Ayrton Senna's Lotus years, by Ibrar Malik

As we mark the upcoming 26th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's passing, most will undoubtedly dwell upon the more celebrated cornerstones of his extraordinary career. His obliteration of the opposition during qualifying at Monaco '88, or the race at Donington Park '93. His compelling personality which shone through during interviews. Or what might have been with Williams had he not tragically met his untimely death at the '94 San Marino Grand Prix. This blog aims to be slightly different, by briefly looking at Senna's formative years at Lotus.

Coming into 1985, the Norfolk-based team had not won a race since the sudden death of its charismatic founder, Colin Chapman, in December 1982. Lotus had endured a turbulent '83 season. But it bounced back superbly to become a regular frontrunner again during '84, enjoying its most successful season since 1978. The newly-released book, Team Lotus: Beyond the Colin Chapman Era, details precisely how the team achieved this. But by the end of '84, it seemed a key ingredient to elevate Lotus back to the winner's circle was missing. Enter, Ayrton Senna – Lotus's new signing for 1985. 

Senna was widely touted as a future world champion following his stellar performances within the unfancied Toleman during 1984

Monza 1994 - Team Lotus's Last Hurrah, by Ibrar Malik

One of the victims from a turbulent 1994 F1 season was Team Lotus, which finally succumbed to its financial struggles during the year. Like Brabham two years earlier, a once-great name would vanish from F1. Lotus was Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi as well as Ayrton Senna's first top team in F1. The upcoming 1983-'89 Lotus book (http://www.1994f1.com/lotusprintbook/) charts how Team Lotus went from being regular a frontrunner during the mid-1980s to a midfielder only a few years later.

After its release on May 1 2020, we then intend to write a follow-up print book covering the team's final years of 1990-'95. This follow-up book explains how Lotus then changed ownership at the end of '90 and went from merely surviving that winter to finishing an incredible fifth in the '92 constructors' championship. It seemed the former seven-time world champion team was on a clear upward trajectory having re-establishing itself as a regular point scorer. More good news came in the form of its leading driver, Johnny Herbert, re-signing within the team for another five years by the end of 1992. Unfortunately this revival under Peter Collins proved short lived because behind the scenes debts were still piling up. The team only survived two more seasons in F1 after '92.

New Motor Sport Magazine article: Nelson Piquet - the underrated three-time F1 champion

By Zocchi Massimiliano - Own work, CC0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/
index.php?curid=15885577

Nelson Piquet is a three-time Formula 1 world champion. Yet you would hardly know it. Or you wouldn't if you use as your sole guide the usual debates about F1 greats, at any stretch.

So why is this? The expressed consensus view is that Piquet impressed and won his first two titles at Brabham where all was laid out for him. Then he moved to Williams alongside Nigel Mansell and was 'found out'. But, as is often the case, the consensus view doesn't tell the whole story.

In my latest for Motor Sport Magazine, and with the help of Piquet's long-time Brabham team manager Herbie Blash, I seek to unravel the mystery.

You can have a read here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/nelson-piquet-the-underrated-three-time-f1-champion

New Motor Sport Magazine article: Ayrton Senna - the forgotten great drives

By Instituto Ayrton Sennaderivative work: Karpouzi - This file
was derived from:  Senna 1992 Monaco.jpg, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28935488

Monaco 1984. Estoril '85. Donington '93. Some of the great drives by the revered Ayrton Senna fall from the tongue, and are harked back to regularly.

But even so there are some Senna Formula 1 performances that are about as magnificent but perhaps crowded out from the retro features.

So, on what would have been the late great Brazilian's 60th birthday, for Motor Sport Magazine I have looked back at some of the somewhat more forgotten, but still sensational, Senna drives.

You can have a read about them here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/ayrton-senna-the-forgotten-great-drives

An Exclusive Preview of the Upcoming Team Lotus Print Book... by Ibrar Malik

Team Lotus: Struggling Beyond The Post Colin Chapman Era (print version) is almost upon us! Its expected release date is 1/5/2020 and if you would like to find out more please click here. Within that link it is explained if a certain number of people pre-order the book it will reduce its price. If you would like to pre-order the print book, then please contact me here with your name and what Lotus F1 car from between 1983 to 1989 you would like your special Team Lotus A4 print, that will come with the book, to be of. There is no deposit required at this stage, and you will then be contacted in due course with further details on how to pre-order the book.

