| Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and also
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| | each team's strategy. In this instance a
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| known as Grand Prix racing, is the
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| | driver who used a minimal amount of fuel
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| highest class of auto racing defined by
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| | to make his car lighter during qualifying
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| the Fédération Internationale de
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| | in order to get a better pole position
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| l'Automobile (FIA), motor sport's world
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| | would start the race with minimal fuel
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| governing body. The "formula" in the name
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| | and would need more fuel stops. Other new
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| is a set of rules which all participants
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| | restrictions included one making it
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| and cars must meet. The F1 world
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| | mandatory for each engine to last two
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| championship season consists of a series
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| | races; a driver who had to have his
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| of races, known as Grands Prix, held
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| | engine replaced would be penalised by
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| usually on purpose-built circuits, and in
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| | starting ten places lower than his actual
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| a few cases on closed city streets. The
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| | qualifying position in the starting grid
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| results of each race are combined to
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| | of the race. In 2005, drivers were not
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| determine two annual World Championships,
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| | allowed to change tyres during the race,
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| one for drivers and one for constructors.
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| | unless the tyres were dangerously worn.
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| It is a massive television event, with
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| | This rule was removed for the 2006
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| millions of people watching each race in
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| | Formula One season. In 2007, Bridgestone
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| more than 200 countries. The cars race at
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| | will become Formula One racing's sole
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| high speeds, often well above 300 km/h
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| | supplier and each team will receive only
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| (190 mph). The formula introduces a
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| | two specifications of tyre per event.
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| number of restrictions and specifications
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| | The first few years of the 21st century
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| that cars must meet. These are designed,
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| | in F1 also saw some controversies and
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| amongst other things, to keep the
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| | scandals. At the 2002 Austrian Grand
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| ever-increasing cornering speeds in safe
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| | Prix, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's
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| ranges. The performance of the cars is
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| | teammate at Ferrari who was running first
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| highly dependent on electronics,
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| | in the race, was ordered by Ferrari to
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| aerodynamics, suspension and tyres. The
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| | allow Schumacher to overtake him under
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| formula has seen many evolutions and
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| | "team orders" and win the Grand Prix.
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| changes through the history of the sport.
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| | Barrichello let him pass on the last lap
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| There have been many different types of
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| | at the finish line which greatly upset
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| engines; normally aspirated, supercharged
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| | the spectators. At the podium, in
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| and turbocharged, ranging from straight-4
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| | response to the jeers of the crowd,
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| to H16, with displacements from 1.5
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| | Schumacher stood on the second place spot
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| litres to 4.5 litres. The maximum power
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| | and Barrichello stood on top. Schumacher
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| achieved in the history of the series was
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| | took the trophy for first place from the
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| around 1200 bhp (900 kW) in racing trim,
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| | Austrian chancellor and gave it to
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| during the 1980s turbo era.
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| | Barrichello then took the second place
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| Europe is Formula One's traditional
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| | trophy. Barrichello, Schumacher and
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| centre and remains its leading market.
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| | Ferrari were fined one million U.S.
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| However, Grands Prix have been held all
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| | dollars for the failure to observe
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| over the world and, with new races in
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| | Article 170 of the Formula One Sporting
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| Bahrain, China, Malaysia, Turkey and the
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| | Regulations concerning the podium
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| United States since 1999, its scope
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| | ceremony.[5] As a result of this the FIA
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| continues to expand. As the world's most
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| | declared new rules against "team orders"
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| expensive sport, its economic effect is
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| | artificially affecting race results. The
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| significant, and its financial and
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| | 2005 United States Grand Prix at
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| political battles are widely observed.
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| | Indianapolis saw only three out of ten
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| Its high profile and popularity makes it
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| | teams race in a bizarre mishap when it
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| an obvious merchandising environment,
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| | turned out (after several failures) that
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| which leads to very high investments from
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| | the Michelin tyres for the other seven
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| sponsors, translating into extremely high
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| | teams could not be safely used on the
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| budgets for the constructor teams.
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| | surface of the track, causing them to
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| However, in recent years several teams
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| | withdraw from the race[6] when the FIA
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| have gone bankrupt or been bought out by
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| | refused a change for safety reasons,
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| other companies.
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| | insisting on keeping to the letter of the
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| The sport is regulated by the
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| | regulations. Michelin subsequently
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| Fédération Internationale de
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| | elected to stop supplying tyres to F1
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| l'Automobile (International Automobile
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| | teams in 2007, sparking debate on whether
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| Federation more commonly abbreviated as
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| | this new system would make all teams
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| FIA), with its headquarters in Place de
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| | compete on a more equal ground.
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| la Concorde, Paris. Its current president
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| | 2005 marked the end of the V10 era in
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| is Max Mosley. Formula One's commercial
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| | Formula One. After the banning of
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| rights are vested in the Formula One
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| | turbocharged engines in 1989, V10 became
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| Group, now owned by Alpha Prema. Although
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| | the most popular engine configuration in
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| now a minority shareholder, the sport is
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| | Formula One. To keep costs down, the
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| still generally promoted and controlled
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| | configuration was made mandatory in
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| by Bernie Ecclestone. Since CVC's
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| | 2000[7] (although only V10s had been in
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| purchase the complicated (and according
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| | use since 1998) so that engine builders
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| to some sources such as The Economist
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| | would not develop and experiment with
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| "murky") business structure has been
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| | other configurations. Over this period,
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| simplified, leading to suggestions that
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| | the statistics show a supremacy of the
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| the Formula One Group could soon be
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| | Renault and Ferrari engines, with Renault
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| floated.
