Ligier JS27
Encyclopedia
The Ligier JS27 was the Formula One
car with which the Ligier team competed in the season.
, with a lower fuel tank and revised aerodynamics. It was also lighter than its overweight predecessor, with the customer supply of Renault
engines more effectively integrated into the overall package than before, although the specification of the engines was always slightly behind fellow-Renault users Lotus
and was not developed through the course of the season.
, and a further two were constructed during the course of the season: chassis 04 was introduced for the Belgian Grand Prix
, whilst chassis 05 was ready in time for the race in Canada
. Chassis 01 was written off due to the extensive front-end damage caused by Jacques Laffite
's career-ending accident at the British Grand Prix
.
pairing of Ligier mainstay Laffite and René Arnoux
. Both drivers were renowned as being fast and experienced, but their age and setup skills were cast into doubt before the start of the season. Arnoux, in particular, had missed most of the season after being sacked after the first race by Ferrari, and Laffite was the oldest driver on the grid.
The JS27 was instantly competitive, however, with numerous points finishes in the first half of the season, including two podium finishes from Laffite. At Detroit, both drivers were particularly fast, Laffite leading the race and eventually finishing third, whilst Arnoux looked on course for second place until he crashed. By the time of the British Grand Prix, Ligier were fourth in the Constructors' Championship: behind Williams
, McLaren and Lotus, but ahead of Ferrari.
This race saw the team sustain a major setback, when Laffite was caught up in a first-lap pile-up and seriously injured his legs. The crash effectively ended his Formula One career, as he chose not to return once his injuries had healed. It also spelt the end for the Brands Hatch
circuit in F1, and triggered new safety regulations for following years, the most obvious of which stipulated that a driver's feet had to be situated beind the car's front axle
line for .
Laffite's accident caused the Ligier team's morale to drop, and with a concurrent lack of development on the chassis, the JS27 was less competitive in the second half of the season. Arnoux and substitute driver Philippe Alliot
could only score for points from the German Grand Prix
onwards, but this was enough to secure fifth in the Constructors' Championship - the highest-placed team using Pirelli
tyres.
The JS27 was one of the last truly competitive cars to be produced by the Ligier team; from 1987 the team would suffer a competitive slump that would last until the season. The JS27 was also the last Ligier chassis to lead a lap of a Grand Prix until Olivier Panis
' victory in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix
, Ligier's last season in F1 before its takeover by Alain Prost
.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car with which the Ligier team competed in the season.
Concept
The JS27 was a logical development of the previous year's JS25Ligier JS25
The Ligier JS25 was a Formula One car designed by Michel Beaujon and Claude Galopin for use by the Ligier team during the 1985 Formula One season. Like its predecessor, the JS23, the JS25 was powered by a turbocharged Renault V6 engine although the car ran on Pirelli instead of Michelin tyres...
, with a lower fuel tank and revised aerodynamics. It was also lighter than its overweight predecessor, with the customer supply of Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
engines more effectively integrated into the overall package than before, although the specification of the engines was always slightly behind fellow-Renault users Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
and was not developed through the course of the season.
Construction
Three JS27 chassis were built and ready to race for the first round of the championship in Brazil1986 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on March 23, 1986.This was the first race to be held after Sir Frank Williams' car accident in France. Nigel Mansell was out of the race on the first lap after an overtaking attempt on Senna saw him in the wall....
, and a further two were constructed during the course of the season: chassis 04 was introduced for the Belgian Grand Prix
1986 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1986 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on May 25, 1986.Nelson Piquet took pole late in the qualifying session using a spare car...
, whilst chassis 05 was ready in time for the race in Canada
1986 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1986 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1986.- Classification :-Standings after Grand Prix:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...
. Chassis 01 was written off due to the extensive front-end damage caused by Jacques Laffite
Jacques Laffite
Jacques-Henri Laffite is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six grand prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. He is now a TV commentator on French television TF1....
's career-ending accident at the British Grand Prix
1986 British Grand Prix
The 1986 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 13, 1986. It was the ninth race of the 1986 Formula One season...
.
Racing history
The JS27 was initially driven by the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
pairing of Ligier mainstay Laffite and René Arnoux
René Arnoux
René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...
. Both drivers were renowned as being fast and experienced, but their age and setup skills were cast into doubt before the start of the season. Arnoux, in particular, had missed most of the season after being sacked after the first race by Ferrari, and Laffite was the oldest driver on the grid.
The JS27 was instantly competitive, however, with numerous points finishes in the first half of the season, including two podium finishes from Laffite. At Detroit, both drivers were particularly fast, Laffite leading the race and eventually finishing third, whilst Arnoux looked on course for second place until he crashed. By the time of the British Grand Prix, Ligier were fourth in the Constructors' Championship: behind Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
, McLaren and Lotus, but ahead of Ferrari.
