Friday 4th November 2011

Pic Of The Week: Proper Lotus F1

Lotus 72 in dab-of-oppo pose. Now that's an F1 car...

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With yesterday's news that the tug of war over the use of Lotus name in F1 has at last been settled, a part of the indignity suffered by that once-great badge is over.

But it does throw into sharp relief the fact that the Lotus name - whichever F1 team has been bearing it - isn't covering itself in glory these days (though we wonder what a certain R Kubica would be doing behind the wheel of the black-and-gold Renault).

And that's a shame when you consider that, for whole chunks of the 1960s and 1970s, Colin Chapman's Team Lotus dominated the sport of F1.

So let's remember Lotus this way, with the magnificent Ronnie Peterson at the helm of the revolutionary Lotus 72 on his way to winning the 1973 French GP.

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[Chunkychucky]

In my opinion Peterson is in my group of greatest ever drivers never to win a drivers' world championship, shame he had to play the role of 2nd driver to Andretti when he was at Lotus even though he was no slower, perhaps even quicker . A sad loss..

[Chunkychucky]

Oddball RS said:

I agree and playing second fiddle and having to use an obsolete second car sadly ended up costing him his life.

Yeah so sad. Still, the fact that Petersen had to qualify with full fuel tanks and a tempremental development gearbox in his car, and yet still managed to nearly match Andretti for pace says it all really. The good old days when drivers use to drive more than just F1 cars too.