Not every Formula 1 team can have the longevity of Scuderia Ferrari, and some of the sport’s most dominant teams can only be known today by consulting the pages of a motorsport history book. We’re paying homage to the very best of those defunct teams today, and ranking them based on their accomplishments. British Racing Motors — better known as BRM — was founded in 1951 by a racer named Raymond Mays.
Funding was initially sourced through British automakers paying into a trust fund, but the whole affair turned into something of a disaster, and backers withdrew after just one year in racing. It reappeared as Owen Racing Organization in 1954 before BRM itself felt equipped to return to the sport. As a team, BRM took a total of 17 victories with a who’s who of motorsport talent: Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, and Pedro Rodriguez.
In 1962, it was Hill who led the small outfit to success in both the World Drivers’ Championship and the World Constructors’ Championship. Sadly, financial hardship ultimately led to the team’s dissolution after several challenging years. Maserati’s WCC total is perhaps a little misleading: The Constructors’ Championship was only introduced in 1958, so for much of the team’s existence, it was unable to qualify for that distinction.
And it almost certainly would have secured it, because Maserati’s two WDCs came with none other than the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. Maserati withdrew its works effort at the end of the 1957.