***Please note we are only planning to print 100 copies of this book, and unless demand dictates otherwise that will be it. Thus pre-ordering is highly recommended to avoid disappointment***

Meanwhile, an abridged Audiobook or E-Book version is currently available to buy by clicking on the relevant links. More details over what is included along with a free sample is also contained within those links. It is worth noting the E-book is merely a "demo" for the print book (to use a gaming analogy) to satisfy ourselves there would be enough interest. It is also why the E-Book and Audiobooks are priced so cheaply at only £9.99. Click here to read Motorsport News's review of the E-Book which had a lot of positive things to say about the book's level of research and detail. Obviously we will work hard to ensure the other comments are used to constructively improve the print book's conclusions. The E-Book and Audiobooks (which should be available on Audible shortly) are really for people who can't afford £25.99 for the print book. Below helps you decide which book is best for you.

Win a Team Lotus Audio Book by Ibrar Malik

On Talking about F1 we have been very pleased to feature blogs previewing the books of Ibrar Malik.

Ibrar's debut work delved into the controversial 1994 Formula 1 season, and he has just released his second book: Team Lotus, Struggling Beyond The Post Colin Chapman Era.

And we have five copies of the audio book to give away to Talking about F1 readers.

All you have to do is answer the very simple question below.

Addendum 19/01/2020: Apologies, something I forgot to mention when initially publishing this is that the audio book codes we have to give away only work in the US, Canada and Australia, so the competition is only open to those based there.

We will pick five winners at random from the correct answers and will be in touch if you're one of the lucky quintet. Good luck!

THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Team Lotus, Struggling Beyond The Post Colin Chapman Era, is now available to purchase in E Book format here (a free sample is contained within that link) or Audio Book format here.

You can also read more detail about the book here: http://www.1994f1.com/lotusbook/

Pedro Lamy's 1994 Silverstone Testing Accident, by Ibrar Malik and Ben Green

This is a special blog to celebrate the launch of the audiobook: Team Lotus, Struggling Beyond The Post Colin Chapman Era.

This blog has been co-written by Ben Green, who is the proud owner of the Lotus Formula 1 car Pedro Lamy crashed during that Silverstone test in May 1994, just prior to that year's Spanish Grand Prix. If you have read the book: 1994 The Untold Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season, you'll know Lamy's crash and its subsequent fallout, was hugely significant to F1 that year. Ben's Lotus chassis is the 107C (chassis no 1).

This is the (restored) Lotus 107C that Lamy almost was killed in during that fateful day at Silverstone in May 1994. Ben purchased the chassis from Team Lotus during 1995, along with a heap of spares.
     
1994 Lotus 107C
At the end of the 1993 season, Team Lotus's finances were in a bad way. The newly released book: Team Lotus, Struggling Beyond The Post Colin Chapman Era details how and why Team Lotus got there by the early 1990s.

Its Chris Murphy-designed 107B was fast but unreliable, while its complex active suspension and customer Cosworth HB engines had drained resources. Along came Honda with the Mugen brand and an updated 1989 ZA5 V10 engine, a no-cost factory option.

New Motorsport Week article: 1962 - December F1 and the changing of the guard

Bilsen, Joop van / Anefo / neg. stroken, 1945-1989,
2.24.01.05, item number 913-9470 [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)]

As we creep towards Christmas, imagine that in the here and now the Formula 1 season still had a race to do. Imagine too that the F1 championship had yet to be decided, and it would be resolved in that lingering final round.

And imagine too that the race is to take place between Christmas Day and New Year.

Well in 1962, uniquely, all of this came together. And that was far from the only thing striking about the season, which was one of remarkable change.

For Motorsport Week I look back at the seismic season. You can have a read here: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/25625

1965 British Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

By Eric Koch / Anefo - http://proxy.handle.net/10648/
aab4ce4c-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC0, https:/
/commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66004918

My latest classic F1 race retro review for Motor Sport's website is here. And ahead of the British Grand Prix this weekend I look at the unparalleled Jim Clark winning the 1965 British Grand Prix.

Clark won the British race five times in his career, plus he bestrode the 1965 calendar year more generally. With these, you might assume his Silverstone win was a cruise. But like the man himself, there was much more to this one.

You can have a read of this extraordinary tale here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/jim-clarks-feat-unparalleled-brilliance-1965-british-grand-prix

And as a bonus I also for Motor Sport explored five memorable races from the British Grand Prix's long history. You can check that out here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/glory-guts-and-rain-magic-moments-british-grand-prix

1973 French Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

By Anefo / Mieremet, R.. / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.
05, item number 926-5790 - http://proxy.handle.net/10648/
ac32df0c-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl,
 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23303177

My latest classic grand prix retro review for Motor Sport Magazine's website is here. This time it's from the history-rich French Grand Prix.

I've looked back at the 1973 race, then as now at the Paul Ricard circuit (albeit there have been some adventures between times).

Then, Paul Ricard was an archetypal 'new' venue, with all the growing pains that entails. And that wasn't the only source of novelty in this '73 meeting. One new boy shook up Formula 1; another at last took his first F1 victory.

