What's in a Name? Quiz | Formula 1 Grand Prix

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. All Ligier models in Formula 1 were branded "JS", followed by a number (for example, "JS41"). Those initials are there to honor the memory of a French Formula 1 driver. Who is he?

Answer: Jo Schlesser

Jo Schlesser was a French driver, who died in his very first Grand Prix in 1968, as a F1 driver*. He was one of Guy Ligier's (the founder of Ligier) best friends, and that's why he honored him in every car his team built.
Ligier was an active team between 1976 and 1996, before being bought by Alain Prost, who established his own team. They had 9 race wins in that period.
John Surtees and Jackie Stewart are not French and Jean Sauvage is not the name of a former Formula 1 driver.

* he had raced in the 1966 and 1967 German GP but as a F2 driver.

2. McLaren models were named "M" (for McLaren) and a number ("M30", for example) up to 1980. But in 1981, Ron Dennis bought the team, and the cars started being branded "MP4". What was the meaning of that "P4"?

Answer: Project 4

Before Ron Dennis took over McLaren, he ran a very successful Formula 2 operation branded "Project Four". When his team bought McLaren, the cars started being named MP4, for McLaren Project 4.

3. Jordan cars were branded "EJ", the initials of its Irish founder. His last name is obviously Jordan, but what is his first name?

Answer: Eddie

Edmund (Eddie) Jordan's team was active in Formula 1 between 1991 and 2005. It had 4 race wins and holds the distinction of giving Michael Schumacher his first F1 race start (and his only one in a Jordan, since he switched to Benetton the very next race).

4. The first Renault cars were named "RS", for Renault Sport. Since the team came back to Formula 1 in 2002, they have been named just "R". Between 1980 and 1985, their name was "RE", "R" for Renault and "E" for their main sponsor. What sponsor was that?

Answer: Elf

Elf (a lubricant manufacturer) was the main sponsor of Renault's first stint in Formula 1 from 1977 to 1985. During that period, Renault had 15 race wins, most of them by multiple World Champion Alain Prost.
Essilor was a lenses manufacturer, Epson manufactured printers and similar products, and Evian was a brand of mineral water from France.

5. Jackie Stewart's eponymous team was active in Formula One from 1997 to 1999. The team's cars were named "SF", "S" for Stewart and "F" for the engine manufacturer. What was Stewart's engine manufacturer?

Answer: Ford

Ford was a very big part of Stewart's brief Formula One adventure. During those three years though, Stewart-Ford managed 1 race win by Johnny Herbert in the 1999 European Grand Prix.
FIAT never supplied engines for F1 teams. Ferrari are Ford's bigger rivals in that department and Fondmetal was an alloy wheels production company that briefly (in 1991 and 1992) owned a Formula One team. They also supplied engines to Minardi in 2000.

6. Toro Rosso was the second team owned by Red Bull and their name means Red Bull in Italian, honoring Minardi, the Italian team they bought and turned into Toro Rosso. The Toro Rosso cars are called "STR", for the team's official name. What is that name?

Answer: Scuderia Toro Rosso

Scuderia is the Italian word for a motor sport team. Toro Rosso had its first race win in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, by German star Sebastian Vettel, who was then "promoted" to the parent team, Red Bull.

7. Brabham cars were named "BT" for Jack Brabham, the Australian founder of the team, and their designer who was also Australian. Who was he?

Answer: Ron Tauranac

Ron Tauranac designed the first Brabham cars for Jack Brabham, before taking over the team in 1971, though he sold it to Bernie Ecclestone shortly after. He also designed cars for Trojan and Theodore, with less successful results.
Geoffrey and Robert Taylor are British. Geoffrey designed the Alta cars that graced the Grand Prix scene in the 1950s, and Robert designed for Arrows, Jaguar, and Red Bull between 2001 and 2005. Kazio Takahashi designed the 2003 Toyota and is Japanese.

8. Near the end of the 1958 season, Carlo Chiti designed a new Ferrari called "156". The recent death of Enzo Ferrari's son however, led the team to name the car after him. What was his name?

Answer: Dino Ferrari

The Ferrari Dino 156 was a flop, entering only 3 races with a 5th place as its best result. Alfredo (Dino) Ferrari died in 1956, a victim of muscular dystrophy. The Imola track is officially named after him and his father (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari).

9. The Honda cars were badged "RA". What does that mean?

Answer: Racing Automobile

The Honda cars graced Formula 1 in two distinct periods, 1964 to 1968 with 2 race wins, and 2006 to 2008 with 1 more win by Jenson Button. In 2009, the Honda team disbanded and its assets were salvaged by designer Ross Brawn, who quickly formed his own team and became World Champion both in the Constructors' and the Drivers' World Championships (with Button).

10. Mercedes cars are branded "W" after the German word for car. What word is that?

Answer: Wagen

"Wagen" is the German word for car. You can also find it in Volskwagen, literally, the people's (volks) car (wagen). Mercedes entered Formula One for the first time in 1954, easily taking Juan Manuel Fangio to the World Championship in that season and the next.

A terrible accident in the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 1955, that killed Mercedes' driver Pierre Levegh, and 82 spectators prompted the team to retire from motor sports. Mercedes returned to Formula One in 1994, as an engine supplier, and established their own team in 2010 by buying Brawn, World Champions in 2009.

Source: Author Caeiro

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

What's in a Name? Trivia Quiz

If you like Formula 1, you certainly know the name of the main teams, but what about the cars themselves? Do you know what those letters after the team names mean?

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