Teams from the past: The Dutch Spyker F1 Team

This weekend the Dutch Grand Prix was on the schedule, but as everyone knows that is not possible now. However, that gives us reason to look back at a Formula 1 team from the past. This time with a Dutch undertone: Spyker! A team that was only active in one Formula one season.

Old brand

Spyker is a company that was founded in 1880 and over 140 years has had to deal mainly with takeovers and bankruptcies. Nevertheless, the company also has several highlights in its history, but these are from a long time ago. A lot has happened to Spyker in the past twenty years and not everything has been equally positive.

Nevertheless, it is and remains a special sensation: a Dutch team in Formula 1. This happened in 2006, when Spyker took over Midland F1 Racing halfway through the season. In 2006 the team completed the remaining races under the name 'Spyker MF1', with the reference to Midland in 'MF1'.

After this season it was officially finished with Midland and the team continued under the name Spyker F1. This all came about because Michiel Mol led a group of investors who bought in at Spyker Cars. That offered the opportunity to make the step to Formula 1 and so there was the birth of a new Dutch team.

With the Dutch roots of course a Dutch driver could not be missed. At that time Jos Verstappen had already stopped in the pinnacle of autosport, but Christijan Albers had just finished two seasons there. A logical choice to go for him. All the more because Albers already drove for the Midland F1 Team in 2006, so he just stayed in place.

Short cooperation

However, the collaboration with Christijan Albers was not very successful. In his nine races for Spyker F1 he didn't manage to score any points. The collaboration also ended after these nine races due to the lack of a sponsor payment. One-time Markus Winkelhock replaced Albers and the 2007 season was then completed by Sakon Yamamoto.

Adrian Sutil drove the other car and he finished the whole season with one place in the top ten. In Japan the German driver managed to finish ninth, but due to a penalty for Liuzzi Sutil moved on to eighth place. The best result for the team ever. Also because the team was sold again at the end of 2007.

The final result was only one point, so the team dangled at the bottom of the rankings in tenth place.

End of the adventure

So the adventure in Formula 1 didn't last long for Spyker. The team was taken over by a well-known name: Vijay Mallya. An Indian who renamed the team to Force India and continued at the base of Midland and Spyker. Force India nowadays is no longer part of Formula 1, as Mallya was forced to sell it. This because of his extradition to India where he was suspected of fraud.

The former Force India has of course been called Racing Point since 2019, with Lawrence Stroll being the primary financier behind the scenes. The ambition to compete at the top of Formula 1 is clear with a substantial injection of money into the team, but we'll see if that's enough as soon as the season starts.

Spyker may have long since disappeared from Formula 1, but it will return as a short-lived team in the colourful history of today's Racing Point.