Editing Formula One (section)

===Big business===
Beginning in the 1970s, [[Bernie Ecclestone]] rearranged the management of Formula One's commercial rights; he is widely credited with transforming the sport into the multi-billion dollar business it now is.<ref name="guardian280397">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Williams|title=The Formula for Striking It Rich|work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian Newspapers |date=28 March 1997}}</ref><ref name="mrformula">{{cite news |date=13 March 1997 |title=Mr Formula One |page=72 |newspaper=The Economist |publisher=Economist Newspapers |url=https://www.economist.com/business/1997/03/13/mr-formula-one |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231014115131/https://www.economist.com/business/1997/03/13/mr-formula-one |archive-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> When Ecclestone bought the Brabham team during 1971, he gained a seat on the [[Formula One Constructors' Association]], and in 1978, he became its president.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bernie Ecclestone timeline|url=http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/32358.html|access-date=18 January 2022|website=ESPN UK|language=en|archive-date=17 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817112028/http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/32358.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, the circuit owners controlled the income of the teams and negotiated with each individually; Ecclestone persuaded the teams to "hunt as a pack" through FOCA.<ref name="mrformula"/> He offered Formula One to circuit owners as a package they could take or leave. In return for the package, almost all that was required was to surrender trackside advertising.<ref name="guardian280397"/>

The formation of the [[Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile]] (FISA) in 1979 set off the [[FISA–FOCA war]], during which FISA and its president [[Jean-Marie Balestre]] argued repeatedly with FOCA over television revenues and technical regulations.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Blunsden |title=Filling Balestre's shoes is no job for a back-seat driver |work=Financial Times|date=20 December 1986}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' said that Ecclestone and [[Max Mosley]] "used [FOCA] to wage a guerrilla war with a very long-term aim in view". FOCA threatened to establish a rival series and boycotted a Grand Prix, and FISA withdrew its sanction from races.<ref name="guardian280397"/> The result was the 1981 [[Concorde Agreement]], which guaranteed technical stability, as teams were to be given reasonable notice of new regulations.<ref>Roebuck, Nigel "Power struggles and techno wars" Sunday Times 7 March 1993</ref> Although FISA asserted its right to the TV revenues, it gave FOCA the administration of those rights.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Racing Analyst |url=http://www.allinsport.ch/allinsport-opinion/the-fisa-foca-war/ |title=The FISA-FOCA War &#124; Allinsport |publisher=Allinsport.ch |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=13 October 2015 |archive-date=12 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712233304/http://www.allinsport.ch/allinsport-opinion/the-fisa-foca-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

FISA imposed a ban on [[Ground effect (cars)|ground-effect aerodynamics]] during {{F1|1983}}.<ref>{{cite news |first=Maurice|last=Hamilton|title=Pros and cons of being just Williams; A quiet achiever keeps his head down as the new season gets under way with familiar high anxiety and a squealing over brakes |work=The Observer |publisher=Guardian Newspapers|date=8 March 1998}}</ref> But by then, [[turbocharged]] engines, which [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] had pioneered in {{F1|1977}}, were producing over {{cvt|700|bhp|kW|disp=flip}} and were essential to be competitive. By {{F1|1986}}, a BMW turbocharged engine achieved a flash reading of {{cvt|5.5|bar|psi}} pressure, estimated{{who|date=January 2023}} to be over {{cvt|1300|bhp|kW|disp=flip}} in qualifying for the {{F1 GP|1986|Italian}}. The next year, power in race trim reached around {{cvt|1100|bhp|kW|disp=flip}}, with boost pressure limited to only 4.0&nbsp;bar.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bamsey |first=Ian |title=The 1000 BHP Grand Prix cars |author2=Benzing, Enrico |author3=Stanniforth, Allan |author4=Lawrence, Mike |publisher=Guild Publishing |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-85429-617-0 |pages=8–9}} BMW's performance at the Italian GP is the highest qualifying figure given in Bamsey. The figure is from [[Heini Mader]], who maintained the engines for the [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] team, though maximum power figures from this period were necessarily estimates; BMW's [[dynamometer]], for example, was only capable of measuring up to {{cvt|1100|bhp|kW|disp=flip}}. Figures higher than this are estimated from engine plenum pressure readings. Power in race trim at that time was lower than for qualifying due to the need for greater reliability and fuel efficiency during the race.</ref> These cars were the most powerful [[open-wheel]] circuit racing cars ever. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in {{F1|1984}}, and [[Turbocharger|boost]] pressures in {{F1|1988}}, before banning turbocharged engines completely in {{F1|1989}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=The technology behind Formula One racing cars|work=[[The Press]]|publisher=The Christchurch Press Company|quote=rivalling the 1200hp turbocharged monsters that eventually had to be banned in 1989|date=26 December 2005}}</ref>

