With over a month gone since the end of the 2003 season and over three months left before the 2004 season begins, the countdown to the Australian Grand Prix is running strong. However, this is Formula One, and behind every number there is always a story - so every day until the race in Melbourne, Atlas F1 will bring the numbers and the story behind them... Don't forget to check this page for a new addition every day!

Ukyo Katayama began his career in the 1992 South African Grand Prix driving for the Venturi team. His first year in Formula One didn't bring him much success. Two ninth places in the Brazilian and Italian Grands Prix were the highlights of his year. For the 1993 season Katayama moved to the Tyrrell team. His second year in Formula One was possibly even worse than his first year. Although he managed to qualify for all the races, his best finish was no higher than tenth in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

1994 bought new luck to Katayama. In the first race of the year he scored his first two points of his career. Later in the year he would score another 2 points in the dramatic San Marino weekend and one more point in the British Grand Prix. Other highlights of the year included a fifth qualifying position during both the German and Hungarian Grands Prix and a sixth place on the grid in the Portuguese Grand Prix.

The 1995 season wasn't very successful. Katayama finished only four out of 16 races. Lowlight of the year was a crash at the start of the Portugese Grand Prix. Katayama drove into the back of Luca Badoer and was launched into the air. One race later he was back. After another pointless year for Katayama at Tyrrell he moved to the Italian Minardi team for the 1997 season. At the end of that year, Katayama announced his retirement after he had driven 94 races for three different teams.

Patrick Depailler started a Grand Prix twice for Tyrrell in 1972 and would have done the same in the next season if it weren't for a broken leg in a motorcycle accident. In 1974 he got the full time job, though, replacing Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert, alongside Jody Scheckter. The highlight of the season was his second place in Sweden, behind Scheckter.

In 1975 Depailler continued in similar fashion, scoring another podium in South Africa. In 1976 things went very well, helped by the arrival of the now legendary Tyrell P34 six wheeler. Seven podium finishes were Depailler's part, but none of them were wins.

1977 continued with the P34. Three podium finishes brought him the larger part of his twenty points that year. The next year finally brought Depailler his first win. In Monaco, the Frenchman started from fifth, moved up to second after the first lap and inherited the lead from Brabham driver John Watson and went on to score his long awaited first win.

In 1979 Depailler moved to Ligier. This brought him his second win in Spain, but his season was cut short when he had a serious accident while hang-gliding. Depailler returned in 1980, but the Alfa Romeo was perhaps the most unreliable car ever and in his eight races the Frenchman never saw the chequered flag.

Just before the German Grand Prix, the team had a private test session at the Hockenheim circuit, because Depailler was worried after having two accidents where he suddenly lost the car. The same thing happened in Hockenheim on the straight before the Ostkurve, but this time Depailler didn't live to worry. His career of accidents, near misses and two wins had come to an abrupt ending after 95 races.

The first win of a Renault powered car came in the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon. Jean Pierre Jabouille won the race, but was hardly noticed because behind him teammate Rene Arnoux and Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve were fighting out one of the most legendary duels of the last 25 years. In the years that followed, Renault continued to field its own team with good success, scoring three wins in 1980 and 1981 and four in 1982 and 1983.

After that, the French make stopped fielding its own team and concentrated on supplying engines. Initially they scored some successes with Lotus, where Ayrton Senna scored four wins for them.

However, the real success started to come once Renault supplied engines to Williams. 1989 and 1990 were moderately successful with two wins each, but the arrival of Nigel Mansell to Williams marked the beginning of one of the most successful periods any engine manufacturer has ever had in the sport. In seven years time, the Williams-Renault combination scored no less than 63 wins and five constructors' titles and four drivers' championships. And that wasn't even Renault's full score. In the period from 1995 through 1997, the French company also supplied Benetton, which lead to another eleven wins and both titles in 1995. In fact, Jean Alesi's win in Canada for Ferrari was the only win of a non-Renault powered car that year.

After 1997 Renault pulled out of Formula One. In 2001 they returned as engine supplier of Benetton, which was converted to a new Renault team in 2002. While slowly growing into a contender again, real success came in 2003 when Fernando Alonso won the Hungarian Grand Prix to mark the manufacturer 96th win.

In 2003, Renault's rising star Fernando Alonso ran a total of 97 laps in the lead.

After a year with Minardi, Alonso became Renault's test driver in 2002. In that year he was groomed for a return to racing in 2003, which worked very well. In only his second race back, the young Spaniard was on pole position and led the race until his first pitstop, making him the youngest Grand Prix leader in Formula One history. At the warm Sepang circuit in Malaysia he led for 13 laps and finished third.

