The Lotus 49 was a World Championship winning car, renowned for being the first Grand Prix built to use the Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The 49B was driven to the 1968 FIA Formula One World Championship by Graham Hill, while a 49C would be driven by Jochen Rindt to the 1970 title.
When the 49 debuted at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix it immediately looked to be the class of the field, proved when Jim Clark swept to victory backed up by teammate Hill who had claimed pole.[1] Clark would go on to claim a further three victories before the end of the 1967 season, before claiming the honours in the first round of the 1968 season to reach the top of the all time winners list. Hill and Rindt would also score victories for the factory run 49s and their subsequent development versions, while privateer Jo Siffert claimed a win at the 1968 British Grand Prix for the Rob Walker Racing Team.
The 49 was the brainchild of Colin Chapman and aircraft engineer Maurice Philippe, and became a test-bed for all sorts of innovations. From its very creation the 49 would be the first car to successfully incorporate the engine as an integral part of the chassis, while also allowing Chapman and Philippe to experiment with aerofoils and wings. The 49 is also noted as one of the first cars to feature a sponsored livery, with the factory Lotus cars fondly remembered for their "Gold Leaf" branding.
Development
History
The original plan for Colin Chapman and his Team Lotus designers had been to use the Ford Cosworth DFV engine in the Lotus 43, but delays in funding for the project meant the 1966 season would be a write-off.[2] The first two chassis were ready to race by the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix but the engines were still not race ready, although there had been some testing done over the winter.[3] Graham Hill, who almost exclusively drove the new cars believed that the handling was delightful, but the power of the DFV was too intermittent during development for him to be confident.
Debut Delight: 1967
The Lotus 49 first appeared after an extensive testing period at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Park Zandvoort, with Team Lotus bringing two cars for Jim Clark and Graham Hill.[1] Hill was still unsure about the engine but when the Englishman put his car on pole, half a second clear of anyone else, there were few complaints.[1] Ultimately though, it would be his teammate and friend Clark who took victory after a swashbuckling climb up from eighth, the Dutch Grand Prix having been the first time the Scot had sat in the car, let alone driven it.[1]
The following two races saw both Clark and Hill hobbled by mechanical issues (the latter having retired at Zandvoort too with a problem), before the car and team came to their home race at Silverstone. A typical display by Clark saw him dance the 49 to victory from pole having led every lap, only denied a Grand Chelem by a tenth of a second, while Hill fell to an engine problem.[4] After both retired at the 1967 German Grand Prix, a third car was entered for the first Canadian Grand Prix, although Hill would be the only man to finish down in fourth.
The next race was at Monza 1967 Italian Grand Prix, where Clark once again dominated, having started from pole, lost a lap after a puncture before recovering to lead again a few laps from the end.[5] Yet, the Scot would be denied victory by a damaged fuel pump, which left the Brit to limp across the line in third after one of the greatest displays in F1 history.[5] It also ended any hopes for the Scot to win the Championship, although Clark would claim victory at the final two rounds of the season, with Hill backing him up with second at the 1967 United States Grand Prix.[6]
Players and Privateers: 1968
Development Days: 1969
Final Fling: 1970
Race Victories
| No. | Year | Event | Driver | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1967 |  1967 Dutch Grand Prix
|
 Jim Clark
|
Won on debut. |
| 2 | 1967 | 1967 British Grand Prix
|
Jim Clark
|
First win from pole. |
| 3 | 1967 |  1967 United States Grand Prix
|
Jim Clark
|
|
| 4 | 1967 |  1967 Mexican Grand Prix
|
Jim Clark
|
Pole, fastest lap and victory. |
| 5 | 1968 |  1968 South African Grand Prix
|
Jim Clark
|
Last win for Clark. |
| 6 | 1968 |  1968 Spanish Grand Prix
|
Graham Hill
|
|
| Lotus 49B | ||||
| 7 | 1968 |  1968 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Graham Hill
|
|
| 8 | 1968 | 1968 British Grand Prix
|
 Jo Siffert
|
Last win for a privateer. |
| 9 | 1968 | 1968 Mexican Grand Prix
|
Graham Hill
|
Hill won the Drivers' World Championship. |
| 10 | 1969 | 1969 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Graham Hill
|
|
| 11 | 1969 | 1969 United States Grand Prix
|
 Jochen Rindt
|
First win for Rindt. |
| Lotus 49C | ||||
| 12 | 1970 | 1970 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Jochen Rindt
|
Last win for the 49. |
Complete Formula One Results
Trivia
- The Lotus 49 was included in the video game Forza Motorsport 6, alongside several other cars from the same era.
- The Lotus 49C appears in Formula One 06 and Formula One Championship Edition.
References
Images and Videos:
- Sporti, 'File:Clark at 1967 Dutch Grand Prix (6).jpg', commons.wikimedia.org, (WikiMedia: Commons, 10/09/2012), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clark_at_1967_Dutch_Grand_Prix_(6).jpg, (Accessed 13/08/2016)
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 D.S.J., 'DUTCH GRAND PRIX: Team Lotus Return', motorsportmagazine.com, (MotorSport Magazine, 01/07/1967), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1967/28/dutch-grand-prix, (Accessed 13/08/2016)
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