Ground Effect

Lore & Background

The FW07 was closely based on the Lotus 79, even being developed in the same wind tunnel at Imperial College London. Some observers, among them Lotus aerodynamicist Peter Wright, felt the FW07 was little more than a re-engineered Lotus 79, just having a stiffer chassis. The car was small, simple, and extremely light, powered by the ubiquitous Ford Cosworth DFV. While not the first to use ground effects in Formula One, an honour belonging to Colin Chapman and the Lotus 78, Dernie may have had a better grasp of the principles than even Chapman. The car's performance dramatically improved mid-season after chief designer Frank Dernie designed a system to ensure the car's skirts touched the ground at all times and corrected aerodynamic leakage at the back of the chassis. The car won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (the 10th round of the season), and Alan Jones then easily won the next 3 rounds in Germany, Austria, and Holland, and also won in Canada. The car in the second half of the season was almost unbeatable.

Reader's Guide

The FW07 evolved into the FW07B for 1980 and the FW07C for 1981. The FW07B became so efficient in creating downforce from its ground effect design that the front wings were unnecessary. The FW07C featured further suspension work, especially after the FIA banned moveable skirts needed for effective ground effect. The hydraulic suspension systems were developed by Alan Jones, who hated the rock hard suspension. An experimental six-wheeled test car, the FW07D, was tested by Alan Jones on a single occasion at Donington Park. The FW07 was replaced by the similarly engineered FW08 from early 1982.

Did You Know?

• The FW07 made its debut at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama in 1979, the fifth round of the season.
• At the 1980 French Grand Prix, Alan Jones used for the first time in a race a specially prepared John Judd developed Cosworth DFV, producing 500-510 BHP at 11,400 RPM.
• The FW07C won the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship in 2016, 2018, and 2021, while the FW07B won the championship in 2017.
• Rights to the FW07's design were acquired by Bobby Hillin for the IndyCar team Longhorn Racing, which built a copy named Longhorn LR02.