[[Giancarlo Baghetti]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Dan Gurney]]<br />[[Denny Hulme]]<br />[[Giancarlo Baghetti]]
| 3rd (27 pts)
| 3rd (27 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1966 Formula One season|1966]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1966}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT19]]<br/>[[Brabham BT20]]<br/>[[Brabham BT22]]
| [[Brabham BT19]]<br />[[Brabham BT20]]<br />[[Brabham BT22]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Repco]] 620 <br/>[[Coventry Climax FPF]]
| [[Repco]] 620 <br />[[Coventry Climax FPF]]
| '''[[Jack Brabham]]'''<br/>[[Denny Hulme]]
| '''[[Jack Brabham]]'''<br />[[Denny Hulme]]
| '''Champion''' (42 pts)
| '''Champion''' (42 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1967 Formula One season|1967]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1967}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT19]]<br/>[[Brabham BT20]]<br/>[[Brabham BT24]]
| [[Brabham BT19]]<br />[[Brabham BT20]]<br />[[Brabham BT24]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Repco]] 620 <br/>[[Repco]] 740
| [[Repco]] 620 <br />[[Repco]] 740
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>'''[[Denny Hulme]]'''
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />'''[[Denny Hulme]]'''
| '''Champion''' (37 pts)
| '''Champion''' (37 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1968 Formula One season|1968]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1968}}
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| Brabham Racing Organisation
| [[Brabham BT24]]<br/>[[Brabham BT26]]
| [[Brabham BT24]]<br />[[Brabham BT26]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Repco]] 740 <br/>[[Repco]] 860
| [[Repco]] 740 <br />[[Repco]] 860
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Jochen Rindt]]<br/>[[Dan Gurney]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Jochen Rindt]]<br />[[Dan Gurney]]
| 8th (10 pts)
| 8th (10 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1969 Formula One season|1969]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1969}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT26A]]
| [[Brabham BT26A]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Jacky Ickx]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Jacky Ickx]]
| 2nd (51 pts)
| 2nd (51 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1970 Formula One season|1970]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1970}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT33]]
| [[Brabham BT33]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br/>[[Rolf Stommelen]]
| [[Jack Brabham]]<br />[[Rolf Stommelen]]
| 4th (35 pts)
| 4th (35 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1971 Formula One season|1971]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1971}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT33]]<br/>[[Brabham BT34]]
| [[Brabham BT33]]<br />[[Brabham BT34]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Graham Hill]]<br/>[[Tim Schenken]]<br/>[[Dave Charlton]]
| [[Graham Hill]]<br />[[Tim Schenken]]<br />[[Dave Charlton]]
| 9th (5 pts)
| 9th (5 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1972 Formula One season|1972]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1972}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT33]]<br/>[[Brabham BT34]]<br/>[[Brabham BT37]]
| [[Brabham BT33]]<br />[[Brabham BT34]]<br />[[Brabham BT37]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Graham Hill]]<br/>[[Carlos Reutemann]]<br/>[[Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior|Wilson Fittipaldi]]
| [[Graham Hill]]<br />[[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />[[Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior|Wilson Fittipaldi]]
| 9th (7 pts)
| 9th (7 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1973 Formula One season|1973]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1973}}
| Motor Racing Developments<br/>Ceramica Pagnossin Team MRD
| Motor Racing Developments<br />Ceramica Pagnossin Team MRD
| [[Brabham BT37]]<br/>[[Brabham BT42]]
| [[Brabham BT37]]<br />[[Brabham BT42]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br/>[[Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior|Wilson Fittipaldi]]<br/>[[Andrea de Adamich]]<br/>[[Rolf Stommelen]]<br/>[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />[[Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior|Wilson Fittipaldi]]<br />[[Andrea de Adamich]]<br />[[Rolf Stommelen]]<br />[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]
| 4th (49 pts)
| 4th (49 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1974 Formula One season|1974]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1974}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT42]]<br/>[[Brabham BT44]]
| [[Brabham BT42]]<br />[[Brabham BT44]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br/>[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br/>[[Rikky von Opel]]<br/>[[Richard Robarts]]<br/>[[Teddy Pilette]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br />[[Rikky von Opel]]<br />[[Richard Robarts]]<br />[[Teddy Pilette]]
| 5th (35 pts)
| 5th (35 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1975 Formula One season|1975]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1975}}
| Martini Racing
| Martini Racing
| [[Brabham BT44|Brabham BT44B]]
| [[Brabham BT44|Brabham BT44B]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br/>[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]
| 2nd (54 pts)
| 2nd (54 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1976 Formula One season|1976]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1976}}
| Martini Racing
| Martini Racing
| [[Brabham BT45]]
| [[Brabham BT45]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br/>[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br/>[[Rolf Stommelen]]<br/>[[Larry Perkins]]
| [[Carlos Reutemann]]<br />[[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br />[[Rolf Stommelen]]<br />[[Larry Perkins]]
| 9th (9 pts)
| 9th (9 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1977 Formula One season|1977]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1977}}
| Martini Racing
| Martini Racing
| [[Brabham BT45|Brabham BT45B]]
| [[Brabham BT45|Brabham BT45B]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br/>[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br/>[[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]<br/>[[Giorgio Francia]]
| [[José Carlos Pace|Carlos Pace]]<br />[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br />[[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]<br />[[Giorgio Francia]]
| 5th (27 pts)
| 5th (27 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1978 Formula One season|1978]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1978}}
| Parmalat Racing Team
| Parmalat Racing Team
| [[Brabham BT45|Brabham BT45C]]<br/>[[Brabham BT46|Brabham BT46/B/C]]
| [[Brabham BT45|Brabham BT45C]]<br />[[Brabham BT46|Brabham BT46/B/C]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12
| [[Niki Lauda]]<br/>[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br/>[[Nelson Piquet]]
| [[Niki Lauda]]<br />[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]<br />[[Nelson Piquet]]
| 3rd (53 pts)
| 3rd (53 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1979 Formula One season|1979]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1979}}
| Parmalat Racing Team
| Parmalat Racing Team
| [[Brabham BT46]]<br/>[[Brabham BT48]]<br/>[[Brabham BT49]]
| [[Brabham BT46]]<br />[[Brabham BT48]]<br />[[Brabham BT49]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12<br/>[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 1260<br/>[[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12<br />[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 1260<br />[[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Niki Lauda]]<br/>[[Nelson Piquet]]<br/>[[Ricardo Zunino]]
| [[Niki Lauda]]<br />[[Nelson Piquet]]<br />[[Ricardo Zunino]]
| 8th (6 pts)
| 8th (6 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1980 Formula One season|1980]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1980}}
| Parmalat Racing Team
| Parmalat Racing Team
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49/B]]
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49/B]]
| {{Michelin}}
| {{Michelin}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br/>[[Ricardo Zunino]]<br/>[[Héctor Rebaque]]
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br />[[Ricardo Zunino]]<br />[[Héctor Rebaque]]
| 3rd (55 pts)
| 3rd (55 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1981 Formula One season|1981]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1981}}
| Parmalat Racing Team
| Parmalat Racing Team
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49/B/C]]
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49/B/C]]
| {{Michelin}}<br>{{Goodyear}}
| {{Michelin}}<br />{{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| [[Cosworth DFV]]
| '''[[Nelson Piquet]]'''<br/>[[Héctor Rebaque]]<br/>[[Ricardo Zunino]]
| '''[[Nelson Piquet]]'''<br />[[Héctor Rebaque]]<br />[[Ricardo Zunino]]
| 2nd (61 pts)
| 2nd (61 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1982 Formula One season|1982]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1982}}
| Parmalat Racing Team
| Parmalat Racing Team
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49D]]<br/>[[Brabham BT50]]
| [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49D]]<br />[[Brabham BT50]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Cosworth DFV]]<br/>[[BMW M12]]/13
| [[Cosworth DFV]]<br />[[BMW M12]]/13
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br/>[[Riccardo Patrese]]
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br />[[Riccardo Patrese]]
| 5th (41 pts)
| 5th (41 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1983 Formula One season|1983]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1983}}
| Fila Sport
| Fila Sport
| [[Brabham BT52|Brabham BT52/B]]
| [[Brabham BT52|Brabham BT52/B]]
| {{Michelin}}
| {{Michelin}}
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| '''[[Nelson Piquet]]'''<br/>[[Riccardo Patrese]]
| '''[[Nelson Piquet]]'''<br />[[Riccardo Patrese]]
| 3rd (72 pts)
| 3rd (72 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1984 Formula One season|1984]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1984}}
| MRD International
| MRD International
| [[Brabham BT53]]
| [[Brabham BT53]]
| {{Michelin}}
| {{Michelin}}
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br/>[[Teo Fabi]]<br/>[[Corrado Fabi]]<br/>[[Manfred Winkelhock]]
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br />[[Teo Fabi]]<br />[[Corrado Fabi]]<br />[[Manfred Winkelhock]]
| 4th (38 pts)
| 4th (38 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1985 Formula One season|1985]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1985}}
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| [[Brabham BT54]]
| [[Brabham BT54]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| {{Pirelli}}
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| [[BMW M12]]/13
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br/>[[Marc Surer]]<br/>[[François Hesnault]]
| [[Nelson Piquet]]<br />[[Marc Surer]]<br />[[François Hesnault]]
| 5th (26 pts)
| 5th (26 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1986 Formula One season|1986]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1986}}
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| [[Brabham BT54]]<br/>[[Brabham BT55]]
| [[Brabham BT54]]<br />[[Brabham BT55]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| {{Pirelli}}
| [[BMW M12]]/13/1
| [[BMW M12]]/13/1
| [[Elio de Angelis]]<br/>[[Riccardo Patrese]]<br/>[[Derek Warwick]]
| [[Elio de Angelis]]<br />[[Riccardo Patrese]]<br />[[Derek Warwick]]
| 9th (2 pts)
| 9th (2 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1987 Formula One season|1987]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1987}}
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| [[Brabham BT56]]
| [[Brabham BT56]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[BMW M12]]/13/1
| [[BMW M12]]/13/1
| [[Riccardo Patrese]]<br/>[[Andrea de Cesaris]]<br/>[[Stefano Modena]]
| [[Riccardo Patrese]]<br />[[Andrea de Cesaris]]<br />[[Stefano Modena]]
| 8th (10 pts)
| 8th (10 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1989 Formula One season|1989]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1989}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT58]]
| [[Brabham BT58]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| {{Pirelli}}
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd EV]]
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd EV]]
| [[Martin Brundle]]<br/>[[Stefano Modena]]
| [[Martin Brundle]]<br />[[Stefano Modena]]
| 9th (8 pts)
| 9th (8 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1990 Formula One season|1990]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1990}}
| Motor Racing Developments
| Motor Racing Developments
| [[Brabham BT58]]<br/>[[Brabham BT59]]
| [[Brabham BT58]]<br />[[Brabham BT59]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| {{Pirelli}}
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd EV]]
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd EV]]
| [[Stefano Modena]]<br/>[[David Brabham]]<br/>[[Gregor Foitek]]
| [[Stefano Modena]]<br />[[David Brabham]]<br />[[Gregor Foitek]]
| 10th (2 pts)
| 10th (2 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1991 Formula One season|1991]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1991}}
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| [[Brabham BT59|Brabham BT59Y]]<br/>[[Brabham BT60|Brabham BT60Y]]
| [[Brabham BT59|Brabham BT59Y]]<br />[[Brabham BT60|Brabham BT60Y]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| {{Pirelli}}
| [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] OX99
| [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] OX99
| [[Martin Brundle]]<br/>[[Mark Blundell]]
| [[Martin Brundle]]<br />[[Mark Blundell]]
| 9th (3 pts)
| 9th (3 pts)
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
! [[1992 Formula One season|1992]]
! scope="row" | {{F1|1992}}
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| Motor Racing Developments Ltd
| [[Brabham BT60|Brabham BT60B]]
| [[Brabham BT60|Brabham BT60B]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| {{Goodyear}}
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd GV]]
| [[Judd (engine)|Judd GV]]
| [[Eric van de Poele]]<br/>[[Giovanna Amati]]<br/>[[Damon Hill]]
| [[Eric van de Poele]]<br />[[Giovanna Amati]]<br />[[Damon Hill]]
| NC (0 pts)
| NC (0 pts)
|}
|}
Line 424: Line 453:
==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Formula One}}
{{Portal|Formula One}}
* [[List of Brabham race cars]]
* [[List of Brabham racing cars]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist}}


