Editing History of Formula One (section)

=== Ground-effect era (1977–1982) ===
:''See [[1977 Formula One season|1977 season]], [[1978 Formula One season|1978 season]], [[1979 Formula One season|1979 season]], [[1980 Formula One season|1980 season]], [[1981 Formula One season|1981 season]] and [[1982 Formula One season|1982 season]].''
1977 also saw two radical technical innovations that would change the future of Formula One. The purpose of Lotus's experimentation in 1976 was revealed with the [[Lotus 78]], which brought [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] to Formula One for the first time, using wing-profiled sidepods sealed to the ground by sliding [[lexan]] skirts. Generating radically increased downforce with significantly less drag,<ref group="note">Reportedly, the internal name of the project that gave birth to 78 was "Something for nothing", Lotus external consultant [[Peter Wright (racing car designer)|Peter Wright]], one of the designers of the 1970 [[March 701]], brought the idea.</ref> the Lotus 78s driven by [[Mario Andretti]] and [[Gunnar Nilsson]] won five Grands Prix in 1977. [[Renault F1|Renault]] unveiled the second when their [[Renault RS01|RS01]] made its first appearance powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, derived from their [[Sports car racing|sportscar]] unit. Although supercharged engines were successful in the 1950s and the regulations allowing for turbocharged engines had existed for 11 years, no Formula One team had built one, feeling that the fuel consumption and [[Turbocharger#Lag|turbo lag]] (boost lag) would negate its superior power. Motor engineer [[Bernard Dudot]],<ref>Bernard Canonne & Christophe Wilmart, 1906–2006 100 ans de Grand Prix. Rétroviseur November 2006</ref> who had observed the turbocharged [[Offenhauser]] engines used in [[American open-wheel car racing|Indy car racing]] in the US, pushed for this choice.

The entry of Renault also brought Michelin's [[radial tyre]]s to Formula One. Goodyear, who enjoyed a monopoly before the entry of [[Michelin]], was still using the [[cross ply]] design for racing. Goodyear saw the entry of Michelin as a serious threat and made a notable effort in research and development to develop its own radial tyres. Tyrrell's 1977 season was disastrous because [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] was too busy to continue to develop the unique small tyres required by the P34. Without continuing development, the tyres became less competitive and the six-wheeled concept had to be dropped. [[Michelin]] eventually left F1 after the 1984 season.

[[File:2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg|thumb|The [[Brabham BT46#Brabham BT46B{{snd}}the "fan car"|Brabham BT46B]] "fan car"]]
For {{F1|1978}} the new [[Lotus 79]] made more radical and mature use of the ground effect concept. Many other teams began experimenting with the technology, but Lotus had a [[Head start (positioning)|head start]] and [[Mario Andretti]] won the Championship in the "Black Beauty", becoming the first driver to win both the American [[American Championship Car Racing|IndyCar]] championship and the Formula One title. [[Brabham]] outbid Lotus in generating downforce with [[Brabham BT46|BT46B]] "fan car", a revival of the "sucker car" concept used by [[Jim Hall (race car driver)|Jim Hall]]'s [[Chaparral 2J]] in the [[Can-Am]] series in the early 1970s. The car exploited a loophole in the regulations, but the team, led by Bernie Ecclestone who had recently become president of the Formula One Constructors Association, withdrew the car before it had a chance to be banned after winning its only race with [[Niki Lauda]] at the wheel at the [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix|Swedish Grand Prix]]. Late in the season, Ronnie Peterson crashed into the barriers in the first lap at Monza and his Lotus burst into flames. James Hunt heroically pulled him out of the car and the medical prognosis was initially good but the Swede died the next day because of an [[embolism]]. Hunt would retire after the following season's Monaco Grand Prix.

For 1979 [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]], the up-and-coming [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] team and surprisingly [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], despite the handicap of the Flat-12 that obstructed wind tunnels, produced wing-cars designs that were more effective than the [[Lotus 79]]. This forced Lotus to hastily introduce the new 80 that overplayed the ground effect concept (it was originally intended to run with no drag-inducing wings, merely ground-effect sidepods) and never proved competitive. Renault persisted with the turbo engine, despite frequent breakdowns that resulted in the nickname of the 'Little Yellow Teapot', and finally won for the first time at Dijon in {{F1|1979}} with the [[Renault RS10|RS10]] that featured both ground effect and turbo engine.

