| Team |
Driver 1 |
Driver 2 |
Test Driver |
Engine |
Tires |
Sponsors |
Launch Date |
| BMW Sauber |
Nick Heidfeld
Mika Häkkinen
Felipe Massa |
Jacques Villeneuve
Anthony Davidson
Antonio Pizzonia
Alexander Würz
Heikki Kovalainen
Nico Rosberg |
Robert Kubica
Alexander Würz
Anthony Davidson
Antonio Pizzonia
Neel Jani
Dan Wheldon
Nico Rosberg |
BMW |
Michelin |
O2
Intel
Petronas
Credit Suisse
Malaysia |
January 17
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|---|
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December 20: Polish driver Robert Kubica has signed as third driver for BMW Sauber. |
| December 1: BMW confirms that Jacques Villeneuve will stay with the team to race alongside Nick Heidfeld in 2006. |
| November 1: Autosport speculates that BMW is a more likely home than Williams for Dan Wheldon, with a year as test driver in preparation for a race seat in 2006. |
| September 29: 2005 GP2 champion Nico Rosberg says he's talking to Sauber BMW in addition to Williams. |
| September 16: Nick Heidfeld has signed to Sauber BMW for 2006. |
| August 6: German tabloid Bild says BMW is interested in bringing Mika Häkkinen back to F1. The former World Champion tells Autosport he has no plans to leave the Mercedes DTM team. |
| July 28: Jacques Villeneuve says he has a two-year contract with Sauber and has no reason to believe it will not be honored for next year. |
| July 22: BMW confirm they have bought Sauber. Speculation suggests German driver Nick Heidfeld will follow BMW from Williams. |
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| Ferrari |
Michael Schumacher |
Felipe Massa
Rubens Barrichello |
Luca Badoer
Marc Gené
Valentino Rossi?
Andrea Bertolini
Luciano Burti
Vitantonio Liuzzi |
Ferrari |
Bridgestone |
Marlboro
Martini
Vodafone
Shell
Acer
AMD |
January 24
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|---|
|
November 10: MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is back testing a Ferrari at Mugello for three days. |
| November 4: Luca Badoer and Marc Gené have re-signed as test drivers for 2006. |
| September 3: Tobacco giant Philip Morris has renewed its Marlboro sponsorship agreement with Ferrari. How will the team get around the European ban on tobacco advertising that is gradually spreading to the rest of the world? |
| August 9: Marc Gené has been testing next year's V8 engine for the first time at Fiorano today. |
| August 7: Alan Henry of the Guardian speculates that Rubens Barrichello left for BAR because he could see the writing on the wall that Kimi Räikkönen will replace Michael Schumacher in 2007, leaving him to play second fiddle to another master. |
| August 4: Valentino Rossi completed two days of testing for Ferrari at Fiorano. He just re-signed to ride for Yamaha in 2006, so he's not expected to race for Ferrari any time soon. |
| August 2: Rubens Barrichello will leave Ferrari a year earlier than specified in his contract to drive for BAR. Former Ferrari test driver Felipe Massa will take Rubens' race seat as the team picks up a renewable option in a contract dating back to 2001. |
| July 31: Autosport quotes Felipe Massa as saying there's no guarantee he'll move to Ferrari, despite Peter Sauber telling Gazzetta dello Sport that he was sad to see Massa go. Peter Windsor on Speed Channel suggests that Heikki Kovalainen could be snapped up by Ferrari. |
| July 30: Former World Champion Nelson Piquet drops the bombshell that Rubens Barrichello has been granted a release from his Ferrari contract to move to BAR. |
| July 9: Jenson Button refuses to comment on a headline in the British Daily Mirror proclaiming he will move to Ferrari. The silly season has started! |
| July 1: Michael Schumacher's contract runs through 2006. |
|
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|---|
| Honda Racing |
Jenson Button |
Rubens Barrichello
Takuma Sato |
Anthony Davidson
Adam Carroll
James Rossiter
Enrique Bernoldi?
