The Stewart SF01 was the car that the Stewart Formula One team competed with in the 1997 Formula One season, and the first car constructed by the team. It was driven by Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen, the latter who had brief race experience with McLaren in 1995.

Stewart SF01
The SF01 of Jan Magnussen on display at the Donington Grand Prix Collection
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorStewart
Designer(s)Alan Jenkins (Technical Director)
Dave Amey (Chief Designer)
Eghbal Hamidy (Head of Aerodynamics)
SuccessorSF02
Technical specifications
Chassiscarbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)double wishbones, pushrod
Suspension (rear)double wishbones, pushrod
EngineFord JD Zetec-R 3.0-litre 72-degree V10
TransmissionStewart/Xtrac six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Power710 hp (529.4 kW) @ 15,000 rpm[1]
FuelTexaco
TyresBridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrantsHSBC Malaysia Stewart Ford
Notable drivers22. Brazil Rubens Barrichello
23. Denmark Jan Magnussen
Debut1997 Australian Grand Prix
Last event1997 European Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF/Laps
17000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

This was the first Formula One car to run on Texaco fuel since the McLaren M26 in 1979.

Launch and design

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The car was launched in December 1996.[2]

The SF01 was the team's first F1 car, designed by Alan Jenkins for three-time Drivers' Champion Jackie Stewart and son Paul to enter the series after several years in lower formulae such as Formula Three.

Racing history

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In an era when many smaller teams such as Forti, Pacific and Simtek went bankrupt, and fellow debutants MasterCard Lola folded almost immediately, Stewart's competent first year after building a car from scratch proved to be a welcome boost for the sport.

Whilst the car was quite competitive enough to regularly score points, it was frequently prevented from doing so by appalling unreliability; the team were only classified eight times out of a possible 34. The main reason for this were difficulties with mating the Ford engine with the car's oil tank. However, Barrichello drove to a fine second place at Monaco, the highlight of a season in which he largely eclipsed Magnussen.

The team eventually finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship, with six points.

Complete Formula One results

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(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
1997 Stewart Ford V10 B AUS BRA ARG SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA AUT LUX JPN EUR 6 9th
Rubens Barrichello Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 14 Ret Ret Ret
Jan Magnussen Ret Ret 10 Ret 7 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 9

References

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  1. ^ "Engine Ford Cosworth • STATS F1".
  2. ^ "National Programmes > NMP case studies > Stewart Grand Prix". npl.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2005-04-11. Retrieved 2007-07-19.