This race saw the team sustain a major setback, when Laffite was caught up in a first-lap pile-up and seriously injured his legs. The crash effectively ended his Formula One career, as he chose not to return once his injuries had healed. It also spelt the end for the Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
circuit in F1, and triggered new safety regulations for following years, the most obvious of which stipulated that a driver's feet had to be situated beind the car's front axle
Axle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
line for .
Laffite's accident caused the Ligier team's morale to drop, and with a concurrent lack of development on the chassis, the JS27 was less competitive in the second half of the season. Arnoux and substitute driver Philippe Alliot
Philippe Alliot
Philippe Alliot is a former racing driver who participated in Formula One from to and from to . He raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse and McLaren....
could only score for points from the German Grand Prix
1986 German Grand Prix
The 1986 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 27, 1986. It was the tenth race of the 1986 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :...
onwards, but this was enough to secure fifth in the Constructors' Championship - the highest-placed team using Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
tyres.
The JS27 was one of the last truly competitive cars to be produced by the Ligier team; from 1987 the team would suffer a competitive slump that would last until the season. The JS27 was also the last Ligier chassis to lead a lap of a Grand Prix until Olivier Panis
Olivier Panis
Olivier Panis is a French racing driver. Panis is best known in F1 not only as a test driver for the McLaren team but for his win at the eventful Monaco Grand Prix in 1996 for the Ligier team after starting 14th...
' victory in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix
1996 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1996 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 19, 1996. The race was run in wet weather, causing significant attrition and setting a record for the least number of cars to be running at the end of a Grand Prix race...
, Ligier's last season in F1 before its takeover by Alain Prost
Prost Grand Prix
Prost Grand Prix was a Formula One racing team managed by former world champion Alain Prost. The team participated in five seasons from 1997 to 2001.-Purchase of Ligier:...
.
Complete World Championship Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Team | Engine(s) | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipe Ligier | Renault Gordini Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... EF15 V6 V6 engine A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft... tc Turbocharger A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance... |
BRA 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on March 23, 1986.This was the first race to be held after Sir Frank Williams' car accident in France. Nigel Mansell was out of the race on the first lap after an overtaking attempt on Senna saw him in the wall.... |
ESP 1986 Spanish Grand Prix The 1986 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jerez on April 13, 1986. This was the first Spanish Grand Prix since the 1981 race held at Jarama.... |
SMR 1986 San Marino Grand Prix The 1986 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on 27 April 1986. The race was the third round of the year's World Championship... |
MON 1986 Monaco Grand Prix The 1986 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 11, 1986.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Alain Prost 71 , Ayrton Senna 7... |
BEL 1986 Belgian Grand Prix The 1986 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on May 25, 1986.Nelson Piquet took pole late in the qualifying session using a spare car... |
CAN 1986 Canadian Grand Prix The 1986 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1986.- Classification :-Standings after Grand Prix:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
DET 1986 Detroit Grand Prix The 1986 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 22, 1986 in Detroit, Michigan.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Rising Lotus star Ayrton Senna started on the pole and came away with a hard-earned win, the fourth of his career. The young Brazilian charged through the field after dropping to... |
FRA 1986 French Grand Prix The 1986 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 6, 1986. Elio De Angelis's fatal crash on the full circuit 2 months before prompted Formula One to use a shortened version of the circuit.- Classification :-Trivia:... |
GBR 1986 British Grand Prix The 1986 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 13, 1986. It was the ninth race of the 1986 Formula One season... |
GER 1986 German Grand Prix The 1986 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 27, 1986. It was the tenth race of the 1986 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :... |
HUN 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hungaroring on August 10, 1986. It was the eleventh round of the 1986 Formula One season.... |
AUT 1986 Austrian Grand Prix The 1986 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 17 August 1986.- Classification :- Notes :* The Benettons of Berger and Fabi were so dominant in this race that they were 40 seconds ahead of third-placed Prost after 12 laps... |
ITA 1986 Italian Grand Prix The 1986 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 7, 1986.- Race :Following problems at the start of the parade lap, pole position man Teo Fabi was forced to start from the back of the grid and Alain Prost, alongside him on the front row, had to start from the pit... |
POR 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Estoril on September 21, 1986.- Classification :- Notes :* Williams-Honda took the Constructor's Championship with two races left.... |
MEX 1986 Mexican Grand Prix The 1986 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on October 12, 1986.It was the first win for Gerhard Berger and the first win for the Benetton team. Benetton ran on Pirelli tyres, and their relative durability compared to competitors on Goodyear tyres played to the... |
AUS 1986 Australian Grand Prix The 1986 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1986 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, Australia. It was the last of 16 races in the 1986 Formula One season... |
29 | 5th | |||
| René Arnoux René Arnoux René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons... |
4 | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 5 | 4 | 4 | Ret | 10 | Ret | 7 | 15 | 7 | ||||||
| Jacques Laffite Jacques Laffite Jacques-Henri Laffite is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six grand prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. He is now a TV commentator on French television TF1.... |
3 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Philippe Alliot Philippe Alliot Philippe Alliot is a former racing driver who participated in Formula One from to and from to . He raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse and McLaren.... |
Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | 8 |