[3] This position was reversed in January 1996 when Jackie Stewart secured a five-year development deal with Ford to make it a factory team.

Stewart's reliability was poor, as the Ford Zetec-R V10 engine installed in the SF01 chassis proved to be powerful, yet extremely fragile.

Stewart finished the season in ninth place in the constructors' championship with six points, ahead of other established teams like Tyrrell and Minardi.

For the next year, the team developed the Stewart SF02, hoping to improve results and score regular points as well as some more podiums.

After a number of poor drives, Magnussen was replaced mid season by Dutchman Jos Verstappen from the French Grand Prix onward.

Unhappy with the team, Verstappen left Stewart at the end of the season and was replaced by Johnny Herbert for the next year.

At the end of the 1998 season, technical director Alan Jenkins left Stewart Grand Prix, and was replaced by Jordan's Gary Anderson.

The Stewart SF3 was quick out of the box, however both cars over-heated on the grid of the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, after qualifying competitively.

Stewart's competitiveness was affirmed by running first in Brazil for a long spell of the race and qualifying on pole for the French Grand Prix with Barrichello.

Johnny Herbert won a popular victory at the rain soaked 1999 European Grand Prix at the new Nürburgring after other leading contenders crashed off the track or lost time in the pits changing tyres.

Running third behind the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, a mistake in the closing laps allowed Mika Häkkinen to slip past and claim the final podium position which gave the championship contender vital points.