The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season. The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race The 1970 Formula One season included the 21st FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on March 7, 1970, and ended on The 1972 Formula One season included the 23rd FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 23, 1972, and ended on The 1973 Formula One season included the 24th FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 28, 1973, and ended on Karl Jochen Rindt ( April 18, 1942 - September 5, 1970) was a German - Austrian racing driver The 1970 Formula One season included the 21st FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on March 7, 1970, and ended on Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a highly successful Brazilian automobile racing driver winning world championships The 1972 Formula One season included the 23rd FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 23, 1972, and ended on A modern Formula One car is a single-seat open cockpit open wheel race car with substantial front and rear wings and engine positioned behind the driver Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman ( 19 May 1928 - 16 December 1982) was an influential British designer inventor and builder in the automotive Maurice Philippe, also known as Maurice Phil' l' ippe was a British aircraft and Formula One car designer 1950s Colin Chapman established Lotus Engineering Ltd in 1952 at Hornsey, UK. The 1970 Formula One season included the 21st FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on March 7, 1970, and ended on

Development

The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which had been commonplace since the 1950s and an overhead air intake. The overall shape of the car was innovative too, resembling a wedge on wheels which was inspired by the earlier Lotus 56 gas turbine car, and the layout taken from the Lotus 63 four wheel drive project testbed. The Lotus 56 was designed by Maurice Philippe as Lotus 1968 entry in the Indianapolis 500, replacing the successful Lotus 38. The Lotus 63 was an experimental Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1969 season The shape made for better air penetration and higher speeds. In a back-to-back test with the Lotus 49, the 72 was 12 mph faster with the same Ford engine. The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season The DFV was an Engine produced by Cosworth originally for Formula One motor racing

Chapman's efforts produced one of the most remarkable and successful designs in F1 history. Taking the stressed engine layout technique from the Lotus 49 and adding advanced aerodynamics produced a car that was years ahead of its rivals. To begin with however, problems with the handling of the car had to be overcome, due to a lack of 'feel' caused by the anti-dive suspension geometry - which was designed to prevent the nose of the car dipping significantly under braking - and the anti-squat set-up at the rear, which was supposed to stop the car 'squatting down' under acceleration. Once the suspension was modified, there were no further problems. The car caused a sensation amongst the media and fans, with many people clamouring to see the remarkable car in action.

Race history

Emerson Fittipaldi driving the Lotus 72 during practice for the 1971 German Grand Prix. Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a highly successful Brazilian automobile racing driver winning world championships The 1971 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1971.

Fittipaldi at the wheel of the Lotus 72E at the 1973 Austrian Grand Prix. The 1973 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Österreichring on August 19, 1973.

The car was introduced partway into the 1970 season, driven by Jochen Rindt and John Miles. Karl Jochen Rindt ( April 18, 1942 - September 5, 1970) was a German - Austrian racing driver John Miles (born June 14, 1943 in London) is a British former Racing driver from England. Rindt made the car successful, winning the Dutch, French, British and German Grands Prix in quick succession. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Rindt was almost certainly going to win the world championship but was killed in a qualifying crash at Monza, driving the 72 with its wings removed. Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a Motorsport Race track near the town of Monza, Italy, north of Milan. His replacement, Emerson Fittipaldi won the USA race, helping Rindt become F1's only posthumous World Champion. Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a highly successful Brazilian automobile racing driver winning world championships The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rindt and Fittipaldi's combined points for the season helped Lotus to its fourth constructors' championship.

The car was developed during 1971 by BRM incumbent Tony Rudd. "BRM" redirects here For other uses please see BRM (disambiguation. Antony Cyril "Tony" Rudd ( March 18, 1923 - August 22, 2003) was an Engineer involved in Aero engine design and He worked especially on redesigning the rear suspension and modified the rear wing to produce more downforce. Fittipaldi struggled during the season but scored good results and finished a respectable sixth, whilst the following season was much better. The development work done behind the scenes helped him become the youngest world champion in F1's history in 1972 winning five races in the 72, whilst Lotus again won the constructors' championship. The car now sported a striking paintscheme of black and gold; Imperial Tobacco had introduced a new brand, and decided to increase exposure and provide more funds to Lotus as part of the deal. Imperial Tobacco Group PLC ( is the world's fourth largest international Tobacco company Lotus was now sponsored by John Player Special cigarettes. John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a Tobacco and Cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England.

The 1973 season saw new rules introduced to increase car safety. This included mandatory deformable structure to be built into the sides of the cars, causing the 72 to be further updated with integrated sidepods, larger bodywork and new wing mounts. Fittipaldi was joined for 1973 by the brilliant Swede Ronnie Peterson. This is about the racing driver For the ice hockey player see Ronnie Pettersson. Peterson fell in love with the 72; a perfect marriage of car and driver. In his first season with Lotus, Peterson won four races, while Fittipaldi won three, but their internal fight helped Jackie Stewart snatch the drivers' championship, while the large points tally built up by their two drivers helped Lotus keep the constructors championship. For other people of this name see Jackie Stewart (disambiguation. Fittipaldi left for McLaren in 1974, ironically to drive a car closely based on the 72, the McLaren M23. McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937&ndash1970 is a Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, UK The McLaren M23 was a Formula 1 car designed by Gordon Coppuck with input from John Barnard.

An ex-Ronnie Peterson Lotus 72E, the final interation of the 72 design. This is about the racing driver For the ice hockey player see Ronnie Pettersson.

This left Peterson as team leader, while Jacky Ickx joined the team to partner him. Racing career Jacky Ickx was introduced to the sport when he was taken by his father motoring journalist Jacques Ickx, to races which he covered The 72 was meant to be replaced by the Lotus 76, intended to be a lighter and leaner version of the 72, but the cars' technology proved to be too ambitious and the project flopped. The Lotus 76 was a Formula 1 car designed by Colin Chapman, Tony Rudd and Ralph Bellamy for the 1974 Formula One season. Lotus turned to the venerable 72 for the 1974 season. A further update to the car, increasing the front and rear track kept the car competitive. Peterson won another three races and challenged for the championship in a very closely contested season, ably supported by Ickx who turned in solid performances and scored several podiums. The now aging 72 did remarkably well for a four year old design, finishing fourth in the constructors championship but for 1975 without a replacement chassis the 72 was again pressed into service. By now it was obvious that the car, even with further modifications including a wider track and redesigned suspension was no match for the new Ferrari 312T which took the title or even the latest Brabham BT44 and Lotus finished 6th in the constructors' championship. The Ferrari 312T was a Ferrari Formula One car design based on the 312B3 from 1974 The Brabham BT44 was an F1 car designed by Gordon Murray, Brabham 's chief designer

After 20 wins, 2 drivers' and 3 constructors' championships, the 72 was retired for the 1976 season and replaced by the Lotus 77. The Lotus 77 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge and Martin Ogilvie for the 1976 Formula One season