Manufacturer Era

Manufacturer Era
Increased spending was a notable occurrence during the Manufacturer Era, with each manufacturer throwing millions at their teams in an effort to win - Ferrari frequently came out on top. James James Davies, 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari 246 F1.
Category	Formula One
Year Start	1998
Year End	2009
Formula One eras
Previous era	Next era
Revolutionary Era	Two-Race Era

The Manufacturer Era is regarded by motorsport historians as the fifth era of Formula One, lasting from 1998 to 2009.

Overview

Date	Location	Description
8 March 1998	Template:AUS Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit	Mika Häkkinen takes the first win of the Manufacturer Era for McLaren.
12 March 2000	Template:AUS Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit	Car manufacturer BMW enter the sport for the first time since 1986, starting a works partnership with Williams. Ford also enter Formula One as a works team, buying out the Stewart outfit - indicating an increased manufacturer interest in the sport.
4 March 2001	Template:AUS Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit	Michelin and Pirelli re-enter the sport as tyre suppliers, beginning the tyre war that characterised this era.
3 March 2002	Template:AUS Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit	Renault and Toyota both field new works teams for this season, meaning for the first time a majority of the teams on the Formula One grid are either owned fully or significantly backed by a manufacturer.
20 October 2002	Suzuka Circuit	Michael Schumacher completes the most dominant single season campaign in the sport's history at that point, winning 12 of the season's 17 races.
8 June 2003	Template:FRA Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	The scheduled French Grand Prix was cancelled due to unpaid hosting fees, a sign of troubles to come.
3 August 2003	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	As a result of the FIA changing the tyre regulations mid-season, all Michelin-led teams boycott the Italian Grand Prix, leaving only the 6 Bridgestone and Pirelli teams participating in the event.
7 March 2004	Template:AUS Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit	The 2004 season gets underway but with a reduced 10-race calendar, as all European rounds with the exception of the Monaco and British Grands Prix are cancelled due to the sport boycotting them over a dispute regarding the European Arrest Warrant.
19 June 2005	Template:USA Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Safety issues with the Michelin tyres lead to all Michelin-shod teams and Minardi withdrawing from the race after the formation lap, with only the 4 Ferrari and Jordan cars participating in the race. Minardi are excluded from the championship afterwards.
13 September 2007	Template:FRA Paris	The FIA hands the McLaren team a record $200 million fine as a result of the Spygate scandal, as well as the team being disqualified from that year's constructor's championship and being docked 50 points from their totals in the following two seasons.
15 March 2009	Bahrain International Circuit	Honda withdraws their works team from Formula One in the off-season as a result of the financial crisis, signalling the beginning of the end of the Manufacturer Era.
31 May 2009	Template:TUR Istanbul Park	Brawn GP goes bankrupt and withdraws from the sport after this race, partially as a result of the FIA's unwillingness to facilitate their rescue plan.
22 November 2009	Yas Marina Circuit	The last race before the open-wheel split is held, with the AutoReject World Series being formed for 2010. Former Brawn driver Frank Zimmer spearheaded the split, the demise of his team having made him largely disillusioned with the FIA and their stewardship.