Ligier JS11 E.Cheever - USA GP Las Vegas 1982 Papercraft Model

8 Oct, 2021

Ligiers in Formula One

After taking over the assets of the Matra team, Ligier entered the 1976 formula one season in a car powered by a Matra V12 and won the 1977 Grand Prix with driver Jacques Laffite. This made France's total victory in the Formula One world championship.

Ligier first used a turbo engine in 1984. Andrea de Cesaris drove the car at the Dallas Grand Prix.

The agreement with Matra was terminated in 1979 and Ligier built a car with a Cosworth engine, the Ligier JS11. JS11 started the season with wins in the first two races with Laffite drivers. However, the JS11 faced serious competition when Williams and Ferrari introduced a car with aerodynamic modifications. The rest of the season became even bleaker for this team.

The JS11 and its successors made Ligier one of the best teams in the early 1980s. Despite heavy sponsorship from Talbot and private French companies such as SEITA and Française des Jeux (a deal with François Mitterrand assisting), the team experienced a decline in the 1982 season. In the mid-1980s, the team benefited from free Renault turbo engine approvals. This makes them more competitive, but not in the top flight, despite the support of Gitanes, Loto, and elves. When Renault withdrew in 1986, Ligier was left without a bona fide engine supplier. Termination of cooperation with Alfa Romeo (Due to strong criticism from René Arnoux regarding Alfa Romeo engines) was followed by the purchase of engines to Megatron, Judd, and Cosworth and then contract work with Lamborghini, Renault, and Mugen-Honda.

In his last years, Ligier received little public attention and minimal financial support. Surprisingly, the team became more competitive, influenced by the talents of aerodynamicist Frank Dernie, who was honed by a rivalry with Alan Jones at Williams who often beat Ligier in the late 1970s.

Loïc Bigois' young mechanical talent made a good impression. But it also gives the thought that in previous years, Guy Ligier was more concerned with making money than restoring the team's abilities. The team got a breath of fresh air when Guy Ligier sold the team to Cyril de Rouvre after a poor 1992 season having failed to capitalize on its potential despite being backed by the same Renault engine as the dominant team, the Williams team. Ligier won eight podiums in the next four years, in contrast to failing to get one between 1987 and 1992.

In 1996, the Mugen Honda JS43 engine became a balanced engine, if not compared to the Williams engine. The team got a surprise victory as Olivier Panis won the Monaco Grand Prix, in a tough race. This victory is a good moment for French sport, wherein in this race, only three vehicles reached the finish line.

The team was sold to Alain Prost and became the Prost Grand Prix in 1997. Prost GP, despite great support from the French industry, failed to show good results and went bankrupt in 2002.