Team Lotus F1 Logo

Historic

Team Lotus

British

  • Team Lotus Official Name
  • Norfolk, England Base
  • 1958 F1 Debut
  • Colin Chapman Team Boss
  • n/a Technical Chief
  • 7 World Championships

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 entry1958 Monaco Grand Prix
Races entered491 (489 starts)
Constructors’ Championships7 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978)
Drivers’ Championships6 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1978)
Race victories74
Podiums165
Points5908.5
Pole positions102
Fastest laps65
Final entry1994 Australian Grand Prix

Team Lotus Drivers’ Champions

The following drivers won the Formula One Drivers’ Championship for Team Lotus F1.

DriverNationalityChampionship Year
Jim ClarkBritish1963
Jim ClarkBritish1965
Graham HillBritish1968
Jochen RindtAustrian1970
Emerson FittipaldiBrazilian1972
Mario AndrettiAmerican1978

Team Lotus Championship Results

YearCarDriversPointsWCC
1958Lotus 16
Lotus 12
Lotus 16 F2
Graham Hill
Alan Stacey
Cliff Allison
36th
1959Lotus 16Pete Lovely
Graham Hill
Innes Ireland
Alan Stacey
54th
1960Lotus 18
Lotus 16
Innes Ireland
Jim Clark
Ron Flockhart
John Surtees
Alan Stacey
Alberto Larreta
342nd
1961Lotus 21
Lotus 18
Jim Clark
Willy Mairesse Ret
Innes Ireland
Trevor Taylor
322nd
1962Lotus 25
Lotus 24
Jim Clark
Trevor Taylor
362nd
1963Lotus 25Jim Clark
Trevor Taylor
Peter Arundell
Mike Spence
Pedro Rodríguez
541st
1964Lotus 25
Lotus 33
Jim Clark
Peter Arundell
Gerhard Mitter
Mike Spence
Walt Hansgen
Moisés Solana
373rd
1965Lotus 33
Lotus 25
Jim Clark
Mike Spence
Gerhard Mitter
Giacomo Russo
Moisés Solana
541st
1966Lotus 33
Lotus 43
Lotus 33
Lotus 44 F2
Giacomo Russo
Pedro Rodríguez
Peter Arundell
Jim Clark
Gerhard Mitter
Piers Courage
8
13
6th
5th
1967Lotus 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
1968Lotus 49
Lotus 49B
Jim Clark
Jackie Oliver
Graham Hill
Jackie Oliver
Bill Brack Ret
Mario Andretti
Moisés Solana
621st
1969Lotus 49B
Lotus 63
Graham Hill
Jochen Rindt
Richard Attwood
Mario Andretti
John Miles
473rd
1970Lotus 49C
Lotus 72
Lotus 72C
Jochen Rindt
Emerson Fittipaldi
Alex Soler-Roig
John Miles
Reine Wisell
591st
1971Lotus 72C
Lotus 72D
Lotus 56B
Emerson Fittipaldi
Reine Wisell
Dave Charlton
Dave Walker
Reine Wisell
21
0
5th
NC
1972Lotus 72DEmerson Fittipaldi
David Walker
Reine Wisell
611st
1973Lotus 72D
Lotus 72E
Emerson Fittipaldi
Ronnie Peterson
921st
1974Lotus 72E
Lotus 76
Ronnie Peterson
Jacky Ickx
Tim Schernken
424th
1975Lotus 72E
Lotus 72F
Ronnie Peterson
Jacky Ickx
Jim Crawford
John Watson
Brian Henton
97th
1976Lotus 77Ronnie Peterson
Bob Evans
Mario Andretti
Gunnar Nilsson
294th
1977Lotus 78Mario Andretti
Gunnar Nilsson
622nd
1978Lotus 78
Lotus 79
Ronnie Peterson
Mario Andretti
Jean-Pierre Jarier
861st
1979Lotus 80
Lotus 79
Mario Andretti
Carlos Reutemann
394th
1980Lotus 81
Lotus 81B
Mario Andretti
Elio de Angelis
Nigel Mansell
145th
1981Lotus 81B
Lotus 87
Elio de Angelis
Nigel Mansell
227th
1982Lotus 87B
Lotus 91
Elio de Angelis
Nigel Mansell
Geoff Lees
306th
1983Lotus 92
Lotus 91
Lotus 93T
Lotus 94T
Elio de Angelis
Nigel Mansell
1
11
12th
8th
1984Lotus 95TElio de Angelis
Nigel Mansell
473rd
1985Lotus 97TAyrton Senna
Elio de Angelis
714th
1986Lotus 98TAyrton Senna
Johnny Dumfries
583rd
1987Lotus 99TAyrton Senna
Satoru Nakajima
643rd
1988Lotus 100TNelson Piquet
Satoru Nakajima
234th
1989Lotus 101Nelson Piquet
Satoru Nakajima
156th
1990Lotus 102Derek Warwick
Martin Donnelly
Johnny Herbert
38th
1991Lotus 102BMika Häkkinen
Julian Bailey
Johnny Herbert
Michael Bartels
39th
1992Lotus 102D
Lotus 107
Mika Häkkinen
Johnny Herbert
135th
1993Lotus 107BJohnny Herbert
Alessandro Zanardi
Pedro Lamy
126th
1994Lotus 107C
Lotus 109
Pedro Lamy
Alessandro Zanardi
Johnny Herbert
Philippe Adams
Éric Bernard
Mika Salo
0NC

Team Lotus Drivers

Driver Nationality Current/Last Team F1 Debut Status
British Brabham 1958 Monaco Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend
British Team Lotus 1960 Dutch Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend
British Surtees 1971 Austrian Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend
American Ferrari 1968 United States Grand Prix F1 Legend
Swedish Ecurie Bonnier 1956 Italian Grand Prix Died
Austrian Team Lotus 1964 Austrian Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend
Brazilian Fittipaldi 1970 British Grand Prix F1 Legend
Swedish Team Lotus 1970 Monaco Grand Prix Died
Belgian Ligier 1966 German Grand Prix Retired
British McLaren 1973 British Grand Prix Retired
French Ligier 1971 Italian Grand Prix Retired
Argentine Williams 1972 Argentine Grand Prix Died
Italian Brabham 1979 Argentine Grand Prix Died
British McLaren 1980 Austrian Grand Prix F1 Legend
Brazilian Williams 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend
Brazilian Benetton 1978 German Grand Prix F1 Legend
British Footwork Arrows 1981 San Marino Grand Prix Retired
British Jaguar 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix Retired
Finnish McLaren 1991 United States Grand Prix F1 Legend
Finnish Toyota Racing 1994 Japanese Grand Prix Retired