Iberia Airlines F1 was a Formula One team founded by the team's sole driver Emilio de Villota. The team competed in races during the 1977 Formula One Season using a McLaren M23, although de Villota failed to qualify for all but two races.
Background[]
Emilio de Villota began racing on the international level in the early 1970s racing in touring cars.
In 1976, he began exploring open-wheel racing by entering the Shellsport G8 International Series, a Formula Libre series in the UK that featured Formula One, Formula Two, Formula 5000, and Formula Atlantic cars.
Later that same year, he purchased a Brabham BT44B to compete in the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix under RAM Racing, although he failed to qualify for the event. Despite this, de Villota began work on a project.
Prior to Formula One[]
Using his connections as a pilot and his business knowledge, Emilio de Villota approached the Spanish airline Iberia Airlines regarding a title sponsorship deal for a new motorsport venture. They agreed and he began competing under the Iberia Airlines name in the Shellsport G8 International Series in 1977.
Using an F1-spec Lyncar 006, he won the season opening race at Mallory Park, also recording the fastest lap of the race. Unfortunately, the next three races were less successful, with de Villota failing to finish the next race at Snetterton and then failing to start the two races that followed.
Formula One World Championship[]
After the fourth round of the 1977 Shellsport G8 International Series, the team acquired a McLaren M23 and abandoned full-time competition in the series in favour of Formula One. The small team made their Formula One debut at the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix where de Villota finished 5 laps behind the leader in 13th position.
Further qualifying attempts in Belgium, Sweden, Britain, and Germany where unsuccessful, with the team often finishing near the top of the non-qualifiers.
The team made it's final Formula One start at the Austrian Grand Prix. Emilio de Villota was classified in 17th position, despite crashing out of the race in the closing stages.
The team's final attempt to qualify for the Italian Grand Prix was also unsuccessful. As this was the last of the European rounds of the season, this marked the end of the team's F1 campaign.
After Formula One[]
While racing in Formula One, the team also used their McLaren M23 to compete in some rounds of the 1977 Shellsport G8 International Series. In his first showing using the new car, de Villota again won a race at Mallory Park, repeating his success from the start of the season.
The team opted not to enter in the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix, instead entering a Shellsport race at Brands Hatch. This was a very successful decision for the team, as de Villota won the race.
After a third place finish at a race at Snetterton, de Villota acquired a McLaren M25 and participated in one final Shellsport race under the Iberia Airlines team name. He was unable to complete the race distance.
At the end of the year, the team was rebranded to Centro Asegurador as the Iberia Airlines sponsorship deal came to an end.
F1 Summary[]
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | Drivers | Rounds | WCC Pts | WCC Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Iberia Airlines F1 | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G |  Emilio de Villota
|
5, 7-8, 10-12, 14 | 0 | NC |
Statistics[]
| Entries | 7 |
| Starts | 2 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 120 |
| Distance Raced | 535.38 |
Complete Formula One Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Entrant | Constructor | 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 | 
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| Iberia Airlines F1 |  McLaren-Ford
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McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | 36 | de Villota
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13th | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 17th | DNQ | 0 | NC | ||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | 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) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
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