Takuma Sato |
Honda |
Michelin |
Lucky Strike
Snap-on Tools |
January 25
|
|---|
|
December 1: The official Formula One entry list released today reveals the new name for BAR to be Honda Racing F1 Team. |
| October 4: British American Tobacco has sold its remaining share of the team to Honda, but will remain as sponsor through the 2006 season (after which it will honor the tobacco agreement and exit the sport). |
| September 21: BAR and Williams have announced a settlement, allowing Jenson Button to remain with BAR. |
| August 2: Rubens Barrichello will leave Ferrari a year early to join BAR, with the expectation that he will replace Jenson Button. |
| August 1: BAR team boss, Nick Fry, tells Reuters that Takuma Sato still has a chance of driving for the team next year if he continues to score points. |
| July 29: Frank Williams tells Jenson Button he can forget about trying to buy his way out of his contract. |
| July 27: Jenson Button speaks for the first time on his desire to stay at BAR in an interview with Autosport, pleading with Frank Williams for understanding. |
| July 24: Nick Fry, BAR team boss, says Jenson Button wants to stay with BAR instead of moving to Williams. Frank Williams tells ITV, the British F1 broadcaster, "we fully expect him to arrive at Williams at the due period of time". |
| July 8: BAR has signed young drivers Adam Carroll and James Rossiter to help the team's test program and develop them for a future in F1. |
| July 1: Takuma Sato's contract expires at the end of 2005. Jenson Button has a contract to join Williams. |
| January 10: Honda confirms that Anthony Davidson will be the team's third driver. |
|
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|---|
| McLaren |
Kimi Räikkönen |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
Pedro de la Rosa
Gary Paffett
Jamie Green?
Alex Lloyd?
Lewis Hamilton?
Alexander Würz |
Mercedes |
Michelin |
Johnnie Walker
Mobil
Siemens
Henkel
Schuco
Hilton
Nescafe?
West |
February 10
|
|---|
|
December 21: Gary Paffett has been confirmed to join Pedro de la Rosa as test driver at McLaren. Negotiations with Alexander Würz continue. |
| December 20: With BMW signing Robert Kubica as third driver, Alexander Würz looks likely to remain at McLaren. |
| December 19: Fernando Alonso has signed to drive for McLaren in 2007. |
| December 8: Alexander Würz tells Autosport that he will decide next week whether to stay with McLaren, where his testing contract expires at the end of the year, or accept an offer to become BMW Sauber's third driver. |
| November 28: Alexander Würz and Gary Paffett will be testing the hybrid McLaren MP4-20 chassis fitted with Mercedes-Benz's V8 engine in Barcelona this week. |
| July 1: Both Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya are under contract for 2006. |
|
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|
|---|
| MF1 Racing |
Christijan Albers |
Tiago Monteiro
Franck Montagny
Takuma Sato
Anthony Davidson
Narain Karthikeyan
Mario Domínguez |
Adrian Sutil
Markus Winkelhock
Giorgio Mondini
Nicky Pastorelli
Tarso Marques
Jeffrey van Hooydonk
Fabrizio del Monte
Robert Doornbos |
Toyota
Cosworth |
Bridgestone |
Dremel
Garcia Jeanswear
Zim
Cesare Attolini
Deutsche Post?
