These nine Formula 1 cars that have never raced!
Formula 1 sometimes has these famous failures, these smoking guns, these pschiiittt announcements! In the past, several manufacturers have been talked about creating word-filled single-seaters, but for sometimes unspecified reasons, never had the opportunity to compete in a Grand Prix. Let’s go back to these victim cars that didn’t even pass the test session.
#9 Honda RC101
After the brand’s sporting program in F1 ended at the end of the 1992 season, Honda had already designed its own single-seaters. The discipline is not expected to return any time soon, but the RC101 project gives the Tochigi builder’s crew a chance. maintain a source of motivation. The RC101 and its evolutions meet the regulations in force at the time and will be tested several times at the Suzuka track by Satoru Nakajima.
#8 Ligier JS29 – Alfa Romeo
When the technical partnership with Ligier was established in 1987, Alfa Romeo had not officially participated in Formula 1 for two years. Thus, the JS29 was to be powered by a unique twin-turbo inline-four engine designed by Gianni Tonti. But a few weeks before the start of the season, Rene Arnoux made incendiary comments in the press about the poor performance of the Alfa unit. The Italian headquarters broke the deal on the spot and Ligier had to buy rebadged BMW engines from Megatron in a hurry.
#7 Dome F105
Dome, Toyota’s stalwart arm in the last century, has unveiled a serious project that could mark the arrival of the Japanese pharma in F1. The F105 stands out with its white and yellow livery and is powered by a Honda engine. Marco Apicella, a temporary Jordanian pilot exiled in Japan, flew several circuits of the archipelago in 1996. But the beautiful Japanese car ended up in the garage due to insufficient budget.
#6 Alpine A350
The small manufacturer from Dieppe carefully produced the prototype in accordance with the F1 regulations in force in the late 1960s. Mauro Bianchi is testing a single-seater at Zandvoort, but the Régie will veto the project. The tricolor engine in question gave the base Cosworth DFV about… 100bhp! The Losange would not appear until 1977 with the popular turbocharged RS01.
#5 McLaren MP4/18
It was supposed to appear in mid-2003. Nothing will happen. The McLaren MP4/18, penned by Adrian Newey, was radical but never got rid of the handling problems that would have caused a number of scares in its drivers. It will also never pass the FIA crash tests. McLaren will run the old MP4/17 throughout the season, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to challenge Michael Schumacher for the title until the final Grand Prix at Suzuka.
#4 Honda RA99
Honda plans to return to Formula 1 in 2000 with a 100% home-grown team, if the company maintains a clockwork with its subsidiary Mugen as an engine manufacturer. Dallara manufactures the chassis (hence the nickname). “Dalhonda”) is a technician from Wales Harvey Postlethwaite. Jos Verstappen is being hunted to test first in Jerez and then in Barcelona. But when Postlethwaite suffered a heart attack in Catalonia, the project was halted. Honda will drop back to “simple” stock engines for the Jordan and BAR before purchasing the second-named car.
Items #3 GD-01
The French DAMS team also tried to enter F1. GD-01 began work in 1994 to be ready a year later. But the Reynard-inspired tri-colour single-seater was instantly outmoded with its Norman-cabinet aerodynamics and old V8 Cosworth DFR, as evidenced by testing at the hands of Eric Comas at the Bugatti circuit. Moreover, Jean-Paul Driot could not raise the necessary funds to enter the competition. Therefore, in 1997, it was decided to pull the plug. This failure was an eternal regret for the Le Mans team, but it would excel in promotional formulas and sports prototypes.
#2 Toyota TF110
Toyota announced its immediate exit from Formula 1 just days after the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the Japanese giant left behind the TF110 single-seater ready for next season. Zoran Stefanovic and the ghostly Stefan GP structure tried in vain to start the cars with Kazuki Nakajima and Jacques Villeneuve at the controls. Too bad, because the simulations proved that the TF110 would be more efficient than the Red Bull RB6 world champion that year.
#1 McLaren MP4/8B – Lamborghini
Ayrton Senna’s talent was not enough for a one-man Woking team to measure up to Alain Prost and his Williams-Renault in 1993. In late summer, an agreement was reached between Ron Dennis and Bob Lutz of the Chrysler Group. replace the asthmatic Ford V8 with a Lamborghini V12. The Italian block is tested in practice and is more efficient, Senna claims it for Suzuka and Adelaide. Unfortunately, Dennis chose to link up with Peugeot in 1994, resulting in disappointing performance and mediocre reliability.