==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
==References==
;Books
;Books
Line 448: Line 479:
| publisher = Motorbooks International
| publisher = Motorbooks International
| isbn = 0-7603-1590-6
| isbn = 0-7603-1590-6
| url =
| accessdate =
}}.
}}.
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
Line 466: Line 495:
| isbn = 0-213-16915-0}}
| isbn = 0-213-16915-0}}
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
| last = Gill
| editor-last = Gill
| first = Barrie (ed.)
| editor-first = Barrie
| title = The World Championship 1975 – [[John Player & Sons|John Player]] Motorsport yearbook 1976
| title = The World Championship 1975 – [[John Player & Sons|John Player]] Motorsport yearbook 1976
| publisher = Queen Anne Press Ltd.
| publisher = Queen Anne Press Ltd.
Line 473: Line 502:
| isbn = 0-362-00254-1}}
| isbn = 0-362-00254-1}}
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
| last = Hamilton
| editor-last = Hamilton
| first = Maurice (ed.)
| editor-first = Maurice
| title = Autocourse 1983–1984
| title = Autocourse 1983–1984
| publisher = Hazleton Publishing
| publisher = Hazleton Publishing
Line 492: Line 521:
| publisher = Bay View books
| publisher = Bay View books
| year = 1998
| year = 1998
| isbn = 1-901432-17-3}}
| isbn = 1-901432-17-3
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/azofformularacin0000hodg
}}
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
| last = Lawrence
| last = Lawrence
Line 527: Line 559:
| title = The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula One
| title = The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula One
| publisher = Parragon
| publisher = Parragon
| origyear = 1998 | year = 2001 | edition = updated
| orig-year = 1998 | year = 2001 | edition = updated
| isbn = 0-7525-6735-7}}
| isbn = 0-7525-6735-7}}
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
Line 533: Line 565:
| first = (Various)
| first = (Various)
| title = Brabham – the man and the machines
| title = Brabham – the man and the machines
| date = January 2009
| publisher = Unique Motor Books
| publisher = Unique Motor Books
| isbn = 1-84155-619-X}}
| isbn = 978-1-84155-619-2}}
;Newspapers and Magazines
;Newspapers and Magazines
* {{Cite news
* {{Cite news
Line 540: Line 573:
| first = Andrew
| first = Andrew
| title = Sport Almanack: Racing cars for sale: one careful owner
| title = Sport Almanack: Racing cars for sale: one careful owner
| page =
| language =
| work = The Independent | location = UK
| work = The Independent | location = UK
| date = 10 October 1993}}
| date = 10 October 1993}}
Line 549: Line 580:
| title = The powerhouse that Jack built
| title = The powerhouse that Jack built
| page = 41
| page = 41
| language =
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| date = May 2006}}
| date = May 2006}}
Line 557: Line 587:
| title = Carbon fibre
| title = Carbon fibre
| page = 52
| page = 52
| language =
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| date = June 2006}}
| date = June 2006}}
Line 565: Line 594:
| title = Tycoon's drive and a formula worth millions
| title = Tycoon's drive and a formula worth millions
| page = 4
| page = 4
| language =
| work = The Times | location = UK
| work = The Times | location = UK
| date = 11 November 1987}}
| date = 11 November 1987}}
Line 573: Line 601:
| title = Team Building
| title = Team Building
| page = 43
| page = 43
| language =
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| publisher = Motor Sport Magazine
| date = May 2006}}
| date = May 2006}}
Line 580: Line 607:
| url = http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-brabh.html
| url = http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-brabh.html
| title = Brabham (Motor Racing Developments Ltd.)
| title = Brabham (Motor Racing Developments Ltd.)
| accessdate = 7 December 2006
| access-date = 7 December 2006
| last = GrandPrix.com
| last = GrandPrix.com
| publisher = grandprix.com
| first =
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060307165926/http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-brabh.html
| authorlink =
| archive-date = 7 March 2006}}
| publisher = www.grandprix.com
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060307165926/http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-brabh.html
| archivedate = 7 March 2006}}
* {{Cite web
* {{Cite web
| url = http://www.sfo.gov.uk/publications/annual_1998.asp
| url = http://www.sfo.gov.uk/publications/annual_1998.asp
| title = Serious Fraud Office Annual Report 1997–98
| title = Serious Fraud Office Annual Report 1997–98
| accessdate = 7 December 2006
| access-date = 7 December 2006
| last = Wright
| last = Wright
| first = Rosalind
| first = Rosalind
| publisher = sfo.gov.uk
| authorlink =
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040812185226/http://www.sfo.gov.uk/publications/annual_1998.asp
| publisher = www.sfo.gov.uk
| archive-date = 12 August 2004}} Also available in hardcopy. Published by [[Office of Public Sector Information|HMSO]] July 1998. {{ISBN|0-10-551856-5}}
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20040812185226/http://www.sfo.gov.uk/publications/annual_1998.asp
| archivedate = 12 August 2004}} Also available in hardcopy. Published by [[Office of Public Sector Information|HMSO]] July 1998. {{ISBN|0-10-551856-5}}


All race and championship results are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website. [http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1962/ 1962 Season review.] www.formula1.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006
All race and championship results are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website. [http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1962/ 1962 Season review.] www.formula1.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons|Brabham Racing Organisation}}
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.forix.com/8w/jbrabham.html www.forix.com] Biography of Jack Brabham, with significant content on the early years of the Brabham team.
* [http://www.forix.com/8w/jbrabham.html www.forix.com] Biography of Jack Brabham, with significant content on the early years of the Brabham team.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070116130341/http://www.nvo.com/brabhams/pictures/ www.nvo.com] Picture gallery of historic Brabhams.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070116130341/http://www.nvo.com/brabhams/pictures/ www.nvo.com] Picture gallery of historic Brabhams.
Line 618: Line 642:
{{Formula One constructors}}
{{Formula One constructors}}
{{Formula One World Constructors' Champions}}
{{Formula One World Constructors' Champions}}
{{Bernie Ecclestone}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}


Line 627: Line 652:
[[Category:Formula One entrants]]
[[Category:Formula One entrants]]
[[Category:Formula Two entrants]]
[[Category:Formula Two entrants]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1960]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1960]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1992 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Auto racing teams established in 1960]]
[[Category:Auto racing teams disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Formula One World Constructors' Champions]]
[[Category:British Formula Three teams]]
[[Category:Formula Three constructors]]

Latest revision as of 15:49, 6 November 2024

This article is about the Formula One team. For people with the surname, see Brabham (surname). For the place in Australia, see Brabham, Western Australia. For other uses, see Brabham (disambiguation).

