Apollon was a
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
racing car constructor from
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. The team participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix but failed to qualify.
The team was formed by racing driver
Loris Kessel.
Formula One
After Loris Kessel had left John Macdonald's
RAM
Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to:
* A male sheep
* Random-access memory, computer memory
* Ram Trucks, US, since 2009
** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans
** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks
Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
team, he approached
Frank Williams for a drive at his team. Williams had no place left for Kessel, but could sell him an old car, the
FW03. Kessel agreed and approached the Swiss Jolly Club of Switzerland, that was successful in touring cars and rallying. Kessel also hired ex-
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
designer
Giacomo Caliri. In his FLY-studio the FW03 was heavily updated. The result was a car with a striking long nose and radiators placed directly in front of the front wheel suspension. Painted in fresh yellow and white colours the former FW03 was a nice looking car. The car was renamed the Apollon Fly, named after the sponsor of the project, a pharmacist. However, it took a long time before the Apollon actually appeared on the track. Jolly Club tried to race in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. However, in Belgium and France, Kessel had transport problems. At
Monza
Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
the Apollon finally appeared. Because not enough pit boxes were available, the Swiss had to settle for a place in the open air, a clumsy scene. In the untested car Kessel was way too slow and when he went off track in the final qualifying session, the adventure was finally over.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key)
References
External links
Apollon F1 biography
{{Formula One constructors
Formula One constructors
Formula One entrants
Swiss auto racing teams
Swiss racecar constructors
1977 establishments in Switzerland
1977 disestablishments in Switzerland
Auto racing teams established in 1977
Auto racing teams disestablished in 1977