From an underdog win to record-breaking success – 7 times a driver signing transformed a team’s fortunes

Amid the numerous driver changes that have taken place for the 2025 season, one that could be particularly interesting to watch is the arrival of Carlos Sainz at Williams, with team boss James Vowles confident that the Spaniard can help the squad in their journey back to winning ways.

While the Grove-based outfit’s chances of fighting for victories might be slimmer in the short-term, Sainz’s rivals – including former team mate Lando Norris – have backed him to return to the front of the field in time and “propel the team forwards”.

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If he succeeds in doing so, the 30-year-old would be following in the footsteps of several other drivers who helped to transform a team’s fortunes. We’ve been taking a look back at seven famous names to achieve this…

Niki Lauda and Ferrari

After his debut season at the wheel of an uncompetitive March car in 1972, Niki Lauda’s switch to BRM for the following year resulted in a campaign beset by reliability issues – but the Austrian had done enough to earn himself a place at Ferrari in 1974.

The Scuderia had by this point gone without a championship since John Surtees had triumphed in 1964 – and while Lauda’s talents had not yet been showcased, his determined attitude and honest feedback went down well with the team upon his arrival.

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It did not take long for this to reap results, with Lauda taking his first F1 victory on his fourth outing for Ferrari at the 1974 Spanish Grand Prix before another followed later in the year at Zandvoort.

All of this created the foundations for greater success in 1975, a season in which Lauda and Ferrari clinched both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, marking the team’s first in 11 years.

While the Austrian just missed out on repeating the feat in 1976 – the year in which he made a remarkable comeback after a horrifying fiery accident at the Nurburgring – another title-winning campaign came in 1977 before the driver and team parted ways, the relationship having soured despite the accolades it brought.

Mario Andretti and Lotus

Mario Andretti had made sporadic appearances in Formula 1 during the late 1960s and early 1970s, having instead focused on categories in his native America including IndyCar, and it was not until 1975 that he embarked on his first full-time season with the Parnelli squad.

After that team folded in the early stages of 1976, Andretti made the switch to Lotus, who had been struggling amid a winless campaign the year before. But the outfit’s fortunes looked to be on the up when Andretti took a long-awaited victory at the season-closing Japanese Grand Prix.

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The win seemed to galvanise Lotus designer Colin Chapman, and the Lotus 78 – a ground effect car that Andretti helped to develop – brought the partnership four victories in 1977. The even more innovative Lotus 79 that came in 1978 delivered further success, leading to Andretti taking six wins en route to the World Championship.

This would prove to be the peak for both Andretti and Lotus in F1, with the driver failing to win again during his subsequent years in the sport while Lotus never claimed another championship.

Jackie Stewart and Tyrrell

It seems fair to say that no team would expect immediate success upon their debut in Formula 1 – but Ken Tyrrell looked to have hit the jackpot by signing race winner Jackie Stewart when the team boss entered the sport in the late 1960s.

After first taking charge of the Matra International outfit in 1968 – a joint venture between Tyrrell’s privateer team and the French Matra company – Tyrrell saw the squad enjoy an impressive campaign alongside Stewart, who had joined following three seasons with BRM. After taking three victories, the Scot only just missed out on winning the World Championship.

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This would be rectified in 1969 when Stewart became increasingly dominant, storming to six wins as he clinched the title. Following Matra’s merger with Simca in 1970, Tyrrell bought a March 701 chassis to run for the season while working to develop his own car.

When this made its debut under the Tyrrell name later in that year, Stewart put the car on pole position for its first appearance at the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix. More was to come in 1971, with Stewart and the team winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles.

The strong partnership brought further success in the two years that followed, with Stewart sealing his third and final championship in 1973 before retiring from the sport. While Tyrrell won seven more races over the years, that golden period with Stewart was never repeated.

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari

Ferrari had not won a Drivers’ Championship since Jody Scheckter’s triumph in 1979 – and their last Constructors’ title had come in 1983 – when Michael Schumacher joined the team for the 1996 season.

The Scuderia’s struggles were a marked contrast to the success that Schumacher had experienced in the early 1990s, the German having sealed back-to-back titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. It was, as such, a bold move when the reigning champion switched to the Italian outfit.

