The book I read to research this post was Formula One Racing for Dummies by Jonathan Noble et al which is a very good book which I borrowed from the library. About 30 years ago it was possible to get a sponsor who was probably a wealthy businessman to sponsor a team for a few million dollars which was enough to get them through a season. In them days a team would comprise of 15-25 members & their place of work wouldn't be that different to where you get your car serviced. Since then the sums have grown exponentially. The racing teams have clubbed together under Bernie Eccleston so they can get much better sponsorship deals. At the time this book came out 2003 it cost $50 million to get prominent sponsorship advert on a car. Apparently Red Bull the energy drink company were taking a different route & getting a racetrack named after the company. Also now a typical team comprises 600 members & will have a dedicated research & testing centre which will cost many millions. In fact in 2003 each race cost several millions & that is set to grow a lot. A racing team will typically not make everything themselves & will subcontract a lot of the work. Sometimes if you join a drivers fan club the research & testing centre will have an open day for members only. In the USA they are used to motorsport meetings being called off by rain & the general public are fascinated by the fact that Formula One Races usually continue when it's raining. Michael Schumacher is probably the greatest Formula One driver of all time & holds many records. Some people think that Ayrton Senna was greater but he died in an accident whilst at his peak so we will never know how much he would have acheived.