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| | clinching six Constructors and five
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| Many records were broken in the first few
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| | Drivers championships as engine suppliers
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| years of the 21st century by German
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| | for Williams and Benetton from 1992 to
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| Michael Schumacher and a resurgent
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| | 1997, and their first ever Drivers and
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| Ferrari. In 2001, Schumacher set the new
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| | Constructors Championships in a 100%
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| record for the most Grands Prix ever won
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| | Renault car in 2005. Renault was
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| (the previous record holder, Alain Prost,
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| | innovative during this period producing
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| had 51 wins). Schumacher eventually
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| | non-standard designs such as the 111°
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| retired with 91 Grand Prix victories.
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| | 10-cylinder engine for the 2003 RS23
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| Schumacher also holds the record for the
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| | which was designed to effectively lower
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| most Grand Prix wins in a season - in
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| | the center of gravity of the engine and
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| 2004, he won 13 of the 18 races held. In
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| | thus improve the car's handling. This
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| 2003, Schumacher broke the record for
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| | eventually proved too unreliable and
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| most drivers' championships by obtaining
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| | heavy, so Renault returned to a more
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| his sixth, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's
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| | conventional development route. Ferrari
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| previous record of five which had stood
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| | also enjoyed great success in the V10
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| since 1957. In 2004, he won the drivers'
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| | era, winning six Constructors'
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| championship for a seventh time. He also
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| | championships and five drivers'
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| broke the record for most points by
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| | championships from 1999 to 2004.
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| scoring his 801st point at the Japanese
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| | In the 2006 season, the majority of teams
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| Grand Prix. The previous record of 798.5
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| | had developed V8 engines as per the newly
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| was also set by Alain Prost. In 2002,
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| | introduced regulations. However, 2006
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| Schumacher also set a new record by
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| | also saw the introduction of new teams,
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| winning the championship earlier in the
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| | and a number of teams being reformed
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| season than any previous driver by
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| | under new management. After purchasing a
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| winning the French Grand Prix in July
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| | 45% stake in the BAR team, Honda
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| that year.[3]
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| | re-entered F1 as a full team, whereas
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| Despite Ferrari's dominance, Kimi
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| | previously they were only engine
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| Räikkönen, driving for
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| | suppliers; Sauber was taken over by BMW
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| McLaren-Mercedes, and Juan Pablo Montoya,
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| | as Peter Sauber stepped down from
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| driving for BMW Williams, had a chance of
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| | top-level management; the long-standing
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| claiming the 2003 championship right
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| | Jordan marque was taken over by Alex
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| until the end of the season at the
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| | Shnaider to become Midland F1 (and late
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| Japanese Grand Prix. Also in 2003,
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| | in the 2006 season, purchased by a Dutch
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| Fernando Alonso became the youngest ever
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| | consortium headed by the Spyker brand);
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| pole sitter by qualifying first at
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| | Red Bull acquired the assets to Minardi
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| Malaysia. Later that year he became the
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| | and created what effectively became a
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| youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix when
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| | "junior" team to their main Red Bull
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| he took the chequered flag in Hungary.
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| | marque, Scuderia Toro Rosso; finally,
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| Schumacher's championship streak finally
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| | Aguri Suzuki, a former F1 driver himself,
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| came to an end on September 25, 2005 when
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| | acquired the assets to the ex-Arrows team
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| Alonso clinched the 2005 championship
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| | from Minardi, which was reformed into the
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| with a third place finish at the
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| | Super Aguri team (The Arrows car had
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| Brazilian Grand Prix to become the
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| | actually been on display in a museum.).
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| youngest champion to date, replacing
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| | This amount of change was guaranteed to
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| previous record holder Emerson Fittipaldi
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| | cause some problem, especially as most of
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| of Brazil. By then, Michael Schumacher
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| | the hand-overs occurred late into the
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| had been world champion for more than
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| | 2005 season (especially with the new
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| 1,800 days.
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| | Super Aguri team). As such, Toro Rosso
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| In the rulebook, several driver aids
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| | begun the 2006 season using restricted
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| returned due in part to developments that
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| | V10 engines, supplied by Cosworth. The
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| allowed teams to evade the FIA
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| | 2007 season will also see great change as
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| "restrictions". Meanwhile, several
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| | engine homologation comes into effect,
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| changes to the rules were made with the
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| | requiring that engine design and
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| intention of improving the on-track
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| | development is frozen at the end of the
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| action and cutting ever-increasing
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| | 2006 season. In 2006, Renault and Alonso
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| costs.[4] Most notably, the qualifying
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| | once again won both titles. At the age of
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| format changed several times between 2003
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| | 25, Alonso became the youngest double F1
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| and 2006. Another new regulation made
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| | world Champion, breaking Schumacher's
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| drivers start each race with the same
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| | record at 26. Also the seven times world
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| level of fuel they had during qualifying,
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| | champion Michael Schumacher retired after
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| introducing a new tactical element to
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| | 15 years in F1.
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