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Name: BMW-Sauber

The history of the BMW F1 team starts with a man called Peter Sauber, who entered Formula One back in 1993 with a privateer outfit and who long resisted the lure of teaming up with a big manufacturer.

However, that changed in 2005 when the stoggy-smoking Swiss went one better and instead of entering a partnership, sold his team to the Munich manufacturer.

With the benefit of hindsight, the demise of one of the sport's most renowned privateer teams was inevitable.

Forever fighting an uphill battle with meagre resources, the team consistently punched above their weight. But, as with any boxer on the ropes, there was a limit to how much 'punishment' they could take.

The 2005 season, the team's last as a privateer outfit, was a disappointing affair which summed up the need for greater financial muscle.

With former world champion Jacques Villeneuve and Ferrari-bound Felipe Massa in the driving seats, Sauber had hoped for a repeat of their 2004 improvement. It didn't happen.

Villeneuve's arrival caused a few headaches: even before his first race the media questioned the wisdom of signing the French/Canadian, who'd only contested (and not very well at that) three grands prix the previous year.

His fourth place at the San Marino Grand Prix went some way towards silencing the critics and the press then left the Swiss team alone to get on with what was ultimately a mediocre campaign.

When Sauber's final grand prix as a F1 team boss ended in China, his squad was down in eighth place in the constructors' championship, having been overhauled by both Toyota and Red Bull.

The main event of 2005, though, was the sale of Sauber to BMW, who officially took over the reins on January 1st 2006.

BMW were quick to sign Nick Heidfeld, with whom they'd worked at Williams, although they were somewhat reluctant to honour Villeneuve's two-year Sauber deal. In the end they did.

With their two new German additions Sauber, now rebranded BMW-Sauber, began a process of steady improvement.

While Heidfeld brought speed, talent and relative youth to the mix, BMW had the financial backing and motor racing knowhow the team needed to move up the grid.

And move up they did - at least after a rocky start to the year.

BMW-Sauber failed to shine in the opening race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Villeneuve suffering an engine failure, and Heidfeld finishing a disappointing 12th.

However, they performed better in the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Villeneuve managing to finish seventh, thus earning BMW's first two points as a fully-fledged F1 team. Heidfeld, though, suffered his second engine failure of the season.

The German came back strongly in the Australian Grand Prix, finishing fourth while Villeneuve claimed sixth place.

As the season progressed, however, BMW-Sauber's rivals upped the ante and over the next nine races, Heidfeld and Villeneuve managed to score only ten points.

The nadir was reached in Germany, with both drivers crashing on the opening lap. A few laps later Villeneuve suffered a terminal off and although he walked away unhurt, he was dropped from the team in favour of test driver Robert Kubica.

The Pole's arrival sparked an upsurge in BMW-Sauber's performance, with Heidfeld claiming the team's maiden podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Kubica finished eighth, however, he was disqualified when his car was found to be underweight.

BMW-Sauber failed to score a point in the Turkish Grand Prix as the team struggled with a bad choice of Michelin tyres, while the next race, the Italian Grand Prix, saw the team score their second podium finish.

On this occasion it went to Kubica, the then 21-year-old finishing third in only his third grand prix.

Although Kubica didn't score again, Heidfeld claimed two additional points finishes to secure fifth place for BMW-Sauber in the constructors' championship.

In 2007, with Heidfeld and Kubica once again behind the wheel, the team emerged as 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari and McLaren and finished second in the constructors' championship after the latter outfit were excluded for spying.

BMW-Sauber translated impressive form in pre-season testing into results and points throughout the season, with their F1.07 car displaying the requisite pace and reliability.

The team suffered only six retirements during 2007, of which five were due to either engine or mechanical failures. It was an impressive reliability record for the still-growing team.

Two podium finishes for Heidfeld, which included a second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, were further indications that BMW-Sauber had become a force in Formula One.

In 2008 the team retains the same driver line-up, and although victories may still be a season away, BMW-Sauber are clearly on the road to F1 success.