Simtek

BaseBanbury
England
Date of Foundation1989
Active Years In F1From 1994
Constructors Cup VictoriesNone
Grand Prix Victories0
Pole Positions0
Fastest Laps0

Simtek entered Formula 1 in 1994 with David Brabham and Roland Ratzenberger as their drivers. Their first race saw Brabham finish 12th, and this was followed by an 11th place for Ratzenberger in the Pacific GP. Simteks third race was the ill fated San Marino meeting at which Roland Ratzenberger was killed when his car failed to take a corner and smashed into a concrete wall.

The replacement driver Andrea Montermini failed to start a race for Simtek as he crashed heavily during the Spanish GP practice. THe team watched in disbelief as he left the track at 200 K.P.H. suffering two broken legs and concussion.

The season did improve for the team, and they managed a best finish of 9th in France with Jean-Marc Gounon at the wheel.

1995 saw the team compete in only five races. Both cars retired in Argentina, they managed 9th in Brazil (Schiattarella) and 12th and 15th in Spain.

After Monaco the Simtek team went into recievership with debts approaching 6 million UKP.

Life at the back of the grid has always been tough.

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