Stabulum Phaeton

Stabulum Phaeton

Base	Sacrament, Blackhelm Confederacy
Team principal(s)	Marcellus Hunt
Technical director	Flavius Lucenius (chief designer)
2023 Formula One World Championship
Race drivers	59. Gianpiero Santoro 90. Decius Whitewall
Chassis	SPT73
Engine	T72
Tyres	Roncalli
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	1960 Aswickan Grand Prix
Constructors' Championships	16 (1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1983, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2021)
Drivers' Championships	14 (1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1983, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2021)
2022 position	3rd

Stabulum Phaeton (translated as Phaeton Stable and commonly referred to as Phaeton) is the racing division of Confederate luxury automaker Phaeton S.A. It is the oldest surviving team in Astyrian Formula One, having competed in every championship since the 1960 season. As an F1 constructor, Phaeton has 16 Constructors' Championships, the most for any constructor; the last of which was won in 2021.

Early history

Stabulum Phaeton was founded in 1932 by Lucius Geta, who wanted to create a professional race team for competition and provide amateur drivers a chance to build their racing careers. Prior to forming his team, he raced for FME and Angelbridge in the 1920s, finding moderate success at races. Geta quickly assembled a group of mechanics and racing drivers to compete in races throughout the Empire of Exponent, eventually staffing up to thirty drivers at its peak.

The team got factory support from Angelbridge in 1933, serving as its de facto race team. Stabulum Phaeton proved to be very successful throughout the 1930s, dominating grand prix racing events throughout Hesperidesia and Teudallum. Geta managed the careers of several established drivers such as Publius Burrus, Augustus Coldwell, and Claudius Miller, as well as several rookies.

However, the 2nd Great Astyrian War would prove to be a financially difficult time for the company, as motorsports was suspended throughout the duration of the war. To provide a stream of income to maintain the operations of the team, Geta created the Phaeton brand to sell road cars under the Phaeton name. The brand would go on to become a symbol of performance and luxury throughout Astyria.

With the resumption of grand prix racing throughout Astyria, Phaeton built its first race car, the V12-powered Equus. It raced in several grands prix throughout Astyria, although no Astyrian championship had been established. Phaeton made its first official Astyrian Grand Prix Drivers' Championship (AGPDC) debut in 1951 with the Equus 256 GP. It continued to race in the AGPDC until its dissolution at the end of 1959, with notable champions such as Quintus Strabo and Ian Byrne having won their championships with Phaeton.

Astyrian Formula One

Phaeton is the most successful constructor in Astyrian Formula One, having won 16 Constructors' Championships and 15 Drivers' Championships. It is the only current team to have raced in every single season of the championship since 1960.

The team's first Constructors' Championship came in 1961 with the introduction of the E156P, nicknamed the "Torpedo" due to its distinctive shape. Drivers Romulus Thornelock and Jim Allison dominated the season, with the former becoming Drivers' Champion. Another championship double followed in 1964, with a new V8 model called the E8C. Pius Ashwater claimed the Drivers' Championship over George Spencer's Orchid thanks to superior reliability. In 1966, Phaeton switched to a V12 design with the E12C, but suffered from being overweight and unreliable compared to their competitors. Throughout the 1960s, Phaeton was regularly beaten on the track by independent Aswickan teams such as Orchid, ART, and MSDT, who relied on aerodynamics and technology to gain the edge. This stirred up the ire of Lucius Geta, who dismissed them as "garage teams".

Phaeton's championship drought continued into the 1970s as the Aswickan teams continued to introduce new innovations to AstyF1. In 1974, Phaeton signed Aswickan driver Alan Digby to the team, regaining both championships in 1975 and 1976 with the E312C. In 1977, Phaeton won the Constructors' Championship, but Digby was beaten in the Drivers' Championship by MacGregor driver Hugh Marshall. Digby left the team at the end of the 1978 season and was replaced by Eddie Powell, who went on to win the 1979 Drivers' Championship for Phaeton.

During the 1980s, Phaeton continued to be competitive throughout the ground effect and turbo eras, winning the 1983 Constructors' Championship. However, they would be unable to gain any more championships throughout the decade as Delaney and MacGregor embarked in their respective periods of domination. With changes in regulations that banned turbocharged engines, Phaeton entered the 1989 season with an all-new normally aspirated V12 design, paired with a semi-automatic transmission. Despite reliability problems throughout the year, this transmission was soon adopted by other teams throughout the early 1990s.

