Victory and Tragedy: The Eventful History of US Teams in Formula 1

– Just in time for the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, we welcome Cadillac as a new American player on the grid. Interest in the premier class is booming in the States: with Haas and Cadillac, the USA is sending two genuine constructors into the race, while Red Bull Ford powers the cars of Red Bull and the Racing Bulls. They are joined by three Grands Prix in Texas, Miami, and Las Vegas.

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But despite the enormous motorsport tradition in the USA, American racing teams have been rather scarce since the founding of the World Championship in 1950. We are excluding the numerous teams that only competed in the Indy 500 between 1950 and 1960 – which counted towards the World Championship at the time, but was not a real Grand Prix according to Formula 1 regulations.

There were occasional private US guest starts, such as the curious participation of Indy legend Rodger Ward in the 1959 US GP in a Leader-Cards Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser Midget. However, we are focusing on the teams that managed serious, multi-year Formula 1 projects.

Here is our top 5 of US racing teams, based on success, impact, and longevity.

By the way: The UK-based Haas team, which competed with Lola chassis in late 1985 and 1986, scored six points in 19 starts. The highlight was the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix, when Alan Jones finished in fourth and fifth places ahead of teammate Patrick Tambay – albeit two laps behind winner Alain Prost in the McLaren.

The Scarab team also deserves an honorable mention, having only completed two World Championship starts in 1960. The front-engine car was already outdated when it appeared, but remains a feast for the eyes today and is extremely competitive in historic motorsport.

5. Parnelli
Years: 1974-1976
Starts: 16
Best result: 4th place
Best qualifying: 3rd place
Fastest laps: 1
Points: 6

US racing legend and 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones founded the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing team together with Velko Miletich in the late 60s. Initially, the team celebrated success after success in the IndyCar series.

After two Indy victories and three USAC titles, Parnelli took the leap into Formula 1 in 1974 – with former Lotus designer Maurice Philippe and Mario Andretti at the wheel.

The VPJ4 with a Cosworth DFV engine made its debut at the Canadian Grand Prix. Andretti qualified 16th and missed out on points by just a quarter of a second in seventh place. At the finale in Watkins Glen, he sensationally started third but was disqualified for accepting help from his mechanics outside the pit lane.

In 1975, Andretti struggled in qualifying but collected points in Sweden and France. But when Firestone pulled out as a sponsor, a hole opened up in the budget. After only three races of the 1976 season and a sixth place for Andretti in South Africa, the Parnelli adventure was over.

4. Haas
Years: 2016-present
Starts: 214 (as of before the start of the 2026 season)
Best result: 4th place
Best qualifying: 4th place
Fastest laps: 3
Points: 386

Gene Haas’s squad can be considered the most successful new team of recent decades. The F1 hurdles are high, but Haas scored points right at its debut in Australia in 2016 and stormed to fifth place in the constructors’ championship in 2018.

The headquarters are in Kannapolis (North Carolina), plus a base in England and a “hub” at Ferrari in Maranello. Haas was the first US team since the end of Haas Lola in 1986.

The project has an Italian character: Dallara has been manufacturing the chassis since day one, and Ferrari supplies the engines. This close technical partnership with Maranello keeps costs in check.

After the era with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, Kevin Magnussen and Grosjean defined the team’s image for four years. A podium is still missing, but two fastest laps and a double success (fourth and fifth place) at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix are on the books.

2021 was followed by a valley of tears: with rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin and the focus on the new 2022 regulations, the team remained pointless at the back of the field.

Magnussen’s comeback in 2022 (after the exit of Mazepin and sponsor Uralkali following the invasion of Ukraine) brought an upswing: fifth place at the opener in Bahrain. However, the Schumacher name did not bring the hoped-for success; rising accident costs led to Schumacher being replaced by veteran Nico Hülkenberg in 2023.

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The VF-23 was fast over one lap but ate tires for breakfast. Haas finished last in the championship, which cost team principal icon Günther Steiner his job. Engineer Ayao Komatsu took over.

In 2024, they flirted with sixth place in the championship but were pushed down to seventh by Alpine’s rain podium in Brazil. For 2026, the team has been restructured: youngster Oliver Bearman and Alpine refugee Esteban Ocon replace Magnussen and Hülkenberg (moving to Sauber). 2025 was tough: aerodynamic problems and bouncing caused Haas to slip to eighth in the championship.

3. Penske
Years: 1971, 1974-1976
Starts: 32
Wins: 1
Podiums: 4
Poles: 1
Points: 26

America’s most successful motorsport team only tried its hand at Formula 1 briefly, but those three years were marked by triumph and tragedy.
After initial steps with customer McLarens in 1971, the team returned in 1974 with its own chassis. Mark Donohue, brought out of retirement specifically, finished twelfth at the PC1’s debut in Canada.

In 1975, the racing team wanted to go all out, but Donohue struggled with the speed of the PC1. After switching to a March 751, he finished fifth at Silverstone before his fatal accident during the warm-up at the Österreichring.

Penske returned with John Watson. In 1976, the new PC4 became really fast: podiums at Paul Ricard and Brands Hatch paved the way for the emotional victory at the Österreichring – exactly one year after Donohue’s death at the same location. Legendary: Watson shaved off his beard afterwards following a bet with Roger Penske.

Despite fifth place in the constructors’ championship, Roger Penske withdrew at the end of 1976 to focus on IndyCar. The cars still ran under the ATS flag in 1977, which we are not counting here.

2. Shadow
Years: 1973-1980
Starts: 104
Wins: 1
Podiums: 7
Poles: 3
Points: 67.5

Don Nichols’ Shadow team started as a US racing team but competed with a British license from 1976 onwards. Although the only victory was achieved under the Union Jack, Shadow was through and through the project of the American Nichols.

The sleek DN1 secured a podium right at its second start in 1973 through George Follmer. In 1975, they were extremely strong: Jean-Pierre Jarier took two poles and led confidently in Brazil until the technology failed. Tom Pryce won the non-championship “Race of Champions”, but in the World Championship, defects and errors prevented the deserved reward.

The big day came in 1977 at the Österreichring: Alan Jones plowed forward from 14th on the grid in the rain and snatched the victory when James Hunt’s engine failed. It remained the last highlight. In 1978, personnel were lost to the new Arrows team (including a legal dispute over copies of the car), and in 1980, the lights went out at Shadow.

The story was overshadowed by two tragedies: Peter Revson died in an accident in Kyalami in 1974, and Tom Pryce died at the same location in 1977 in one of the most horrific accidents in Formula 1 history.

1. Anglo American Racers (Eagle)
Years: 1966-1968
Starts: 27
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Fastest laps: 2
Points: 17

Only there for three years, but what an impact! The Eagle T1G is still considered one of the most beautiful racing cars of all time.

Dan Gurney, one of the greatest US drivers, left Brabham at the end of 1965 to build his own team. While the base was in England, the heart was American. They didn’t just buy from Cosworth but developed their own V12 engines with Weslake.

In France in 1966, Gurney scored the first World Championship points for a US construction. In 1967, the Eagle was lightning fast but fragile. Gurney won the Belgian GP at record speed and would likely have triumphed at the Nürburgring as well, had a half-shaft not broken shortly before the end.

The Eagle had a hard time against the new Lotus 49 with DFV power, especially as support from Goodyear waned. Financial difficulties forced Gurney to withdraw from Formula 1 in 1968. All American Racers and the Eagle chassis subsequently became a major power in IndyCars and later in Toyota’s IMSA program. But in Formula 1, the Eagle remains unforgotten as the “most beautiful US dream”.

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