Benson & Hedges? |
February 3
|
|---|
|
February 2: F3 Euroseries runner-up Adrian Sutil and World Series by Renault driver Giorgio Mondini have joined MF1 as test drivers. They will share the Friday driver role with Markus Winkelhock. |
| January 24: Markus Winkelhock has been signed as one of MF1's test drivers. |
| December 10: Tarso Marques tells Autosport he's in negotiations to take the third driver position at MF1 Racing. |
| December 8: MF1 Racing will test Italian driver Fabrizio del Monte this week at Jerez. Del Monte competed in two Champ Car events in 2005. |
| December 8: Autosport reports that Nicky Pastorelli's position as test driver at MF1 Racing is under threat since one of his backers has pulled out. The team is testing other drivers at Jerez this week. |
| November 16: Belgian driver Jeffrey van Hooydonk will test for the Midland MF1 Racing team at Jerez on December 8. |
| November 11: Tiago Monteiro announced today that he has signed to drive for Midland in 2006. |
| November 9: Narain Karthikeyan says he's virtually given up hope of racing for Midland next year and has instead set his sights on a test driver role with a major team. |
| November 8: World Series by Renault driver Markus Winkelhock will test for Midland at Jerez on December 10. |
| November 1: Christijan Albers has been confirmed for a seat with Midland. |
| October 31: Autosport reports that Christijan Albers has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow where he is expected to announce he has signed a two-year deal to race for Midland. |
| October 24: Midland have announced Nicky Pastorelli will remain as official test and Friday driver in 2006. |
| October 5: Autosport reports that Renault test driver Franck Montagny has left that team and is talking with Midland/Jordan about a race seat for next season. He already filled in as Jordan's Friday test driver at this year's European Grand Prix. |
| September 24: Jordan chief Colin Kolles says the team has had encouraging discussions with Christijan Albers. They're also very interested in Takuma Sato, who wouldn't expect much support from Toyota. |
| September 21: With Takuma Sato's seat gone at BAR, Jordan/Midland may be the only chance to keep the Japanese driver in F1. |
| September 12: Jordan Sporting Director Johnny Herbert tells Autosport that Anthony Davidson will have to wait for a decision on whether the team wants him for 2006. He says the team is not in a position to make a swift decision. Red Bull's purchase of Minardi leaves Jordan/Midland as the only team with room for pay drivers, so competition could be intense. |
| September 9: Current BAR test driver Anthony Davidson will test for the team at Silverstone on September 13. He will miss a day of testing for BAR in Barcelona. |
| July 30: Toyota confirms they will continue to supply engines to Jordan/Midland in 2006. |
| July 1: Mario Domínguez was tipped to join the new Midland F1 team before Jordan was purchased. If the team's plans for a new car are still on track and a new Mexican Grand Prix in Cancun makes it onto the 2006 schedule, could Mario still be in line for a race seat? |
|
|
|
|---|
| Red Bull Ferrari |
David Coulthard |
Christian Klien
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Scott Speed |
Robert Doornbos
Neel Jani |
Ferrari |
Michelin |
Red Bull
Repsol? |
March 9
|
|---|
|
December 6: Red Bull confirms that Christian Klien will drive alongside David Coulthard in 2006. |
| November 29: Robert Doornbos has been confirmed as Red Bull's third driver for the 2006 season. Scott Speed will join the Scuderia Toro Rosso sister team, although his role there has not been announced. |
| November 23: Autosport reports that Robert Doornbos is set to join Red Bull as test driver. |
| November 8: Adrian Newey will leave McLaren to take up the position of Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull at the end of February. |
| October 5: Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz tells Italian racing magazine Autosprint that Neel Jani is first in line for the Friday test driver role at the primary team. |
| September 10: Red Bull has confirmed that it will stay with Michelin tires for 2006. |
| September 1: Red Bull has signed American driver Scott Speed as test driver for 2006. |
| July 31: Red Bull are expected to switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tires, but team boss Christian Horner says no decision has been made yet. |
