Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör (ATS)[]

Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör, commonly known as ATS, was a German Formula One constructor and wheel manufacturer that competed in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 1977 to 1984. The team was founded by Günter Schmid, a German businessman and owner of the ATS alloy wheel company. Despite entering over 80 Grands Prix, the team struggled to achieve success, with limited resources and frequent managerial instability.

Background[]

ATS originated as a manufacturer of lightweight alloy wheels for road and competition cars. Its founder, Günter Schmid, was a flamboyant and controversial figure in motorsport, known for his hands-on but erratic management style. Driven by a desire to promote his company and compete at the highest level of motorsport, Schmid launched ATS as a Formula One constructor in 1977.

Formula One History[]

1977: Debut Season[]

ATS made its Formula One debut in 1977 by purchasing the remaining assets of the Penske F1 team after its withdrawal from the sport. The team entered a modified Penske PC4 chassis for German driver Hans Heyer and Jean-Pierre Jarier, but the team only managed sporadic appearances and limited success.

Heyer's infamous entry at the 1977 German Grand Prix—where he started the race illegally without qualifying—became one of the most bizarre episodes in F1 history.

1978–1980: Establishing the Team[]

ATS transitioned to building its own cars from 1978, with the ATS HS1 designed by Robin Herd and later further developments. Drivers included Jochen Mass, Keke Rosberg, and Jan Lammers, though the cars remained uncompetitive.

The team’s management was notoriously unstable, with frequent driver changes, technical staff turnovers, and financial uncertainty.

Despite this, in 1980, ATS scored its first and only point when Marc Surer finished 6th at the United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach.

1981–1982: Growth and Promise[]

ATS introduced increasingly ambitious designs, including turbocharging development and composite chassis. Notable drivers during this period included Manfred Winkelhock, Slim Borgudd, and Eliseo Salazar. However, reliability issues and continuing management instability hindered consistent progress.

1983–1984: The Final Years[]

ATS showed flashes of promise in 1983 with the D6 chassis designed by Gustav Brunner, and German driver Manfred Winkelhock frequently ran in the midfield. However, the team remained underfunded and could not compete with larger outfits.

In 1984, ATS launched the D7, which featured a BMW turbocharged engine, making it the only German team using a German engine at the time. Despite this patriotic combination, results remained poor due to technical issues and lack of development. Winkelhock continued to drive but failed to score points.

After continued struggles and increasing tensions within the team, ATS withdrew from Formula One at the end of the 1984 season. Günter Schmid later attempted a return to F1 with the Rial team in 1988.

Legacy[]

Despite limited on-track success, ATS remains notable for being the only German F1 team of its era, and for fostering the careers of drivers like Keke Rosberg, Marc Surer, and Manfred Winkelhock.

Its successor team, Rial Racing, formed by Günter Schmid after a short hiatus, adopted a similar approach and briefly competed in F1 from 1988 to 1989.

ATS also left a lasting impact as a manufacturer of lightweight racing wheels, a business that continued after the team’s closure.

Formula One Record[]

Team Names[]

Years	Name
1977–1978	ATS Racing Team
1978	F&S Properties/ATS Racing Team
1979	ATS Wheels
1980–1984	Team ATS

Formula One Summary[]

As Entry[]

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds
1977	Penske PC4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	33	Harald Ertl	12, 14
				34	Jean-Pierre Jarier	4–14
				35	Hans Heyer	11
				35	Harald Ertl	13

As Works[]

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds	WCC Points	WCC Pos.	Report
1978	HS1 D1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Jochen Mass	1–13	0	NC	Report
				9	Michael Bleekemolen	14–16
				10	Michael Bleekemolen	13
					Jean-Pierre Jarier	1–5, 11
					Alberto Colombo	6–7
					Keke Rosberg	8–10, 15–16
					Hans Binder	12
					Harald Ertl	14
1979	D2 D3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	All	2	11th	Report
1980	D3 D4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Marc Surer	1–3, 7–14	0	NC	Report
				9	Jan Lammers	4–6
				10	Jan Lammers	1–3
				10	Harald Ertl	9
1981	D4 HGS1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	A M	9	Jan Lammers	1–4	1	13th	Report
				9	Slim Borgudd	5, 7–15
				10	Slim Borgudd	4, 6
1982	D5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	A M	9	Manfred Winkelhock	All	4	11th	Report
1982	D5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	A M	10	Eliseo Salazar	All	4	11th	Report
1983	D6	BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t	G	9	Manfred Winkelhock	All	0	NC	Report
1984	D7	BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t	P	14	Manfred Winkelhock	1–14	0	NC	Report
				14	Gerhard Berger	16
				31	Gerhard Berger	12, 14–15

Complete Formula One Results[]

Complete Formula One Results
Car	Engine	Tyre	No.	Driver	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Pts.	Pos.
1977
Penske PC4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	33	Binder												12th		DNQ				—
			34	Jarier				6th	DNQ	11th	11th	8th	Ret	9th	Ret	14th	Ret	Ret
			35	Heyer											DSQ*
			35	Binder													8th
1978
HS1 D1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Stuck	11th	7th	Ret	Ret	DNQ	11th	9th	13th	13th	NC	Ret	DNQ	DNQ					0	NC
			9	Bleekemolen														DNQ	Ret	DNQ
			10	Bleekemolen													DNQ
				Jarier	12th	DNS	8th	11th	DNQ						DNQ
				Colombo						DNQ	DNQ
				Rosberg								15th	16th	Ret					Ret	NC
				Binder												DNQ
				Ertl														DNQ
1979
D2	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Stuck	DNQ	Ret	Ret	DSQ	14th	8th	Ret	DNS	DNQ	Ret								2	11th
D3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Stuck											Ret	Ret	11th	Ret	5th			2	11th
1980
D3 D4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Surer	Ret	7th	DNS	INJ	INJ	INJ	Ret	Ret	12th	12th	10th	Ret	DNQ	8th				0	NC
			9	Lammers				Ret	12th	NC
			10	Lammers	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
			10	Ertl									DNQ
1981
D4 HGS1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	A M	9	Lammers	Ret	DNQ	12th	DNQ														1	13th
			9	Borgudd					DNQ		DNQ	DNQ	6th	Ret	Ret	10th	Ret	Ret	DNQ
			10	Borgudd				13th		DNPQ
1982
D5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Winkelhock	10th	5th	Ret	DSQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNQ	12th	DNQ	11th	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNQ	NC		4	11th
D5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	10	Salazar	9th	Ret	Ret	5th	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	13th	DNQ	Ret	Ret	DNQ	14th	9th	DNQ		4	11th
1981
D6	BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t	G	9	Winkelhock	15th	Ret	Ret	11th	Ret	Ret	Ret	9th	Ret	DNQ	Ret	DSQ	Ret	9th	Ret			0	NC
1984
D7	BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t	P	14	Winkelhock	EXC	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	8th	Ret	8th	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS				0	NC
			14	Berger																13th
			31	Berger												12th		6th	Ret

Key
Symbol	Meaning	Symbol	Meaning
1st	Winner	Ret	Retired
2nd	Podium finish	DSQ	Disqualified
3rd	Podium finish	DNQ	Did not qualify
5th	Points finish	DNPQ	Did not pre-qualify
14th	Non-points finish	TD	Test driver
Italics	Fastest Lap	DNS	Did not start
18th^†	Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance)	NC	Non-classified finish (<90% race distance)
4th^P	Qualified for pole position	[+] More Symbols

* Heyer took part of the race illegally despite failing to qualify.