In his home Grand Prix, three races later, the Renault driver briefly led again before each of his pitstops, much to the delight of the fans in the stands. Another three races later, in Canada, Alonso led for a third time. Again it was due to stopping later than other drivers, but the overall race was closer than before. Even though he finished only fourth, the Renault driver was less than five seconds behind the winner and only behind a Ferrari and two Williamses.

In the German Grand Prix Alonso led for a single lap, but at the very next race, in Hungary, the Spaniard put together a stunning display. Except for a single lap after his first pitstop, Alonso led the entire race and moreover, he dominated like only few drivers have this season. His win made him the youngest race winner ever and gave Renault their first win in twenty years.

Johnny Herbert's career started off in 1989 with Benetton, even though he had suffered a horendous crash in F3000 during the previous season. In his first race, he immediately scored a fourth place, to collect the first two of his 98 points. A fifth position followed in America, but after not qualifying in Canada, Herbert was replaced. Two races with Tyrrell and two with Lotus at the end of 1990 didn't bring much, as did his half season at Lotus in 1991.

However, Herbert drove the entire season for Lotus in 1992, when he managed two sixth places in South Africa and France. For 1993, Herbert started the season with fourth places in the Brazilian and European Grands Prix. Two more points-finishes gave him a total of eleven points that year. During the next season, Herbert drove for three teams: Lotus, Ligier and Benetton. However, Herbert failed to score a point in 1994. That changed in 1995, when four podium finishes, including two wins at Silverstone and Monza, helped him score 45 points.

In 1996 Herbert moved to Sauber, where a third place in Monaco was the only highlight. The following year with the Swiss team was better, with another podium finish in Hungary and 15 points in total. In his final year with Sauber, Herbert had to settle for just one point.

The next season saw Herbert drive for Stewart, where a strong end of the season gave him his third and final win. When the team changed names to Jaguar the following year, Herbert stayed, but remained pointless throughout the frustrating season, ending his career with a big crash in Malaysia.

Jackie Stewart started a total of 99 Grands Prix in his illustrious Formula One career.

The Scotsman debuted in 1965 with BRM and in his second race Steward scored his first podium. By his eighth race, Stewart scored his first win. The first race of 1966 brought the Scot his second win, after which he hit a temporary slump. 1967 saw only two finishes for Stewart, which signalled the end of his cooperation with BRM.

For the next year, Stewart moved to Tyrrell. Three wins helped Jackie score a second position in the Championship, well behind Graham Hill. 1969 was a season where Stewart completely dominated. In eleven races, the Tyrrell driver won six and finished on the podium seven times, to take the Championship. 1970 was a transitional year from the Matra chassis to the Tyrrell chassis and only one more win followed.

However, when the Tyrrell chassis was fully operational in 1971, Stewart put himself back on top. With six wins and seven podiums again, he won his second Championship. While 1972 was a relatively successful year with another four wins, Stewart was no match for McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi and finished second in the championship.

1973 was to bring Stewart his final Championship title, but also the end of his career. While he planned to retire after 100 races, the tragic death of his teammate Francois Cevert during practice at Watkins Glen, made Stewart retire from racing one early and stopping the counter at 99.

1998 was the year of Mika Hakkinen's first World Championship. In his best year, the Finn scored 100 points, only one less than his total points tally in 1994 through 1997.

Hakkinen started the year like lightning, winning Australia and Brazil and coming second in Argentina. San Marino saw the first retirement of the season for the Finn, when his gearbox failed while he was comfortably driving in second.

However, Spain and Monaco brought victory again. By this time Mika was leading the championship by 17 points, with Coulthard in second and Michael Schumacher third, 22 points behind. In Canada the gearbox on Hakkinen's McLaren failed again at the restart of the race, making it a very short day for the Finn. In the summer months, the McLaren driver had a good run of a third, a second and two wins to stay ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.

The Hungarian Grand Prix was a near disaster. Hakkinen lead until the second pitstop, but after that the car suddenly became undriveable and the Finn dropped to sixth and saw Schumacher win the race to bring the German to just seven points behind him. At Spa, Hakkinen became one of the many drivers to retire at the chaotic start.

Italy was another disappointment, as Hakkinen only finished fourth with Schumacher winning, putting both drivers tied for the Championship lead. However, with the pressure growing, Hakkinen got back to winning. At the Nurburgring he won two seconds ahead of Schumacher and at Suzuka a solid win and a retirement for Schumacher gave the Finn his first of two World Championships.

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