Team Lotus, the motorsport arm of the British sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars, is the fourth most successful constructor in F1 history.
Notable Team Members and Drivers
Colin Chapman: The founder of Team Lotus, Colin Chapman, was a pioneering force in Formula 1. His innovative approach to car design and aerodynamics revolutionised the sport, leading Team Lotus to multiple championships.
Jim Clark: Considered one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, Jim Clark drove for Team Lotus from 1960 until his tragic death in 1968. During his time with Lotus, Clark won the 1963 and 1965 Drivers’ World Championship.
Ayrton Senna: Ayrton Senna, one of the most iconic figures in the sport’s history, drove for Team Lotus from 1985 to 1987. During his time, Senna won six Grand Prix, including a memorable win at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix in terrible wet conditions.
With a legacy spanning from 1958 until 1994, Team Lotus clinched seven constructors’ titles and six drivers’ championships. Team Lotus made an impact almost immediately, scoring its first points with Cliff Allison, who finished fourth at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix, the fifth round of the season. The team’s breakthrough win came in 1960 at the Indy 500 when Stirling Moss, driving a privately entered car for the Rob Walker Racing Team, won, marking the first win for a Lotus car. The first victory for Team Lotus as a constructor was achieved by Innes Ireland at the 1961 United States Grand Prix.
In 1963, Jim Clark clinched the drivers’ championship, securing Team Lotus’s first drivers’ title in F1, alongside their first constructors’ championship. Under the visionary leadership of its founder and chief designer, Colin Chapman, Team Lotus excelled not only in Formula One but also in Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. The team was renowned for its innovative and experimental engineering in motorsport, as well as new commercial ideas within the sport.
Over a decade after its last race, Team Lotus’s achievements remained almost unmatched, including seven Constructors’ titles, six Drivers’ Championships, and wins at the Indianapolis 500.
The iconic Lotus name made a notable return to F1 in 2010 with Tony Fernandes’s Lotus Racing team. In 2011, Team Lotus’s classic black-and-gold livery was revived in Formula 1 through the Lotus Renault GP team, under sponsorship from Lotus Cars. By 2012, this partnership evolved, and the team was fully rebranded as the Lotus F1 Team, reviving Team Lotus within F1 once again.
Team Lotus Formula One World Championship Records
| First entry | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| Races entered | 491 (489 starts) |
| Constructors’ Championships | 7 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978) |
| Drivers’ Championships | 6 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1978) |
| Race victories | 74 |
| Podiums | 165 |
| Points | 5908.5 |
| Pole positions | 102 |
| Fastest laps | 65 |
| Final entry | 1994 Australian Grand Prix |
Team Lotus Drivers’ Champions
The following drivers won the Formula One Drivers’ Championship for Team Lotus F1.
| Driver | Nationality | Championship Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Clark | British | 1963 |
| Jim Clark | British | 1965 |
| Graham Hill | British | 1968 |
| Jochen Rindt | German | 1970 |
| Emerson Fittipaldi | Brazilian | 1972 |
| Mario Andretti | American | 1978 |
Team Lotus Championship Results
