Lotus 107
Encyclopedia
The Lotus 107 was a Formula One car
used by Team Lotus
. Designed for the 1992 Formula One season
, it brought in a final, frustratingly limited and short-lived period of competitiveness for the legendary Team Lotus
in Formula One
. A fresh design by Chris Murphy (apparently based on an unbuilt design he started at March
), it had smooth sweeping lines a world away from the long developed and antique looking 102D. Lotus also harked back to previous glories with a supply of Ford
Cosworth
HB V8 engines, of a similar - if older - specification to those being used by Benetton
. The 107 was the first Lotus to be fitted with a semi-automatic gearbox.
With a top notch driving squad of Johnny Herbert
and a future double F1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen
, the Lotus' were able to bring in some good results - at several races the twin 'Loti' (as BBC commentator James Hunt
dubbed them) were able to run in formation on the tail of the leading pack, at least in the early parts of the races. Reliability was not fantastic, but a fair measure of basic speed was obviously there. For a while in 1992 it seemed as if Team Lotus might be able to turn things around and claw their way back to success.
The car was developed over succeeding seasons into B and C variants, the latter with Mugen-Honda power in place of the Cosworth. As was standard practice at the time, the team employed the active suspension technology that they had introduced to F1 back in 1987 on later variants, but the budget wasn't there to make it really work, and besides, it was now far from being a unique capability. Alex Zanardi
believes (see his autobiography 'My Story') that the focus on this system was to the detriment of other aspects of the car.
Zanardi (later a two-time Champ Car champion) was an example of the good driving talent the team generally continued to employ. Sadly the team's financial difficulties dragged it under at the end of 1994. The Lotus 109
, the last Formula One Lotus, which ran in the latter part of 1994, was a further derivative of this design.
Formula One car
A modern Formula One car is a single-seat, open cockpit, open wheel racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver. The regulations governing the cars are unique to the championship...
used by Team 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...
. Designed for the 1992 Formula One season
1992 Formula One season
The 1992 Formula One season was the 43rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 1, 1992, and ended on November 8 after sixteen races...
, it brought in a final, frustratingly limited and short-lived period of competitiveness for the legendary Team 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...
in Formula One
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...
. A fresh design by Chris Murphy (apparently based on an unbuilt design he started at March
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
), it had smooth sweeping lines a world away from the long developed and antique looking 102D. Lotus also harked back to previous glories with a supply of Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
HB V8 engines, of a similar - if older - specification to those being used by Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
. The 107 was the first Lotus to be fitted with a semi-automatic gearbox.
With a top notch driving squad of Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...
and a future double F1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
, the Lotus' were able to bring in some good results - at several races the twin 'Loti' (as BBC commentator James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
dubbed them) were able to run in formation on the tail of the leading pack, at least in the early parts of the races. Reliability was not fantastic, but a fair measure of basic speed was obviously there. For a while in 1992 it seemed as if Team Lotus might be able to turn things around and claw their way back to success.
Lotus 107B and 107C
Alex Zanardi
Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver...
believes (see his autobiography 'My Story') that the focus on this system was to the detriment of other aspects of the car.
Zanardi (later a two-time Champ Car champion) was an example of the good driving talent the team generally continued to employ. Sadly the team's financial difficulties dragged it under at the end of 1994. The Lotus 109
Lotus 109
The Lotus 109 was a Formula One car used by Team Lotus in the latter part of the 1994 Formula One season. It was designed by Chris Murphy who based the car on his Lotus 107 model...
, the last Formula One Lotus, which ran in the latter part of 1994, was a further derivative of this design.
