[MKSixer]

As Formula One has transitioned from one form to the next over the past 70+ years, we've seen major manufactures come and go as well as privateer teams do the same. In fact we've seen both holy and un-holy alliances begin, develop and either explode scale the heights of success.

Two of the most critical transitions have been from a pretty amateurish circus to commercial professionalism by Bernie Ecclestone, the Poison Dwarf and operational professionalism by Darth Ron Dennis. More than any other two people, they have had an impact on how the sport and the teams operate on a day to day basis. Watching F1 is pretty easy now thanks to Bernie and when you visit a spotless F1 garage, thank Ron Dennis.

2014 has brought us the 2nd major shift: The Turbo Hybrid Era. These engines...excuse me, power units are so complex that the most successful team across all global motorsports, Honda, produced a woefully inadequate product that almost sunk McLaren as an organization and is only now coming into its own, operationally. This complexity has put developing Power Units out of the hands of nearly everyone. With the exception of Cosworth and a rumored PU from Porsche, no one besides Ferrari, Alpine (Renault), Honda, and Mercedes have even attempted the Herculean task with Mercedes being the class of the field.

That brings me to this: Technical Partnerships. Currently we have the following:

Mercedes Werkes Team:
McLaren - Power Unit
tRacing Point, er, Aston Martin - Power Unit and a high level of technical coordination.
Williams - Power Unit until 2020 and now a high level of technical coordination.

Scuderia Ferrari:
Haas - Power Unit and the highest level of technical coordination of all teams and the bench mark for integration.
Sauber, er, Alfa Romeo - Power Unit and a very high level of technical coordination.

Honda PU Only:
Red Bull Racing - Power Unit and a very high level of technical coordination.
Alpha Tauri - Power Unit and a very high level of technical coordination.

Renault, um, Alpine:
What do you mean no one wants our engine?!?!!

What do you think about these relationships, which has been the most successful and what do you see for the future?

Discuss!!