Brabham
Full nameMotor Racing Developments, Ltd.
BaseChessington, United Kingdom (1962–1989)
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (1990–1992)
Founder(s)Jack Brabham
Ron Tauranac
Noted staffBernie Ecclestone
Gordon Murray
Ron Dennis
Charlie Whiting
John Judd
Herbie Blash
Noted driversAustralia Jack Brabham
United States Dan Gurney
New Zealand Denny Hulme
Austria Jochen Rindt
Belgium Jacky Ickx
Switzerland Silvio Moser
United Kingdom Graham Hill
Argentina Carlos Reutemann
Austria Niki Lauda
Brazil Nelson Piquet
Italy Riccardo Patrese
Italy Elio de Angelis
United Kingdom Derek Warwick
Italy Stefano Modena
United Kingdom Martin Brundle
Australia David Brabham
United Kingdom Damon Hill
Mexico Héctor Rebaque
United Kingdom John Watson
Brazil Carlos Pace
Formula One World Championship career
First entry1962 German Grand Prix
Races entered403 entries (394 starts)
EnginesClimax, Repco, Ford, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Judd, Yamaha
Constructors'
Championships		2 (1966, 1967)
Drivers'
Championships		4 (1966, 1967, 1981, 1983)
Race victories35
Podiums120
Points832
Pole positions40
Fastest laps41[a]
Final entry1992 Hungarian Grand Prix

Motor Racing Developments Ltd., commonly known as Brabham (/ˈbræbəm/ BRAB-əm), was a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. It was founded in 1960 by the Australian driver Jack Brabham and the British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac. The team had a successful thirty-year history, winning four FIA Formula One Drivers' and two Constructors' World Championships, starting with two successive wins in 1966 and 1967. Jack Brabham's 1966 Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.

During the 1960s, Brabham was the world's largest manufacturer of open-wheel racing cars sold to customer teams, having built more than 500 cars by 1970. Teams using Brabham cars also won championships in Formula Two and Formula Three, and the cars competed in events like the Indianapolis 500 and Formula 5000 racing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Brabham introduced innovations such as carbon brakes and hydropneumatic suspension, and reintroduced in-race refuelling. Its unique Gordon Murray-designed 'fan car' won its only race before being withdrawn.

The team won two more Formula One Drivers' Championships in the 1980s with Brazilian Nelson Piquet. He won his first championship in 1981 in the ground effect BT49-Ford, and became the first to win a Drivers' Championship with a turbocharged car, in 1983. In 1983, the Brabham BT52, driven by Piquet and Riccardo Patrese and was powered by BMW's M12 straight-four engine, secured four of the Brabham's thirty-five Grand Prix victories.

The businessman Bernie Ecclestone owned Brabham during most of the 1970s and 1980s, and later became responsible for administering the commercial aspects of Formula One. Ecclestone sold the team in 1988. Its last owner was the Middlebridge Group, a Japanese engineering firm. Midway through the 1992 season, the team collapsed financially as Middlebridge was unable to make repayments against loans provided by Landhurst Leasing. The case was investigated by the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office. In 2009, a German organisation unsuccessfully attempted to enter the 2010 Formula One season using the Brabham name.

Origins

[edit]
Photograph of Jack Brabham in 1966
Jack Brabham was 40 when he won the F1 drivers' title in a Brabham car

The Brabham team was founded by Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac, who met in 1951 while both were successfully building and racing cars in their native Australia. Brabham, who was a highly successful dirt oval speedway Speedcar driver with multiple Australian national and state titles to his credit before moving full time into road racing in 1953, was the more successful driver and went to the United Kingdom in 1955 to further his racing career. There he started driving for the Cooper Car Company works team and by 1958 had progressed with them to Formula One, the highest category of open-wheel racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motor sport's world governing body[b] In 1959 and 1960, Brabham won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in Cooper's revolutionary mid-engined cars.[1]

Despite their innovation of putting the engine behind the driver, the Coopers and their chief designer, Owen Maddock, were generally resistant to developing their cars. Brabham pushed for further advances, and played a significant role in developing Cooper's highly successful 1960 T53 "lowline" car, with input from his friend Tauranac.[2] Brabham was confident he could do better than Cooper, and in late 1959 he asked Tauranac to come to the UK and work with him, initially producing upgrade kits for Sunbeam Rapier and Triumph Herald road cars at his car dealership, Jack Brabham Motors, but with the long-term aim of designing racing cars.[3] Brabham describes Tauranac as "absolutely the only bloke I'd have gone into partnership with".[4] Later, Brabham offered a Coventry-Climax FWE-engined version of the Herald, with 83 hp (62 kW) and uprated suspension to match the extra power.[5]

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings
Brabham in a 1965 Grand Prix car

To meet that aim, Brabham and Tauranac set up Motor Racing Developments Ltd. (MRD), deliberately avoiding the use of either man's name. The new company would compete with Cooper in the market for customer racing cars. As Brabham was still employed by Cooper, Tauranac produced the first MRD car, for the entry level Formula Junior class, in secrecy. Unveiled in the summer of 1961, the "MRD" was soon renamed. Motoring journalist Jabby Crombac pointed out that "[the] way a Frenchman pronounces those initials—written phonetically, 'em air day'—sounded perilously like the French word... merde."[6] Gavin Youl achieved a second-place finish at Goodwood and another at Mallory Park in the MRD-Ford.[7] The cars were subsequently known as Brabhams, with type numbers starting with BT for "Brabham Tauranac".[8]

By the 1961 Formula One season, the Lotus and Ferrari teams had developed the mid-engined approach further than Cooper. Brabham had a poor season, scoring only four points, and—having run his own private Coopers in non-championship events during 1961—left the company in 1962 to drive for his own team: the Brabham Racing Organisation, using cars built by Motor Racing Developments.[9][10] The team was based at Chessington, England[11] and held the British licence.[12]

Racing history—Formula One

[edit]

Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac (1961–1970)

[edit]
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings
The Brabham BT3, the first Brabham Formula One design

Motor Racing Developments initially concentrated on making money by building cars for sale to customers in lower formulae, so the new car for the Formula One team was not ready until partway through the 1962 Formula One season. The Brabham Racing Organisation (BRO) started the year fielding a customer Lotus chassis, which was delivered at 3am to keep it a secret.[7] Brabham took two points finishes in Lotuses, before the turquoise-liveried Brabham BT3 car made its debut at the 1962 German Grand Prix. It retired with a throttle problem after 9 of the 15 laps, but went on to take a pair of fourth places at the end of the season.[13]

From the 1963 season, Brabham was partnered by American driver Dan Gurney, the pair now running in Australia's racing colours of green and gold.[14] Brabham took the team's first win at the non-championship Solitude Grand Prix in 1963.[15] Gurney took the marque's first two wins in the world championship, at the 1964 French and Mexican Grands Prix. Brabham works and customer cars took another three non-championship wins during the 1964 season.[16] The 1965 season was less successful, with no championship wins. Brabham finished third or fourth in the Constructors' Championship for three years running, but poor reliability marred promising performances on several occasions. Motor sport authors Mike Lawrence and David Hodges have said that a lack of resources may have cost the team results, a view echoed by Tauranac.[17]

The Brabham Racing Organisation entered the "works" cars until 1968.
The Repco Brabham logo from the 1960s, illustrating the joint branding of the period

The FIA doubled the Formula One engine capacity limit to 3 litres for the 1966 season and suitable engines were scarce. Brabham used engines from Australian engineering firm Repco, which had never produced a Formula One engine before, based on aluminium V8 engine blocks from the defunct American Oldsmobile F85 road car project, and other off-the-shelf parts.[18] Consulting and design engineer Phil Irving (of Vincent Motorcycle fame) was the project engineer responsible for producing the initial version of the engine. Few expected the Brabham-Repcos to be competitive,[19] but the light and reliable cars ran at the front from the start of the season. At the French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux, Brabham became the first man to win a Formula One world championship race in a car bearing his own name. Only his former teammate, Bruce McLaren, has since matched the achievement. It was the first in a run of four straight wins for the Australian veteran. Brabham won his third title in 1966, becoming the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship in a car carrying his own name (cf Surtees, Hill and Fittipaldi Automotive). In 1967, the title went to Brabham's teammate, New Zealander Denny Hulme. Hulme had better reliability through the year, possibly due to Brabham's desire to try new parts first.[20] The Brabham team took the Constructors' World Championship in both years.[21]

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings
Brabham BT33. Technically conservative, Brabham did not produce a monocoque car until 1970.