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team 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... |
107 | Ford HB V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
RSA 1992 South African Grand Prix The 1992 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 1, 1992. It was the first round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :... |
MEX 1992 Mexican Grand Prix The 1992 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on March 22, 1992. It was the second round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Nigel Mansell 69... |
BRA 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on April 5, 1992. It was the third round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Riccardo Patrese 31 , Nigel Mansell 40... |
ESP 1992 Spanish Grand Prix The 1992 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 3, 1992 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fourth round of the 1992 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Race:The race was also advertised as the Grand Prix of the Olympic Games... |
SMR 1992 San Marino Grand Prix The 1992 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on May 17, 1992. It was the fifth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Qualifying:... |
MON 1992 Monaco Grand Prix The 1992 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 31, 1992 at the Monaco. It was the sixth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The race, contested over 78 laps was won by Ayrton Senna after a close battle for the lead in the final three laps with pole sitter Nigel Mansell... |
CAN 1992 Canadian Grand Prix The 1992 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 14, 1992. It was the seventh round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... |
FRA 1992 French Grand Prix The 1992 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 5, 1992. It was the eighth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Race:A lorry driver blockade meant the Andrea Moda Formula team did not appear at this race... |
GBR 1992 British Grand Prix The 1992 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 12, 1992. It was the ninth round of the 1992 Formula One season... |
GER 1992 German Grand Prix The 1992 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 26, 1992. It was the tenth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Background:... |
HUN 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hungaroring on 16 August 1992. It was the eleventh round of the 1992 Formula One season... |
BEL 1992 Belgian Grand Prix The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 30, 1992. It was the twelfth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The race was won by Benetton's Michael Schumacher, it was the first of his record 91 Grand Prix wins... |
ITA 1992 Italian Grand Prix The 1992 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 13, 1992. It was the thirteenth round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... |
POR 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autódromo do Estoril on September 27, 1992. It was the fourteenth round of the 1992 Formula One season. Nigel Mansell won the race, breaking the record for most wins in one season. However, the race is best remembered for the... |
JPN 1992 Japanese Grand Prix The 1992 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on 25 October 1992. It was the fifteenth race of the 1992 Formula One season.- Before the race :... |
AUS 1992 Australian Grand Prix The 1992 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 8, 1992. It was the sixteenth and final round of the 1992 Formula One season. The most significant moment was a collision between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell as the Brazilian attempted to overtake the... |
13* | 5th | |||
 Mika HäkkinenMika Häkkinen Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion... |
Ret | Ret | 4 | 6 | Ret | 4 | 6 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B... |
Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | |||||||||||
| Team 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... |
107B | Ford HB V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
RSA 1993 South African Grand Prix The 1993 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 14, 1993. It was the first round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
BRA 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on March 28, 1993. It was the second round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
EUR 1993 European Grand Prix The 1993 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Donington Park on April 11, 1993. It was the third round of the 1993 Formula One season. The race was notable for the dominance of Ayrton Senna.-Report:... |
SMR 1993 San Marino Grand Prix The 1993 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on April 25, 1993. It was the fourth round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
ESP 1993 Spanish Grand Prix The 1993 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 9, 1993 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fifth round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
MON 1993 Monaco Grand Prix The 1993 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 23, 1993. It was the sixth round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Summary :... |
CAN 1993 Canadian Grand Prix The 1993 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 13, 1993. It was the seventh round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... |
FRA 1993 French Grand Prix The 1993 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 4, 1993. It was the eighth round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... |
GBR 1993 British Grand Prix The 1993 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 11 July 1993. It was the ninth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Damon Hill appeared set for his first Formula One victory, before his engine failed on lap 42. This handed the win to his team-mate Alain Prost.Ayrton... |
GER 1993 German Grand Prix The 1993 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheim on 25 July 1993. It was the tenth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Alain Prost scored his final Formula One victory after team-mate Damon Hill was denied a first win by a tyre problem on the penultimate lap... |
