Team Lotus transformed Formula 1 by discovering ground effect, a technique that delivers maximum downforce with minimal drag. This breakthrough gave Lotus a significant edge, resulting in notable performance improvements.
Key details about the discovery and its impact:
Accidental Discovery: Peter Wright noticed a major increase in downforce while testing an airfoil model in a wind tunnel when the model's side pods lowered close to the floor. This observation led to the understanding of ground effect.
Bernoulli's Principle: The effect operates based on Bernoulli's principle. Air moving through a narrow space beneath the car accelerates, lowering pressure. Side skirts act as seals, creating a large low-pressure zone under the car, which generates substantial downforce with little drag.
Development of Skirts: The success of ground effect in race cars depended heavily on the "skirts" that sealed the underbody. Colin Chapman and Peter Wright continually improved these skirts, eventually creating a parallelogram skirt system with ceramic rubbing strips that significantly enhanced performance.
Driver's Experience: Drivers like Mario Andretti described the Type 78 and Type 79 cars with ground effect as feeling "painted to the road," enabling them to take corners much faster while maintaining high speeds on straight sections, providing a considerable advantage.
Team Lotus's Innovation: Known for innovation and dedication, Team Lotus, led by Colin Chapman, constantly sought to gain and expand advantages. The discovery of ground effect came from Chapman's regular evaluation of F1 car designs, leading to a complete aerodynamic redesign.
Source: (1597) Lotus' Incredible discovery that revolutionised F1 - YouTube
Source: (1597) Lotus' Incredible discovery that revolutionised F1 - YouTube
