The Rise and Fall of F1’s Garagistes

Written by Umair Waseem, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Lotus, Tyrrell and Brabham emerged as three success stories during the Garagistes era | Credit: Formula One

During the early days of Formula One in Britain, a small group of independent teams emerged. These outfits worked from small garages and workshops, often running on limited resources and budget. Despite the limitations, they challenged the established teams and won multiple drivers and constructors' championships through innovation and tactical brilliance. 

The term “Garagistes” was coined by Enzo Ferrari in a bid to mock such teams that dared to compete with the well-established teams like Ferrari, which had proper factories. Once a derogatory term, it is now the badge of pride. 

This era began in the 1950s with the inception of F1 and lasted until the 1980s. Some of the famous and successful teams include Lotus, Cooper, and Brabham, who even went on to win Grands-Prix and world championships in the sport. This article discusses the history of some of these teams and how they helped to innovate the sport. 

Cooper (1950 to 1969) 

Charles and John Cooper founded the Cooper car company in Surbiton, England. They began by building small cars in the garage. They started competing in F1 in the mid-50s. Cooper won the 1959 and 1960 constructors' championships. The team bagged 16 race wins and two world drivers’ championships (WDC) with Jack Brabham winning back-to-back titles. 

Cooper's success proved that the rear engine concept was superior. The rear-engine design proved revolutionary, which emphasised a lighter and compact design. Along with Jack Brabham, other drivers such as Bruce McLaren, Stirling Moss and Phil Hill drove for the team before its decline in the 1960s. 

Lotus ( 1958-1994) 

Lotus became one of F1’s all-time great teams, winning seven Constructors’ Championships and six Drivers’ Championships. The triumphant racers were Jim Clark (1963, 1965), Graham Hill (1968), Jochen Rindt (1970, posthumously), Emerson Fittipaldi (1972), and Mario Andretti (1978). Lotus won a total of 79 races in Formula One, placing them sixth on the all-time winners list in the sport. 

Founded by Colin Chapman, Lotus commenced its journey in a small workshop in North London. The team in black and gold pioneered innovations such as the Monocoque chassis (1960), which was lighter, stronger, and safer. 

Stirling Moss driving the Ferguson P99 at Oulton Park, 1961. Credit: Formula One

The North London-based outfit also contributed to innovating ground-effect aerodynamics and experimenting with active suspension. Lotus is also responsible for changing F1’s business model by introducing tobacco sponsorship on car liveries. 

The influx from their sponsorships helped the team survive the 1970s era when other Garagiste teams were declining. Lotus would later go on to upscale, and became the factory team due to a newly found revenue model. 

Brabham (1962 to 1992) 

Former Cooper driver Jack Brabham and engineer Ron Tauranc founded Brabham in 1962. It began as a modest constructor and soon up-scaled, and was acquired by  Bernie Ecclestone in 1970. It became one of the respected and influential constructors on the grid. 

Jack Brabham became the only driver in history to win a World Championship in a car carrying his own name. Brabham is also credited with pioneering the concept of carbon brakes and mid-race refuelling.   

The team won two consecutive constructors’ titles in 1966 and 1967. Alongside Brabham himself, the likes of Nelson Piquet, Carlos Reutemann, and Niki Lauda drove for the team. Brabham won 35 races in three decades. 

The fan on the rear of Brabham BT 46 B | Credit: Formula One

Tyrrell (1968 to 1998)

In the late 1960s, Ken Tyrrell started his team from a wooden shed in Ockham, Surrey, with Ford Cosworth engines. Within a few years, they rose to the top and became a title-winning team. The team won the constructors' title in 1971. 

The Surrey-based team won 23 races in total, and Jackie Stewart won the WDC in 1969, 1971 and 1973. 

One of the notable instances took place in 1970 when the team was exploring ways to increase the front grip, and they came up with an interesting solution, adding extra front tyres to their P34 car. This practice was outlawed and later banned, forcing Tyrrell to resort to their older design. 

The Tyrrell P34 on track | Credit: Formula One

Matra (1965 to 1972)

Matra was the French aerospace company that transitioned to motorsports in the late 1960s. They brought high-tech engineering to the sport with a focus on lightweight construction and aerodynamics. Matra’s V12 engines also stood out for their sound. 

The team won the 1969 constructors’ title, while Jackie Stewart won the Drivers' Championship in the French outfit that year. Matra also dominated in Le Mans, taking a hat trick of wins between 1972 and 1974. They would later merge with Ligier. 

Hesketh (1973 to 1978)

Lord Hesketh started the team in 1973 as a passion project, not as a business. The team was never a consistent frontrunner. The most notable moment in the team’s history was James Hunt’s Dutch Grand Prix victory at Zandvoort in 1975. 

Despite not winning any titles, the Hesketh outfit left a mark on F1 and became cult heroes of mid 1970s. 

What caused the end of the Garagistes era? 

The Garagistes era ended due to several reasons. Some teams evolved to a bigger scale while others folded. There were financial reasons involved as well as the new regulations, which made the survival of such teams difficult. 

As technology advanced, being successful required wind tunnels, specialized engineers and ever-increasing budget demands, making it difficult for small workshop-based teams to sustain. When the major well-funded constructors arrived on the grid, they set the bar so high, making it difficult for the Garagistes teams to match them. 

 Modern F1 cars with multiple sponsor logos reflect how much the F1 economy has changed. Credit: Grand Prix 247

Another factor contributing to the decline of this era was the introduction of new regulations that favoured large manufacturers, leaving small teams at a disadvantage and struggling to adapt. 

Teams like Lotus were able to adapt to this new era and scaled up, but many other teams were not lucky and their F1 journey was cut short.  

How did the Gragistes era impact F1? 

The Garagistes era lasted for just over three decades, but it left a long-lasting impact on sport. Their innovation, creativity, and underdog spirit helped shape F1’s identity in the 1950s–70s, making the sport more competitive, unpredictable, and exciting. 

This era also helped to lay the foundation for engineering innovations that we see in modern F1. It showed that with sheer determination and creativity, teams could topple giants.