The similarities between F1’s first and current ground effect greats

F1 returns to the USA at a time when national interest in the series is rapidly expanding, helped by having a US driver on the grid. Logan Sargeant will experience a new level of spectator passion as he attempts to consolidate his role at Williams. This hasn’t always been the case in recent years as F1 struggled in the US; in fact it was a surprise last month when I realised I was attending an event on the 45th anniversary of the last time an American F1 driver became world champion.

September’s Goodwood Revival corresponded with the weekend at Monza in 1978 when Mario Andretti took the title with Lotus, and the car which served him so well was being demonstrated in West Sussex. While the anniversary of that Italian GP always has the sad aspect of the loss of Ronnie Peterson, Andretti’s team-mate, there’s no doubt the Lotus 79 still captures the imagination. It was the last car to earn titles for Lotus but was the first F1 car designed around the aspects of ground effect to win both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

PLUS: Ronnie Peterson's greatest drives

Ground effect is a major part of current F1, having been reintroduced for 2022. In 1975 Lotus founder Colin Chapman was frustrated the team was uncompetitive and, while on holiday in Ibiza, came up with a list of design aspects he wanted the engineers to explore. One was how to improve aerodynamics and the crew spent late nights at Imperial College in London, where the quarter-scale wind tunnel proved useful. Especially since it had a rolling rubber belt that ran beneath the scaled model of the race car – because they quickly learned that lowering the front wing closer to the ground created greater downforce.

As soon as they told Chapman, he was encouraging them to explore more aspects; not just the front wing but other parts of the chassis, to turn it into an upside-down wing. The basis of ground effect had begun.

The first car drawn up along those lines was the Lotus 78. Sidepods were shaped underneath to suck the car down towards the track and it was a design Andretti was already encouraging the team to follow as he was racing a car that wasn’t generating grip in the dry. Yet Andretti’s wet-weather win in the 1976 season finale pumped Chapman to throw himself into the development of the new car, understanding that he had a great opportunity to get back to the top.

The Lotus 78 proved to have the most grip through corners the following year and even though it wasn’t the fastest in a straight line, it won numerous races; Andretti would have had a chance to take the title but for engine unreliability. But Chapman pushed on; the Lotus 79 was all new, and ground effect became an even bigger part. He steered the team into designing a narrow central chassis with more space for the longer sidepods to create a venturi effect and it worked.

The 79 was the first great F1 car to fully exploit underbody aero

Photo by: David Phipps

The 79 wasn’t ready for the start of 1978 but the new car shone on its race debut in Belgium. Andretti took pole and the race mechanics earned a joint bonus from he and Chapman of $1000 when it took victory.

The fundamental advantage was similar to that seen by Red Bull this year: good downforce through corners while rapid in a straight line. That led to a total of six wins for the 79 and seven consecutive pole positions in the latter part of the season. It also encouraged a great deal of analysis from other teams and many of them would reappear in much stronger form the following year.

Unlike Red Bull, Lotus was unable to repeat the success drawn from a clever design. There were flaws in other elements which began to surface when put under pressure; the chassis was flexible, the suspension was too soft and, when it was stiffened up, the chassis flex was even more noticeable. Part way through 1979 Lotus gave up on the 80 to revert to the 79.

“Both cars dominated their championship seasons. Both exploited ground effects more successfully than their competitors and both cars were designed by teams headed by geniuses” Jonathan Wheatley

Chapman was also very aware of the contribution Andretti made and was full of praise for everything he did. Having a top driver with a top team is when the plan comes together and that’s definitely the case at Red Bull.

The team’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley often attends Goodwood. He was there on the Friday of the meeting this year and could appreciate the joy of watching the Lotus 79. In his opinion there is definitely a link between the car Andretti drove and the RB19 overseen by Adrian Newey which Max Verstappen has been shining in again this year.

“Both cars dominated their championship seasons,” reflected Jonathan, “both exploited ground effects more successfully than their competitors and both cars were designed by teams headed by geniuses!” And in my opinion, both had relationships with top-level drivers which helped lift them even further...

Just as Verstappen drives 2023's benchmark Red Bull forward, Andretti did the same at Lotus in 1978

Photo by: David Phipps