Why unloved Lotus 76 may be Colin Chapman's most significant car
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Last weekend Bernie Ecclestone admitted to Lee McKenzie on Channel 4 that he had charged the circuit promoters too much. “I was running the company [F1],” he said “to make money for the shareholders so they could sell their shares for a good price, which is what they did. That was my job. There were lots of things that I could have done that would have cost the company money, not made it money.
“I would have liked to have charged a lot less to the promoters so they could sell their tickets much cheaper to the public.”
Now that Liberty Media holds the reins there is a real chance the Formula 1 calendar will change dramatically over the next 10 years, even if it’s doubtful that existing contracts will be broken. In light of this I asked the editorial team which races it would like on the F1 calendar. Below is what we’ve ended up with.
The rules? The circuit must be reasonably close to being able to host an F1 race (the Isle of Man TT course is a no go, for example) and it should be a genuine world championship and have races in as many continents as possible.
Phillip Island, Australia
Sepang, Malaysia
Fuji, Japan
Imola, Italy
Le Mans (full circuit), France
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Canada
Long Beach, USA
Red Bull Ring, Austria
Silverstone, Great Britain
Portimão, Portugal
Spa-Franchorchamps, Belgium
Monza, Italy
Rio Hondo, Argentina
Kyalami, South Africa
Suzuka, Japan
Marina Bay, Singapore
Surfers Paradise, Australia
Interlagos, Brazil
What do we think? Add your suggestions below.
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Finishing sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix with broken wrists and a fractured toe, Lance Stroll is the latest racer to block out torturous pain rather than miss a race. Here are some of the most incredible stories
The hot pursuit of keeping up with Red Bull is causing serious headaches for Mercedes and Ferrari, with Aston Martin remaining realistic
Williams was the second-most improved F1 team at the Bahrain GP, with Alex Albon scoring a point. But new team principal James Vowles says that it will take years to break into the midfield fight, as he overcomes the legacy left by seasons of struggle