Rebaque

Team Rebaque was a Mexican Formula One constructor and entrant based in Leamington Spa, England. Founded by Mexican driver Héctor Rebaque, the team competed in Formula One between 1978 and 1979, initially running customer Lotus chassis before developing its own car, the Rebaque HR100.

Across two seasons, Team Rebaque entered 30 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, qualifying for 19 races and scoring one World Championship point. The team’s best result was a sixth-place finish at the 1978 German Grand Prix.

Nationality	Mexican
Base	Leamington Spa, UK
First entry	1978 Argentine Grand Prix
Races entered	30 (19 starts)
Engines	Ford Cosworth
Constructors’ Championships	0
Drivers’ Championships	0
Race victories	0 (best finish: 6th in the 1978 German Grand Prix)
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
Final entry	1979 United States Grand Prix

Origins

Héctor Rebaque made his Formula One debut with Hesketh in 1977, but after a difficult rookie season he found himself without a drive for the following year. Rather than stepping away from Grand Prix racing, the ambitious Mexican chose an unconventional solution—he established his own Formula One team.

Based in Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, Team Rebaque became one of the last true privateer operations in Formula One. Rebaque not only financed the project but also drove the team’s cars, making him both owner and driver. As of 2026, he remains the most recent owner-driver to compete on the Formula One World Championship grid.

Lotus Partnership

For its debut season in 1978, Team Rebaque reached an agreement with Team Lotus to purchase one of the previous year’s Lotus 78 chassis. The ground-effect car, designated JPS-15 by Lotus, gave the new team access to proven equipment despite its limited resources.

Rebaque entered the season with very little Formula One experience, having qualified for only one Grand Prix during his time with Hesketh. Unsurprisingly, the campaign proved challenging, but there were encouraging moments.

The highlight came at the German Grand Prix, where Rebaque finished sixth to score the team’s only Formula One World Championship point. Less happily, the season also produced one of Formula One’s more unusual retirements when he was forced to withdraw from the Brazilian Grand Prix after suffering from driver fatigue.

For 1979, Team Rebaque strengthened its relationship with Lotus by acquiring the championship-winning Lotus 79, allowing the team to continue using one of Formula One’s most successful ground-effect designs while work progressed on its own car.

The Rebaque HR100

Determined to become a genuine Formula One constructor, Rebaque commissioned Penske to build the team’s first original chassis.

The resulting HR100 was designed by Geoff Ferris, with input from future Formula One design legend John Barnard. Unsurprisingly, the car drew heavy inspiration from the dominant Lotus 79, while also incorporating elements of the Williams FW07, particularly around its sidepod design.

Completed in time for the 1979 Italian Grand Prix, the HR100 made its Formula One debut during the closing stages of the season. However, development time had been limited, and the new car struggled to be competitive. Across its three World Championship appearances, it either failed to qualify or retired before the finish.

Despite representing an important milestone in the team’s evolution from customer entrant to constructor, the HR100 arrived too late to reverse Team Rebaque’s fortunes.

Legacy

Financial constraints brought Team Rebaque’s Formula One programme to an end at the conclusion of the 1979 season. Héctor Rebaque returned to the grid midway through 1980 after securing a drive with Brabham, bringing his unique experiment as an owner-driver to a close.

Complete Formula One results

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1978	Lotus 78	Ford	G		ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	MON	BEL	ESP	SWE	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	USA	CAN	1	n/a*
				Héctor Rebaque	DNQ	Ret	10	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	12	DNQ	Ret	6	Ret	11	DNQ	Ret	DNQ
1979	Lotus 79	Ford	G		ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA		0	n/a**
				Héctor Rebaque	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret		12	9	Ret	DNQ	7
	Rebaque HR100																DNQ	Ret	DNQ		0	NC