F1 Fanatic

The Lotus 79 mastered the use of ground effect aerodynamics, channelling air under the car by sealing the side using skirts, to dominate the 1978 world championship.

Lotus won the constructors’ title and Mario Andretti was the drivers’ champion – though his day of victory in Italy was overshadowed by the death of team mate Ronnie Peterson in a startline crash.

When its successor proved unsuccessful in 1979, the 79 was pressed back into service, but as the teams’ rivals had advanced its winning days were already behind it. As it turned out, Lotus’s championship-winning days were also over.