Is there any formula to choosing the winning F1 team?

When Michael Schuhmacher was racing, it was easy to pick the winner. But what about now? To choose the right team, we need to understand what F1 is all about. Here is my introduction to F1:

Formula One is the highest class of open wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The sport is regulated by the FIA. Formula One's commercial rights are vested in the Formula One Group.

The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all racers and cars must conform. The Formula One world championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases like Singapore Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix on closed city streets. The results of each F1 race are combined to determine 2 annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.

The F1 cars race at high speeds, up to 400 km/h, and are capable of pulling up to 5g in some corners. The performance of the cars is highly dependent on electronics, aerodynamics, suspension and tyres. The formula has seen many evolutions and changes through the history of the sport.

Formula One's traditional centre is Europe. All of the teams are based there and around half the races take place there.

United Kingdom has produced the most number of Drivers' Champions (12), and the vast majority of Constructors' Champions (32).

However, Grands Prix are now held all over the world. Events in Europe and the Americas have been dropped in favour of new ones in Bahrain, China, Malaysia, Turkey, Singapore and India. Of the 18 races in 2008, 9 are outside Europe.

It is a massive television event, with millions of people watching each race worldwide. As the world's most expensive sport, its economic effect is significant, and its financial and political battles are widely observed.

On average about 60 million people all over the world watch F1 races live. Its high profile and popularity makes it an obvious merchandising environment, which leads to very high investments from sponsors, translating into extremely high budgets for the constructor teams. Several teams have gone bankrupt or been bought out by other companies since 2000.