Greatest Formula 1 Cars: 41-45

Today we look at cars 41-45 on our list of the 50 greatest Formula 1 cars. If you missed the first part of the list, you can check it out here.

45. Williams FW19

Years Used: 1997

Wins: 8

Championships: 1997 Drivers' & Constructors'

The Williams FW19 was the challenger used by the team for 1997 season and was to be the last Williams that used the highly successful factory Renault engine of the 1990s. The team was coming off of a dominant 1996 season but had replaced World Champion Damon Hill with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and also retained second year driver Jacques Villeneuve. The raw pace of the car was obvious from the start of the year as the car was consistently at the front of the grid in qualifying but Williams tended to run into problems on race day. In the first seven races of the year, Villeneuve won three but retired from four and Frentzen scored a win and a fourth place finish for his only other points. The team was a bit more consistent on race day for the second half of the season as Villeneuve won four more races and Frentzen was able to end the season with six consecutive point finishes five of which were on the podium. Williams was fighting off a tough challenge from Michael Schumacher and Ferrari as Villeneuve was disqualified from the second to last race in Japan which gave Schumacher a one point lead heading into the last race in Jerez. Schumacher led the early stages of this race but on lap 48 Villeneuve attempted to pass Schumacher for the lead which led to a collision which took Schumacher out of the race. Villeneuve finished third in the race but it was enough points for him t take the championship. Schumacher was disqualified from the championship due to the collision which gave Williams a first and second place finish and they also took the Constructors' Championship for the year.

44. Ferrari F2007

Years Used 2007

Wins: 9

Championships: 2007 Drivers' & Constructors"

The Ferrari F2007 started a new era for Ferrari as Michael Schumacher entered his first retirement from the sport following the previous season and he was replaced by Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen. The team retained Felipe Massa from 2006. The season started off promising in Australia for Raikkonen as he qualified on pole and then won in his first race for Ferrari only giving up the lead during pit stops. After McLaren won in Malaysia, Massa came back to win the next two races in Bahrain and Spain. Ferrari couldn't match McLaren over the next three races but came back strong with a 1-2 finish in France and the another win for Raikkonen at the British Grand Prix. After a fairly even fight with McLaren throughout the season, the McLaren drivers of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were first and second in the Drivers' Championship with two races to go. Raikkonen who was Ferrari's leading contender was 17 points behind fought back and won the Chinese Grand Prix and an error by Hamilton entering the pits caused him to score no points. Raikkonen again won in Brazil and Massa finished second while Alonso finished third and Hamilton could only manage a seventh place finish after having technical issues to allow Raikkonen enough points to complete his championship comeback. Also, since McLaren lost all of its Constructors' points following a scandal in which they had confidential information about the Ferrari car, Ferrari was able to also win the Constructors' Championship for the season as well.

43.Red Bull RB8

Years Used: 2008

Wins: 7

Championships 2012 Drivers' & Constructors'

The RB8 was designed by Red Bull as its contender for the 2012 championship after the team had won the Constructors' Championship the previous two seasons and Sebastian Vettel had won the Drivers' Championship as well. As the season started off in Australia, Red Bull did not have a strong pace advantage over the field as they did the last two years. Vettel still managed to finish second in the race but the team did not get another podium for t he next two races. In the fourth race in Bahrain Vettel scored Red Bull's first win of the year while Mark Webber finished in his fourth straight fourth place finish. Red Bull struggled in Spain and then in Monaco Webber won and Red Bull became the first team to win its second race during the season. Webber scored another win at Silverstone passing Fernando Alonso for the win in the closing stages of the race and Vettel finished third which would be Red Bull's last podiums before the summer break. Red Bull came back from the summer break with a second place for Vettel at Belgium and a double retirement in Italy but starting in Singapore Vettel went on a string of four consecutive wins. This string of results combined with an Alonso retirement in Japan gave Vettel a 13 point championship lead heading into the final three races. In Abu Dhabi Vettel set the third fastest time in Q3 but was sent to the back of the grid because he did not have enough fuel in his car to take a sample. Vettel rebounded from this and finished third in the race and then followed that with a second place finish at the US Grand Prix which set him up for a title showdown with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Vettel spun on the first lap in Brazil but in a race with mixed conditions came back through the field to finish in sixth which was enough for him to take the championship by three points. Vettel winning the Drivers' Championship combined with Webber scoring consistent points throughout the year led Red Bull to its third straight Constructors Championship as well.

42. Matra MS80

Years Used: 1969

Wins: 5

Championships: 1969 Drivers' & Constructors'

Matra entered Formula 1 for the first time in 1967 and was already winning races in 1968. By 1969, the team was ready to challenge for titles and they did not disappoint. The MS80 was built in a time when Formula 1 was changing and designers were starting to install aerodynamic principles into their cars. The MS80 was among the first group of Formula 1 cars that had been built with wings. Matra entered the season opening 1969 South African Grand Prix with the previous MS10 which driver Jackie Stewart won and then debuted the MS80 and the following Spanish Grand Prix. Jackie Stewart dominated this race by winning over two laps from his nearest challenger while team mate Jean-Pierre Beltoise finished in third. Following a double retirement at the Monaco Grand Prix, Jackie Stewart went on to win the next three races at The Netherlands, France, and Great Britain. Beltoise also picked up a second place at the French Grand Prix which gave the team a 1-2 finish at its home grand prix. Following a strong second place from Stewart at the German Grand Prix, the team scored another win at the Italian Grand Prix with Beltoise finishing third. The team did not finish on the podium for any of the last three races but enough work had already been done as Jackie Stewart won the Drivers' Championship and the team clinched the Constructors' Championship over Brabham. This was the first time a French manufacture won both championships and also remains to be the only car besides a Ferrari that won a Formula 1 Constructors' Championship built outside of Great Britain.

41: Renault R26

Years Used: 2006

Wins: 8

Championships: 2006 Drivers' & Championships'

The Renault R26 was Renault's challenger which led them into the new V8 era and it was trying to defend a Drivers' Championship by Fernando Alonso and a Constructors' Championship from the previous season. The team started off the year extremely strong as Fernando Alonso finished either first or second in the first nine races of the year and the team won the first three races. Alonso won in Bahrain and Australia while Giancarlo Fisichella took his only victory of the season in Malaysia. After two second places, Alonso won the following four races but then the team seemed to lose some pace in their car. Before the German Grand Prix, the team's mass damper system had been banned which really hurt the team. Renault still had the second fastest car but it was clear that Ferrari was faster and quickly closing up in the championship. The team went seven races without a win in which Ferrari won six of those races and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher got even in the Drivers' Championship with just two races to go. In Japan, Schumacher was leading again but an engine failure allowed Alonso to come through to victory and take a ten point lead into the final race. Alonso finished second in Brazil which was enough for him to take the Drivers' Title and the team had secured enough points to win the Constructors' Title over Ferrari.

How do you feel about these ranking? Do you think some of these cars should be ranked higher or lower on the list? Feel free to discuss your opinion in the comments section below. Also don't forget to check back next Tuesday for the next five cars on the list.