RED BULL LEGENDS PARADE 2026: LOTUS 77 (1976)

With the able assistance of the highly talented Lotus race engineer, the car was completely redesigned. The angular airbox above the driver’s head was removed, a completely re-engineered front suspension improved the aerodynamics, and the oil cooler was moved to the front of the car thereby giving significantly improved weight distribution. The driver could adjust the stabiliser on the rear axle whilst out on track, allowing him to work on the set-up during the race. But the decisive moment came in the autumn when Lotus fitted an experimental underbody – the start of one of the greatest revolutions in Formula 1 history. This innovation marked the first steps towards the later so-called ‘wing cars’. It enabled very high cornering speeds by exploiting ground effect. To achieve this, the sidepods – which had originally been very short – were moved further forward. Two years later, Lotus had perfected this principle and left the competition trailing in their wake. All the other teams were forced to follow suit.

Mario Andretti, Bob Evans, Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson took turns at the wheel. The two Swedes, who drove together for Lotus, both died in 1978, Ronnie following an accident at Monza, Gunnar a month later.

The legendary John Player Special black and gold became synonymous with Lotus. From 1972 to 1986, the team’s cars competed almost exclusively in the famous livery.

The 1976 Lotus 77 marked a turning point in the history of the iconic racing outfit. With this car, which followed the modestly successful Lotus 76, the idiosyncratic yet brilliant founder Colin Chapman increasingly began to view the development of a racing car as a team effort. He gave engineers considerably more individual responsibility. Working independently of one another and within certain pre-agreed parameters, each was expected to oversee the development of a specific area. Communication often broke down. As a result, parts of the originally conceived front suspension, such as the suspension and brakes, were located outside the chassis, which disrupted the aerodynamics and drastically reduced the top speed. The first version had no aerodynamic or technical innovations, making it the exact opposite of a classic Chapman Lotus. It was the appointment of the young Tony Southgate that brought about the turning point in Lotus’s fortunes.

Although the Dutchman (born 1956 in Zandvoort) failed to score any points or finish in the Top Ten in his 23 Grand Prix races for Shadow, Ensign, ATS, Theodore and March, he still holds a record in Formula 1 that is unlikely ever to be broken: when he replaced Karl Wendlinger at March shortly before the end of the 1992 season – his predecessor having moved to Sauber – he also set a record for the longest time interval between two consecutive race starts in the premier class, at ten years, three months and 22 days. Outside of Grand Prix racing, Lammers has enjoyed more impressive successes: he won the 24-hour classics at both Le Mans and Daytona. And, curiously enough, at the Red Bull Legends Parade, he will be driving the same brand – Lotus – as a certain Karl Wendlinger.