| July 7: Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team will not rotate drivers next year. A choice will be made between Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi to partner David Coulthard in 2006. |
| July 5: David Coulthard confirms that he has extended his contract with Red Bull to race for another year. |
| June 6: American driver Scott Speed is confirmed for the third driver spot at the US Grand Prix, increasing speculation that he'll get a race seat in 2006. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Renault |
Fernando Alonso |
Giancarlo Fisichella
Mark Webber
Heikki Kovalainen |
Heikki Kovalainen
Franck Montagny
Robert Kubica
Giorgio Mondini
Lucas di Grassi
Richard Lyons |
Renault |
Michelin |
Mild Seven
Telefonica
Elf |
January 31
|
|---|
|
December 2: Renault confirm Heikki Kovalainen will be third driver in 2006, while Franck Montagny will continue to test until the end of the 2005. |
| November 25: World Series by Renault champion Robert Kubica and former Formula Super Renault V6 champion Giorgio Mondini will test for the team in Barcelona next week. |
| November 23: Flavio Briatore tells Italian magazine Autosprint that Heikki Kovalainen will remain as test driver for 2006. |
| October 7: Giancarlo Fisichella has been confirmed to drive for Renault again in 2006. |
| October 5: Autosport reports that test driver Franck Montagny has left Renault and is talking with Jordan about a race seat for next season. He already filled in as Jordan's Friday test driver at this year's European Grand Prix. This leaves Renault's Friday test driver position open for Heikki Kovalainen. |
| August 7: Alan Henry of the British Guardian newspaper reports on Speed Channel a rumor that Flavio Briatore may swap Giancarlo Fisichella with Williams in exchange for Mark Webber. |
| July 31: Peter Windsor on Speed Channel reports paddock speculation that Heikki Kovalainen will replace an under-performing Giancarlo Fisichella at Renault next season. |
| July 1: Both Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella are under contract for 2006. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso |
Vitantonio Liuzzi |
Scott Speed
Christian Klien
Christijan Albers
Robert Doornbos
Patrick Friesacher |
Neel Jani
Marchy Lee
Robert Kubica
Chanock Nissany |
Cosworth |
Michelin
Bridgestone |
Red Bull
OzJet
Wilux
JVC
Lost Boys
Trust |
March 9
|
|---|
|
December 6: Scuderia Toro Rosso confirm that Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed will race for the team in 2006, with Neel Jani as Friday test driver. |
| November 28: The newly renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso has secured a supply of Michelin tires for 2006, which will help it share data with its Red Bull Ferrari sister team. |
| October 15: Red Bull has announced that the Minardi team will be renamed to Squadra Toro Rosso next season. The drivers for both teams will include David Coulthard, Christian Klien, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed and Neel Jani - although Red Bull did not specify who would drive for each team. |
| October 1: Polish driver Robert Kubica, who is leading the World Series by Renault championship, will drive the third car in Friday testing in China. |
| September 27: Red Bull have asked Michelin to also supply tires to Minardi in 2006, so both teams can share technical data. |
| September 10: Red Bull will assume ownership of Minardi on November 1. The team will continue to be run from Italy as a second team for the energy drink giant. Now speculation centers on American driver Scott Speed, already signed as test driver to the original team, switching to a race seat at the new team. Vitantonio Liuzzi is rumored for the second seat. |
| July 31: Israeli driver Chanock Nissany's poor performance in Friday testing at the Hungarian Grand Prix has probably ended any chance he has of landing a race or test seat in 2006. |
| July 19: Dutch driver Robert Doornbos has replaced Patrick Freisacher at Minardi, joining his countryman Christijan Albers. Can they bring enough Dutch sponsorship between them to keep both seats in 2006? |
| July 1: Minardi are expected to continue with the Cosworth V10 engine in 2006. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Super Aguri |
Takuma Sato |
Yuji Ide
Adam Carroll
Antonio Pizzonia
Anthony Davidson |
|
Honda |
Bridgestone |
Honda
Mobilecast?