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Early signs hinted at promise in the partnership, with Schumacher winning three races in 1996. And while there were challenges in the three seasons that followed, the payoff arrived in 2000 when driver and team secured both championships, bringing Ferrari’s long dry spell to an end.

This was just the beginning of what would prove to be one of the most successful pairings in Formula 1 history as Schumacher and Ferrari embarked on a record-breaking run of consecutive titles that lasted through to the end of 2004.

While Schumacher will go down in history as one of the Scuderia’s – and the sport’s – most statistically successful drivers, the seven-time World Champion was also one of the most beloved by the Scuderia, having developed strong bonds with members of the team that surely contributed to their passion to succeed together.

Ayrton Senna and McLaren

Needless to say, McLaren had already enjoyed plenty of success before the arrival of Ayrton Senna in 1988, with the team having claimed three Drivers’ Championships in that decade courtesy of Niki Lauda (in 1984) and Alain Prost (in 1985 and 1986).

But by signing the rising Brazilian star as team mate to the proven champion Prost, the Woking-based team created an all-star line-up which would deliver unprecedented levels of success – as well as sparking one of the most infamous rivalries in F1 history.

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Prost had taken all of McLaren’s three victories during a less competitive season for the squad in 1987, with team mate Stefan Johansson ending the campaign winless. The picture changed dramatically in 1988, however, as Prost and Senna – at the wheel of the MP4/4, a dominant car powered by new engine supplier Honda – ensured that the team won 15 out of 16 Grands Prix.

Senna ultimately won the World Championship in his first season with the outfit, while another fiercely close battle played out between the team mates in 1989. This time it was Prost who came out on top following a controversial collision with Senna at the Suzuka finale.

Following Prost’s exit for Ferrari in 1990, Senna and McLaren continued to be a powerful force, clinching both titles in 1990 and 1991 (with the former year witnessing another contentious title-deciding clash between Prost and Senna). And while Williams soon became the team to beat, Senna still scored further wins in 1992 and 1993 before leaving McLaren for the rival squad.

Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso

After joining the team midway through 2007, Sebastian Vettel’s first full-time season with Toro Rosso in 2008 did not get off to the strongest of starts; the German retired from the opening four races of the campaign, with three of these non-finishes caused by a collision.

The results improved as the year progressed, with Vettel beginning to consistently score points. But even those impressed by the improving performance of the youngster would perhaps not have predicted the weekend that was to come when F1 arrived at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.

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Amid torrential rain, Vettel grabbed a surprise pole position and in the process put his midfield Toro Rosso ahead of the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari. The challenging conditions persisted on Sunday – but Vettel again showed his mettle by storming to victory, marking a debut win for both himself and the team.

While he did not take another victory during the remaining four races, Vettel continued to add to the squad’s points tally which helped them to finish a record sixth in the Constructors' Championship – meaning that the junior outfit finished ahead of the senior Red Bull team for the first and so far only time in their history.

The campaign was enough to prove to the main outfit that Vettel deserved a promotion – and while he missed out on the title in 2009, the years that followed brought four World Championships for the German racer.

Juan Manuel Fangio and numerous teams

For decades, Juan Manuel Fangio’s achievement of winning five World Championships remained unmatched – indeed, it is a record beaten only by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. A factor that remains unique to Fangio, however, is that his titles were achieved with four different teams.

The Argentine driver was unafraid to move from one outfit to another in his quest to succeed. But while some might say that having the best car helped to deliver those championships, Fangio’s rival Stirling Moss placed the emphasis on the man behind the wheel by saying: “The cheapest method of becoming a successful Grand Prix team was to sign up Fangio.”

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After Fangio sealed his first title with Alfa Romeo in 1951, it was Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari who became a double World Champion in 1952 and 1953. Fangio, meanwhile, had been racing for Maserati but joined Mercedes for the Silver Arrows’ debut in 1954 – and it was a move that proved successful, with the driver bringing the title home in the team’s first season.

While another championship followed in 1955, Fangio opted to partner with Ferrari in 1956 and seemed to again deliver success by adding a fourth title to his name. But rather than continuing with the Scuderia, another change came in 1957 via a return to Maserati.

It was a move criticised by Enzo Ferrari – but ultimately Fangio repeated his pattern of quickly reaping results by winning his fifth and final World Championship. This proved to be Maserati’s last triumph during their time in the sport, while Fangio retired in 1958 to bring a remarkable F1 career to a close.

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