| Year | Car | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Lotus 16 Lotus 12 Lotus 16 F2 | Graham Hill Alan Stacey Cliff Allison | 3 | 6th |
| 1959 | Lotus 16 | Pete Lovely Graham Hill Innes Ireland Alan Stacey | 5 | 4th |
| 1960 | Lotus 18 Lotus 16 | Innes Ireland Jim Clark Ron Flockhart John Surtees Alan Stacey Alberto Larreta | 34 | 2nd |
| 1961 | Lotus 21 Lotus 18 | Jim Clark Willy Mairesse Ret Innes Ireland Trevor Taylor | 32 | 2nd |
| 1962 | Lotus 25 Lotus 24 | Jim Clark Trevor Taylor | 36 | 2nd |
| 1963 | Lotus 25 | Jim Clark Trevor Taylor Peter Arundell Mike Spence Pedro Rodríguez | 54 | 1st |
| 1964 | Lotus 25 Lotus 33 | Jim Clark Peter Arundell Gerhard Mitter Mike Spence Walt Hansgen Moisés Solana | 37 | 3rd |
| 1965 | Lotus 33 Lotus 25 | Jim Clark Mike Spence Gerhard Mitter Giacomo Russo Moisés Solana | 54 | 1st |
| 1966 | Lotus 33 Lotus 43 Lotus 33 Lotus 44 F2 | Giacomo Russo Pedro Rodríguez Peter Arundell Jim Clark Gerhard Mitter Piers Courage | 8 13 – | 6th 5th – |
| 1967 | Lotus 33 Lotus 43 Lotus 33 Lotus 49 Lotus 48 F2 | Graham Hill Jim Clark Eppie Wietzes Giancarlo Baghetti Moisés Solana Jackie Oliver | 6 0 44 – | 8th NC 2nd – |
| 1968 | Lotus 49 Lotus 49B | Jim Clark Jackie Oliver Graham Hill Jackie Oliver Bill Brack Ret Mario Andretti Moisés Solana | 62 | 1st |
| 1969 | Lotus 49B Lotus 63 | Graham Hill Jochen Rindt Richard Attwood Mario Andretti John Miles | 47 | 3rd |
| 1970 | Lotus 49C Lotus 72 Lotus 72C | Jochen Rindt Emerson Fittipaldi Alex Soler-Roig John Miles Reine Wisell | 59 | 1st |
| 1971 | Lotus 72C Lotus 72D Lotus 56B | Emerson Fittipaldi Reine Wisell Dave Charlton Dave Walker Reine Wisell | 21 0 | 5th NC |
| 1972 | Lotus 72D | Emerson Fittipaldi David Walker Reine Wisell | 61 | 1st |
| 1973 | Lotus 72D Lotus 72E | Emerson Fittipaldi Ronnie Peterson | 92 | 1st |
| 1974 | Lotus 72E Lotus 76 | Ronnie Peterson Jacky Ickx Tim Schernken | 42 | 4th |
| 1975 | Lotus 72E Lotus 72F | Ronnie Peterson Jacky Ickx Jim Crawford John Watson Brian Henton | 9 | 7th |
| 1976 | Lotus 77 | Ronnie Peterson Bob Evans Mario Andretti Gunnar Nilsson | 29 | 4th |
| 1977 | Lotus 78 | Mario Andretti Gunnar Nilsson | 62 | 2nd |
| 1978 | Lotus 78 Lotus 79 | Ronnie Peterson Mario Andretti Jean-Pierre Jarier | 86 | 1st |
| 1979 | Lotus 80 Lotus 79 | Mario Andretti Carlos Reutemann | 39 | 4th |
| 1980 | Lotus 81 Lotus 81B | Mario Andretti Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell | 14 | 5th |
| 1981 | Lotus 81B Lotus 87 | Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell | 22 | 7th |
| 1982 | Lotus 87B Lotus 91 | Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell Geoff Lees | 30 | 6th |
| 1983 | Lotus 92 Lotus 91 Lotus 93T Lotus 94T | Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell | 1 11 | 12th 8th |
| 1984 | Lotus 95T | Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell | 47 | 3rd |
| 1985 | Lotus 97T | Ayrton Senna Elio de Angelis | 71 | 4th |
| 1986 | Lotus 98T | Ayrton Senna Johnny Dumfries | 58 | 3rd |
| 1987 | Lotus 99T | Ayrton Senna Satoru Nakajima | 64 | 3rd |
| 1988 | Lotus 100T | Nelson Piquet Satoru Nakajima | 23 | 4th |
| 1989 | Lotus 101 | Nelson Piquet Satoru Nakajima | 15 | 6th |
| 1990 | Lotus 102 | Derek Warwick Martin Donnelly Johnny Herbert | 3 | 8th |
| 1991 | Lotus 102B | Mika Häkkinen Julian Bailey Johnny Herbert Michael Bartels | 3 | 9th |
| 1992 | Lotus 102D Lotus 107 | Mika Häkkinen Johnny Herbert | 13 | 5th |
| 1993 | Lotus 107B | Johnny Herbert Alessandro Zanardi Pedro Lamy | 12 | 6th |
| 1994 | Lotus 107C Lotus 109 | Pedro Lamy Alessandro Zanardi Johnny Herbert Philippe Adams Éric Bernard Mika Salo | 0 | NC |