For 1968, Austrian Jochen Rindt replaced Hulme, who had left to join McLaren. Repco produced a more powerful version of their V8 to maintain competitiveness against Ford's new Cosworth DFV, but it proved very unreliable. Slow communications between the UK and Australia had always made identifying and correcting problems very difficult. The car was fast—Rindt set pole position twice during the season—but Brabham and Rindt finished only three races between them, and ended the year with only ten points.[22]

Although Brabham bought Cosworth DFV engines for the 1969 season, Rindt left to join Lotus. His replacement, Jacky Ickx, had a strong second half to the season, winning in Germany and Canada, after Brabham was sidelined by a testing accident.[23] Ickx finished second in the Drivers' Championship, with 37 points to Jackie Stewart's 63. Brabham himself took a couple of pole positions and two top-3 finishes, but did not finish half the races. The team were second in the Constructors' Championship, aided by second places at Monaco and Watkins Glen scored by Piers Courage, driving a Brabham for the Frank Williams Racing Cars privateer squad.[24]

Brabham took his last win in the opening race of the 1970 season and was competitive throughout the year, although mechanical failures blunted his challenge.[25] After losing secured victories in the last corner at both Monaco and England, Jack decided he had had enough, and sold his part in the company to former Jochen Rindt manager, a businessman named Bernie Ecclestone, at the end of the year. Aided by number-two driver Rolf Stommelen, the team came fourth in the Constructors' Championship.[26]

Ron Tauranac (1971)

[edit]
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings
Brabham BT34. Graham Hill took his final Formula One win in the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.

Tauranac signed double world champion Graham Hill and young Australian Tim Schenken to drive for the 1971 season. Tauranac designed the unusual 'lobster claw' BT34, featuring twin radiators mounted ahead of the front wheels, a single example of which was built for Hill. Although Hill, no longer a front-runner since his 1969 accident, took his final Formula One win in the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone,[27] the team scored only seven championship points.[26]

Bernie Ecclestone (1972–1988)

[edit]

Tauranac left Brabham early in the 1972 season after Ecclestone changed the way the company was organised without consulting him. Ecclestone has since said "In retrospect, the relationship was never going to work", noting that "[Tauranac and I] both take the view: 'Please be reasonable, do it my way'".[28] The highlights of an aimless year, during which the team ran three different models, were pole position for Argentinian driver Carlos Reutemann at his home race at Buenos Aires and a victory in the non-championship Interlagos Grand Prix. For the 1973 season, Ecclestone promoted the young South African engineer Gordon Murray to chief designer and moved Herbie Blash from the Formula Two programme to become the Formula One team manager. Both would remain with the team for the next 15 years. For 1973, Murray produced the triangular cross-section BT42, with which Reutemann scored two podium finishes and finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship.

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings
The Brabham BT44 on display in 2003. The car was used in the 1974 and 1975 seasons.

In the 1974 season, Reutemann took the first three victories of his Formula One career, and Brabham's first since 1970. The team finished a close fifth in the Constructors' Championship, fielding the much more competitive BT44s. After a strong finish to the 1974 season, many observers felt the team were favourites to win the 1975 title. The year started well, with a first win for Brazilian driver Carlos Pace at the Interlagos circuit in his native São Paulo. However, as the season progressed, tyre wear frequently slowed the cars in races, and the team was constantly outperformed by Ferrari and McLaren.[29] Pace took another two podiums and finished sixth in the championship; while Reutemann had five podium finishes, including a dominant win in the 1975 German Grand Prix, and finished third in the Drivers' Championship. The team likewise ranked second in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the year.[26]

While rival teams Lotus and McLaren relied on the Cosworth DFV engine from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Ecclestone sought a competitive advantage by investigating other options. Despite the success of Murray's Cosworth-powered cars, Ecclestone signed a deal with Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo to use their large and powerful flat-12 engine from the 1976 season. The engines were free, but they rendered the new BT45s, now in red Martini Racing livery, unreliable and overweight.[30] At that time, designer David North was hired to work alongside Murray.[31] The 1976 and 1977 seasons saw Brabham fall toward the back of the field again. Reutemann negotiated a release from his contract before the end of the 1976 season and signed with Ferrari. Ulsterman John Watson replaced him at Brabham for 1977. Watson lost near certain victory in the French Grand Prix (Dijon) of that year when his car ran low on fuel on the last lap and was passed by Mario Andretti's Lotus, with Watson's second place being the team's best result of the season. The car often showed at the head of races, but the unreliability of the Alfa Romeo engine was a major problem. The team lost Pace early in the 1977 season when he died in a light aircraft accident.[32]

For the 1978 season, Murray's BT46 featured several new technologies to overcome the weight and packaging difficulties caused by the Alfa Romeo engines. Ecclestone signed then two-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda from Ferrari through a deal with Italian dairy products company Parmalat which met the cost of Lauda ending his Ferrari contract and made up his salary to the £200,000 Ferrari was offering. 1978 was the year of the dominant Lotus 79 "wing car", which used aerodynamic ground effect to stick to the track when cornering, but Lauda won two races in the BT46, one with the controversial "B" or "fan car" version.[33]

The partnership with Alfa Romeo ended during the 1979 season, the team's first with young Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet. Murray designed the full-ground effect BT48 around a rapidly developed new Alfa Romeo V12 engine and incorporated an effective "carbon-carbon braking" system—a technology Brabham pioneered in 1976. However, unexpected movement of the car's aerodynamic centre of pressure made its handling unpredictable and the new engine was unreliable. The team dropped to eighth in the Constructors' Championship by the end of the season.[34] Alfa Romeo started testing their own Formula One car during the season, prompting Ecclestone to revert to Cosworth DFV engines, a move Murray described as being "like having a holiday".[35] The new, lighter, Cosworth-powered BT49 was introduced before the end of the year at the Canadian Grand Prix; where after practice Lauda announced his immediate retirement from driving, later saying that he "was no longer getting any pleasure from driving round and round in circles".[36]

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings
The Brabham BT49 competed over four seasons, winning one championship.[citation needed]

The team used the BT49 over four seasons. In the 1980 season Piquet scored three wins and the team took third in the Constructors' Championship with Piquet second in the Drivers' Championship. This season saw the introduction of the blue and white livery that the cars would wear through several changes of sponsor, until the team's demise in 1992. With a better understanding of ground effect, the team further developed the BT49C for the 1981 season, incorporating a hydropneumatic suspension system to avoid ride height limitations intended to reduce downforce. Piquet, who had developed a close working relationship with Murray,[37] took the drivers' title with three wins, albeit amid accusations of cheating. The team finished second in the Constructors' Championship, behind the Williams team.[26]

Renault had introduced turbocharged engines to Formula One in 1977. Brabham had tested a BMW four-cylinder M12 turbocharged engine in the summer of 1981. For the 1982 season the team designed a new car, the BT50, around the BMW engine which, like the Repco engine 16 years before, was based on a road car engine block, the BMW M10. Brabham continued to run the Cosworth-powered BT49D in the early part of the season while reliability and driveability issues with the BMW units were resolved. The relationship came close to ending, with the German manufacturer insisting that Brabham use their engine. The turbo car took its first win at the Canadian Grand Prix. In the Constructors' Championship, the team finished fifth, the drivers Riccardo Patrese, who scored the last win of the Brabham-Ford combination in the Monaco Grand Prix, 10th and World Champion Piquet a mere 11th in the Drivers' Championship. In the 1983 season, Piquet took the championship lead from Renault's Alain Prost at the last race of the year, the South African Grand Prix to become the first driver to win the Formula One Drivers' World Championship with a turbo-powered car. The team did not win the Constructors' Championship in either 1981 or 1983, despite Piquet's success. Patrese was the only driver other than Piquet to win a race for Brabham in this period—the drivers in the second car contributed only a fraction of the team's points in each of these championship seasons. Patrese finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points, dropping the team behind Ferrari and Renault to third in the Constructors' Championship.

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings
Nelson Piquet and his BT54 were hampered by Pirelli tyres in 1985.[citation needed]

Piquet took the team's last wins: two in 1984 by winning the seventh and eighth races of that season, the Canadian Grand Prix and the Detroit Grand Prix, and one in 1985 by winning the French Grand Prix. He finished fifth in 1984 and a mere eighth in 1985 in the respective Drivers' Championships.[37] After seven years and two world championships, Piquet felt he was worth more than Ecclestone's salary offer for 1986, and reluctantly left for the Williams team at the end of the season.

