- Lotus 97T
Racing car
Car_name = Lotus 97T
Category =Formula One
Constructor =Team Lotus | Designer =Gérard Ducarouge Martin Ogilvie | Team = John Player Special Team Lotus
Drivers =Ayrton Senna Elio De Angelis Johnny Dumfries | Chassis =Carbon fibre monocoque | Engine name = Renault EF4B or EF15B
Configuration = V6 | Capacity =
Turbo/NA =turbo
Engine position = mid-mounted
Gearbox name =
Type =
Gears =
Differential =
Front suspension =
Rear suspension =
Fuel = Elf
Tyres = Goodyear | Debut =1985 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races = 16
Cons_champ = 0
Drivers_champ = 0
Wins = 3
Poles = 8
Fastest_laps = 3
The Lotus 97T was aFormula One racing car designed and built byTeam Lotus . A development of theLotus 95T of 1984, it was designed for the1985 Formula One season by French engineer Gérard Ducarouge and powered by a 1500cc Renault turbocharged engine. Sponsorship came from John Player Special and French oil company Elf. The 97T was a simple design but was robust and powerful. It used elements from the defunctLotus 96T Indycar project in the aerodynamics. The 97T featured another innovative piece of Lotus design: an early form of bargeboards.Lotus' major coup for 1985 was signing rising star
Ayrton Senna from theToleman team to partnerElio De Angelis . De Angelis had finished third in the previous season's drivers' championship and had had many promising results with the 95T. The 97T was a natural development, but taking into account new sporting regulation changes over the rear wings of the cars.The 97T was very competitive during the season, taking 8 poles, 7 with Senna and 1 with De Angelis and 3 wins. Senna's first was a brilliant performance in the
1985 Portuguese Grand Prix where he won by over a minute in monsoon conditions. His second came at Spa, held in wet/dry conditions. De Angelis added a third win at Imola after Prost was disqualified.The 97T was fast but was unreliable. Senna in particular had a run of bad luck mid season, many times while leading which cost him a possible chance at the world championship. Eventually, Lotus finished fourth in the constructors championship.
The car marked the start of a brief return to the successful days of the 1960s and 1970s for Lotus, which was continued by the 98T of 1986 and the Honda-powered 99T of 1987.
See also
*
McLaren MP4/2
*Williams FW11
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