Penske ran in the Formula One World Championship as a chassis constructor from 1974 to 1977 and as an official works team from 1974 to 1976. The team, which held an American licence, constructed their cars at their facility in Poole, UK. Penske, along with All American Racers, remains one of the only two American teams to secure a Formula One race win, excluding the Indianapolis 500.
Notable Team Members and Drivers
Roger Penske: Founder and team principal.
Mark Donohue: Penske’s lead driver in the early 1970s; achieved the team’s first podium in Formula One.
John Watson: Drove for Penske after Donohue’s death, achieving notable results, including a win at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix, which remains the only F1 win for an American team outside of the Indy 500.
Geoff Ferris: Chief designer who developed the Penske PC1 through PC4 Formula One cars.
Heinz Hofer: Team manager who played the role in the day-to-day operations and strategic decisions of the team.
In 1971, Penske sponsored a McLaren driven by the White Racing and Kirk White privateer teams at the Canadian and United States Grand Prix. Mark Donohue drove the Penske-backed McLaren to a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix. In 1974, Penske entered the grid with its own team and chassis, the Penske PC1, at the Canadian Grand Prix, where Donohue debuted the car to a 12th-place finish.
The following year, Roger Penske committed to a full season with the PC1. Donohue achieved a fifth-place finish at the Swedish Grand Prix. After the French Grand Prix, the team switched to a March 751 for three races, securing another fifth place at the British Grand Prix. Tragically, Donohue succumbed to injuries from a crash during Austrian Grand Prix practice. Penske skipped the Italian Grand Prix and returned at the United States Grand Prix with John Watson driving the PC1.
In 1976, with Citibank as a new sponsor, Penske introduced the new PC3 for Watson, achieving fifth place at the South African Grand Prix. The PC3 was soon upgraded to the more competitive PC4, leading Watson to two podium finishes in France and Britain, and a victory at the Austrian Grand Prix—the last win by an American constructor in Formula One to date. At year’s end, Penske exited Formula One to focus on Indycar racing, selling his European assets to Günter Schmid of Germany.
In 1977, Schmid’s ATS Wheels ran the ATS-Penske PC4, now in yellow, in the United States Grand Prix West with Jean-Pierre Jarier, scoring a point. Despite fielding two PC4s, ATS’s results declined, and Schmid left Formula One after the Italian Grand Prix, only to return in 1978 with a new chassis. A third PC4 was provided to Interscope Racing for the US and Canadian Grands Prix, driven by Danny Ongais, though it failed to yield results.
In 1979, Penske designed the Rebaque HR100 for Mexican driver Héctor Rebaque, who entered the last three races of the season but did not qualify or finish.
Penske Formula One World Championship Records
| Engines | Ford |
|---|---|
| Entrants | Penske, F&S Properties, ATS, Interscope Racing |
| First entry | 1974 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 41 |
| Race victories | 1 |
| Constructors’ Championships | 0 |
| Drivers’ Championships | 0 |
| Points | 23 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 1977 Canadian Grand Prix |
Penske Constructors’ Championship Results
Works entries
| Year | Name | Car | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Penske | Penske PC1 | Mark Donohue | 0 | NC |
| 1975 | Penske | March 7511 Penske PC1 | Mark Donohue John Watson | 2 | 12th |
| 1976 | Penske | Penske PC3 Penske PC4 | John Watson | 20 | 5th |
Results of other Penske cars
| Year | Name | Car | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | F&S Properties | Penske PC3 | Boy Hayje |
| 1977 | ATS | Penske PC4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier Hans Binder Hans Heyer |
| 1977 | Interscope Racing | Penske PC4 | Danny Ongais |
Source: Wikipedia.com