You can have a read of my retro re-tread here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/1973-french-f1-grand-prix-peterson-breaks-his-duck

Plus you can check out my previous classic grand prix articles for Motor Sport here and here.

F1 retro grand prix articles for Motor Sport Magazine's website

I'm very pleased to have provided for Motor Sport Magazine this year retro grand prix reviews for forthcoming F1 grands prix. For these I've picked a noteworthy grand prix of the past in the week before each F1 race.

By Janice Waltzer from Owasso, USA - Monte Carlo
harbor, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.
org/w/index.php?curid=4127081

And the latest of these has just landed, where I selected from the treasure trove of the Monaco Grand Prix, the first of which was a mere 90 years ago...

I've picked the one that provided likely its most thrilling finish of all, in 1970. It was a battle of the old hand Jack Brabham vs young gun Jochen Rindt. The old hand led for much of the way, but in the final minutes the young gun chased him down at a scarcely plausible rate. And at the final turn, the old hand, highly atypically, cracked...

You can have a read of the tale in full here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/monaco-90-its-most-thrilling-finish

And, in case you fancy flicking back through my previous grand prix retro reviews from this season so far, here are the links:

Australian Grand Prix - 1997; The Australian Grand Prix that didn't go to form
Bahrain Grand Prix - 2014; The race that saved F1 as we know it
Chinese Grand Prix - 2006; Michael Schumacher's final Formula 1 win
Azerbaijan Grand Prix - 2017; Hamilton and Vettel clash; Ricciardo conquers

Sadly I didn't do the Spanish Grand Prix article!

Johnny Herbert at Benetton, by Ibrar Malik

The upcoming book details what can be learnt about the 1994 Benetton controversies whenever other drivers sat within the car, like Johnny Herbert. So what was the Grand Prix winner's view of driving it?

Johnny had been tipped for F1 stardom before sustaining serious leg injuries in a horrific multi-car pileup during an F3000 race in the summer of 1988. Despite not having fully recovered, the Englishman bravely returned to racing at the beginning of 1989 with the Benetton Formula 1 team and astonished onlookers by finishing a brilliant fourth on his debut.

Herbert arriving for his first Formula One test in 1989. Whenever he was buckled up within the car, painkilling injections were stabbed into his legs. Herbert's injuries still affect him today.

Determined as he was, Johnny's performances progressively got worse throughout 1989 as his leg injuries hindered him on circuits which required heavier braking. This led to a political battle over Herbert's future, between Peter Collins (Benetton's team manager) and Flavio Briatore (Benetton's newly appointed Commercial Director). Collins, having spent three years supporting Johnny through the junior categories was adamant the Englishman should remain, but Briatore insisted on replacing him with a fellow Italian. After failing to qualify for the Canadian Grand Prix Herbert was promptly replaced by Emanuele Pirro (an Italian) and Collins left the team a few weeks later.

Latest historic articles on AutoClassics - Mika Hakkinen and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix

By Rick Dikeman [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/
fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Just drawing your gaze towards my latest weekly historic motorsport articles published on AutoClassics.

First off with Mika Hakkinen's 50th birthday coming up at the end of this week for the Motorsport Images slideshow article I looked back at some of the best moments from the double world champion's F1 career, accompanied with some typically stunning photography. Check it out here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/mika-hakkinen-best-f1-moments

F1's first use of the safety car was earlier than you might think. And was chaotic. I therefore spoke to those who were there - Jackie Oliver and Howden Ganley - about the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, which took place 45 years ago last weekend. You can have a read of the very strange story here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/f1-safety-car-first-use

Latest F1 history articles from me on AutoClassics

Just flagging a couple more articles written by me on F1 history that have been published on AutoClassics recent days.

By Suyk, Koen / Anefo / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.
05, item number 929-8724 [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

This first one is a good 'un. Forty years ago almost to the day Team Lotus bagged the most routine of one-twos in the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix and it must have seemed the competitive order would stay that way for a while at least. But success dried up almost overnight.

I therefore spoke to Mario Andretti as well as Peter Wright - designer at the team at the time - to find out what went on. It's a fascinating tale, which you can read here.

The second one is good too - to coincide with the latest Italian Grand Prix at inimitable Monza I looked at the home team Ferrari's finest moments in its long history at the circuit, with the help of Motorsport Images's superb photography. You can check that out here.

The Most Successful and Worst Car of 1994, What Do They Have in Common?, by Ibrar Malik

Answer - they shared the same ancestor. The Pacific PR01 car failed to finish a race in 1994 whereas the Benetton B194 won eight Grands Prix, yet amazingly the two cars originated from the same 1991 design. It's just the Pacific was a less refined version of the Benetton.

