DECLINE THE HISTORY OF LOTUS AND PART 5: 1985-94 FALL

IS there a photograph that better captures the euphoria of victory than Steven Tee’s black and white image snapped at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix? The image, one of Formula 1’s finest, is seared into the fabric of grand prix racing folklore, as Peter Warr – wearing signature Peter Sellers specs, flat cap, black JPS jacket and an expression of exuberant jubilation – opens his arms wide to welcome home his conquering hero. It’s tipping down, but who cares? Certainly not Ayrton Senna – at least not now the hard work is done. The belts have been thrown off so he can shoot an arm into the air and mirror Warr’s celebration. You never forget the first time.

Thirty-six years later, the most vivid images of Senna we carry in our hearts tend to be in Marlboro McLarens. But it was in JPS black and gold, then in vivid Camel yellow, that the great Brazilian truly came of age, and it wouldn’t have taken much for him to have created more moments like this for Team Lotus and be crowned its sixth world champion after Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti. The cars were quick enough and so indubitably was the driver, already the fastest on the grid.

If only reliability had matched the speed, mid-80s history might have been very different. Instead, the last great era of Team Lotus wasn’t anywhere near as great as it should have