For the 1986 season, Patrese returned to Brabham, and was joined by Elio de Angelis. The season was a disaster for Brabham, scoring only two points. Murray's radical long and low BT55, with its BMW M12 engine tilted over to improve its aerodynamics and lower its centre of gravity, had severe reliability issues, and the Pirelli tyres performed poorly. De Angelis became the Formula One team's only fatality when he died in a testing accident at the Paul Ricard circuit. Derek Warwick, who replaced de Angelis, was close to scoring two points for fifth in the British Grand Prix, but a problem on the last lap dropped him out of the points.

In August, BMW after considering running their own in-house team, announced their departure from Formula One at the end of the season. Murray, who had largely taken over the running of the team as Ecclestone became more involved with his role at the Formula One Constructors Association, felt that "the way the team had operated for 15 years broke down". He left Brabham in November to join McLaren.[38]

Ecclestone held BMW to their contract for the 1987 season, but the German company would only supply the laydown engine. The upright units, around which Brabham had designed their new car, were sold for use by the Arrows team. Senior figures at Brabham, including Murray, have admitted that by this stage Ecclestone had lost interest in running the team. The 1987 season was only slightly more successful than the previous year—Patrese and de Cesaris scoring 10 points between them, including two third places at the Belgian Grand Prix and the Mexican Grand Prix. Unable to locate a suitable engine supplier, the team missed the FIA deadline for entry into the 1988 world championship and Ecclestone finally announced the team's withdrawal from Formula One at the Brazilian Grand Prix in April 1988. During the season-ending Australian Grand Prix, Ecclestone announced he had sold MRD to EuroBrun team owner Walter Brun for an unknown price.

Joachim Lüthi (1989)

[edit]

Brun soon sold the team on, this time to Swiss financier Joachim Lüthi, who brought it back into Formula One for the 1989 season. The new Brabham BT58, powered by a Judd V8 engine (originally another of Jack Brabham's companies), was produced for the 1989 season.[39] Italian driver Stefano Modena, who had driven for the team in the 1987 Australian Grand Prix in a one off drive for the team, drove alongside the more experienced Martin Brundle who was returning to Formula One after spending 1988 winning the World Sportscar Championship for Jaguar. Modena took the team's last podium: a third place at the Monaco Grand Prix (Brundle, who had only just scraped through pre-qualifying by 0.021 seconds before qualifying a brilliant 4th, had been running third but was forced to stop to replace a flat battery, finally finishing sixth). The team also failed to make the grid sometimes: Brundle failed to prequalify at the Canadian Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix. The team finished 9th in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the season.[26]

Middlebridge Racing (1989–1992)

[edit]

After Lüthi's arrest on tax fraud charges in mid-1989,[40] several parties disputed the ownership of the team. Middlebridge Group Limited, a Japanese engineering firm owned by billionaire Koji Nakauchi, was already involved with established Formula 3000 team Middlebridge Racing and gained control of Brabham for the 1990 season. Herbie Blash had returned to run the team in 1989 and continued to do so in 1990. Middlebridge paid for its purchase using £1 million loaned to them by finance company Landhurst Leasing,[41] but the team remained underfunded and would only score a few more points finishes in its last three seasons.[citation needed]

Jack Brabham's youngest son, David, raced for the Formula One team for a short time in 1990 including the season-ending Australian Grand Prix (the first time a Brabham had driven a Brabham car in an Australian Grand Prix since 1968). 1990 was another disastrous year, with Modena's fifth place in the season-opening United States Grand Prix being the only top six finish. The team finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship. Brundle and fellow Briton Mark Blundell, scored only three points during the 1991 season. Due to poor results in the first half of 1991, they had to prequalify in the second half of the season; Blundell failed to do so in Japan, as did Brundle in Australia. The team finished 10th in the Constructors' Championship, behind another struggling British team, Lotus. The 1992 season started with Eric van de Poele and Giovanna Amati after Akihiko Nakaya was denied a superlicense. Damon Hill, the son of another former Brabham driver and World Champion, debuted in the team after Amati was dropped when her sponsorship failed to materialise. Amati, the fifth and last (as of January 2023) woman to race in Formula One, ended her career with three DNQs.[42]

Argentine Sergio Rinland designed the team's final cars around Judd engines, except for 1991 when Yamaha powered the cars. In the 1992 season the cars (which were updated versions of the 1991 car) rarely qualified for races. Hill gave the team its final finish, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he crossed the finish line 11th and last, four laps behind the winner, Ayrton Senna. After the end of that race the team ran out of funds and collapsed.[43]

Middlebridge Group Limited had been unable to continue making repayments against the £6 million ultimately provided by Landhurst Leasing, which went into administration. The Serious Fraud Office investigated the case. Landhurst's managing directors were found guilty of corruption and imprisoned, having accepted bribes for further loans to Middlebridge.[41] It was one of four teams to leave Formula One that year. (cf March Engineering, Fondmetal and Andrea Moda Formula). Although there was talk of reviving the team for the following year, its assets passed to Landhurst Leasing and were auctioned by the company's receivers in 1993.[44] Among these was the team's old factory in Chessington, which was acquired by Yamaha Motor Sports and used to house Activa Technology Limited, a company manufacturing composite components for race and road cars run by Herbie Blash. The factory was bought by the Carlin DPR GP2 motor racing team in 2006.[45]

Motor Racing Developments

[edit]
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings
Several F1 teams used Brabhams (Piers Courage, FWRC, 1969).

Brabham cars were also widely used by other teams, and not just in Formula One. Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac called the company they set up in 1961 to design and build formula racing cars to customer teams Motor Racing Developments (MRD), and this company had a large portfolio of other activities. Initially, Brabham and Tauranac each held 50 per cent of the shares.[9] Tauranac was responsible for design and running the business, while Brabham was the test driver and arranged corporate deals like the Repco engine supply and the use of the MIRA wind tunnel. He also contributed ideas to the design process and often machined parts and helped build the cars.[46]

From 1963 to 1965, MRD was not directly involved in Formula One, and often ran works cars in other formulae. A separate company, Jack Brabham's Brabham Racing Organisation, ran the Formula One works entry.[47] Like other customers, BRO bought its cars from MRD, initially at £3,000 per car,[48] although it did not pay for development parts. Tauranac was unhappy with his distance from the Formula One operation and before the 1966 season suggested that he was no longer interested in producing cars for Formula One under this arrangement. Brabham investigated other chassis suppliers for BRO, however the two reached an agreement and from 1966 MRD was much more closely involved in this category.[49] After Jack Brabham sold his shares in MRD to Ron Tauranac at the end of 1969, the works Formula One team was MRD.[citation needed]

A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings
The BT40 was the last Formula Two model from Brabham.

Despite only building its first car in 1961, by the mid-1960s MRD had overtaken established constructors like Cooper to become the largest manufacturer of single-seat racing cars in the world,[50] and by 1970 had built over 500 cars.[51] Of the other Formula One teams which used Brabhams, Frank Williams Racing Cars and the Rob Walker Racing Team were the most successful. The 1965 British Grand Prix saw seven Brabhams compete, only two of them from the works team, and there were usually four or five at championship Grands Prix throughout that season. The firm built scores of cars for the lower formulae each year, peaking with 89 cars in 1966.[51] Brabham had the reputation of providing customers with cars of a standard equal to those used by the works team, which worked "out of the box". The company provided a high degree of support to its customers—including Jack Brabham helping customers set up their cars. During this period the cars were usually known as "Repco Brabhams", not because of the Repco engines used in Formula One between 1966 and 1968, but because of a smaller-scale sponsorship deal through which the Australian company had been providing parts to Jack Brabham since his Cooper days.[52]

A four-door saloon car which has been modified for motor racing
The Brabham Alfa Romeo 164 "procar" (1988)

At the end of 1971 Bernie Ecclestone bought MRD. He retained the Brabham brand, as did subsequent owners. Although the production of customer cars continued briefly under Ecclestone's ownership, he believed the company needed to focus on Formula One to succeed. The last production customer Brabhams were the Formula Two BT40 and the Formula Three BT41 of 1973,[53] although Ecclestone sold ex-works Formula One BT44Bs to RAM Racing as late as 1976.[54]

In 1988 Ecclestone sold Motor Racing Developments to Alfa Romeo. The Formula One team did not compete that year, but Alfa Romeo put the company to use designing and building a prototype "Procar"—a racing car with the silhouette of a large saloon (the Alfa Romeo 164) covering a composite racing car chassis and mid-mounted race engine. This was intended for a racing series for major manufacturers to support Formula One Grands Prix, and was designated the Brabham BT57.[55]

Racing history—other categories

[edit]

IndyCar

[edit]
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with modest aerodynamic wings
Brabham's last USAC race-winning car—the Brabham BT25 IndyCar of 1968
A pair of mid-engined single-seater racing cars driving in close proximity
Top drivers used Brabham F3 cars in their early careers. (James Hunt, 1969)
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with no aerodynamic wings
The Brabham BT18-Honda completely dominated Formula Two in 1966.[citation needed]