In 1991 a high-quality design team headed by Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds secretly worked on a Reynard F1 car. However, the project was eventually shelved and the team moved back to Benetton for 1992. "I was a director of the Reynard F1 effort so knew a lot about it," explains Willem Toet, Benetton's Head of Aerodynamics in 1994 and one of the key contributors towards the upcoming book. "Pat Symonds, Rory Byrne and Adrian Reynard were the other directors. Afterwards we all went back to Benetton because Rory did a deal for the whole group. I don't think there is a person on the planet who knows the story better than I do." Their 1991 Reynard design morphed into the race winning 1992 Benetton and the B194 car, which Michael Schumacher used to win the 1994 drivers' championship, was an advanced evolution of it.

Some extremely rare photos of the 1991 Reynard F1 project conducting wind tunnel testing with Willem Toet. 

New AutoClassics article - Why there was so much more to Jim Clark than statistics

By Rtsanderson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5724658

The numbers are towering - 25 Grand Prix wins from 72 starts, an Indianapolis 500 victory and much else won besides. But not even that gets at what it was about Jim Clark that was inimitable. Not even close in fact.

To mark the 50th anniversary of his passing, for AutoClassics I spoke to many of those who knew Jim Clark best, to find out that what made him great was about much more than mere statistics.

You can have a read here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/more-to-jim-clark-than-statistics

New AutoClassics article - How Gold Leaf sponsorship irreversibly changed Formula 1

Photo: Jim Culp/CC

Particularly proud of this one. We're 50 years on from the start proper of F1 sponsorship with the Gold Leaf Lotus.

And for AutoClassics I spoke to Gold Leaf's man in F1 at the time, George Hatfield, as well as Clive Chapman, son of Lotus kingpin Colin, to hear the fascinating tale of sponsorship's advent in F1. One that reaches far further than you might think.

You can have a read here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/gold-leaf-sponsorship-formula-1

Top trophy winners in Formula One, by Aford Awards

Formula One racing is one of the most thrilling sports around. It's been a recognised sport for approximately 60 years now, where it has constantly developed into the nail-bitingly exciting sport we know today.

To the victor, the spoils
Photo: Octane Photography

As the sport has morphed and grown, so has the variety of its winners and notable drivers, with many of them becoming celebrities in their own right.

Of course, with sports comes winners, and with winners comes awards - particularly trophies. So, what is it about Formula One trophies that make them stand out from the crowd compared to other sports?

The history of Formula One trophies is a rich one; there's been that many winners and extraordinary efforts made over the last few years that it’s very difficult to only pick a select few.

Abu Dhabi Preview - Nothing and everything

You would be forgiven for thinking in advance that the forthcoming season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has little to recommend it. Both 2015 titles are long since done of course. But above and beyond many of contemporary F1's most pressing problems were laid bare in Brazil last time out and not too many will be looking to this one as the likely overnight solution to them.

The Yas Marina track visually is stunning
Photo: Octane Photography

The Interlagos race appeared to confirm that F1's overtaking problems are back, or rather never particularly went away and had only been hidden by sticking plaster solutions. That now have lost their stick. And the Yas Marina track has even in its short existence become known for processional fare with only rare exceptions (ask Fernando Alonso. In fact, don't ask Fernando Alonso).

And even though as with many of these raised-from-the-ground Hermann Tilke facilities they had nearly no constraints from the landscape when creating this venue and its track layout on the vast Yas Island expanse they seem with this somehow in addition to creating a track not conducive to F1 cars running close to each other (despite some Tilke fingerprint lengthy straights) as mentioned, also neglected to include a single corner that would quicken the pulse.

Sochi Qualifying - Rosberg's a Voodoo Child

To think we expected Singapore Mark II - Nightmare on Mercedes Street. Instead the plot was much more clichéd. Yes dear reader despite some of our advance expectations to the contrary qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix was yet another demonstration of crushing Mercedes superiority.

For the second qualifying session in a row,
Nico Rosberg prevailed
Photo: Octane Photography

But as with last time out in Suzuka there was a minor yet conspicuous variation from the usual Saturday script. Nico Rosberg claimed pole position, only the third time this year that he's done so - or even got one over team mate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying - but also the second time in two rounds. This time indeed he looked clearly on top of Lewis throughout, usually by around an almost gaping by F1 standards two or three tenths.

His pace often was stunning and Lewis this time couldn't get with it. Come the final part of the session that would set the front of the grid Nico first did a 1m 37.1, with Lewis's effort some three tenths plus over it. Then on their next fliers Lewis got it wrong at turn 13 and ran into one of Sochi's tarmac run-offs.

Lewis thus parked it in the pits with around three minutes remaining and the day in terms of the front row at least was therefore done ahead of time. Nico reflecting as much quickly followed suit. The two Mercs sitting leisurely by, their business complete, while the rest still scrambled round in the exercise of establishing third place at best you might say rather summed up the last two F1 seasons.