Photo: Takayuki Suzuki / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 (credit links at the end of the content)
We usually keep our stories focused on individual teams here at CarsRave, but sometimes it just makes more sense to look at the bigger picture. So instead of separating everything one by one, we’re starting a new multi-part series that brings them together across several chapters over the coming months. And it begins with the forgotten small F1 teams of the 1980s and 1990s that eventually disappeared from the grid.
Forgotten F1 Teams of the 1980s and 1980s
On this list, you won’t find teams like Brabham or Lotus in their prime eras. Those are historic names that once fought at the front of F1, even if they were struggling by the early 90s. Instead, this is about something different.
It focuses on the smaller teams that came into the sport with limited budgets and little support, tried their best to compete, and eventually disappeared without leaving much of a trace.
Life Racing Engines
(CREDIT LINKS AT THE END OF THE CONTENT)
In the past, we’ve already shared the story of Life Racing Engines on our website.
So we think that few teams in F1 history are remembered for failure like Life Racing Engines, yet their story is almost hard to believe.
Entering the 1990s season with a car known as the Life L190, the team attempted something far beyond its limits; Instead of using a proven engline supplier, they built their own unconventional W12 engine.
But the results were exactly what they expected: the car was heavy, unreliable, and far slower than the rest of the grid.
During qualifying sessions, the gap to the front runners stretched into double-digit seconds; making competition impossible.
Drivers came and went quickly, but none could extract performance from the machine.
As a small F1 team, with no funding left and no results to build on, the team quietly withdrew from F1.
Read the full story of Life Racing F1 Team
Onyx Grand Prix
Another small team that tried but eventually vanished, Onyx Grand Prix stands out because, unlike many backmarker teams of the era, it briefly tasted real success. Their story is a mix of promise, chaos, and a rapid downfall.
Stepping up from Formula 3000; Onyx entered F1 in 1989 and immediately faced the brutal reality of pre-qualifying, but against expectations, they shocked the paddock!
Stefan Johansson delivered a remarkable fifth place in France, followed by a stunning podium finish in Portugal.
At their peak, Onyx looked like a potential midfield breakthrough story; however, the situation off the track was far less stable.
Soon after, financial problems made things even worse within the team, and internal stability began to fall apart. By 1990, ownership had changed and the operation was rebranded under new management. Resources dropped sharply, and the team slowly slipped into survival mode. After the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix, they withdrew from Formula 1 after 27 race entries.
EuroBrun
EuroBrun entered F1 with genuine optimisim…
It was a partnership between financial backing and technical experience, and at first; there was hope it could become a stable project.
In their early days, the team managed to qualify for races and even finish in the midfield, but the financial reality of F1 in that era quickly took over.
By 1989, the team was already struggling, and after switching engines from Ford Cosworth to Judd, things became even more difficult. Survival turned into a constant battle in the brutal pre-qualifying sessions.
Again in 1990, the team struggled, and the financial pressure became too much, after Spanish GP in 1990, EuroBrun closed its doors for good.
Scuderia Coloni
Coloni represents one of the most unusual chapters in F1 hsitory; a team defined by ambition far beyond its resources.
Run by Enzo Coloni, the team operated with extremely limited manpower; often functioning with only a handful of personnel. Despite this, the team remained in F1 for several years, struggling constantly.
The most surprising moment came when Subaru became involved, hoping to break into F1 with a full works project; this led to the creation of a radically designed engine, but the concept never translated into performance.
The car was overweight; and uncompetitive from the start. Drivers repeatedly failed to progress beyond the early sessions, often far off the pace of the field, by mid-1990, the project had completely collapsed.
Subaru withdrew, and Coloni eventually faded from F1 the year after.
Dallara and Scuderia Italia
Not every small Italian project failed; in fact, one stood out for doing the opposite.
Dallara, working in partnership with Scuderia Italia, built one of the most competitive small-team packages of the late 1980s and early 1990s, while others struggled just to qualify, this team consistently reached races and fought in the midfield.
There were even moments of brilliance; including podium finishes that shocked and proved that small teams could still make an impact with the right engineering approach.
Later, the team attempted a new engine partnership, from Ford DFR to Judd engines and later Ferrari, but the combination proved unbalanced and performance dropped.
Not every small Italian project failed. In fact, one stood out for doing the opposite.
The project ended in 1992, but unlike most of its peers; Dallara survived by transforming into a global engineering powerhouse, today, the company designs racing chassis across multiple top-level championships worldwide.
AGS
The small team, operating out of a small workshop in rural France; it was the definition of a grassroots F1 dream.
Against all odds; the team managed to score points in their second year in F1, a remarkable achievement for such a small operation.
But financial strain soon changed everything, funding became unstable, and development slowed.
By the early 1990s AGS was struggling to compete against better-funded teams; eventually after a final attempt to continue through new investment, the project faded, the team disappeared from the grid.
Unlike many others; AGS found a second life later as a driving school, keeping its racing spirit alive in a different form.
Leyton House
Leyton House was one of the most visually striking teams of its era; instantly recognizable thanks to its bright turquoise livery and bold design philosophy.
The team was backed by a wealthy Japanese businessman, the team rose quickly and even shocked the paddock with impressive performances.
Their best race came at the French GP in 1990, Ivan Capelli finished second behind Alain Prost.
However, the financial structure behind the team was unstable. The team changed ownership, rebranded, and attempted to survive, but the decline was rapid; within a short time the project collapsed entirely.
Osella
Constant battle, surviving on limited resources and constant technical struggle.
The team was based in a small workshop in Italy, they entered F1 in the early 1980s and remained active for many years despite extreme financial limitations.
The team only managed to score points twice, but it is important to remember that their cars often relied on outdated or second-hand technology, while reliability remained a constant issue. Still, Osella kept coming back, race after race, trying to survive in F1.
Eventually; financial pressure forced the founder to sell the operation to Fondmetal, ending the Osella name in F1, the successor project also struggled and disappeared shortly after.
Closing Chapter: The Forgotten Era
These teams were never built to dominate F1; they were built to survive it.
Some lasted a season, others a few years, and a few left behind unexpected moments of brilliance… but all of them shared the same fate, they eventually disappeared into history.
And this is only the beginning. PART 2 is coming soon!
Featured Image Credits: Takayuki Suzuki / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