Brabham cars competed at the Indianapolis 500 from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. After an abortive project in 1962,[56] MRD was commissioned in 1964 to build an IndyCar chassis powered by an American Offenhauser engine. The resultant BT12 chassis was raced by Jack Brabham as the "Zink-Urschel Trackburner" at the 1964 event and retired with a fuel tank problem. The car was entered again in 1966, taking a third place for Jim McElreath. From 1968 to 1970, Brabham returned to Indianapolis, at first with a 4.2-litre version of the Repco V8 the team used in Formula One—with which Peter Revson finished fifth in 1969—before reverting to the Offenhauser engine for 1970.[57] The Brabham-Offenhauser combination was entered again in 1971 by J.C. Agajanian, finishing fifth in the hands of Bill Vukovich II.[58] Although no Brabham car ever won at Indianapolis, McElreath won four United States Automobile Club (USAC) races over 1965 and 1966 in the BT12. The "Dean Van Lines Special" in which Mario Andretti won the 1965 USAC national championship was a direct copy of this car, made with permission from Brabham by Andretti's crew chief Clint Brawner.[59] Revson took Brabham's final USAC race win in a BT25 in 1969, using the Repco engine.[60]

Formula Two

[edit]

In the 1960s and early 1970s, drivers who had reached Formula One often continued to compete in Formula Two. In 1966 MRD produced the BT18 for the lower category, with a Honda engine acting as a stressed component. The car was extremely successful, winning 11 consecutive Formula Two races in the hands of the Formula One pairing of Brabham and Hulme. Cars were entered by MRD and not by the Brabham Racing Organisation, avoiding a direct conflict with Repco, their Formula One engine supplier.[61]

Formula Three

[edit]

The first Formula Three Brabham, the BT9, won only four major races in 1964. The BT15 which followed in 1965 was a highly successful design. 58 cars were sold, which won 42 major races. Further developments of the same concept, including wings by the end of the decade, were highly competitive up until 1971. The BT38C of 1972 was Brabham's first production monocoque and the first not designed by Tauranac. Although 40 were ordered, it was less successful than its predecessors. The angular BT41 was the final Formula Three Brabham.[62]

Formula 5000

[edit]

Brabham made one car for Formula 5000 racing, the Brabham BT43. Rolled out in late 1973 it was tested in early 1974 by John Watson at Silverstone before making its debut at the Rothmans F5000 Championship Round at Monza on 30 June 1974, driven by Martin Birrane. Former Australian Drivers' Champion Kevin Bartlett used the Chevrolet powered Brabham BT43 to finish 3rd in the 1978 Australian Drivers' Championship including finishing 5th in the 1978 Australian Grand Prix.[26]

Sports cars

[edit]

Tauranac did not enjoy designing sports cars and could only spare a small amount of his time from MRD's very successful single-seater business. Only 14 sports car models were built between 1961 and 1972, out of a total production of almost 600 chassis.[63] The BT8A was the only one built in any numbers, and was quite successful in national level racing in the UK in 1964 and 1965.[64] The design was "stretched" in 1966 to become the one-off BT17, originally fitted with the 4.3-litre version of the Repco engine for Can-Am racing. It was quickly abandoned by MRD after engine reliability problems became evident.[65]

Technical innovation

[edit]
A mid-engined single-seater racing car with large aerodynamic wings and a big fan on the back
The 1978 BT46B "Fan car" won its only race before being banned. It was nicknamed the "Fan Car" due to the large fan at the rear of the car.

Brabham was considered a technically conservative team in the 1960s, chiefly because it persevered with traditional spaceframe cars long after Lotus introduced lighter, stiffer monocoque chassis to Formula One in 1962. Chief designer Tauranac reasoned that monocoques of the time were not usefully stiffer than well designed spaceframe chassis, and were harder to repair and less suitable for MRD's customers.[66] His "old fashioned" cars won the Brabham team the 1966 and 1967 championships, and were competitive in Formula One until rule changes forced a move to monocoques in 1970.[67]

Despite the perceived conservatism, in 1963 Brabham was the first Formula One team to use a wind tunnel to hone its designs to reduce drag and stop the cars lifting off the ground at speed.[68] The practice became the norm in only the early 1980s, and is possibly the most important factor in the design of modern cars. Towards the end of the 1960s, teams began to exploit aerodynamic downforce to push the cars' tyres down harder on the track and enable them to maintain faster speeds through high-speed corners. At the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, Brabham was the first, alongside Ferrari, to introduce full width rear wings to this effect.[69]

The team's most fertile period of technical innovation came in the 1970s and 1980s when Gordon Murray became technical director. During 1976, the team introduced carbon-carbon brakes to Formula One, which promised reduced unsprung weight and better stopping performance due to carbon's greater coefficient of friction. The initial versions used carbon-carbon composite brake pads and a steel disc faced with carbon "pucks." The technology was not reliable at first; in 1976, Carlos Pace crashed at 180 mph (290 km/h) at the Österreichring circuit after heat build-up in the brakes boiled the brake fluid, leaving him with no way of stopping the car.[70] By 1979, Brabham had developed an effective carbon-carbon braking system, combining structural carbon discs with carbon brake pads.[71]

Although Brabham experimented with airdams and underbody skirts in the mid-1970s, the team, like the rest of the field, did not immediately understand Lotus's development of a ground effect car in 1977. The Brabham BT46B "Fan car" of 1978, generated enormous downforce with a fan, which sucked air from beneath the car, although its claimed use was for engine cooling. The car raced only once in the Formula One World Championship—Niki Lauda winning the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix—before a loophole in the regulations was closed by the FIA.[72]

Although in 1979 Murray was the first to use lightweight carbon fibre composite panels to stiffen Brabham's aluminium alloy monocoques, he echoed his predecessor Tauranac in being the last to switch to the new fully composite monocoques. Murray was reluctant to build the entire chassis from composite materials until he understood their behaviour in a crash, an understanding achieved in part through an instrumented crash test of a BT49 chassis.[71] The team did not follow McLaren's 1981 MP4/1 with its own fully composite chassis until the "lowline" BT55 in 1986, the last team to do so. This technology is now used in all top level single seater racing cars.[73]

For the 1981 season the FIA introduced a 6 cm (2.4 in) minimum ride height for the cars, intended to slow them in corners by limiting the downforce created by aerodynamic ground effect. Gordon Murray devised a hydropneumatic suspension system for the BT49C, which allowed the car to settle to a much lower ride height at speed. Brabham was accused of cheating by other teams, although Murray believes that the system met the letter of the regulations. No action was taken against the team and others soon produced systems with similar effects.[74]

At the 1982 British Grand Prix, Brabham reintroduced the idea of re-fuelling and changing the car's tyres during the race, unseen since the 1957 Formula One season, to allow its drivers to sprint away at the start of races on a light fuel load and soft tyres. After studying techniques used at the Indianapolis 500 and in NASCAR racing in the United States, the team was able to refuel and re-tyre the car in 14 seconds in tests ahead of the race. In 1982 Murray felt the tactic did little more than "get our sponsors noticed at races we had no chance of winning," but in 1983 the team made good use of the tactic.[75] Refuelling was banned for 1984, although it reappeared between 1994 and 2009, but tyre changes have remained part of Formula One.[76]

Controversy

[edit]

The fan car and hydropneumatic suspension exploited loopholes in the sporting regulations. In the early 1980s, Brabham was accused of going further and breaking the regulations. During 1981, Piquet's first championship year, rumours circulated of illegal underweight Brabham chassis. Driver Jacques Laffite was among those to claim that the cars were fitted with heavily ballasted bodywork before being weighed at scrutineering. The accusation was denied by Brabham's management. No formal protest was made against the team and no action was taken against it by the sporting authorities.[77]

From 1978, Ecclestone was president of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), a body formed by the teams to represent their interests. This left his team open to accusations of having advance warning of rule changes. Ecclestone denies that the team benefited from this and Murray has noted that, contrary to this view, at the end of 1982 the team had to abandon its new BT51 car, built on the basis that ground effect would be permitted in 1983. Brabham had to design and build a replacement, the BT52, in only three months.[78] At the end of the 1983 season, Renault and Ferrari, both beaten to the Drivers' Championship by Piquet, protested that the Research Octane Number (RON) 102.4 of the team's fuel was above the legal limit of 102. The FIA declared that a figure of up to 102.9 was permitted under the rules, and that Brabham had not exceeded this limit.[79]

Later use of the Brabham name

[edit]

Revival attempts

[edit]

On 4 June 2009, Franz Hilmer confirmed that he had used the name to lodge an entry for the 2010 Formula One season as a cost-capped team under the new budget cap regulations.[80] The Brabham family was not involved and announced that it was seeking legal advice over the use of the name.[81] The team's entry was not accepted, and the Brabham family later obtained legal recognition of their exclusive rights to the Brabham brand.[82]

Brabham Racing

[edit]
Main article: Brabham Racing

In September 2014, David Brabham—the son of Brabham founder Sir Jack Brabham—announced the reformation of the Brabham Racing team under the name Project Brabham, with plans to enter the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship and 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category using a crowdsourcing business model.[83] The company also expressed interest in returning to Formula One, but did not have the financial capacity to do so.[84]

In 2019, Brabham Automotive announced its goal to enter the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship using a BT62 in the GTE class.[85] The team competed in the 2019 GT Cup Championship.[86] It also entered the final two races of the 2019 Britcar Endurance Championship, winning on its debut.[87]

In 2021, Brabham Automotive debuted their BT63 GT2 car at the season finale of the 2021 GT2 European Series.

