The Lotus 79 was a single car and revolutionized the world of Formula 1 in its time. Today we know a little history.
After winning three Cups between 1970 and 1973 builders, equipment Lotus was overtaken by rivals during the mid-1970. The star of the technical development of Lotus and Formula 1, Colin Chapman, tried all sorts of alternatives to regain a competitive car.
The starting point for the new challenge was to analyze the results of a project developed by a special investigation team Lotus. This team of technicians had been experimenting with wings similar to those we see in the current F1. Other designers also had approached the concept, but never had assurances and did not dare to take the next step for implementation.
Chapman insisted on continuing research on the use of airflow under the car, as well as wings downforce over the front of the chassis. The results of their work to harness the flow of air under the chassis came in the second half of 1977, when Mario Andretti won in the Grand Prix of Japan with a Lotus 77.
starting after much of the 1977 season, the performance of Lotus car was optimal. The successful model used 78 Cosworth DFV and Hewland gearbox. The monocoque was very narrow, while the barges were wide and low, housing the radiators and fuel tanks. These same pontoons had an inverted wing section, while the outer edges were lower storey to control the flow of circulating air.
The trail was very broad front to gain in stability. The suspension had her arms covered by wings that provided extra grip in high speed corners. The key factor was to bring the car as much as it could on the floor.
In 1977, Mario Andretti won four Grands Prix on board a Lotus 78, while teammate Gunnar Nilsson won one. Andretti was the driver who won more races and more winning Lotus car, yet the scoring system made the titles remain in the hands of Lauda and his Ferrari 312T2.
In 1978 Andretti and Ronnie Peterson won a Grand Prix each with a Lotus 78, before the 79 model was presented. The Lotus 79 was much more than a redesign of its predecessor. The model 79 much downforce generated by the aerodynamic development after the first tests they decided on a specially reinforced monocoque.
The new Lotus car had other innovations. Though the radiators were still in the pontoons (the water right and left oil), the fuel tank was in a cell between the cockpit and engine. The advantage was large, and I was underneath a heavy load in the center of the frame, allowing the center of gravity to keep it low.
These developments proved to be exceptional. The Lotus in 1978 was as reliable as fast on all circuits. Andretti won four Grand Prix races with this car, plus a victory with the previous model. 78 This is how Mario Andretti World Champion 1978 by a wide margin of points.
team mate Ronnie Peterson won once on board the Lotus 79 and won four arrivals second before his fatal accident at Monza.
However, other teams have developed rapidly getting their cars on par with the results of Lotus.
In early 1979, the Lotus was another car in the lot. While there ended the successes of Lotus in F1, the contribution made by this team to the world of motorsport was decisive and unprecedented.
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