The development of electronic driver aids began in the 1980s. Lotus began to develop a system of [[active suspension]], which first appeared during 1983 on the [[Lotus 92]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Active suspension|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-2001/69/active-suspension|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Motor Sport Magazine|date=7 July 2014|language=en-GB|archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105152745/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-2001/69/active-suspension|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1987, this system had been perfected and was driven to victory by [[Ayrton Senna]] in the [[1987 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] that year. In the early 1990s, other teams followed suit and [[semi-automatic gearboxes]] and [[traction control]] were a natural progression. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining races' outcomes more than driver skill, banned many such aids for the {{F1|1994}} season. This resulted in cars that previously depended on electronic aids becoming very "twitchy" and difficult to drive. Observers felt the ban on driver aids was in name only, as they "proved difficult to police effectively".<ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Baldwin|title=F1 Plans Return of Traction Control|work=The Independent|publisher=Newspaper Publishing|date=17 February 2001}}</ref>

The teams signed a second [[Concorde Agreement]] in 1992 and a third in 1997.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftjs031.html| title = Who owns what in F1 these days?| access-date =17 November 2007| publisher=Grandprix.com| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070312003448/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftjs031.html| archive-date = 12 March 2007 }}</ref>
[[File:1985 European GP Stefan Johansson 01.jpg|thumb|[[Stefan Johansson]] driving for [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] at the [[1985 European Grand Prix]]]]
On the track, the [[McLaren]] and [[Williams Racing|Williams]] teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Brabham was also competitive during the early 1980s, winning two Drivers' Championships with [[Nelson Piquet]]. Powered by [[Porsche in Formula One|Porsche]], [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]], and [[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes-Benz]], McLaren won 16 championships (seven constructors' and nine drivers') in that period, while Williams used engines from [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], Honda, and [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] to also win 16 titles (nine constructors' and seven drivers'). The rivalry between racers [[Ayrton Senna]] and [[Alain Prost]] became F1's central focus during {{F1|1988}} and continued until Prost retired at the end of {{F1|1993}}. Senna [[Death of Ayrton Senna|died]] at the [[1994 San Marino Grand Prix]] after crashing into a wall on the exit of the notorious curve [[Tamburello (corner)|Tamburello]]. The FIA worked to improve the sport's safety standards since that weekend, during which [[Roland Ratzenberger]] also died in an accident during Saturday qualifying. No driver died of injuries sustained on the track at the wheel of a Formula One car for 20 years until the [[2014 Japanese Grand Prix]], where [[Jules Bianchi]] collided with a recovery vehicle after [[aquaplaning]] off the circuit, dying nine months later from his injuries. Since 1994, three track marshals have died, one at the [[2000 Italian Grand Prix]],<ref name=MarshallDeaths2000s>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/1203620.stm |title = F1's pressing safety question |access-date = 26 December 2007 |work = BBC News |date = 5 March 2001 |archive-date = 1 March 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090301162432/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/1203620.stm |url-status = live }}</ref> one at the [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]]<ref name=MarshallDeaths2000s/> and one at the [[2013 Canadian Grand Prix]].

Since Senna's and Ratzenberger's deaths, the FIA has used safety as a reason to impose rule changes that otherwise, under the Concorde Agreement, would have had to be agreed upon by all the teams—most notably the changes introduced for {{F1|1998}}. This so-called 'narrow track' era resulted in cars with smaller rear tyres, a narrower track overall, and the introduction of grooved tyres to reduce mechanical grip. The objective was to reduce cornering speeds and produce racing similar to rainy conditions by enforcing a smaller [[contact patch]] between tyre and track. According to the FIA, this was to reduce cornering speeds in the interest of safety.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mosley's Equations | website=Formula 1 Dictionary | date=20 May 2019 | url=http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/mosley_equations.html | access-date=2 September 2019 | archive-date=15 September 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915195546/http://formula1-dictionary.net/mosley_equations.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Damon Hill 1995-2.jpg|thumb|[[Damon Hill]] driving for [[Williams Racing|Williams]] at the [[1995 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]
Results were mixed, as the lack of mechanical grip resulted in the more ingenious designers clawing back the deficit with aerodynamic grip. This resulted in pushing more force onto the tyres through wings and aerodynamic devices, which in turn resulted in less overtaking, as these devices tended to make the wake behind the car turbulent or 'dirty'. This prevented other cars from following closely due to their dependence on 'clean' air to make the car stick to the track. The grooved tyres also had the unfortunate side effect of initially being of a harder compound to be able to hold the grooved tread blocks, which resulted in spectacular accidents in times of aerodynamic grip failure, as the harder compound could not grip the track as well.

Drivers from [[McLaren]], [[Williams Racing|Williams]], [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] (formerly [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]), and [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], dubbed the "Big Four", won every [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Championship]] from {{F1|1984}} to {{F1|2008}}. The teams won every [[List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions|Constructors' Championship]] from {{F1|1979}} to {{F1|2008}}, as well as placing themselves as the top four teams in the Constructors' Championship in every season between {{F1|1989}} and {{F1|1997}}, and winning every race but one (the [[1996 Monaco Grand Prix]]) between {{F1|1988}} and {{F1|1997}}. Due to the technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One increased dramatically, thus increasing financial burdens. This, combined with the dominance of four teams (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive but to stay in business. This effectively forced several teams to withdraw.