Championship results

[edit]
Main article: Brabham Grand Prix results

Results achieved by the "works" Brabham team. Bold results indicate a championship win.

Summary of Brabham Formula One World Championship results[26][88]
Season Entrant Car Tyres Engine Drivers Constructors'
Championship
1962 Brabham Racing Organisation Lotus 24
Brabham BT3 		D Coventry Climax FWMV Jack Brabham 7th (9 points)
1963 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT3
Brabham BT7
Lotus 25 		D Coventry Climax FWMV Jack Brabham
Dan Gurney 		3rd (28 points)
1964 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7
Brabham BT11 		D Coventry Climax FWMV Jack Brabham
Dan Gurney 		4th (33 points)
1965 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7
Brabham BT11 		D
G 		Coventry Climax FWMV Jack Brabham
Dan Gurney
Denny Hulme
Giancarlo Baghetti 		3rd (27 pts)
1966 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT19
Brabham BT20
Brabham BT22 		G Repco 620
Coventry Climax FPF 		Jack Brabham
Denny Hulme 		Champion (42 pts)
1967 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT19
Brabham BT20
Brabham BT24 		G Repco 620
Repco 740 		Jack Brabham
Denny Hulme 		Champion (37 pts)
1968 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT24
Brabham BT26 		G Repco 740
Repco 860 		Jack Brabham
Jochen Rindt
Dan Gurney 		8th (10 pts)
1969 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT26A G Cosworth DFV Jack Brabham
Jacky Ickx 		2nd (51 pts)
1970 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT33 G Cosworth DFV Jack Brabham
Rolf Stommelen 		4th (35 pts)
1971 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT33
Brabham BT34 		G Cosworth DFV Graham Hill
Tim Schenken
Dave Charlton 		9th (5 pts)
1972 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT33
Brabham BT34
Brabham BT37 		G Cosworth DFV Graham Hill
Carlos Reutemann
Wilson Fittipaldi 		9th (7 pts)
1973 Motor Racing Developments
Ceramica Pagnossin Team MRD 		Brabham BT37
Brabham BT42 		G Cosworth DFV Carlos Reutemann
Wilson Fittipaldi
Andrea de Adamich
Rolf Stommelen
John Watson 		4th (49 pts)
1974 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT42
Brabham BT44 		G Cosworth DFV Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Pace
Rikky von Opel
Richard Robarts
Teddy Pilette 		5th (35 pts)
1975 Martini Racing Brabham BT44B G Cosworth DFV Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Pace 		2nd (54 pts)
1976 Martini Racing Brabham BT45 G Alfa Romeo 115-12 Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Pace
Rolf Stommelen
Larry Perkins 		9th (9 pts)
1977 Martini Racing Brabham BT45B G Alfa Romeo 115-12 Carlos Pace
John Watson
Hans-Joachim Stuck
Giorgio Francia 		5th (27 pts)
1978 Parmalat Racing Team Brabham BT45C
Brabham BT46/B/C 		G Alfa Romeo 115-12 Niki Lauda
John Watson
Nelson Piquet 		3rd (53 pts)
1979 Parmalat Racing Team Brabham BT46
Brabham BT48
Brabham BT49 		G Alfa Romeo 115-12
Alfa Romeo 1260
Cosworth DFV 		Niki Lauda
Nelson Piquet
Ricardo Zunino 		8th (6 pts)
1980 Parmalat Racing Team Brabham BT49/B M Cosworth DFV Nelson Piquet
Ricardo Zunino
Héctor Rebaque 		3rd (55 pts)
1981 Parmalat Racing Team Brabham BT49/B/C M
G 		Cosworth DFV Nelson Piquet
Héctor Rebaque
Ricardo Zunino 		2nd (61 pts)
1982 Parmalat Racing Team Brabham BT49D
Brabham BT50 		G Cosworth DFV
BMW M12/13 		Nelson Piquet
Riccardo Patrese 		5th (41 pts)
1983 Fila Sport Brabham BT52/B M BMW M12/13 Nelson Piquet
Riccardo Patrese 		3rd (72 pts)
1984 MRD International Brabham BT53 M BMW M12/13 Nelson Piquet
Teo Fabi
Corrado Fabi
Manfred Winkelhock 		4th (38 pts)
1985 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT54 P BMW M12/13 Nelson Piquet
Marc Surer
François Hesnault 		5th (26 pts)
1986 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT54
Brabham BT55 		P BMW M12/13/1 Elio de Angelis
Riccardo Patrese
Derek Warwick 		9th (2 pts)
1987 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT56 G BMW M12/13/1 Riccardo Patrese
Andrea de Cesaris
Stefano Modena 		8th (10 pts)
1989 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT58 P Judd EV Martin Brundle
Stefano Modena 		9th (8 pts)
1990 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT58
Brabham BT59 		P Judd EV Stefano Modena
David Brabham
Gregor Foitek 		10th (2 pts)
1991 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT59Y
Brabham BT60Y 		P Yamaha OX99 Martin Brundle
Mark Blundell 		9th (3 pts)
1992 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT60B G Judd GV Eric van de Poele
Giovanna Amati
Damon Hill 		NC (0 pts)