[[File:Renault RS10 1979.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Renault RS10]], the first turbocharged car to win a Grand Prix, had ground-effect aerodynamics permitted in 1979]]
The new technologies introduced by Renault and Lotus became entangled in the [[FISA–FOCA war]] of the early 1980s. Turbo engines were complex machines whose layout limited the ground effect 'tunnels' under the car. They were an emerging technology and so they were difficult and expensive to develop and build and make reliable. It was mostly manufacturer-supported teams, such as Renault, Ferrari, and [[Alfa Romeo]] which took that route. In contrast, the cheap, reliable, and narrow Ford-Cosworth [[Cosworth DFV|DFV]] engine, still used by most teams more than a decade after its introduction, lent itself well to highly efficient ground effect aerodynamics. These two groups were represented by two political bodies{{snd}}the sport's governing body [[Federation International du Sport Automobile|FISA]], headed by [[Jean Marie Balestre|Jean-Marie Balestre]]; and [[Formula One Constructors Association|FOCA]], headed up by [[Bernie Ecclestone]]. The first group supported a strict limitation of ground effect to gain full advantage from their powerful turbos while the other relied on unrestricted ground effect to balance their horsepower deficit. There were also financial considerations. Faced with large constructors with unrestricted budgets, the smaller constructors wanted a larger share of Formula One's income to remain competitive.

The battles between FISA and FOCA during the first years of the 1980s overshadowed the events on track. [[Jody Scheckter]] took Ferrari's last title for 21 years in {{F1|1979}}, but attention there was already being focused on young Canadian [[Gilles Villeneuve]]. [[Alan Jones (Formula 1)|Alan Jones]] and [[Keke Rosberg]] brought success to Frank Williams at last in {{F1|1980}} and {{F1|1982}}, while young Brazilian [[Nelson Piquet]] won titles for [[Brabham]] team owner Ecclestone in {{F1|1981}} and {{F1|1983}}.

[[Patrick Depailler]] was killed in {{F1|1980}}, probably due to high lateral acceleration causing a black out in Hockenheim's fast Ostkurve. The double blow struck to Ferrari in {{F1|1982}}, of the death of Gilles Villeneuve and the crippling injury to teammate [[Didier Pironi]] only a few weeks later, helped bring this crisis into the spotlight, and helped both sides settle the dispute for the good of the sport.

The old fashioned DFV helped make the UK domestic Aurora Formula One series possible between 1978 and 1980. As in South Africa a generation before, second hand cars from manufacturers like [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] and [[Fittipaldi Automotive]] were the order of the day, although some, such as the [[March Engineering|March]] 781, were built specifically for the series. In 1980 the series saw South African [[Desiré Wilson]] become the only woman to win a Formula One race when she triumphed at Brands Hatch in a Williams in a non-championship event.

After several years in darkness [[McLaren]] merged with [[Ron Dennis]]'s Formula Two Project-4 team. The [[McLaren MP4/1]] (McLaren Project-4) introduced the first [[carbon fibre composite|carbon fiber composite]] chassis in 1981, an innovation which, despite initial doubts over its likely performance in a crash, had been taken up by all the teams by the middle of the decade. The use of carbon fibre composite in place of aluminium honeycomb produced cars that were significantly lighter, yet also far stiffer which improved grip and therefore cornering speed. Significant skepticism regarding the use of carbon fiber chassis remained, but [[John Watson (racing driver)#Move to McLaren and championship challenge|John Watson's 1981 crash]] in the MP4/1 showed that the new technology was sufficiently safe, with the violent accident leaving Watson unscathed, where similar previous incidents had resulted in death or serious injury.
<!---Subjective and not at the right place:
Ironically, despite all of the controversy swirling around the privateers, the 1970s in Formula One provided some of the most colorful and competitive grids ever found in the sport. The cheapness of the Ford-Cosworth DFV encouraged many private entrants to buy or build their own cars to run in the seasons with varying degrees of success. While names like [[Ensign (racing team)|Ensign]], [[Penske]], and [[Theodore Racing|Theodore]] came and went without making much of an impression, other teams, such as [[Hesketh Racing|Hesketh]], [[Shadow Racing Team|Shadow]], [[Walter Wolf Racing|Wolf]], or [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] enjoyed more success, and even challenged the established giants of the sport from time to time.--->