It took quite an effort for a new team to piss off both the FIA and every other team in just a few weeks but the charmless Craig Pollock proved equal to the task when he launched BAR in 1999. The FIA took exception to the team's attempts to field its cars in two different liveries and then to paint them both with different liveries on each side and a zip down the middle. The other teams' hackles rose at BAR's pre-season predictions of just what an incredible debut season they were about to have.

From a certain point of view, they were right: Jacques Villeneuve recorded 11 straight DNFs and the team failed to score a single point all year.

It wasn't until both Pollock and Villeneuve were sacked that BAR's fortunes changed, with new team principal David Richards (who actually had (a) a clue about running a racing team and (2) some charisma) steering them to second place in the constructor's championship in 2004. Richards' inexplicable removal was followed by a lacklustre 2005, which proved to be the team's last before Honda, already a major shareholder, stumped up for the rest of the team's equity and did everyone a favour. BAR RIP.