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 17–19
  2. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 18, 22. Brabham had consulted Tauranac by letter on technical matters since arriving in the UK. He used a gear cluster designed by Tauranac for several years and Tauranac also advised on the suspension geometry of the Cooper T53 "lowline" car.
  3. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 22–4. Jack had already tried to buy Cooper in association with fellow-driver Roy Salvadori
  4. ^ Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 140
  5. ^ Blunsden, John (February–March 1962). "Brabhams "lilla bomb"!: Triumph-Herald-Climax" [Branham's "little bomb"!]. Illustrerad Motor Sport (in Swedish). No. 1–2. Lerum, Sweden. pp. 12–13.
  6. ^ Scarlett (May 2006) p. 43. Although compare pronunciation with the related verb emmerder. This is the story as recalled by both Ron Tauranac and Brabham mechanic Michael Scarlett. The British journalist Alan Brinton has also been credited with pointing out this unfortunate fact to Brabham. See Drackett (1985) p. 21.
  7. ^ a b Johansson, Lars-Erik (February–March 1962). "Jack Brabham: VM-kandidat på egen hand?" [Championship candidate on his own?]. Illustrerad Motor Sport (in Swedish). No. 1–2. Lerum, Sweden. p. 11.
  8. ^ Drackett (1985) p. 21. The first prototype FJunior car therefore became the BT1 and its production version the BT2.
  9. ^ a b Lawrence (1999) p. 31
  10. ^ Brabham, Nye (2004) pp. 14, 145–9. Brabham's and Tauranac's (Lawrence 1999 p. 32) accounts differ on whether the BRO was formed for the purpose of F1, or was already in existence.
  11. ^ "Case History". Corktree.tripod.com. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  12. ^ "1970 Austrian Grand Prix Entry list".
  13. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 21–22. Brabham bought a new spaceframe Lotus 24, but had to use a 1961-vintage Lotus 21 in the early races after a workshop fire. Team Lotus reserved the monocoque Lotus 25 for their own use that season.
  14. ^ Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 147
  15. ^ Henry (1985) p. 28
  16. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 35–41
  17. ^ Tauranac says (Lawrence (1999) p. 48) that he feels a third mechanic would have reduced the reliability problems. Lawrence himself notes (Lawrence (1999) p. 71) that "If only Jack had been prepared to spend a little more money, the results could have been so much better." Hodges (1990) p. 32 notes "Economy was a watchword. (...) It was this attitude, perhaps, which cost [Brabham] some races."
  18. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 51–52
  19. ^ Unique p. 43. The team was the only one not contracted by John Frankenheimer for the shooting of the film Grand Prix at world championship races that year.
  20. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 92. Hulme, Tauranac and Frank Hallam, Repco-Brabham's chief engineer, all shared this view.
  21. ^ Fearnley (May 2006) pp. 34–40
  22. ^ Fearnley (May 2006) p. 41
  23. ^ Henry p. 85
  24. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 79–80
  25. ^ Henry (1985) p. 93
  26. ^ a b c d e f g "Brabham". Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  27. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 114–17
  28. ^ Lawrence. pp. 116–118
  29. ^ Gill (ed.) (1976) p. 103
  30. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 159–161
  31. ^ "David North and Jordan?". grandprix.com. Inside F1 Inc. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020.
  32. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 164, 167
  33. ^ Details of BT46 and 1978 season: Henry (1985) p. 171, pp. 179–189
    • Lauda's move and salary: Lovell (2004) p. 98
  34. ^ Henry (1985) p. 191
  35. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 213, 215
  36. ^ Henry (1985) p. 216
  37. ^ a b Roebuck (1986) p. 114
  38. ^ Lovell (2004) pp. 161–164
  39. ^ Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 254. Engine Developments, the company which builds Judd engines, was a company Jack Brabham set up in partnership with John Judd after his retirement from driving in 1970. Judd had previously worked for Brabham on the Repco project. John Judd had based the engine, dubbed the CV, on a Honda block and was something the Japanese company was looking at as it looked to move into the North American based IndyCar racing.
  40. ^ Slevin, Gary (2008) The Decline of Brabham Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Formula One Rejects. Retrieved 10 June 2009
  41. ^ a b John Willcock (18 October 1997). "Formula One obsession led to pounds 50m Landhurst fraud". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  42. ^ Elson, James (2 January 2021). "Giovanna Amati: 'Once the helmet was on, I felt I was treated equally'". Motor Sport. London: Motor Sport Magazine Limited. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021. Amati, the fifth woman to ever race in Formula 1, made three attempts to pre-qualify for Brabham during the 1992 season, at South Africa, Mexico and Brazil, failing to make it through each time.
  43. ^ Higham, Peter (December 2017). Trott, Nick (ed.). "The rise – and fall – of Brabham". Motor Sport. No. 1108. London: Motor Sport Magazine Limited. p. 64. ISSN 0027-2019. Retrieved 2 December 2021. It returned after a year's absence under new ownership and struggled on for four largely unsuccessful campaigns before closing its doors following the 1992 Hungarian GP.
  44. ^ Baker (10 October 1993)
  45. ^ Glenn Freeman (27 November 2006). "Carlin to enter GP2 in 2007". Autosport.com. Retrieved 8 December 2006.
  46. ^ Tauranac referred to this as Brabham's trade; they had first met at the small machine shop Brabham ran in Sydney in the early 1950s.
  47. ^ To confuse the relationship between the two companies further, MRD was renamed Brabham Racing Developments between 1962 and 1964. Henry (1985) p. 24
  48. ^ Fearnley (May 2006) p. 39
  49. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 74–75
  50. ^ Unique p. 111
  51. ^ a b Lawrence (1999) p. 207
  52. ^ Henry (1985) p. 53
  53. ^ Hodges (1990) p. 39
  54. ^ Henry (1985) p. 156. Henry claims Ecclestone did this to ensure the team would focus on its troublesome new Alfa Romeo powered BT45s.
  55. ^ "People: Allen McDonald". grandprix.com. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  56. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 30
  57. ^ Brabham, Nye (2004) p. 240
  58. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 114
  59. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 57. Brawner repaired BT12 after a crash in 1964. As part of the deal he was allowed to make a copy of the then still unusual mid-engined design.
  60. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 99
  61. ^ Unique p. 117
  62. ^ Hodges (1998) pp. 34–39
  63. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 205–207
  64. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 55
  65. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 84–85
  66. ^ Lawrence (1999) pp. 44–45
  67. ^ Nye (1986) p. 60. Brabham's BT26As and Matra's experimental four wheel drive MS84 of 1969 were the last cars with spaceframe chassis cars in F1. For 1970 the FIA mandated the use of "bag tanks" for fuel, which were to be carried inside box structures. This effectively forced the team to design a monocoque structure. From 1968 Brabham's IndyCars were monocoques for the same reason.
  68. ^ Henry (1985) p. 39. The initial tests were carried out at the Motor Industry Research Association wind tunnel under the auspices of Malcolm Sayer, who had been responsible for the aerodynamics of the Jaguar D-type Le Mans-winning car.
  69. ^ Lawrence (1999) p. 100
  70. ^ Henry (1985) p. 163
  71. ^ a b Howard (June 2006) p. 52. Interview with Gordon Murray and John Barnard on the early uses of Carbon Fibre in Formula One for brakes and chassis structure.
  72. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 186–187. It is often claimed that the car was never banned, but rather withdrawn by Ecclestone. Ecclestone did agree to withdraw it after three races, but the FIA changed the regulations to render "fan cars" in general, not the BT46B in particular, illegal before it could race again.
  73. ^ Hodges (1998) p. 43
  74. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 223–225
  75. ^ Hamilton (ed.) (1983) pp. 63–72 Pitstops: A split-second spectacle feature by Denis Jenkinson.
  76. ^ Hamilton, Maurice (3 May 2009). "Ayrton Senna would applaud formula one's 2010 rebirth". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Ltd. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  77. ^ Henry (1985) p. 225
  78. ^ Henry (1985) p. 255
  79. ^ Drackett (1985) p. 133. Although "protested", as used by Drackett, implies a formal protest, he does not specify this, and Henry (1985) p. 267 says "no action was ever taken".
  80. ^ Jonathan Noble (4 June 2009). "Brabham name owner submits F1 entry". Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  81. ^ Edd Straw (4 June 2009). "Brabham family seeking legal advice". Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  82. ^ "Brabham family name wins EU legal protection". crash.net. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  83. ^ "Brabham team reborn, F1/sports cars targeted". Speedcafe. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  84. ^ "Rebirth of a dynasty". Velocity Magazine. 3 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  85. ^ "Brabham to Return to Le Mans". Project Brabham. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  86. ^ "Victory For Brabham BT62 On Debut at Snetterton – Brabham Automotive". Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  87. ^ "Brabham must "earn the right" to hypercar programme". au.motorsport.com. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  88. ^ "Brabham – Series – Formula One". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ This is the number of different World Championship races in which a Brabham set the fastest lap time. In the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix, two drivers each set equal fastest lap time in a Brabham.
  2. ^ "FIA" has been used throughout this article to refer to the motor sports governing body. Until 1978 motor sport was governed directly by the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) and from 1978 by the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), both subsidiary bodies of the FIA. In 1992 the FIA subsumed FISA and its governing role.

References

[edit]
Books
  • Bamsey, Ian; Benzing, Enrico; Staniforth, Allan; Lawrence, Mike (1988). The 1000 BHP Grand Prix cars. G T Foulis & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-85429-617-4.
  • Brabham, Jack; Nye, Doug (2004), The Jack Brabham Story, Motorbooks International, ISBN 0-7603-1590-6.
  • Collings, Timothy (2004). The Piranha Club. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0965-2.
  • Drackett, Phil (1985). Brabham—Story of a racing team. Arthur Baker Ltd. ISBN 0-213-16915-0.
  • Gill, Barrie, ed. (1976). The World Championship 1975 – John Player Motorsport yearbook 1976. Queen Anne Press Ltd. ISBN 0-362-00254-1.
  • Hamilton, Maurice, ed. (1983). Autocourse 1983–1984. Hazleton Publishing. ISBN 0-905138-25-2.
  • Henry, Alan (1985). Brabham, the Grand Prix Cars. Osprey. ISBN 0-905138-36-8.
  • Hodges, David (1998). A-Z of Formula Racing Cars 1945–1990. Bay View books. ISBN 1-901432-17-3.
  • Lawrence, Mike (1999). Brabham+Ralt+Honda: The Ron Tauranac story. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 1-899870-35-0.
  • Lovell, Terry (2004). Bernie's Game. Metro Books. ISBN 1-84358-086-1.
  • Nye, Doug (1986). Autocourse history of the Grand Prix car 1966–85. Hazleton publishing. ISBN 0-905138-37-6.
  • Roebuck, Nigel (1986). Grand Prix Greats. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-792-7.
  • Tremayne, David; Hughes, Mark (2001) [1998]. The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula One (updated ed.). Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-6735-7.
  • Unique, (Various) (January 2009). Brabham – the man and the machines. Unique Motor Books. ISBN 978-1-84155-619-2.
Newspapers and Magazines
  • Baker, Andrew (10 October 1993). "Sport Almanack: Racing cars for sale: one careful owner". The Independent. UK.
  • Fearnley, Paul (May 2006). "The powerhouse that Jack built". Motor Sport Magazine. p. 41.
  • Howard, Keith (June 2006). "Carbon fibre". Motor Sport Magazine. p. 52.
  • Murray, Alasdair (11 November 1987). "Tycoon's drive and a formula worth millions". The Times. UK. p. 4.
  • Scarlett, Michael (May 2006). "Team Building". Motor Sport Magazine. p. 43.
Websites

All race and championship results are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website. 1962 Season review. www.formula1.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brabham Racing Organisation.
  • www.forix.com Biography of Jack Brabham, with significant content on the early years of the Brabham team.
  • www.nvo.com Picture gallery of historic Brabhams.
  • www.motorracing-archive.com Summary history of Brabham 1961–1972, including significant race results and production numbers for all models. (Archived here).
  • www.oldracingcars.com Complete race history of all Brabham F1 models from 1966 to 1982 and links to Brabham research projects on other models.
  • www.f3history.co.uk History of Formula Three, including Brabham (under 'Manufacturers'). (Archived here)
  • www.autocoursegpa.com Complete world championship Brabham team statistics
Sporting positions
Preceded by Formula One Constructors' Champion
1966–1967 		Succeeded by

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