HUN 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hungaroring on 15 August 1993. It was the eleventh round of the 1993 Formula One season. It marked the first victory of Damon Hill, after he had retired while leading the last two races . He became the first son of a World Champion... |
BEL 1993 Belgian Grand Prix The 1993 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 29, 1993. It was the twelfth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Damon Hill scored a second successive victory. Alain Prost was leading the race and looked set to win, but a miscommunication during his... |
ITA 1993 Italian Grand Prix The 1993 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1993. It was the thirteenth round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Report :... |
POR 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Estoril on September 26, 1993. It was the fourteenth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Michael Schumacher took his only win of the season, while second place was enough for Alain Prost to clinch the championship, after Ayrton... |
JPN 1993 Japanese Grand Prix The 1993 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on October 24, 1993. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
AUS 1993 Australian Grand Prix The 1993 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 7, 1993. It was the final round of the 1993 Formula One season.... |
12 | 6th | |||
| Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B... |
Ret | 4 | 4 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | 4 | 10 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | 11 | Ret | |||||||
 Alessandro Zanardi |
Ret | 6 | 8 | Ret | 14 | 7 | 11 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNS | |||||||||||
 Pedro LamyPedro Lamy José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, better known as Pedro Lamy , is a professional racing driver from Portugal. He is notable for being the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi... |
11 | Ret | 13 | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team 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... |
107C | Mugen-Honda V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
BRA 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 27, 1994 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. It was the first race of the 1994 Formula One season.- Pre-Race :... |
PAC 1994 Pacific Grand Prix The 1994 Pacific Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 17, 1994 at the TI Circuit, Aida. It was the second race of the 1994 Formula One season. Ayrton Senna started the race from his 64th pole position, but was overtaken by Schumacher before the first corner and was hit by Mika... |
SMR 1994 San Marino Grand Prix The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season... |
MON 1994 Monaco Grand Prix The 1994 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 15, 1994 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. The race, which was the fourth race of the 1994 Formula One season, was won by Michael Schumacher and was the first race following the death of Ayrton Senna in San Marino.- Background... |
ESP 1994 Spanish Grand Prix The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29, 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. It was the 36th Spanish Grand Prix to be held since the first was held at Guadarrama in 1913. It was the fourth to be held at Circuit de Catalunya... |
CAN 1994 Canadian Grand Prix The 1994 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 12, 1994 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. It was the sixth round of the 1994 Formula One season.-Race:... |
FRA 1994 French Grand Prix The 1994 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 3, 1994 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours. It was the seventh race of the 1994 Formula One season.-Race:... |
GBR 1994 British Grand Prix The 1994 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 July, 1994 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the eighth race of the 1994 Formula One season. It marked the halfway stage of the season... |
GER 1994 German Grand Prix The 1994 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 31, 1994 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. It was the ninth race of the 1994 Formula One season.... |
HUN 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 14, 1994 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. It was the tenth race of the 1994 Formula One season.... |
BEL 1994 Belgian Grand Prix The 1994 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 28, 1994 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. It was the eleventh race of the 1994 Formula One season.-Background:... |
ITA 1994 Italian Grand Prix The 1994 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 11, 1994 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza. It was the twelfth race of the 1994 Formula One season.... |
POR 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 25, 1994 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril. It was the thirteenth race of the 1994 Formula One season.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :... |
EUR 1994 European Grand Prix The 1994 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 16, 1994 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Jerez, Spain. It was the fourteenth race of the 1994 Formula One season.- History :... |
JPN 1994 Japanese Grand Prix The 1994 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 6, 1994 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 1994 Formula One season.... |
AUS 1994 Australian Grand Prix The 1994 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 13, 1994 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1994 Formula One season. The race is remembered for an incident involving the two title contenders Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher which... |
0 | - | |||
| Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B... |
7 | 7 | 10 | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Lamy Pedro Lamy José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, better known as Pedro Lamy , is a professional racing driver from Portugal. He is notable for being the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi... |
10 | 8 | Ret | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Alessandro Zanardi |
9 | 15 |
- 2 points scored in 19921992 Formula One seasonThe 1992 Formula One season was the 43rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 1, 1992, and ended on November 8 after sixteen races...
with the Lotus 102D