Softbank? |
TBD |
|---|
|
May 4: Following advice from the FIA, Super Aguri has switched Yuji Ide to the Friday test driver role to let him accrue more experience in the car before driving in another F1 race. Franck Montagny will take the race seat at the European Grand Prix. |
| February 15: Super Aguri has confirmed Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide as its drivers for 2006. |
| January 15: Autosport says Yuji Ide will have a seat fitting at Super Aguri's factory this week, raising speculation that he will fill the second seat. |
| December 26: Autosport says Formula Nippon front-runner Yuji Ide has emerged as favorite to land the second seat at Super Aguri alongside Takuma Sato. |
| December 21: All ten of the other teams have agreed to allow Super Aguri to reapply to compete in 2006. They are expected to start the season with an updated Arrows A23 chassis before their own car is ready for the San Marino Grand Prix. |
| December 1: The Super Aguri team failed to complete the application paperwork correctly, so has been omitted from the official Formula One entry list. |
| November 1: Japanese former Grand Prix driver Aguri Suzuki revealed plans for the much rumored second Honda team in Tokyo today. He says he'll need much help from Honda and BAR to get Super Aguri Formula One onto the grid in 2006. He mentioned Takuma Sato as a possible driver. |
| October 8: Aguri Suzuki, currently fielding a car for Japanese driver Kosuke Matsuura in conjunction with Adrián Fernández in the IRL, has been linked with the second Honda team, but denies any involvement. The rumor also suggests race car builder Dome, which supplies Suzuki with Japanese GT cars and owns a wind tunnel used by BAR, is part of the project. |
| October 6: Autosport announces that Honda has been given the green light by Bernie Ecclestone to run a second "B" team. Plans may have been revealed early to placate fans at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, who are angry at Takuma Sato losing his BAR seat. Sato revealed today that he is in discussions with a mystery 11th team - now believed to be this second Honda team. |
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Team Dubai |
|
|
|
Mercedes |
|
|
TBD |
|---|
| July 1: Plans to supply a team formed by Middle-Eastern investors never got off the ground, but a junior McLaren team is being discussed for 2007. This time funding is expected to come from Japan. |
|
|---|
| Toyota |
Ralf Schumacher |
Jarno Trulli |
Ricardo Zonta
Olivier Panis
Ryan Briscoe |
Toyota |
Bridgestone
Michelin |
Panasonic
Intel
Denso
Esso
KDDI?
EMC2?
Karcher?
Ebbon Dacs?
Magneti Marelli? |
January 14
|
|---|
|
December 7: Ryan Briscoe sat in for the sick Olivier Panis today at Jerez. |
| November 28: Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis will remain as test drivers for Toyota next year. |
| November 11: Toyota and Bridgestone have finally announced their pairing for 2006. |
| September 10: Toyota is expected to match today's announcement from Williams of a switch to Bridgestone tires. |
| July 1: Both Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli are under contract for 2006. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Williams |
Mark Webber
Giancarlo Fisichella |
Nico Rosberg
Antonio Pizzonia
Anthony Davidson
Heikki Kovalainen
Jenson Button
Nick Heidfeld |
Alexander Würz
Narain Karthikeyan
Nicolas Kiesa?
Andy Priaulx?
Sebastian Vettel?