Phaeton would challenge for the championship in 1992 with the E192, with < name > emerging as a title contender against Clayton Norris. Despite having a comparable car to the MacGregors on paper, a combination of reliability problems and strategic blunders allowed Norris to win his 3rd championship. In 1993, Phaeton had one of their worst statistical seasons, with no wins and only one 2nd place finish at the Caledonian Grand Prix. The mid-1990s were marked by a period of restructuring throughout the team, with new team personnel being signed and facilities upgraded. In 1997, Phaeton brought in two-time Drivers' Champion Augustus Tertullius, who in turn brought in key technical personnel with him from Raamaker. Starting in 1998 on the back of new regulations, they were challenging for their first Drivers' Championship since 1979, with Tertullius taking four wins and several podiums that season. He often placed himself in the mix between Derek Anderson and Nico Paavola, making sure that he took as many points as he could while the two Delaney drivers took points off of each other.

In 2000, Phaeton introduced the E310-50 and was immediately competitive. However, it was inferior to the MacGregor MG2K, with their driver Alistair O'Donnell winning the Drivers' Championship ahead of Tertullius. 2001 saw a closer fight between Tertullius and O'Donnell, but despite losing the Drivers' Championship by only two points, Phaeton would finally regain the Constructors' Championship. It wasn't until 2002 that Tertullius finally won his first championship with the team in the E310-2, becoming Phaeton's first Drivers' Champion since Powell in 1979. This began a dominant run of form for the Confederate team, who would win five straight double championships from 2002 to 2006 - the most dominant streak of any constructor in AstyF1 history. Phaeton remained competitive for the 2007 season, but they lost the championship after a hard fought battle between Tertullius and Paavo Laakkonen of Sidus.

Tertullius announced his retirement from AstyF1 in 2008, a year in which he won only two victories. Tertius DiParadisa was announced as his replacement for the 2009 season. Phaeton had a rough start in 2009 with the E308-9, but upgrades over the season have brought them back into title contention. However, the team narrowly missed out on both championships to LZS, with Tomasz Maruszewski emerging as champion. They brought a competitive package in 2010 with the E60, taking both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship after a heavily contested season. DiParadisa's form carried over into the 2011 season, where he would take nine victories and several podiums.

Other racing series

Sports car racing

Stabulum Phaeton had tremendous success in sports car racing from the 1950s to the 1970s, winning races such as the Iter Paradisi, Cursus Serpentis, and the 24 Hours of Corbières multiple times (including non-works entries). It was the only constructor at the time to continuously support factory entries in Astyrian Formula One and the Astyrian Sports Car Championship (ASC).

In 1951, Phaeton found early success at the Cursus Serpentis with the Equus 1500, a modified version of the original Equus for endurance racing. In 1952, they scored victories at the Iter Paradisi, Cursus Serpentis, Decia Horas, and the Copa Mare Neptunum, with the Equus 1600, which was achieved against sports cars with larger engines. The following year, Phaeton won the Mil Milhas and their first 24 Hours of Corbières.

During the 1959 Decia Horas, a Phaeton driven by < name > blew a tire and crashed into a ditch, cartwheeling for several meters and hitting several spectators before coming to rest by a tree. Both < name > and his navigator lost their lives, along with 11 spectators, while a further 18 were injured. Four of the spectators killed were children. The Decia Horas was subsequently banned on safety grounds, and key personnel at Phaeton - including Geta - were charged with vehicular manslaughter. They were eventually acquitted in 1963.

Phaeton continued to have success in the 1960s, with victories at the 24 Hours of Corbières from 1960 to 1966. During this time, there was little competition from rival constructors. However, starting from 1964, they were involved in a fierce rivalry with Winthrop, which defined sports car racing throughout the remainder of the 1960s. Winthrop sought to beat Phaeton at Corbières, but failed in their 1964, 1965, and 1966 attempts. Phaeton won the conceded defeat to Winthrop at the 1967 race but still won the Astyrian Sports Car Championship that year. 1968 saw Winthrop both win the 24 Hours of Corbières and the ASC, with Phaeton coming 2nd in both events. Phaeton would win the ASC in 1969, but once again lost to Winthrop at that year's 24 Hours of Corbières.

Regulation changes in 1971 saw Phaeton become uncompetitive at the top class of endurance racing. This along with a dismal performance in Astyrian Formula One convinced Geta to withdraw all of his efforts from the Astyrian Sports Car Championship in order to focus on AstyF1. Phaeton cars continued to participate in sports car racing throughout the 1970s, though these were operated by privateer teams and not the Stabulum. Phaeton wouldn't return to prototype endurance racing as a works manufacturer until 2021.

Identity

Stabulum was a term in the Empire of Exponent for stables that housed racing horses. Because of Phaeton's influence throughout motorsport on the continent, teams throughout Hesperidesia commonly use the term for their racing teams.

A common nickname for Phaeton is the "red team", referring to their cars' distinct red color. Red was the national racing color for the Empire of Exponent and later Blackhelm Confederacy, and has been used by other Confederate-based teams in other motorsports.

Phaeton is also known for its passionate fanbase, known commonly as the Legion. They are a common sight at the Confederate Grand Prix, Phaeton's home race, with thousands of supporters showing up in Phaeton flags and merchandise.

See also

Phaeton (company)