Team story
Origins
The Silverstone organisation established as Jordan passed from Midland to Spyker, taking on the Dutch banner for the 2007 season. Adrian Sutil made his debut alongside Christijan Albers in the Ferrari-powered F8-VII. The orange colour made the ownership change visible, but the team inherited a technical and organisational base already competing in the championship.
The Formula 1 journey
The European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring provided an exceptional episode: Markus Winkelhock, brought in after Albers, started last and, thanks to an early choice of wet-weather tyres, led for six laps before retiring. It was his only Grand Prix. At Fuji, Sutil secured eighth place and the season’s only point, in another race shaped by bad weather.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Spyker
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Australian Grand Prix
Adrian Sutil · Australian Grand Prix 2007. The recorded position is P17; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Japanese Grand Prix
Adrian Sutil · Japanese Grand Prix 2007. The recorded position is P8; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Brazilian Grand Prix
Sakon Yamamoto · Brazilian Grand Prix 2007. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The F8-VIIB introduced during the year was a development of the first car, not a second team. The programme also involved Sakon Yamamoto, who contested the final seven races alongside Sutil. Changes in the cockpit and the brief appearance in the lead do not indicate sustained competitiveness: in most events Spyker remained towards the back.
What remains
Vijay Mallya’s purchase brought the Force India name in 2008. Spyker therefore had just one World Championship season as a constructor, separate both from the preceding Jordan and Midland identities and from the English factory’s continuation. Winkelhock leaves a strategic episode and Sutil a points-scoring result: two different achievements, neither of them a Spyker podium.