Dan Wheldon
Robert Doornbos
Heikki Kovalainen
Antonio Pizzonia |
Cosworth
Toyota
BMW |
Bridgestone
Michelin |
Reuters
Mobilecast
Tata
Dewalt
Oris
PPG Industries
Royal Bank of Scotland
Budweiser
FedEx
HP
BMW |
January 27
|
|---|
|
January 27: Narain Karthikeyan has been confirmed as a secondary test driver for Williams. |
| January 9: Williams has signed Alexander Würz as test driver. He will drive the third car on Fridays. |
| December 12: Narain Karthikeyan has been asked to test for Williams again this week, boosting speculation that he'll be chosen over Nicolas Kiesa as third driver for the team. |
| December 6: Narain Karthikeyan will assist Williams with testing duties at Jerez this week. |
| November 30: Dan Wheldon has turned down the chance of the Williams test driver role in favor of a race seat in an IndyCar for Chip Ganassi. |
| November 28: World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx will test for Williams in Barcelona this week. |
| November 25: Autosport says Narain Karthikeyan and Nicolas Kiesa are the favorites to land the test driver spot at Williams. |
| November 3: Williams announces that Nico Rosberg, 20-year-old son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, will take the second race seat for 2006. |
| October 31: Robin Miller writes at speedtv.com that British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon may be ready to sign on as Friday test driver for Williams, with an eye to a race seat in 2007. |
| October 25: Frank Williams tells Autosport that the team will run a third car on Fridays in 2006, as they are entitled to do after failing to finish in the top four teams this year. Antonio Pizzonia hints that he's not interested in the Friday test driver role and will look elsewhere for a race seat - maybe even in America. Nico Rosberg is expected to race alongside Mark Webber. |
| October 20: Autosport reports that Williams have decided to hand Nico Rosberg the second seat for next year. |
| September 28: Departing driver Nick Heidfeld will not return to the Williams BMW cockpit this season. Antonio Pizzonia will get to drive in the remaining races. German driver Sebastian Vettel, currently in F3 Euroseries, tested with the Williams team at Jerez yesterday. |
| September 22: Mark Webber says Nico Rosberg is the front-runner to partner him at Williams next season. But we know how much he hates Antonio Pizzonia from his time at Jaguar! |
| September 21: The Williams team confirms that Jenson Button will stay at BAR next season. A substantial sum is thought to be involved. Cosworth's gain? |
| September 16: Nick Heidfeld has signed to drive for Sauber BMW in 2006. He's currently recovering from a cycling accident, so the move could mean he sits out the rest of the season. Antonio Pizzonia will get to drive the second car in Brazil, giving him a great audition opportunity for next year's race seat. |
| September 14: HP has announced it will stop sponsoring Williams at the end of the season. |
| September 10: Williams confirmed today that the team will switch to Bridgestone tires for 2006. Toyota is expected to follow suit. |
| August 15: Williams officially announced today the team's use of Cosworth V8 engines for 2006. |
| August 7: Alan Henry of the British Guardian newspaper reports on Speed Channel a rumor that Flavio Briatore may swap Giancarlo Fisichella with Williams in exchange for Mark Webber. |
| August 2: Autosport quotes BMW motorsport director, Mario Theissen, as saying the manufacturer is no longer interested in supplying engines to Williams after they failed to reach a deal "under reasonable conditions". |
| July 31: Peter Windsor on Speed Channel reports paddock speculation that Giancarlo Fisichella will join Mark Webber at Williams if Jenson Button wriggles out of his contract. He suggests it's more likely that Heikki Kovalainen or Anthony Davidson would be open to offers from Williams and Ferrari. |
| July 30: Toyota confirms they will continue to supply engines to Jordan/Midland in 2006. Williams will have to wait until 2007 for Toyota engines. |
| July 29: Frank Williams tells Jenson Button he can forget about trying to buy his way out of his contract. |
| July 27: Jenson Button speaks for the first time on his desire to stay at BAR in an interview with Autosport, pleading with Frank Williams for understanding. |
| July 24: Nick Fry, BAR team boss, says Jenson Button wants to stay with BAR instead of moving to Williams. Frank Williams tells ITV, the British F1 broadcaster, "we fully expect him to arrive at Williams at the due period of time". Paddock gossip says the deals with Cosworth for engines in 2006 and Toyota in 2007 are done. |
| July 22: BMW confirm they have bought Sauber, leading to speculation that Williams will not run BMW engines next year and that German driver Nick Heidfeld will follow BMW to Sauber. |
| July 1: Mark Webber will stay with Williams for the second year of his contract. |
| January 2: Speaking in his native Brazil, Antonio Pizzonia says he won't be test driver for Williams next year because the team is looking for a ride-buyer. He says he's talking to BMW and Super Aguri. |
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